After baking a turkey for two adults and two young children, one is left with ALOT of leftovers. In an attempt to find pleasant dishes to make with the remaining meat without eating chicken sandwiches for an entire week, I tried The Good Home Cookbook's Jambalaya. I was pleasantly surprised with how well this turned out and how Wednesday didn't feel like leftover night.
The Recipe
2 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium celery ribs, also diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups long-grain white rice (I had basmati)
2 tbl tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomato (I used a 28 ounce can)
2 dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound smoked ham, diced (I traded this for 2 Italian sausages)
2 c cooked chicken or turkey, shredded or diced
2 c cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used one of those shrimp crowns, they were on sale)
1/4 fresh parsley (that I forgot)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Cook the bacon (and sausage meat if you prefer it to ham) in a large skillet (If you have a large skillet with a lid, I suggest you use that one) over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the bacon fat, and sauté 5 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the rice and tomato paste to your skillet and sauté until the tomato paste darkens to a mahogany colour, about 4 minutes. Stir in the broth, the can of tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, thyme and the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
4. Uncover and add the ham (or sausage), chicken, shrimp and parsley. Replace the cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
5. Fluff the rice with a fork. Crumble the bacon and mix in. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce to taste. Remove the bay leaf and serve
The Verdict
I only had jambalaya once before in my life. I am in no way an expert on american cuisine, but this tasted very good. It had a nice spiceness and a great variety of flavours. My boyfriend loved it, but the idea of rice not being white was weirding my kid out and he didn't touch his plate.
I must say though that the list of ingredients is a bit long for a leftover dish. Unless you had a Christmas buffet recently or you planned this one ahead of time, it's not prepared with staple items that everyone keeps on hand at all times. So even though it is a delicious and great way to pass your leftover chicken, you might be disappointed if you decide to throw this together last minute. In fact, that's part of the reason why I had never made jambalaya before. I am definitely glad that I took the time to add this to my meal plan
About Me
- Cecilia Bee
- I am a food enthousiast. I collect cookbooks and treasure "hand-me-down" recipes. While being concerned with a food budget and my family's health, I have decided to try and add recipes to our meal calendar. This blog is a journal of my great findings, my culinary treasures and the complete kitchen failures that have to happen from time to time.
Saturday 10 December 2011
Friday 9 December 2011
Jalapeño Pot Roast
This recipe came to me from Stephanie O'Dea's book Make It Fast, Cook It slow. This book is the first that I purchased after receiving my slow cooker about 2 years ago. I have never regretted my purchase and I invite you to check out her blog where she keeps her recipes. I have to say that some recipes were a total disaster, but not the one that follows!
I made this recipe on our anniversary which I had totally forgotten until my boyfriend mentioned it on the morning walk to work. I had planned leftovers for that night and figured that our anniversary deserved better. I rummaged through my freezer and found an expensive cut that I had purchased a few weeks ago when it was on sale. I usually cook my roast beef in the oven and cringed at the idea of throwing it in the slow cooker, like some cheap piece of meat. But I had no time to defrost, so in there it went, still frozen. So here it goes.
The Recipe
3 pound chuck roast ( or whatever you have and it can be frozen)
1 (10 ounces) can of cream of something soup (I added 2 cans of cream of mushroom)
2 to 4 tablespoons of jarred jalapeño slices
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed (I added red kidney beans)
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
1 to 2 cups of plain yoghurt or sour cream( I added Greek-style plain yoghurt)
1. Use a 4 qt slow cooker. Put in the meat and add your cream-of whatever soup, the jalapeños, the black beans, as well as the onion slices. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
2. After the meat has cooked, remove it using tongs. Scoop out a cup of the liquid and put it into a mixing bowl with the yoghurt or sour cream. Mix well. Pour the mixture back into the crock and stir to completely dissolve the yoghurt or sour cream. Slice the meat , return to crock and proceed to serve.
The Results
This is a nice alternative to the traditional slow cooker roast. It has a nice spiciness but you can easily choose the spice factor with the amount of jalapeños and yoghurt that you add. My boyfriend really liked it, as well as my two year old that ate all his meat for the first time in his life.
I enjoyed that all the ingredients were in my pantry and fridge. I keep jarred jalapeños for the days when I feel like making nachos or sandwiches and this was a new way to enjoy them. As for cream-of-something, it is a staple that most people keep on hand. If you prefer home-made, the author suggests to use two cups of your own cream-of-whatever. I must add that my second can of cream of mushroom soup was not necessary. When I was preparing the dish, I thought it looked a bit naked so I just threw an extra one, but one simple can would have suffice.
