Corned Beef Hash

We love corned beef hash in our house. I don't know what it is that draws us to it but we just really like it. As such whenever the corned beef gets marked down after St. Patrick's day we stock up on it to use for corned beef hash and Reuben sandwiches. This has been one of the easiest recipes I have tried for corned beef hash and one of the best tasting. I hope you like it as much as we did.

Corned Beef Hash
adapted slightly from Nook & Pantry

2 slices of bacon regular thickness or 1 slice thick cut, chopped
2 C chopped corned beef 1/2 inch cubes
2 potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
A few shakes of Tabasco

Cook the bacon in a nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat until crisp and the fat has rendered.

Add the diced onions and potatoes. Add more oil if not enough rendered from the bacon. Shake the skillet and flip the potatoes occasionally so the potatoes can brown on all sides. Cook until the potatoes are nearly cooked through.

Add the corned beef, bell peppers, mustard, oregano, and any additional seasoning. Cook until the potatoes are fully cooked through.

Foolproof Vinaigrette

Sorry for not posting recipes on a more regular basis lately. I've been sick plus we've had a few things going on with the family that we have been working on. On to more important things, another wonderful salad dressing. As most know I no longer buy salad dressing at the store as I much prefer the taste of a homemade dressing. Plus as an added bonus you can customize almost all dressings you make at home into a flavor you really like. My husband loves vinaigrette dressings while I do not. My dislike of the vinaigrette's is because they seem oily and bitter tasting. Well this one is neither. I am in love with this dressing and can't wait to mix some other variations into this dressing.

Foolproof Vinaigrette
adapted slightly from Cook's illustrated Sept/Oct 2009

1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon regular or light mayo
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, shallot, mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar in small bowl. Whisk until mixture is milky in appearance and no lumps of mayo remain.

Place oil in small measuring cup so that it is easy to pour. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture. If pools of oil are gathering on the surface as you whisk, stop addition of oil and whisk mixture well to combine, then resume whisking in oil in slow stream. Vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened, with no pools of oil on its surface.

Smoky BBQ Style Dipping Sauce

I love this dipping sauce. I've used this for steak fingers, steak, and even chicken. It's quick and easy to make and it will last in the fridge for quite a while. I have been making this for awhile now and honestly I can't remember where I even found the recipe in the first place.

Smoky BBQ Style Dipping Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Crossroads Food Coop August 2009

This is Saturday's Farmer's Market share:
1 head cabbage
4 pounds red potatoes
2 green peppers
7 green onions
basil herb
I am not sure if the yellow thing is a melon or spaghetti squash

It's all local and organic. It cost me $13.50.

To place an order click here.

Borski CSA 8/21

2 cucumbers
3 green peppers
8oz blackberries
7 green onions
about 5 pounds of potatoes

Cabbage Rolls

One of my all time favorite meals from my childhood is cabbage rolls and comes from my mother's side of the family. When I mention these to friends they always turn up their nose at them. Heck even my own husband won't touch these. However they are so good.

1 head of cabbage
Drop in boiling water and slowly remove the leaves. As you remove the leaves let them drain until cook to touch. If you want, and they roll better if you do but you can skip this if you want, remove part of the thick part of the rib on the cabbage.

Meat mixture
1-2 lbs ground beef, depending on how big your head of cabbage is
1-2 cups rice, white or brown whatever your preference and the amount depends on how much ground beef you use and your personal preference
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves minced, I like garlic if you don't use less
2-3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
salt and pepper to your taste
Mix all together.

Grab a cabbage leaf and fill with meat mixture. Roll the leaf up and remember to tuck in the sides halfway through the rolling up. I usually put about 4 ounces of tomato sauce on the bottom of the crockpot or pan. Fill the bottom of the pan and cover the rolls with tomato sauce and sauerkraut. Add another row of cabbage rolls and continue until all the cabbage leaves are used.

Cook in oven for 3-4 hours at 350 degrees or in a crockpot on low for 8 hours.

