Mixed vegetable and meat kabobs take some practice. They always look great on TV, but in the real world, meat and vegetables don’t cook at the same temperature or for the same length of time. In particular, when beef or chicken are fully cooked, onions will still be raw with burned edges, and tomatoes will be mushy. If you want to go to the trouble … Continue reading Kabobs
In large skillet or wok, sauté garlic in oil. Add beef and cook for 5 minutes. Add ginger, salt and pepper; then broth, bell peppers and onions, and cook. In small separate bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, water and cornstarch; when mixed, add to beef and cook until thickened. Stir in water chestnuts and serve over hot rice. from Marshall and Curt Johnson (pictured above, … Continue reading Pepper Steak
One of the nephews requested this today for an upcoming family dinner, so I’m sharing it here. Serves 6-8, but see note below. Trim beef and cut into strips; dredge in flour. Sauté mushrooms and onions in half of butter; remove from pan. Melt rest of butter in the pan and brown the beef strips. Add salt and consommé. Simmer, stirring occasionally until meat is … Continue reading Beef Stroganoff
This is a delicious way to use up St. Patrick’s Day leftovers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bread on one side and place in 9×13 baking pan buttered side down. Cook sauerkraut in beer for about 10 minutes; drain well. Layer sauerkraut over bread, then Swiss cheese, then corned beef, then another layer of Swiss cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Mix … Continue reading Reuben Casserole
In large skillet, brown large onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add ground beef, and brown well. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder to taste. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix water, cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Spread layer of cooked cornmeal in bottom of greased 9 … Continue reading Tamale Pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients lightly with hands – do not squish or overmix. Pat meat into a loaf form on a greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle a little more Maggi over the top, and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until cooked through. Note: Carla likes to spread a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste over the top … Continue reading Meatloaf
Carla, age four, at one of the pianos at Tato and Mamcik’s house Carla’s college roommate and lifelong friend Elise didn’t like to cook much but she occasionally found great recipes. This one makes a spicy, tomatoey chili with wonderful flavor. In Dutch oven, sauté garlic, onion and spices in oil and butter. Add green beans, carrots, celery, and tomato juice; cover and cook for … Continue reading Vegetarian Chili
As with many many well-loved and often-made family dishes, ingredients and measurements in Mom’s stews changed every time she made them. There are no measurements given here, because you can make as much or as little as you need, depending on how many people you are feeding for dinner, or how expensive a particular cut of meat is this week. In other words, here is … Continue reading Mom’s Beef Stew
We love both of these versions; we often serve one or the other for family Sunday dinners. Ania’s Version Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Sauté bell pepper and onion in butter (or olive oil) until tender. Combine pepper, onion, chicken, and jalapeños in bowl and set aside. In the sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter; blend in … Continue reading Chicken Enchiladas
Call it poached or call it boiled; if you can boil water, you can say bye-bye to paying through the beak for prepared grocery store or deli chicken. If you want to make chicken stock, buy a whole chicken and cut it up; if you just want to cook some chicken breasts for salads or entrees, that’s fine too. But for stock or dumplings, you … Continue reading Basic Chicken/Stock/Chicken Salad
Around Our Table 