Stephanies Kitchen – main dishes

Mini Meatloaves

July 15, 2008 By Steph 14 Comments

So every week I sit down and I plan out my menu for dinners for the next week. For the last 3 years, I’ve had meatloaf on the menu, and for the past 3 years I’ve always skipped it and it was then put on the menu for the next week, and so on. I’m not sure why I’ve had such a hard time making meatloaf. I grew up eating meatloaf. I’ve never met a meatloaf that I didn’t like. But for some reason, I’ve lacked the motivation to actually make it. But this week, I finally gave in and decided to try it out. I added a little bit of this and a little bit of that, hoping that everything would turn out tasty. And I must say, I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long. It was so delicious, so tasty and so perfect. I found some tasty Brocciflower (half cauliflower/half broccoli) which was so delicious as a side and of course mashed potatoes to finish it off. Some tasty down home cookin’ and comfort food to boot. That’s my kind of meal!

Mini Meatloaves

recipe by Stephanie

serves 4

1 lb. ground beef

olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt and pepper

ketchup

1. In a skillet, add olive oil and onions and cook until onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Add worcestershire sauce and set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add parsley, bread crumbs, cheese, tomato paste,salt and pepper. Mix together until well incorporated. Add ground beef and mix with hands just until combined. Do not overmix. Separate into 4 even patties and shape into loafs. Place on baking sheet and cover the tops of the loaves with ketchup. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches between 155 to 160 degrees.

Filed Under: ground beef, main dishes

Creamy Ranch Chicken

June 25, 2008 By Steph 13 Comments

Simple. Delicious. Satisfying. Need I say more? I saw this recipe in one of my food magazines and I just knew I had to try it. Crispy bacon in a creamy ranch sauce with chicken and noodles. How can you honestly go wrong? It was done in a matter 20 minutes. My husband compared it to a Carbonara, and I guess it was similar, but the ranch seasoning gave it a tangy taste that I just loved. If your family loves saucy meals, you might want to double the sauce, it really didn’t make a huge amount.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

adapted from Better Homes and Garden’s Quick and Easy Recipes

start to finish: 20 minutes

serves about 4

6 slices bacon

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix

1 1/4 cups milk

3 cups dried medium noodles(I used egg noodles)

1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.

3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.

4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Filed Under: chicken, main dishes, pasta

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

June 16, 2008 By Steph 12 Comments

I love Fried Chicken. Actually, I love anything fried. I wish I hated the smell of fresh hot chicken jumping out of hot oil and fresh hot donuts too. But I don’t hate it. It is definitely comfort food to me. But I try not to eat fried food very often. I found this recipe for Buttermilk Baked Chicken and since I was craving fried chicken, I decided to try this variation. It actually tasted like it just jumped out of the fryer. But our little secret…it didn’t. Baked in the oven, this chicken came out crispy and juicy in all the right places. In this recipe you use homemade bread crumbs, made with white bread. The bread crumb mixture is soft and fluffy, and I really liked it. It was so different from those mealy store bought crumbs, which by the way, I use all the time. But I might use this recipe more often, because it tasted fresher and so much better! Yum!

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

adapted from Great Food Fast, Martha Stewart

serves 4

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet

8 slices white bread

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce

course salt and pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (I used parsley, onion powder and garlic powder)

4 pounds chicken parts (preferably legs, thighs, and wings) rinsed and patted dry

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously rub a baking sheet with oil. In a food processor, pulse the bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. (or spices of your choice)

3. Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the liquid, letting the excess drip back in to the bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place the coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Leave enough space between the chicken pieces so that they crisp evenly all the way around.

4. Bake until the chicken is golden brow, about 35 minutes.

Note: I let the chicken sit in the buttermilk for a couple of hours to make it even more tender and juicy.

Filed Under: chicken, main dishes

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

May 31, 2008 By Steph 9 Comments

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend. Mine has been very busy so far, and I’m looking forward to relaxing tonight! In the meantime, here is a great recipe. This was really delicious. When I was flipping through my Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Cookbook and I saw this brightly colored dish, I decided that I needed to try this out. Very tasty, and not too much work either. You can even assemble this ahead of time and then bake it before serving it. I love black beans, so this was definitely my kind of meal. Try it out for yourself.