However, the can of black beans was unnecessary. Sure if you are looking to add beans in your diet, it can be interesting, but I didn't think that it belonged in the dish. It just felt like she had an extra can of beans which she added. So if you don't have beans on hand, or your family doesn't enjoy them, feel free to omit.
I will make this again, but with a cheaper cut so I feel less guilty. We had the leftover in a sandwich on onion bread, it was great!
I made this recipe on our anniversary which I had totally forgotten until my boyfriend mentioned it on the morning walk to work. I had planned leftovers for that night and figured that our anniversary deserved better. I rummaged through my freezer and found an expensive cut that I had purchased a few weeks ago when it was on sale. I usually cook my roast beef in the oven and cringed at the idea of throwing it in the slow cooker, like some cheap piece of meat. But I had no time to defrost, so in there it went, still frozen. So here it goes.
The Recipe
3 pound chuck roast ( or whatever you have and it can be frozen)
1 (10 ounces) can of cream of something soup (I added 2 cans of cream of mushroom)
2 to 4 tablespoons of jarred jalapeño slices
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed (I added red kidney beans)
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
1 to 2 cups of plain yoghurt or sour cream( I added Greek-style plain yoghurt)
1. Use a 4 qt slow cooker. Put in the meat and add your cream-of whatever soup, the jalapeños, the black beans, as well as the onion slices. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
2. After the meat has cooked, remove it using tongs. Scoop out a cup of the liquid and put it into a mixing bowl with the yoghurt or sour cream. Mix well. Pour the mixture back into the crock and stir to completely dissolve the yoghurt or sour cream. Slice the meat , return to crock and proceed to serve.
The Results
This is a nice alternative to the traditional slow cooker roast. It has a nice spiciness but you can easily choose the spice factor with the amount of jalapeños and yoghurt that you add. My boyfriend really liked it, as well as my two year old that ate all his meat for the first time in his life.
I enjoyed that all the ingredients were in my pantry and fridge. I keep jarred jalapeños for the days when I feel like making nachos or sandwiches and this was a new way to enjoy them. As for cream-of-something, it is a staple that most people keep on hand. If you prefer home-made, the author suggests to use two cups of your own cream-of-whatever. I must add that my second can of cream of mushroom soup was not necessary. When I was preparing the dish, I thought it looked a bit naked so I just threw an extra one, but one simple can would have suffice.
However, the can of black beans was unnecessary. Sure if you are looking to add beans in your diet, it can be interesting, but I didn't think that it belonged in the dish. It just felt like she had an extra can of beans which she added. So if you don't have beans on hand, or your family doesn't enjoy them, feel free to omit.
I will make this again, but with a cheaper cut so I feel less guilty. We had the leftover in a sandwich on onion bread, it was great!
Thursday 1 December 2011
Pork Goulash with Sauerkraut
As a lover of Goulash, this recipe in Donna-Marie Pye's Canada's Best Slow Cooker called out to me. As pork is often on sale but I have few recipes that I absolutely love, it seemed necessary to at least try it out. I also appreciate the idea of adding sauerkraut, because I think that it's the bee's knees. If you can't stand the thought of sauerkraut, you can simply omit as the author indicates in her book.
The Recipe
1 tbs oil
1 2lb pork roast (shoulder), cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 sweet paprika (if you only have hot paprika on hand, half this quantity)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
19 oz can of sauerkraut (can be replaced by fresh sauerkraut)
19 oz can diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 c beef broth
1 c sour cream ( I usually use natural Turkish yoghurt)
cooked and hot egg noodles to serve
extra sour cream, optional and also for serving
1. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add the cubes of pork, the onion as well as the garlic. Brown meat on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika , salt and pepper and cook one minute extra.
2. With a slotted spoon, add the contents of the skillet in the slow cooker. Add the sauerkraut, the can of tomatoes, and the broth, Place the lid and cook on slow for 8-10 hours or on high, 4-6 hours. The meat should be tender.
3.Place your slow cooker on low. Add the sour cream and cook for five additional minutes. Serve on the warm egg noodles with a dollop of additional sour cream.
The Verdict
I've made this twice since I typed out the ingredients about a month ago. My first time, I doubled the portions and went a little overboard on the sauerkraut. My can was too big, I was lazy, so I just dumped everything in there instead of putting the leftovers in a Tupperware. The taste of sauerkraut was a bit overwhelming and it tasted more like a paprika enhanced sauerkraut than a meat dish.
