Christmas Dinner

As the weeks came closer to Christmas we learned that it would be best to just stay at our house. I'm glad we did! It was a little weird since I can remember only one dinner (and that might have been Thanksgiving) that we stayed home. I was quite proud of myself though it was taking forever. Having worked the night before I was tired but determind. So worth it!

Matt asked for a old fashion Thanksgiving meal for Christmas. All these years we have been together and I just now learn that he doesn't like ham. I thought he did! Hahaha! Anyway, I asked him to give me a list of what he wanted and I would make it happen. So turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and apple pie were my challenge. I really wanted to make my mom's rolls but Matt came up with a good point. "You have your plate full and there's no one here to empress, take shortcuts where you can." So I bought the rolls and gravy then added stuffing to the list. Oh, and apple cider. Matt may not like it but I've been craving this stuffing since we had it add his sisters' house.

I wasn't that impressed with the turkey but it wasn't the turkey's fault or the recipe's, it was mine. It had to be in the oven for 30 minutes then four hours more at a lower temp covered. I forgot to tell Matt to cover it so it burned all the skin. Still tasted good which it nice, I was worried. Plus, it's the four of us eating this turkey for a month. I was going to go for just turkey breast but it was the same price as the 16 lbs turkey I bought. I like dark meat so might as well. Plus, it will give me a chance to find some recipes for cooked turkey!

The sweet potatoes were so easy to make! I even liked them! There were mixed reviews on it. Some said it tasted awesome, others said it was more dessert like, and others said it was the worst thing ever. Well, we thought it was awesome! I will add more potatoes next time, I was unsure because it was using cans and I was using fresh. Seriously try this one! I did cut the flour down to about a half cup. That was one of many people's tips.

The stuffing was easy but time consuming. I will add a little more chicken broth to the stuffing that is not being cooked in the bird and I might go for a spicy sausage next time. Other than that, yum yum! Make sure you grab a big deep pan though. I started with a big skillet then switched to a deeper one. Even that was difficult to mix in.

The apple cider was so yummy! I went by a recipe from a book that came in my spices I got for Christmas (Thanks Kim and Angie!) and I made it in my new crockpot (Thanks Hubby!) Perfect warm drink to sit back and relax with.

The potatoes are no biggie, regular mashed potatoes but the apple pie.....OH MY GOSH! First off, I forgot to put butter with the apples, please don't do that. I added some white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, and some lemon juice. Tasted good but needed some butter. The crust on the other hand......WOW! I made a vodka pie crust. Seriously, go for it, try it! You will thank me and America's Test Kitchen. It turned out PERFECT! I don't own a big food processer so I just mixed it with a pastry blender.

So that was our Christmas meal, hope yours was just as tasty!


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Maple-Roast-Turkey-and-Gravy-2/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Sausage-and-Apple-Stuffing/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Thanksgiving-Sweet-Potatoes/Detail.aspx

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=11482&extcode=M**ASCA00

*you might need to sign up to read the pie crust recipe....trust me, it's worth it!*

BBQ Meatballs.....Sloppy Joes

Do you remember my Sausage Meatball recipe? It tasted fine but I wanted to use beef instead? Well I did and it turned out great....sorta. I actually had a real onion for once so I used that instead of onion powder. I also used carrots and celery in the recipe. However, I didn't add an extra combining ingredient so they started to fall apart. I wanted to have them simmer in my yummy barbecue sauce too for an added kick. Well, after sitting in the crock pot for a good 30 minutes I checked on them and they had completely broken down. I cracked up as I stood there stirring the meat mixture into the sauce. Well, lets have sloppy joes instead? They turned out fine, just needed a bigger kick. More spice. That's an easy fix and I probably would have done so if I have known I was going to change the recipe. I served them with baked potatoes (nothing fancy about those, salt, pepper, cheese and butter) and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Claire killed her plate, and part of Matt's. I don't think he was that impressed but I think he also would have preferred a better kick.

Fluffy Eggsless Pancakes

My idea of yummy? Not really, however, pancakes are a food that Trent goes crazy over and I have no eggs at the moment. My first bite wasn't impressed. He ate them so ate least it wasn't a complete fail. After scanning over the recipe again I realized that I skipped over the butter! The recipe has you melt the butter in the skillet then add it to the batter. I read the 'melt the butter' and figured it was done. I am happy to report that these pancakes tasted much better. I wanted to add some fruit to them but Claire doesn't like peaches today. Enjoy!