I usually fill a tomato sauce can twice with water and add that to the pot. If cooking in the oven keep an eye on the liquid and add more if needed. I usually don't add more when cooking in the crockpot. Cook on low in the crockpot for 6-8 hours.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This sandwich was a winner. I took my recipe for Boneless Buffalo Chicken and used it to make these sandwiches. I made Roquefort dressing for the sandwiches but they would have been good with ranch dressing. This sandwich was really tasty and my husband can not wait for me to make it again.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
adapted from Cook's Country Feb/March 2009

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut so they are a thin fillet and you have 4 pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot sauce, preferably Franks, avoid the hotter ones like Tabasco
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups vegetable oil
2-4 Hoagie rolls
lettuce
tomato
onion
dressing, blue cheese or ranch

Marinate: Combine chicken, buttermilk, and salt in large zipper-lock bag and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine hot sauce, water, sugar, butter, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thickened, about minutes.

Coat: Whisk egg whites in shallow bowl until foamy. Stir flour, baking soda, remaining cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons hot sauce mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate.

Fry: Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate.

Toss: Warm remaining hot sauce mixture over medium low heat until simmering. Combine chicken and hot sauce mixture in a large bowl and toss to coat.

Toast Hoagie roll. Spread dressing on one side of the roll. Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Add chicken to the roll and serve.

Molasses Spice Cookies First Place Winner

These cookies turned out so tasty. I am usually not a fan of molasses cookies but these were better than any molasses cookie I have ever tried. An added bonus is they took first place at the Davis County Fair.

Molasses Spice Cookies
America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes plus cooling time

Dipping your hands in water when rolling the dough into balls will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and will help the sugar stick to the dough.

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup light or dark molasses

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of the sugar in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the molasses until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds (the dough will be soft). Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

4. Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone (peek through the cracks to check the centers), 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Rustic Dinner Rolls Second Place Winner

I entered one of my favorite roll recipes in the Davis County Fair this year. I ended up taking second place. These are a favorite roll of mine. They are simple in ingredients and relatively simple to make. They do require some time and a tiny bit of work but the effort is worth it. Tomorrow I'll be posting my first place cookie recipe.

Rustic Dinner Rolls
Cook's Illustrated Nov/Dec 2008 issue

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water (12 1/2 ounces), room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons honey
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon bread flour (16 1/2 ounces), plus extra for forming rolls
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour (about 1 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Instructions
1. Whisk water, yeast, and honey in bowl of stand mixer until well combined, making sure no honey sticks to bottom of bowl. Add flours and mix on low speed with dough hook until cohesive dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.

2. Remove plastic wrap and evenly sprinkle salt over dough. Knead on low speed (speed 2 on KitchenAid) 5 minutes. (If dough creeps up attachment, stop mixer and scrape down using well-floured hands or greased spatula.) Increase speed to medium and continue to knead until dough is smooth and slightly tacky, about 1 minute. If dough is very sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour and continue mixing 1 minute. Lightly spray 2-quart bowl with nonstick cooking spray; transfer dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Fold dough over itself; rotate bowl quarter turn and fold again. Rotate bowl again and fold once more. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Repeat folding, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

4. Transfer dough to floured work surface, sprinkle top with more flour. Using bench scraper, cut dough in half and gently stretch each half into 16-inch cylinders. Divide each cylinder into quarters, then each quarter into 2 pieces (you should have 16 pieces total), and dust top of each piece with more flour. With floured hands, gently pick up each piece and roll in palms to coat with flour, shaking off excess, and place in prepared cake pan. Arrange 8 dough pieces in each cake pan, placing one piece in middle and others around it, with long side of each piece running from center of pan to edge and making sure cut-side faces up. Loosely cover cake pans with plastic wrap and let rolls rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes (dough is ready when it springs back slowly when pressed lightly with finger). Thirty minutes before baking, adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.

