Thanksgiving 2012 - Part III (Grandma's Stuffing)

In Thanksgiving 2012 - Part II, a simple, tasty recipe for making stuffing in a crock pot appeared. Now I'm going to share my Grandma's stuffing. I warn you up front that this recipe makes a LOT of stuffing and takes some time. But then again, there is no such thing as having "too much stuffing," especially when it is this good.

Ingredients

• 2 loaves of bread
• 1 lbs ground sweet Italian sausage
• 1 lbs ground beef, pork, or even turkey
• 2 medium onions (chopped)
• 8 stalks celery (chopped)
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 sticks margarine or butter
• Dash of thyme
• Dash of sage
• Dash of celery salt
• Dash of black pepper
• Dash of marjoram
• Dash of oregano
• Dash of rosemary
• Dash of basil

Directions

1. On Tuesday evening, lay out all of the slices of bread on the counter to dry overnight.
2. On Wednesday, cut the bread slices into cubes, and continue with the next steps.
3. Brown the ground meat and onions in a large skillet.
4. In a medium stock pot, bring vegetable broth to a slight boil and melt the butter in it.
5. Turn the broth to low, add the celery, and simmer for about 5-8 minutes.
6. Drain the celery but retain the broth (scoop out celery with a slotted spoon).
7. In an extremely large bowl or stock pot, put in all of the meat, celery, and bread.
8. Mix well, and occasionally add a dash of each of the herbs.
9. Add a little of the broth to make it moist but not wet. Refrigerate.
10. Thursday morning, mix stuffing again and add any more herbs/spices you want.
11. Stuff the bird and place extra stuffing in a casserole dish.
12. Put casserole dish of stuffing in the oven during the last hour of roasting the bird.

Suggestions
✓ Because the stuffing is done Wednesday, don't eat all of it before you need it for the bird.
✓ The above recipe makes enough for a 20 pound turkey and some on the side.
✓ Keep in mind that stuffing should be moist, but not wet.
✓ Make sure that the stuffing reaches 165 F when the stuffed bird is roasted.

A key thing I would be remiss to not share, remember what Grandma always said, "recipes are a guideline, change them as you see fit... you are the one eating it..."

Grandma's Burgers

Okay, another family recipe that has never been written down, but I can't keep it to myself, that would be selfish. This is the recipe for my Grandma Rose's hamburgers. She taught it to me so I could learn to expand my ingredients into a way to feed more people, still have flavor, and be full of nutrition. Is how you can turn 1 pound of ground meat into a way to make 6 burgers that are about 1/3 of a pound, instead of 4 that are only 1/4 of a pound. Yes, I follow it with a few suggestions.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. ground meat (beef or sausage, your choice)
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread
• Milk
• Italian herbs, salt, pepper, whatever you like
• Bare hands

Directions

1. Wash your hands, take off jewelry and watches.
2. Put the slice of bread on a plate or in a bowl. Soak it with the milk and let it soak.
3. Put the meat in a large bowl.
4. Crack the egg, and dump it over the meat.
5. Place the soaked slice of bread over the meat.
6. Knead mixture with bare hands, and sprinkle herbs over each layer before turning.
7. Use hands to cut the mixture in half lengthwise, and then in thirds (to get the 6 patties).
8. Form the patties and cook them on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill until they are done to the preferred taste. Then serve...

Suggestions
✔ Substitute a 2/3 cup of bread crumbs instead of the slice of bread
✔ Add 1/4 tsp. of smoke flavor sauce in the winter if cooked inside to make it taste like it was done outside.
✔ Hand press them to 1/4 pound in size and thickness to get 8 patties from 1 lbs. of meat
✔ Save at least one patty for the dog, they'll appreciate it
✔ When taking the slice of bread off of the plate of milk, lay a couple of Oreos on it to enjoy while grilling
✔ Use ground sausage instead of just ground beef, or combine them together to add flavor

Italian JoJo's & Breakfast Burrito for Dinner

Italian JoJo's & Breakfast Burrito for Dinner

With a teenage son around, it is hard enough to keep him fed, let alone find time to blog. So, today I'm putting a personal, easy recipe for Italian JoJo's  and a suggestion they can accompany for a filling dinner. The idea was inspired by my question to him about "what do you want for dinner?" He replied "breakfast for dinner." So here goes, dinner for 2.

