A Yummy "Borrowed" Dinner

I had a plan to go to grocery store today, our larders are practically bare!  But for several reasons that didn't happen.  We ordered pizza yesterday, and my son had scouts tonight so I really needed to get something on the table.  I had some turkey Kielbasa  in the fridge and I remembered a recipe I had seen on my frined Jenny's Blog.  I remembered it because it had black beans in it which I love.

She calls it 3 Can Creole Dinner and it is something she created sorta by accident.  Well her mistake made what could have been a "bowl of cereal for dinner" into a yummy meal.

My version of Jenny's 3 Can Creole Dinner

1 Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa

1 can green beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can black beans

Cajun Seasoning to taste

2 cups white rice

Slice the Kielbasa into bite size pieces and saute in some olive oil.  (At this point I removed a little of the kielbasa for my son who is super picky)  Add in the canned goods and mix.  Add in some Cajun seasoning (I didn't measure, just added and tasted till it was to my liking.)  Bring to a boil and then simmer about 15 minutes.  I made some white rice in the steamer because it is always cooked to perfection that way.  I think this would be good on top of egg noodles too.

This made plenty for our family.  My son had plain Kielbasa and Rice, our toddler had plain rice LOL!  However, the rest of us (two adults and 1 child that eats like an adult) were very full and we even had leftovers.

Thanks Jenny - Hope you don't mind that I borrowed your recipe!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

I was cleaning out pumpkins in preparation of carving and my daughter asked me if we were going to keep the seeds.  I first I wasn't going to bother but one of the pumpkins had seeds that were practically sitting on top of the rest of that pumpkin goo so my daughter started collecting them.

Ciara loves doing anything in the kitchen so we washed the seeds and dried them.  We put a small amount of olive oil on a cookie sheet and then spread out the seeds on it.  Sprinkled them with some fresh ground sea salt and put them into the oven.  We baked them for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven until they were crisp and golden.  (Give them a little stir about halfway through.)

A healthy little snack among all those sugary Halloween sweets!

Apple Crisp? Apple Crumble?

Ever since we canned our apples, my daughter Ciara has been dying to eat them.  I even bought some premade crust but for some reason was not in the mood for apple pie.  Due to illness in our house this week, dinner was just boring hot dogs so I decided to make a quick yummy dessert.  Based on what was in my pantry I decided on Apple Crisp.  Or is it Apple Crumble?  I'm not sure what the difference is.

Anyhoo.......I heated the oven to 375 degrees and then sprayed the bottom of a small casserole dish with Pam.  I poured in some of our homemade Apple Pie Filling. (A 1 pint jar) In a bowl I mixed together:

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

 Then I cut in:

1/3 cup butter cubed

Topped the pie filling with the oat mixture and baked for 40 minutes.  Soo delicious with a scoop of whipped cream.  Yum!

This made just enough for our family of five since it is fairly rich.  If your family is bigger or if you want seconds or leftovers, I highly recommend doubling this recipe.

Fall Traditions, Apple Picking and Apple Pie Filling!

Every single year we have lived here, without fail, rain or shine we head out to Grafton to go pick apples and pumpkins at Eckerts.  We love the atmosphere of this farm.  We love taking a hayride into the apple orchards and out to the pumpkin patch.  The kids can pick out any pumpkin they want as long as they can carry it.  They love the fresh apple cider and of course funnel cake and kettle corn.  Yum!

Our youngest was a little cold when we got there and she didn't seem very enthusiastic.  As soon as we got out to the apple orchard and she realized she could pick apples (which she loves to eat) straight off the tree, she got super excited.

So we ended up with a bunch of apples.  More than we could possibly eat.

So I decided to make a batch of Apple Pie Filling and can it.

I washed, peeled and sliced all the apples.  If you are making a huge batch of this, a peeler and/or corer would probably come in handy, but being part irish and pretty handy with a paring knife I did mine by hand.  I like my apple to have a little bite to it and not be mushy so I cut mine in fairly large slices.  I also mixed up the two different varieties of apples we had.  I really like the end result of tart and sweet mixed together.

If you have never canned before take a visit to the USDA's site.  Some recipes may contain outdated or inaccurate information so check them against the guidelines provided on the site.

I used the following recipe:

9 cups water

1 cup cornstarch

4 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Peel, core and slice your apples.  I'm not sure how many pounds of apples I had.  I put the apples into a bowl of water with about a tablespoon of lemon in to keep them from going brown.

In a large pot mix together the water, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a boil.  In a separate bowl mix together the cornstarch and 1 cup of water.  Slowly add to the syrup mixture while stirring.  

Tightly pack your hot sterilized jars with the apple slices.  Pour the syrup over the apples.  You may want to use a flat utensil to scrape around the jar to get the syrup flowing and eliminate air bubbles.  Leave an inch of headspace at the top of the jar.  Seal your jars and process in a hot water bath for 20 mins.

 I was able to can 12 - 1 pint jars full of pie filling.  (I did have some syrup left over)  I think quarts would have been more practicle for my family of five but I only had pint jars on hand.

Hmm, Is it time to make pie yet?

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

It was time for our annual Fall Festival at church where they serve baked potatoes and chili and I needed a sided to go with that.  I always try to fix something that my kids like cause they are picky eaters and that way I can guarantee that there is at least one thing they can eat.  I thought Mac and Cheese would be a good accompaniment but didn't want to take the boxed kind.  So I went online to find some recipes.  I love to read comments, but the problem is there are always mixed reveiws.  So I then decided to take key components from a different bunch of recipes and try that.  I would have to say that the end product resembles Paula Deen's recipe a lot.

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni  (2 cups uncooked)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz velveeta cheese (melted)

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

1/2  tsp ground mustard

4 tablespoons butter cubed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook macaroni according to box instructions.  (Do not overcook)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  In a large bowl mix together milk, sour cream, beaten eggs, butter, mustard, salt and pepper.  When macaroni is cooked, drain, return to pan and stir in shredded cheese right away. (You can save a little of the cheese to put on the top.)   Stir in the melted Velveeta cheese.  (I cubed the velveeta and then melted it in the microwave for about 1 minute)  Add a small amount of the hot macaroni mixture to the milk and egg mixture.  Stir and then add a little more.  Stir again and then add in all the rest.  (Not sure if this is necessary but I did it to temper the eggs mixture so it wouldn't break.)  Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

My kids loved this.  I do not like that famous mac and cheese that comes in a box but I really like this.  That being said, this is nothing like that famous boxed mac and cheese.  This is a southern style baked Macaroni and Cheese that is creamy but resembles more the consistency of a quiche.  (Hmmm quiche, I love quiche!)

You could try this recipe with your favorite cheese or combo of cheeses.  You could even add in bacon, cubed ham or chopped broccoli to make it more of a meal instead of a side.