5. Remove plastic wrap from cake pans, spray rolls lightly with water, and place in oven. Bake 10 minutes until tops of rolls are brown; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees; using kitchen towels or oven mitts, invert rolls from both cake pans onto rimmed baking sheet. When rolls are cool enough to handle, turn right-side up, pull apart, and space evenly on baking sheet. Continue to bake until rolls develop deep golden brown crust and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 10 to 15 minutes; rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Transfer rolls to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Steak Hoagies with Mushrooms, Onions, and Peppers

Oh those were yummy and so quick and easy to make. The only thing I would do differently is use some Worcestershire sauce and use Heinz 57 instead of A1. I had these prepped and cooked in less than thirty minutes and they tasted as good as a sandwich at our favorite steak sub shop. An added bonus was I made these for less than $8 which is about $8 less than a trip to our local steak sub shop. Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.

Steak Hoagies with mushrooms, onions, and peppers
Cooks Country Magazine June/July 2008

2 strip steaks, about 1 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6 inch) sub rolls, slit partially open lengthwise
6 ounces thinly sliced deli provolone cheese

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and let rest five minutes, then slice thin against the grain.

Meanwhile, add remaining oil, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to empty skillet and cook until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in steak sauce, oregano, and sliced steak until well combined.

Divide steak mixture among rolls and top with cheese. Arrange sandwiches on rimmed baking sheets and bake until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Chicken and Roquefort Sandwiches

Sorry for a long delay in posting another recipe. I needed to take some time off to work on some family issues. I have a few recipes to post over the next few days although I did not cook much during my time off. Today's recipe came from the current Cooking Light magazine and turned out to be very delicious. I had to sub the Roquefort cheese with some South Africa blue cheese I had in the fridge. I love mixing the blue cheese with cream cheese and I used the spread on other sandwiches. I also made these sandwiches for two family members who are not fans of blue cheese so I used Parmesan cheese in their spreads. Overall these sandwiches were a hit and they will be made again in the not so distant future. Another change I made was to cut the chicken breasts in half so they were thinner. I am not a fan of a big chunk of chicken on my sandwich. Either way works though.

Chicken and Roquefort Sandwiches
from Cooking Light Magazine August 2009

• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) tub whipped cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) baguette
• 2 small heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 cup baby arugula leaves (I used spinach leaves instead)
  

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl.

2. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick strips. Sprinkle evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt.

3. Cut baguette in half lengthwise. Spread cheese mixture over cut sides of baguette. Arrange chicken, tomato slices, and arugula evenly over bottom half of baguette; cover with top half. Cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces.

Toasted Pita Salad

Another great way to use all your garden fresh vegetables. This was a very quick salad to make and the flavors were really good together. Next time I will cut back on the amount of pita bread and double the recipe for the dressing. Otherwise this was a pretty tasty salad and one we will make again.

Toasted Pita Salad
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine August 2009

2 (6 inch) pitas split in half horizontally
3 cups chopped tomato (about 4)
1 1/2 cups chopped English cucumber
1/4 finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until crisp. Cool completely; break into small pieces.
Combine tomato and the next 4 ingredients (through parsley) in a large bowl. Combine lime juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour juice mixture over tomato mixture; toss gently. Add pita pieces to bowl; toss gently. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta with Bacon and Suimmer Vegetables

This dish turned out really tasty. The kids even ate every portion of this dish without complaining. I loved how it used loads of fresh garden vegetables in a healthy way. The original recipe called for cavatappi pasta but at the grocery store they wanted an obscene amount of money for that type of pasta so I used elbow macaroni. Also it called for bottled garlic and I used fresh. This is going on the make again list.

Pasta with Bacon and Summer Vegetables
adapted slightly from Cooking Light Magazine August 2009

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
4 slices center cut bacon, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about two ears)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in pan; add oil to drippings. Add onion and garlic to pan; saute 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add zucchini; cook 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in corn and tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes burst, stirring occasionally. Add pasta to tomato mixture; toss. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese, basil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve.

Winner of Contest #2

Is #2 who was Frieda! Email me at n_baron@msn.com and send me your address so I can get them in the mail to you.

July 31st Borski CSA Pickup

about 2 pounds of beans
4 ears of corn
1 cucumber
8 ounces blackberries
4 pounds new potatoes