Italian JoJo's

• 2 baking potatoes (scrubbed but not peeled)
• mixed Italian herbs
• olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 420° F/ 215° C while you cut the potatoes into 3/8 " (9.5 mm) wedges
2. Put them in a large bowl, cover them with olive oil, and use your bare hands to get them coated with oil
3. Oil a baking dish evenly
4. Put the wedges in the baking dish, standing on their peel side when possible
5. Sprinkle as much Italian herbs over them as you desire
6. Bake 30-35 minutes, keeping an eye on them for the last 5-10, until they are the way you like them

Breakfast Burritos

• 5 eggs
• 5 TBSP milk
• Italian herb mix (as much as you want)
• Sausage links (amount depends on size of each one)
• 4 soft taco sized tortillas (6 inches / 15 cm)

1. Put the sausage links in a cold skillet with enough water to cover the bottom 1/4 of them, turn burner on medium, cover skillet
2. Beat the eggs, milk, and Italian herbs in a bowl
3. Pour the egg mixture into another large skillet (also set to medium)
4. Monitor sausage links and the eggs. Eggs will take 5-8 mins, sausage will depend on the directions on the package, but they need to reach 170° F / 77° C internal temp
5. Fold the egg mixture over on itself halfway through the cooking time, when done, cut into four sections to fit on the tortillas
6. Wrap eggs & links in the tortillas as a breakfast sandwich

Personal Comments

✎ 2 recipes in one blog entry is a bit much, but so is raising a teenaged son. Take them individually if you want, at least you don't have to click any more links to get to them all.
✎ Consider doing "breakfast for dinner" once in a while. Occasionally having scrambled eggs, pancakes, or French toast for dinner and it can be really enjoyable.
✎ Watch your times. Overall, this only takes about 20 minutes to prep the potatoes and get them in, but you have to watch the clock to get the sausage links and eggs done so they all arrive on the buffet.
✎ Make them assemble their own burritos as soon as possible.
✎ Roll the bottom of a burrito / wrap from the bottom first, then the sides. Prevents juices from dripping out of the corners.
✎ Add as many FLAVORS that you want. I add Tabasco and a slice of cheese to mine, but my son didn't want it.
✎ Served with a glass of milk, some cut fresh fruit, and a dessert (as desired), this is awesome!

Cooking according to a recipe is a guideline, not a law book. Use what you DESIRE. That is what my grandmother always told me...

Sunday Brunch

Being a Sunday, and not much going on, I decided to make myself a brunch. I found the Sausage Egg Bake recipe from AllRecipes.com to base it on, had the ingredients in the fridge, so I decided to make it. I'm sharing the recipe here on my blog so you don't have to click on yet another link just to get to it. Yes, I took the original recipe and recalculated it so I could make it in the toaster oven. That is what is nice about All Recipes, that you can re-calculate the ingredients to fit the number of people that will be enjoying it. I modified the recipe a little to make it more Italian, and my notes appear in purple.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (used Bob Evans Original Flavor)
• 1 can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted (used cream of mushroom)
• 4-1/2 eggs (used 5)
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk (used water instead, makes it fluffier)
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (used a Mexican/Taco blend)
• Sprinkle of Italian blend herbs
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco

Directions

1. In a (cast iron) skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in soup. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper; stir in sausage mixture.
2. Transfer to a lightly greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish (used a 7 x 8.5" dish). Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

Tortilla Brunch

It was a late Sunday morning...it was too late to make a belly filling full breakfast, but it was too early for a light lunch of sandwiches. Thank goodness for the concept of BRUNCH!!! Combine the two... so, I did. Here it is...makes 4 of them, with a couple of small portions of leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
• 2 hash brown patties
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBSP milk
• 4 six inch tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Italian herbs

Directions

1. Preheat the toaster over to 425 F and then place the hash brown patties in for 15 minutes
2. While they bake, brown the Italian sausage over medium heat
3. Whisk the eggs with the milk and Italian herbs in a bowl, and pour into a small skillet. Cook over a medium heat
4. Flip the hash brown patties and return to toaster over for 10 minutes
5. Flip the eggs when needed
6. When all are done cooking, split the hash brown patties in half lengthwise and split the eggs into 4 strips
7. On a 6" tortilla, place one strip of potatoes, one strip of the eggs, cover with a few pinches of shredded cheese, add several tablespoons of browned sausage on top
8. Fold up the bottom and then each side of the tortilla
9. ENJOY!!!