Therefore, I decided to retry using the real ratios.
I'm going to sound wishy-washy, forgive me. I don't hate it, but I don't love it as much as I hoped I would. Perhaps, if I had had less hopes for this recipe, I would have appreciated it more. It was a nice switch from my regular goulash; sauerkraut gives it a nice depth of flavour and the tomatoes really lighten the dish. However, I would never trade in my recipe of regular goulash for this one. I like having this recipe at hand for special occasions or for when I crave sauerkraut (because I do have huge sauerkraut cravings), but my regular goulash that is robust and meaty, has nothing to fear.
Another negative aspect of this recipe is that it doesn't freeze well if you add the sour cream as indicated in the last step. The sour cream will separate and curdle when it defrosts, something that I hadn't even thought about when I put my extras in the freezer. Let's just say, that even though it still tastes okay, it looks awful and I was the only one that accepted to eat leftovers.
So all-in-all, an interesting take on a great dish BUT that doesn't surpass the original, unfortunately.
The Recipe
1 tbs oil
1 2lb pork roast (shoulder), cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 sweet paprika (if you only have hot paprika on hand, half this quantity)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
19 oz can of sauerkraut (can be replaced by fresh sauerkraut)
19 oz can diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 c beef broth
1 c sour cream ( I usually use natural Turkish yoghurt)
cooked and hot egg noodles to serve
extra sour cream, optional and also for serving
1. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add the cubes of pork, the onion as well as the garlic. Brown meat on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the paprika , salt and pepper and cook one minute extra.
2. With a slotted spoon, add the contents of the skillet in the slow cooker. Add the sauerkraut, the can of tomatoes, and the broth, Place the lid and cook on slow for 8-10 hours or on high, 4-6 hours. The meat should be tender.
3.Place your slow cooker on low. Add the sour cream and cook for five additional minutes. Serve on the warm egg noodles with a dollop of additional sour cream.
The Verdict
I've made this twice since I typed out the ingredients about a month ago. My first time, I doubled the portions and went a little overboard on the sauerkraut. My can was too big, I was lazy, so I just dumped everything in there instead of putting the leftovers in a Tupperware. The taste of sauerkraut was a bit overwhelming and it tasted more like a paprika enhanced sauerkraut than a meat dish.
Therefore, I decided to retry using the real ratios.
I'm going to sound wishy-washy, forgive me. I don't hate it, but I don't love it as much as I hoped I would. Perhaps, if I had had less hopes for this recipe, I would have appreciated it more. It was a nice switch from my regular goulash; sauerkraut gives it a nice depth of flavour and the tomatoes really lighten the dish. However, I would never trade in my recipe of regular goulash for this one. I like having this recipe at hand for special occasions or for when I crave sauerkraut (because I do have huge sauerkraut cravings), but my regular goulash that is robust and meaty, has nothing to fear.
Another negative aspect of this recipe is that it doesn't freeze well if you add the sour cream as indicated in the last step. The sour cream will separate and curdle when it defrosts, something that I hadn't even thought about when I put my extras in the freezer. Let's just say, that even though it still tastes okay, it looks awful and I was the only one that accepted to eat leftovers.
So all-in-all, an interesting take on a great dish BUT that doesn't surpass the original, unfortunately.
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Slow Cooker Salmon Meatloaf
Earlier this month, my boyfriend and I had decided to include more fish in our diet. I was glad because I love fish and decided that I wanted to have good slow cooking fish recipes. While glancing through Judith Finlayson's The Healthy Slow Cooker, I found a recipe for salmon meatloaf. I thought the concept was interesting and since I had everything on hand, I gave it a try.
The Recipe
1 tbs oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 branches of celery, finely chopped
8oz of mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 tsp tarragon (I didn't have any, so I substituted for thyme)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 213g (7 1/2 oz) cans of salmon
1/2 c fresh parsley (i didn't have that either)
3/4 c breadcrumbs
warm tomato sauce, for serving (optional)
1.In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms. Cook and stir once every so often for about 5 minutes, or until the celery is tender. Add tarragon and pepper, cook for a minute while stirring. Remove from heat
2.In a large bowl, beat the eggs and lemon juice. Add the salmon (she suggest leaving the bones and skin in, I removed both; there is nothing I hate more than picking out skeleton pieces in my plate). Break the salmon in pieces with a fork. Add the mushroom mix from the last step, the parsley and the breadcrumbs. Mix well. If you see the mix is too wet, add in one tbs of breadcrumbs at a time. (I added at least 3 tbs and then got tired of adding some in, and thought good enough).