***I forgot to add that I added about 2 cups of shredded chicken to this recipe. I made it a while ago, and it slipped my mind. But if you look very closely, you can see it! Oops. It made it more of a meal with the chicken. I just added the chicken to the bean mixture on the stove top. I let it simmer with all of the other ingredients.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

4 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chili, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Course salt and pepper
2 cans (15 ounce each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounce) frozen corn
2 cups cooked shredded chicken

4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (8 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim the toritillas to fit a 9 inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add the beans and beer to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the corn and scallions, and chicken and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; later with one quarter of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat 3 times, using 1 cup cheese on the top layer. Bake until hot and the cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions. Slice into wedges, and serve immediately. Serve salsa and sour cream on the side.

Filed Under: main dishes

Classic Italian Lasagna and Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

May 12, 2008 By Steph 17 Comments

My husband offered to make me dinner for Mother’s Day. I told him that it was so sweet to offer, but I had already planned my favorite meal out. I know, I’m crazy. A man offers to cook and you should always accept, but I had my heart set on Lasagna. I love Lasagna! I’ve never enjoyed making it much, so complex, so many different components to make. But because I love it so very much and I haven’t had it in a while, I decided to try Giada’s recipe, because the rest of her recipes have been so excellent. This was the BEST lasagna I have ever had. My favorite part is that she uses a marinara and bechemel sauce combined, instead of just a marinara sauce. It gives it such a creamy texture and it has the perfect flavor! The spinach adds a nice touch and of course the best part is the bubbling cheese on top! Yum! It tastes even better the second day because all of the flavors combine and it is just perfect! Give it a try, it is to die for!

Classic Italian Lasagna
adapted from Giada’s Everyday Italian

salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
15 dry lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups Bechamel Sauce (recipe to follow)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
1 1/2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10 ounce) pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the vegetable oil (prevents sticking). Cook the lasagna until almost al dente, about 6 minutes (the center of the pasta should remain somewhat hard so that it won’t overcook and become soggy when baked.) Drain, then rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking and help remove any excess starch. Cover lightly with a damp towel to prevent the pasta from drying out. Set aside.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add the ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and saute until the beef is brown, breaking up any large clumps, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain any excess fat. Let cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the bechamel and marinara sauces to blend. Season the sauce with more salt an pepper to taste.
5. In another medium bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to blend. Set aside. Spread the butter over a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Spoon 1/3 of the bechamel-marinara sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange 5 lasagna noodles atop the sauce, overlapping slightly and covering the bottom of the dish completely. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with the spinach. Arrange 5 more lasagna noodles atop the spinach, then top with the ground beef. Spoon one third of the remaining bechamel-marinara sauce over, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining 5 sheets of lasagna noodles. Spoon the remaining bechamel-marinara sauce over the lasagna noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese. (The lasagna can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Uncover before baking).
6. Line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil. Place the baking dish on the baking sheet. Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the top is bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce
makes 4 cups

5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups warm whole milk (I use 2 percent)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
pinch of white pepper (I use black pepper)
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (I use dried)

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth, and ream, about 10 minutes. Do not allow bechamel sauce to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.)

Now onto Dessert!!!!

A friend of mine brought this over to me after I had my last baby. I fell in love with it, it’s simplicity and wonderful flavor combinations! I make it all the time now and it is so good, it doesn’t take long to finish the whole pie! Trust me, it is worth EVERY last calorie!!!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie

1 store bought oreo pie shell (or make one at home)
1/2 gallon mint chocolate chip ice cream
cool whip
caramel
hot fudge sauce
coursely crushed oreo cookies

There are no measurements, because you can put as much of everything as you desire. Make it your own!

On the bottom of the pie shell, drizzle carmel and hot fudge sauce. Soften ice cream, and scoop into the pie shell until 3/4 of the way full. Top with cool whip and top that with the oreo cookies. Drizzle more caramel and hot fudge sauce and put back in the freezer to firm up. Yum!!!!!

Filed Under: desserts, main dishes, pasta