Suggestions

• Top the fillings with whatever sauces (Tabasco, ketchup, mustard, etc) with what you like
• Use larger tortillas by adding more of the fillings, but that means you need to make more because the above would only make 2 tortilla brunch meals
• Serve with a side of fruit and milk (for kids) and/or coffee or tea for adults
• Use the Muggle Eggs recipe to cut down on the time to make the egg mixture

  

  Muggle Eggs

Sausage vs. Bratwurst vs. Kielbasa

An Irishman, a German, and a Polish guy are standing in a garage, each enjoying a cocktail and cigars... Yeah, it sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it describes how my evening started. We had a very heated conversation about what the differences are between sausage, bratwurst, and kielbasa. Fortunately I had my HP tablet with me, so we searched the web. Turns out that they are all the same. We all had to come to the conclusion that we were all right, toasted, and have some suggestions on how to prepare them.

"Bratwurst" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

from brät-, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage.

 "Kielbasa" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

in Polish “kielbasa” simply means “sausage“

 "Sausage" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

made from ground meat (normally pork or beef), mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices with a tough skin around it

The only true "differences" between all of them are the meats and herbs/spices that are used in them. The process is the same. I'm not going to make you scroll down a lot to see any of the differences, use the links if you are interested. Now read on for the suggestions we all had for you in dealing with sausage/brat/kielbasa links:

Care / Prep
✔ Put the links in the fridge as soon as you get back from the store.
✔ Use them within 2 days or simply freeze them for future use.
✔ Eat cooked links within 4 days and put them in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking them.
✔ The internal temp of a cooked link should be above 165 F / 74 C. Use an instant thermometer.
✔ Never thaw frozen links on the counter. Fridge overnight, microwave or use a Hot Water Bath.
✔ Use a different cutting board for your veggies, never chop them on one where you've cut raw meat.

Cooking

✔ Use a medium or medium-low setting to prevent the casing from splitting open.
✔ NEVER boil a link, poach it instead. Bring the water to a boil, turn it down to simmer. Put the links in and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Boiling will cause the links to shed their casing. Make sure you turn them every 10 mins.
✔ Poach links before grilling. That insures that they are cooked, the grilling just adds flavor.
✔ Do NOT pierce the casing while cooking, as it lets all of the moisture out, causing them to be dry.
✔ If the casing does split, use tongs to remove the casing before serving.

Side Thoughts

✔ Poach the links, Spiral Cut them, marinade, then grill.
✔ Blood pudding (my FAVORITE breakfast side) is nothing more than sausage made with the addition of animal blood.
✔ The butcher offers ground (non-encased) versions of the meat that can be used like ground beef. This adds flavor to the dishes you make. Purchase it in bulk instead of just "ground beef."
✔ Serve on a steak bun, to allow room for the extra veggies you grilled.

Bottom line, save a bite or two to give to your dog... they'll appreciate it deeply...

Quick & Easy Chili

I needed something to eat but didn't want to make a "lot" of work to make it happen. The Quick & Easy Chili was the result of raiding the pantry and the fridge. So here goes.

Ingredients:

Quick & Easy Chili

• 1 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 of a Bob Evans Sausage tube
• 1 can of mixed vegetables, drained & rinsed
• 1 can of light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
• Chili powder (as much as you want to add)

Directions:

1. Brown the beef and sausage in a skillet, then drain
2. Add meat, vegetables, beans, and diced tomatoes to a stock pot (I used a Dutch oven)
3. Simmer for 2 hours
4. Add chili powder and stir occasionally while simmering
5. Serves 4-6 (depending on how big your servings are)

 Notes:

• I added a cup of cooked peas I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I added a cup of cooked elbow macaroni I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I used the SWAG method (Scientific Wild A$$ Guess) when adding the chili powder a couple of times while it was simmering & I stirred it
• I used the other 1/2 Bob Evans Sausage tube to make the sausage gravy that I mentioned in my Recipe Research entry, and poured it over the chili when I ate it. YUM!!!

Recipe Research

I am always searching for new ways to prepare meals. Normally I start searching at All Recipes.com (yes, I do have an account there and have stuffed my recipe box), but I also do random searches to find things that catch my attention. This time, I started with a simple search but discovered some AWESOME ideas that I just had to share... so here goes...

