Happenings of our lives

Emily went to bunco last night and I had my friend Chase over so I made hamburgers for the two of us (ok, there was supposed to be one for Emily for another day but we ended up eating all four of them because they were so good.  I put 1 lb hamburger, bread crumbs, worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, 1 egg, montreal steak seasoning, and a couple dallops of a horseradish sauce we have from Harry and David.  I sliced tomatoes, onions, and put feta cheese with deep fried pickles (see next post) on the burger.  It ended up being so good, possibly one of the best burgers I’ve  ever eaten.  The horseradish sauce really added flavor without making the burgers too spicy and helped keep the meat moist.  Of course, red meat and I don’t get along (I can’t tell when the meat is done because of a certain eye disorder that I have) so Chase helped cook them.

This recipe is from foodnetwork.  I made it during Christmas break and it was really good.

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Emeril’s Italian Essence, or other Italian seasoning blend
• 2 cups canned whole tomatoes with their juice, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Salt, depending on saltiness of sausage
• Creamy Polenta, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the onions and bell peppers to the pan and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian Essence and cook for another 2 minutes.
Return the sausage to the pan, stir to mix, and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and stir to mix. Cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Season with the black pepper and salt.
Pour the sausage mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, distributing it evenly. Pour the polenta on top, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.
Top the polenta with the butter and Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Creamy Polenta:
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch of mace
• 1 3/4 cups polenta or fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

Combine the milk, chicken stock, salt, white pepper, and mace in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the polenta. Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the polenta is tender, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping down the sides of the pot, about 10 minutes. Add the Parmesan and stir to blend. Remove from the heat and stir to cool for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until frothy.
Add 1/2 cup of the polenta to the eggs (to temper) and whisk to blend. Gradually add the egg mixture to the rest of the polenta (in about 3 additions), stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for another 2 minutes. Reserve for the casserole.

Jordan cooked all the meals during Christmas break for the entire family. One recipe that we made before that we especially enjoy is the Lady and Sons Lasagna from Paula Deen. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 2 cups canned, diced tomatoes
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 cup green bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley leaves
• 11/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 11/2 teaspoons The Lady’s House Seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 6 to 9 Long strips lasagna noodles
• 12 ounces cottage cheese, mixed with 1 beaten egg and 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
• 2 cups cheddar, grated
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated

Directions

To make the sauce, in a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Crumble the ground beef in a saucepan. Cook until no pink remains, then drain off the fat. Add the ground beef to the stockpot. Simmer for another 20 minutes. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions (if sauce is too thin, for your taste, you can thicken it up at this time by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and a 1/4 of a cup of cold water. Bring sauce back to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly). Remove bay leaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To assemble lasagna, place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan. Layer 1/3 of each, noodles, cottage cheese mixture, Gruyere, Swiss and cheddar cheeses. Pinch off small pieces of cream cheese and dot over other cheeses. Add another layer of sauce. Repeat layering 2 to 3 times ending with sauce. This may be covered and refrigerated at this point. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mozzarella and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Note: If lasagna has been refrigerated, bake for 40 minutes total.

I made this tonight, and it was really good.

Ingredients

Sauce:
2 tablespoons of minced garlic (I used the stuff out of the jar)
½ tablespoon of grated ginger (powdered ginger is ok, but use less)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of oil (Don’t use olive oil)
4 tablespoons of corn starch (more or less depending on the amount of meat you use)
1-2 lbs of beef, cut in strips (see picture)
1 medium bag of frozen broccoli (this is easier than fresh)
1 teaspoon of red pepper (this is optional, it makes it spicy)

1/2-1 lb thin spaghetti (we just made a lot and used what we needed)

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a measuring cup with a spout; this will make it easier to pour. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.

Cut the steak, then dredge in the corn starch, then put in a container until the oil is hot. On medium heat, place the meat in and cook until mostly done. Put the frozen broccoli in the pan, the extra water will evaporate. When the broccoli is heated up, add the sauce, if it looks like too little, add a teaspoon of soy sauce and vinegar. After the sauce begins to bubble, add the pasta. Mix, add red pepper if desired, and enjoy.

Here are the pictures: