Swiss Steak for One

This week I am sharing a recipe that has become a favorite of mine. I love how easy it is. It tastes great and it is made from things I have on hand all the time. (We'll talk about that in a moment) I also love that it is cooked all day in my 2 quart slow cooker, no last minute work on this one. Just serve it up with whatever sides you want and you have dinner.

First let's talk about that slow cooker though. I actually have 3 slow cookers in my house. The little one that I used for today's recipe is the newest addition, I've only had it a couple of years. It is a 2 quart size so perfect for cooking dishes for one or two people, or for cooking sides for larger groups. I also was very happy with the price since I paid under $10 for it and that wasn't even a sale price. My rule for slow cookers is the more basic the better. I don't want programmable features or any other bells and whistles. I want a simple control with off, low and high for settings. I find these are the slow cookers that last the longest and give the fewest problems. In case you are wondering the slow cookers are a 3 quart and a 6 quart I still use both of those on a regular basis too. All three are usually working for any holiday dinners.

Now about those ingredients that I said I have on hand all the time. The main ingredient of course is the piece of meat, in this case a small chunk of round steak. I like to keep a variety of meat cuts in my freezer so I have meat for meals. I always check the value packs and family packs of meat. Those are usually a much better price per pound than the smaller packages. As long as you properly wrap and freeze the meat it will keep for quite a while in the freezer. The secret is to wrap them air-tight and label them. With the round steak I simply cut the one large piece of meat into individual serving size portions (about 1/3 to ½ pound each piece)

I always have onions on hand as well as celery and tomato sauce. And I would hope everyone has some flour,salt and pepper on hand. And that really is all there is to the ingredient list.

I like to serve Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and a vegetable mainly because that is how my mom always served it. I am sure you can find lots of side dishes to serve with yours.

Swiss Steak for One

1 Tablespoon flour

dash salt

dash pepper

1/3 to ½ pound round steak

1 small medium onion, sliced (about ¼” slices)

1 stalk of celery, sliced

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a food storage plastic bag add the meat, seal the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the meat with flour. Set aside.

Place onion slices in the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Add the meat, top with the celery and pour the tomato sauce over everything. (discard any remaining flour)

Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. 

Beef and Vegetable Bowls

I love having a lot of recipes that use the ingredients I always have on hand. Those are the recipes I fall back on regularly and since they use items I try to have on hand all the time I can make them whenever the mood strikes.

This dish takes advantage of a couple of items that are always in my freezer (steak and frozen veggies) as well as some basic pantry items. The big bonus this can be a complete meal. Also it is quick to make, the beef & vegetable mixture cooks while the rice is cooking so dinner is ready in about 20 minutes to a half hour (unless you opt for brown rice of course)

Speaking of the rice let's start there. Rice is something that is always in my pantry and since I cook it in my rice cooker is super easy. I have used both brown and white rice for this dish and it is great both ways. It is really up to your tastes and how much time you have until you want to eat.

I said above that I always have steak in the freezer, not so hard to do. I keep my eye out for sales of steaks year round in the “family” or “value” packs. Those are the terms I see in my local stores for the larger packages of meat that are usually on sale for less than the price of the smaller packages. It only takes a couple of extra minutes when I get home with a larger package of meat to wrap each steak individually and them put them all in a gallon size freezer bag and slip them in the freezer. I try to keep a variety of meats available in my freezer all the time. This recipe uses one rather average size petite sirloin steak to make 2 servings.

The vegetable portion is provided via a bag of frozen vegetables, the kind that are labeled as “stir fry starter” or “stir fry blend” or something similar. Most grocery stores will have at least one variety of these. The bag I used this time was a combination of asparagus, carrots, green beans, and some other stuff. I sometimes get one that has snow peas or sugar snap peas in it instead. Use whatever stir fry blend your store has or the one you like best.

The other ingredients are just staples in my kitchen and you probably have most of them hanging around.

Beef and Vegetable Bowls

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

¼ cup orange juice

1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon dark sesame oil (look on the aisle with the Asian foods in you grocery store)

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

1 boneless petite sirloin steak (about ¼ to ⅓ lb) cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons oil

1 bag (about 12 oz) frozen stir fry vegetable blend

2 cloves garlic, minced

hot cooked rice

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch, water, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper flakes. Stir until smooth and set aside.

In a large skillet (or a wok if available) heat 1 teaspoon oil and add the meat. Stir fry for a few minutes until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the vegetable blend and the garlic and cook, stirring until the veggies almost cooked through.

Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Add the meat back to the pan and cook until heated through.

Serve in bowls over hot cooked rice.

Serves 2

Ravioli with Tomatoes and Olives

This is one of those recipes that are handy to have in your back pocket because pretty much everything can be on hand all the time and it is a really fast dish to cook. In fact waiting for the water to come to a boil is the thing that takes the longest.

So to have this ready to go I try to keep cheese ravioli on hand, I have been buying the frozen kind lately. For this recipe you can use either the frozen or the refrigerated variety. Both are really good and handy to have around. Canned tomatoes are one of those things I think every cook should keep on hand and if you pick up a couple of cans of the ones that are seasoned (like the Italian style in this recipe) you save yourself some time when it is time to make dinner. Onions and olives are also staples in my kitchen and always on hand. I have made this pasta with black olives, green olives, kalamata olives, all are equally good, just use what you have. As for the fresh basil I like to keep a live basil plant in my kitchen windowsill both for adding to food and for the wonderful aroma it gives off. Oh, I almost forgot, the Parmesan cheese, also always in my fridge. So with a little planning you can a wonderful dinner on the plate in minutes.

