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Kent
With a full day of excellent college football games on today, I opted to snack for dinner instead of cook a full meal. To that end, I made a refried bean dip with chorizo, jalapenos, lime and cheese. This recipe is a great one for a party or a potluck. Also, this recipe can be tweaked in numerous ways – using different types of refried beans and jalapenos, adding nacho jalapeno rings (heck, making nachos with this mix would be awesome!) or even adding a spicy taco or hot sauce to pop the flavor! Give it a try… it is simple, but extremely tasty! Chorizo and Refried Bean Dip Ingredients: 6 oz chorizo 16 oz can refried beans 4 oz can fire roasted jalapenos zest from 1…
Tonight’s dinner is a big hit with family and friends, but sometimes I just want to enjoy this meal by myself. It does take a bit more planning and preparation than most of my recipes, but the results are worth the effort. Basically, rouladen is a German dish of thin beef steak slathered with stone ground mustard and wrapped around bacon, onions, carrot, and pickle, then seared and braised until tender. The braising liquid is the base for a flavorful gravy – perfect over spaetzle or potatoes as an accompaniment. Don’t be afraid of this recipe as your effort will be well rewarded. Save Print Beef Rouladen Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 hours 20 mins Total time: 2 hours…
Here is a fast and tasty pasta dish that will satisfy completely. It is a simple Italian based red sauce with lots of flavor – and completely open to your own interpretations. Some options are to add red wine, substitute vodka and cream for the tomato sauce, adding oregano, roasted red peppers, or red pepper flakes. Of course, the Italian sausage used will also impact the flavor! Are you ready? Great, then let’s get cooking! Sausage and Mushroom Sauce with Penne Ingredients: 6 oz of Italian sausage 5 – 6 oz penna pasta (cook per the instructions and drain well) 1/2 onion, diced 1 large garlic clove, minced 8 oz tomato sauce 4 oz mushrooms, diced (fresh or canned) 2 tbsp tomato paste 1/2…
Today was one of those interesting food days. I was hungry for a meal packed with fresh vegetables. And my favorite way to satisfy that hunger? With a stir fry of course! A stir fry is so incredibly easy to make and so open to different ingredients (and amounts!), this recipe will give you the basics for a veggie packed stir fry with a light glaze. Now I’m hungry, so let’s get cooking! Garlic Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients: 8 – 12 oz chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch cubes 1 1/2 cups broccoli flowerets 1 carrot, sliced diagonally 1/2 onion, sliced 1 red pepper, julienned 2 large cloves garlic, slivered 2 tbsp cornstarch 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp…
Tonight, it is another recipe I created for the family when my daughters were younger. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be tweaked and twisted to suit whatever is in your pantry or on your taste buds! I made the basic variation, which was delicious! Other variations include using Italian seasoning instead of herbs de provence, substituing broccoli or thinly sliced brussel sprouts for the peas and carrots, etc. Let your imagination run wild or just try the basic… but do give it a try! Kielbasa and Macaroni with Peas and Carrots Ingredients: 1/2 kielbasa (approximately 6 to 8 oz), split and sliced 1/3 box of elbow macaroni (approximately 5 oz) 1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots (approximately 6 oz…
When all that menu planning I discussed in an earlier post gets sidetracked, it is time to improvise. Today I was surveying the refrigerator and found the following items: about 1 cup of kimchi 1 carrot 3 green onions 1 red pepper 2 heads of broccoli Hmmm, that looks like the ingredients for a tasty fried rice. I checked in the freezer and I had a partial bag of medium (51-60) prawns – perfect as the protein in my fried rice plan. So let’s get cooking, shall we? Prawn Kimchi Fried Rice Ingredients: 24 medium prawns (51-60 size), thawed, deveined, peeled and tails removed 3/4 – 1 cup of kimchi, cut into 3/4 inch 1 carrot, sliced diagonally or julienned 3 green…
Just a picture post today, I made a biscuit breakfast sandwich with a sausage patty, scrambled eggs, and cheese…
Recently, some friends asked me if I could post more breakfast meals. Coincidentally a good buddy told me about a restaurant that makes this variant of Biscuits and Gravy (thanks Adam!). Before I could get to the restaurant to try it, I decided to make it myself. Another breakfast post to honor the request and my curiosity satisfied all in one meal – that’s definitely a bonus! Are you ready? I certainly am! Biscuits and Chorizo Gravy Ingredients: 6 oz bulk Chorizo 1 can refrigerated Biscuits (the 5 count buttermilk is my favorite!) 8 oz whole milk, half and half or cream 1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour black (or white) pepper to taste parsley for garnish (optional) paprika for garnish (optional) Preparation: Bake the…
Remember the Bolognese Sauce I made recently? Well, I saved some and tonight I used it with cavatappi for a fast, tasty dinner. Here is a picture for your enjoyment…
Like sauerkraut, rotkohl has many variations. This side dish is another that pairs excellently with traditional German fare – schnitzel, sauerbraten, rouladen, wurst, etc. I suggest playing with the recipe to suit your own tastes – substitute cider vinegar for the balsamic, brown sugar for honey, omit the onions and/or bacon, add apples, pears, or caraway, etc. Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage (Rotkohl) Ingredients: 1/2 head small red cabbage, sliced thinly (approximately 3 – 4 cups) 1/2 small yellow onion, diced (approximately 3/4 cup) 2 -3 slices bacon, cubed (approximately 3/4 cup) 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp honey 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar salt pepper Preparation: Heat a large skillet over medium medium-high heat. Add the bacon and render until almost crisp…