3. Fold a long piece of aluminium (she suggests 2 feet long) in half, lengthwise. Place it in the bottom of your slow cooker and bring the edges of the paper up the sides of the recipient. Make a loaf with your salmon mixture and place it on the bottom in the middle of your slow cooker.
4. Cook it on low for 4-5 hours or on high 2-2.5 hours, or until the loaf is cooked. With the help of the aluminium foil, lift and slide your loaf to a serving plate and cut the loaf. Add the tomato sauce, if using.
The Verdict
This tasted nice, a bit like seafood stuffing. I had made a sauce with cream cheese, thyme and chicken broth to go with it, which was a winner. I would make it again but not if I was receiving fancy company for the sole reason that it didn't hold so well and looked like cat food. My boyfriend said it didn't look THAT much like cat food, but it's the first impression I had. Perhaps if I had continued adding breadcrumbs, I would not have had this issue.
I liked that it didn't take much time to cook, so if ever I ran out of time in the morning to make supper, I could always count on this . But its short time could also be a problem e.g. if you have to prepare your meal before leaving for work.
I also liked that it uses up canned salmon. I always have some, but I can't say that I have many recipes that uses it in comparison to fresh salmon. So all in all, I think it's an interesting and useful recipe, but I won't be feeding it to the Queen of England.
3. Fold a long piece of aluminium (she suggests 2 feet long) in half, lengthwise. Place it in the bottom of your slow cooker and bring the edges of the paper up the sides of the recipient. Make a loaf with your salmon mixture and place it on the bottom in the middle of your slow cooker.
4. Cook it on low for 4-5 hours or on high 2-2.5 hours, or until the loaf is cooked. With the help of the aluminium foil, lift and slide your loaf to a serving plate and cut the loaf. Add the tomato sauce, if using.
The Verdict
This tasted nice, a bit like seafood stuffing. I had made a sauce with cream cheese, thyme and chicken broth to go with it, which was a winner. I would make it again but not if I was receiving fancy company for the sole reason that it didn't hold so well and looked like cat food. My boyfriend said it didn't look THAT much like cat food, but it's the first impression I had. Perhaps if I had continued adding breadcrumbs, I would not have had this issue.
I liked that it didn't take much time to cook, so if ever I ran out of time in the morning to make supper, I could always count on this . But its short time could also be a problem e.g. if you have to prepare your meal before leaving for work.
I also liked that it uses up canned salmon. I always have some, but I can't say that I have many recipes that uses it in comparison to fresh salmon. So all in all, I think it's an interesting and useful recipe, but I won't be feeding it to the Queen of England.
Monday 28 November 2011
Delicious Chunky Beef Chili
This recipe was taken out of Donna-Marie Pye's Canada's Best Slow-Cooker Recipes. I found this book at my local library while searching for various slow-cooking books. My book is in French so I will be freely translating the recipe. I bet I translated the name wrong as well, but this recipe is a keeper so bare with me.
The Recipe
1 tbs oil
2lb stew meat in 1cm cubes (I used blade roast since it was on sale)
2 tbs chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 branches of celery, diced
19 oz can of diced tomatoes
19 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 oz of tomato concentrate ( I used half a little can of tomato paste)
1 red pepper, diced (I used green)
1. In a large skillet, heat your oil on medium heat. Add the beef and brown for 7-8 minutes, until it is slightly golden on all sides, Add the spices and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to you slow-cooker.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes (be sure to add the juices as well), and stir. Place the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or 4-6 hours on high. Add the green bell pepper and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes on high.
According to the author, adding the pepper at the end makes it taste better and leaves it crunchier, which I will agree to. She also specifies to use a good quality chilli seasoning and not to replace the chilli with cayenne (which i also agree to ;) )
The Verdict
Granted, browning the meat prior to slow cooking seems like a bit of a hassle at 7 am while you are trying to get everyone to eat breakfast, get dressed and out the door, but the smell that came from that skillet when all the spices were in was well-worth it. I just couldn't wait for the evening to chow it all down. I must say that the meat was very tender and quite tasty, which is a something that I find lacking in other meat recipes where the additional step isn't required
I liked that this recipe didn't use ground meat and provided me with an opportunity to liven up my blade roast. I had bought three the previous week while it went on sale, and the idea of my regular stew 3 times in a month bored me to death. Plus, having such a "cheap" cut come out so well is extra icing on the cake.