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,165,133179-255194,00.html

Philly Steak Sandwhich

It sounded good one day so I looked it up. There was a huge debate going on in the comments about what a REAL Philly is. I could care less what a true Philly is, I just know that this one turned out great! I had bought some type of beef awhile ago on sale but I wasn't sure how to cook it. I made some type of beef stir fry that turned out okay but Matt wasn't a fan. Then I remembered this recipe a few days ago and got all excited! The only thing I had to buy was the buns and cheese. I normally don't keep Provolone cheese on hand, I'm sure Mozzarella would be fine, even Swiss perhaps! I didn't have marjoram on hand when I found this so I had to buy that at the time.

It's an easy recipe except if you have to cut the meat. I hate cutting raw meat. But after that it's easy flying. Yesterday I made these and totally burned the crap out of them. Once you get the sandwiches all set up you have to melt the cheese. I turned on the broiler then cooked them too long. Yeah, don't do that. So keep a good watch and enjoy.


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Philly-Steak-Sandwich/Detail.aspx

Pizza

If my husband and daughter had their way, the would probably eat pizza everyday. And Trent, he must have the crust. That's a plus because Claire doesn't eat hers. How often does that work out right? Now, I myself love pizza and I never liked homemade until I found this recipe. There was one before this one and it was pretty good, just not better than something from a pizza place. This is the best recipe you will ever had! I was so excited when reading the reviews and all the positive comments. I actually found it by looking for a pizza sauce recipe, which is also awesome (I did have to make some tweaks). Altogether I think it takes about 2 1/2 hours. Trust me, it's worth the wait! I have a huge pizza pan and when made on that it is a nice thick crust. However, when I made this at my mom's yesterday, she only had two smaller pizza pans. So I cut the dough in half and it turned out so much better! Just like Little Caesars, but better! I'm thinking of making pizzas for Trent's birthday that is coming up. I'd like to try a veggie pizza and with having people over, what a great time to test it!

Now I have changed the sauce a bit and I did add a little extra something (thanks to my sister for the tip). I hate fresh tomatoes. I hate the smell and taste. However, I didn't want to go canned, I wanted to try to make it all homemade. Other than the cheese and pepperoni, it is! The sauce recipe wants a pinch of cinnamon and white sugar. I didn't like the cinnamon. I didn't like the strong taste of the tomatoes either. I thought of adding brown sugar to it one day just out of the blue and what do you know? It completely mild down the flavor! The trade off is the amount of sauce you get. I might try a mixture and see how that comes out. Another thing I did was before any toppings go on, mixed olive oil and minced garlic together and put on the crust. Then put a few slices of pepperoni (like five) and then topped with cheese. The pepperoni oils do something that is just amazing! And when you mess with the garlic and oil, make sure you put it on the edges! You will thank me!


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jays-Signature-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-Sauce-I/Detail.aspx

White Bread

I did make a PB&J sandwich today. This time it wasn't on the bread I normally make but I thought I would share it anyway. I love this recipe. It's simple and takes about 2 hours to prep. Freezing it uncooked is something I just recently learned and thought I would also share.

Right before you place it in the bread pan to rise is when you want to freeze it. I was concerned the bread free forming and not looking like regular bread. I did come up with an idea that worked perfectly. Place plastic wrap in the bread pan and spray lightly to keep the bread from sticking. Place the dough in the pan and wrap it tightly. Pull it out, place in a freezer bag and put in the freezer.
To defrost, unwrap and place in bread pan. Let it sit in the refrigerator for about 12 hours, maybe more. When it looks like dough ready to be put in the oven, have at it.

Also, you can use all purpose flour and it will turn out fine. I highly recommend using bread flour. I did the cost for this and it's about $1.00 a loaf. Not too bad for homemade!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-VanDorens-White-Bread/Detail.aspx

Chicken and Rice

What to make when you are hungry and don't feel like cooking? Chicken and rice of course! I'm sure there is a real recipe out there, I don't use one. It's a tasty one dish kind of meal that can be made for two or twenty. Okay, twenty is a little over the top, but you get the idea. I also love this meal for the ideas it can bring. I thought of adding corn and some salsa to it to see what would happen. Cambells makes tons of 'soups' dedicated to this meal too. They have a nacho cheese one that is so yummy and adds a slight kick. To make things even better, this was ready in 30 minutes.

I took two frozen chicken breasts and stuck them in a baking dish. Poured a cup of rice around the chicken and then 2 cups of water. Chicken broth would be a great idea, but I do recommend low sodiom, this can get salty. Take the can of soup (I used cream of chicken) and scoop on top of the chicken. Add whatever seasons you like (I used onion powder and minced garlic. Normally I would add pepper too but I forgot). Stick in hot oven (400) and cook covered until rice is cooked. Add some broccoli (frozen or fresh) and cover in favorite cheese. Cook until cheese is slightly browned.