Bob Evans Sausage Gravy

Of all of the meals of the day, I LOVE breakfast foods most of all, followed by Italian dinners... Ask a roller derby friend of mine, Elektra Q-Tion about going to Perkins, Eat N Park, or a hole-in-the-wall diner for breakfast with me. One breakfast item that I particularly crave, is sausage gravy. So, I did a search for a decent recipe for it, and discovered some great things shared on the Bob Evans website, including their recipe for sausage gravy. Okay, yes, I'm sharing the Bob Evans Sausage Gravy recipe, with some minor personal edits in green, but please scroll down to read what else I have to say about their website.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Bob Evans Sausage Roll (whatever flavor in the pantry or that you desire)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (unbleached white works best)
• 2 cups milk (whole, 2%, and 1% work best, keep your eye on skim)
• Salt & black pepper to taste (or whatever other herbs you want to add, I suggest Old Bay)

Directions:

• Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. 
• Stir in flour until dissolved (a small fork or whisk works better than a spoon). 
• Gradually stir in milk (whole, 2%, and 1% work best, keep your eye on skim). 
• Cook gravy until thick and bubbly (medium setting, any higher would set off the smoke alarm). 
• Season with salt and pepper (or whatever other herbs you want to add, I suggest Old Bay). 
• Serve hot over biscuits (or whatever you want to put it over). 
• Refrigerate leftovers (if you happen to HAVE any, LOL).

Personal Recommendations:

• Use ground turkey and the sausage gravy over stuffing at Thanksgiving
• Use the sausage gravy over tortillas wrapping scrambled eggs & bacon
• Use it as sauce over ANY pasta
• Make a pizza using this recipe as the sauce
• Check out all of the Bob Evans recipes
• Check out the 20 Recipes under $2 (per serving) recipes

Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

I can't say that I ever had stuffed cabbage rolls...if I did, I don't remember because my family never really used cabbage, except to make coleslaw, and we always had sauerkraut on New Years. But, I have heard a LOT of people talk about it, and they seemed to like it. So, when I came across a recipe on allrecipes.com, I decided to at least try it and make a pot full of what would taste like stuffed cabbage, but be a warm soup.

The recipe below was typed as I made it but I actually cut the amounts in half because I was making it for just me, like my grandmother always taught me, "recipes are nothing more than a good guideline...make it what you want, and with what you have..."

(cabbage boiled for 15 mins, patties about to be dropped in)

Unstuffed Cabbage
1/2 of a large head of cabbage
1 (12 oz) bottle chili sauce + 12 oz of water 
1 liter Schweppes Black Cherry ginger ale
1 lbs ground mild Italian sausage
Various herbs & spices (explained below)
1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste. Cut cabbage into 1-inch wide strips and put in a 5 quart stock pot or Dutch oven. Add ginger ale and chili sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, add Italian seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and garlic pepper into meat. Amount depends on what you want it to taste like. Mix well with egg. Form into patties and add to the pot.

Simmer, covered 2 hours. Taste for seasoning and serve. Makes 8 servings.

It made the apartment smell FANTASTIC all afternoon while it simmered. I occasionally stirred it, and added some ground black pepper. And yes, I did use my instant thermometer to make sure that the patties reached 170F. So, overall, I liked it. I have enough of it left that I'll probably be eating it for a few days. A couple of neighbors caught the aroma when they were walking by and I had opened my door for a second, so they begged me to give them some of it.

I'm glad I used my Italian cooking background on seasoning this recipe, because I love the tastes...and I always keep grandma's quote in mind. So, I used what I had on hand. Hence the black cherry ginger ale, ground sausage, and herbs.

The only other thing that I think I'll do next time, is make them into small meatballs instead of patties. Though, the patties make a good sandwich if you use a slotted spoon to take them out of the pot, and wrap them in a tortilla, with a slice of muenster cheese....

Easy Peasy Casserole for 3

3 ingredients, 3 steps, 3 tips...

Pre-peeling & slicing

Ingredients:

• 4 peeled medium potatoes
• 1 lbs. ground mild Italian sausage
• 1 15 oz. can sweet peas drained

 Directions:

1. While browning sausage in a skillet, cut potatoes into 1/4" slices
2. Layer potatoes on bottom of crock-pot before spreading browned sausage over them to cook on low for 3 hours
3. Spread peas over the top to finish another 2 hours of cooking on low

 Tips:
      ✔ Add a little water in the last hour if it is too dry
      ✔ Gently stir the mixture once or twice during the last hour
      ✔ Serves 3 if you provide a side of fruit, a beverage, and dessert