Another plus is the availability of the ingredients. I usually have all of them lying around and if I don't, the local grocery store will for a good price. The spices above are versatile and most likely will get used in other dishes.
We ate a ton with sour cream and cheese and still had leftovers. My partner in crime told me he normally didn't like chilli, but that he thought this one was amazing. We also ate all the leftovers and were excited about having leftovers, so thumbs up!
The Recipe
1 tbs oil
2lb stew meat in 1cm cubes (I used blade roast since it was on sale)
2 tbs chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 branches of celery, diced
19 oz can of diced tomatoes
19 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 oz of tomato concentrate ( I used half a little can of tomato paste)
1 red pepper, diced (I used green)
1. In a large skillet, heat your oil on medium heat. Add the beef and brown for 7-8 minutes, until it is slightly golden on all sides, Add the spices and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to you slow-cooker.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes (be sure to add the juices as well), and stir. Place the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or 4-6 hours on high. Add the green bell pepper and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes on high.
According to the author, adding the pepper at the end makes it taste better and leaves it crunchier, which I will agree to. She also specifies to use a good quality chilli seasoning and not to replace the chilli with cayenne (which i also agree to ;) )
The Verdict
Granted, browning the meat prior to slow cooking seems like a bit of a hassle at 7 am while you are trying to get everyone to eat breakfast, get dressed and out the door, but the smell that came from that skillet when all the spices were in was well-worth it. I just couldn't wait for the evening to chow it all down. I must say that the meat was very tender and quite tasty, which is a something that I find lacking in other meat recipes where the additional step isn't required
I liked that this recipe didn't use ground meat and provided me with an opportunity to liven up my blade roast. I had bought three the previous week while it went on sale, and the idea of my regular stew 3 times in a month bored me to death. Plus, having such a "cheap" cut come out so well is extra icing on the cake.
Another plus is the availability of the ingredients. I usually have all of them lying around and if I don't, the local grocery store will for a good price. The spices above are versatile and most likely will get used in other dishes.
We ate a ton with sour cream and cheese and still had leftovers. My partner in crime told me he normally didn't like chilli, but that he thought this one was amazing. We also ate all the leftovers and were excited about having leftovers, so thumbs up!
Sunday 27 November 2011
The Goal of My Blog
First of all, I am not professional cook. I'm a stay-at-home mom that really enjoys cooking and trying out recipes. In our era of pre-packaged edibles, fast-food restaurants at every corner and countless recipes found at the tip of our fingers, the question " What's for dinner mom?" has never had more possible answers. But, all family budgets quickly find their limit and in this current economy home-cooking is more and more appealing.
There is a frugal tip that states that one should not try more than one new recipe per week, as to not cook something tasteless or plain-out gross and have to throw it away. I find this a bit boring and quite frankly, if I'm going to be adding more rice in my diet to cut on the food budget, it better taste awesome and come in different forms, or I'll get bored and run for the phone to call up the pizza-joint on my third bowl of rice in a week. This is where my love for recipe searching comes in handy. There is nothing more pleasant for me than sitting with a cookbook and reading it cover to cover.
I have often been given cookbooks from family and friends, bought some in garage sales and I have also bought some full-price. Some of them have had wonderful recipes, some not. It's hard to judge a recipe by a staged picture and a list of ingredients when you aren't a professional. It's also hard to judge an entire book from one failed recipe or one great meal, which is why I have chosen do write my blog recipe by recipe.
Yours truly
Cynthia Bee
There is a frugal tip that states that one should not try more than one new recipe per week, as to not cook something tasteless or plain-out gross and have to throw it away. I find this a bit boring and quite frankly, if I'm going to be adding more rice in my diet to cut on the food budget, it better taste awesome and come in different forms, or I'll get bored and run for the phone to call up the pizza-joint on my third bowl of rice in a week. This is where my love for recipe searching comes in handy. There is nothing more pleasant for me than sitting with a cookbook and reading it cover to cover.
I have often been given cookbooks from family and friends, bought some in garage sales and I have also bought some full-price. Some of them have had wonderful recipes, some not. It's hard to judge a recipe by a staged picture and a list of ingredients when you aren't a professional. It's also hard to judge an entire book from one failed recipe or one great meal, which is why I have chosen do write my blog recipe by recipe.
Yours truly
Cynthia Bee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)