Now let's talk about this dish, I love how fresh it tastes. I really think it is the fresh basil added at the finish that does that. The sauce is very light and fresh tasting and since it is so quick you have time to toss a salad and heat some garlic bread up while you are waiting for the water to boil. Also this is a really filling dish so I doubt you will leave the table hungry.

Ravioli with Tomatoes and Olives

9 oz (2 servings) cheese ravioli (either fresh from the store or frozen)

1 teaspoon oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 (14 ½ oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic and oregano)

¼ cup sliced olives

2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon sliced fresh basil

Cook the ravioli as directed on the package.

Meanwhile, in skillet cook the onion slices with the oil over medium heat just until they start to soften. You don't want any color on the onions, you just want to soften them. Add the canned tomatoes and olive slices. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet, carefully mix together and continue to cook another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle individual servings with the Parmesan cheese and basil.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

I freely admit I am a chocolate addict. I love chocolate but one of the interesting facts about me is that my very favorite cookies don't have a bit of chocolate in them. My very favorite cookies are in fact Molasses Crinkles. I love them, probably even more so since I am slightly allergic to cinnamon so I can only eat a few and then can't touch them again for a while.

So what exactly are these Molasses Crinkle Cookies you might be wondering?? They are a super rich, spicy cookie. They are filled with lots of warm spices- cinnamon, cloves, ginger along with some dark brown sugar and some dark molasses. The combination of these ingredients makes for the perfect treat on a cold fall/winter day.

These particular cookies have a crunchy outer shell and a soft rich interior. Along with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee they are the perfect afternoon break on a cold, rainy day.

This recipe makes between 10 and 13 cookies, depending on exactly how big I make them. The little added step of moistening the tops of the cookies and letting them sit for a minute or so I am pretty sure is the reason they have the wonderful crunch to them.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ butter, melted

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1 egg yolk

3 Tablespoons molasses

white sugar for dredging the cookies in (about 3 Tablespoons or so)

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, spices & salt) in a small bowl (mix well) and set aside.

With a mixer beat the melted butter and brown sugar until well combined. Add the egg yolk and molasses and combine well.

Add the reserved dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Don't over-beat but do combine thoroughly.

Wrap the dough and chill for about 15 minutes,

Meanwhile preheat oven to 375° F. and place the white sugar into a small bowl.

When dough is chilled form it into balls about 1” in diameter. I use my normal cookie scoop to divide the dough and form it into balls by hand. Drop the dough balls into the bowl of sugar a few at a time.

Thoroughly coat the balls with the sugar and move to a cookie sheet.

Get a small container with some water and with clean, wet fingers gently pat the tops of the dough balls. You don't want to flatten them at all you just want to get the tops wet, a drop or two of water on each.

Allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 to 2 minutes (this allows the sugar and water to start to form the crust)

Bake at 375° for 8 to 9 minutes

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Steakhouse Soup

Sorry I have been absent for a while. With the heat and smoke in the air this summer I just couldn't get into the mood to cook. It was horrid. Thankfully, all that is over and the weather is wonderful now.

Speaking of the weather I love fall weather. The days are cooler and the leaves are just beginning to turn to their beautiful colors.

With the cooler weather I have been in the mood for soup. I did a thorough search through my cookbook collection (yes, I literally collect cookbooks and have hundreds of them)

I came across a recipe for Steakhouse Soup and decided to give it a try. It was lacking in vegetables though and I was in the mood for a filling bowl of soup that I didn't need to add anything other than some kind of bread to make a hearty dinner. So I checked my fridge and picked out some of my favorites. Then after a read of the original recipe I made lots of notes of what I felt it needed and the following recipe is the result. I love this recipe and it is definitely going to be served a lot in the coming months.

As for vegetables I used the sliced carrots and some frozen spinach. Feel free to use your favorites in their place.

Steakhouse Soup

¼ lb of steak, I used a petite sirloin, a tenderloin would work well too.

¼ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons oil

¾ tsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cumin

1 ½ cups cubed, peeled potato

1 cup sliced carrot

2 cups beef broth

¼ cup steak sauce

1/8 tsp Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)

½ package frozen chopped spinach (optional)

Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

In small Dutch Oven or large saucepan saute the steak, onion and garlic in the oil about 4 or 5 minutes (until the meat is cooked and onion is starting to soften) Add the seasonings and give it a good stir to combine and allow to cook for about 30 seconds to a minute. Then add the potato, carrot, beef broth, steak sauce and Tabasco. Mix well. Add the frozen spinach and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook at a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Garnish with fresh parsley

Makes 2 big bowls of soup.

Potato Salad for Two

I love potato salad and just being a single dinner isn't going to stop me from enjoying one of my summer favorites. I have been playing around with the potato salad recipe I have been making for years and I it scaled down to give just two servings. Perfect for a couple or for just me with leftovers to enjoy at lunch the next day.

I have to admit that although the basic recipe stays the same I do vary it from time to time depending both on mood and what is on hand. If I don't have celery I can leave it out, any onion will do (you'll want just tablespoon or 2). If I have radishes in the fridge I slice up one or two and throw those in too. Olives are another yummy addition too. So look in your fridge and see what you want to add.

If you don't have hard boiled eggs on hand you can just put the egg into the pan along with the potato cubes and cook it at the same time. This is what I do when I don't have any already boiled.

Potato Salad

½ pound of potatoes (russets are best) peeled and cubed (about 1 cup cubed

1 egg hard boiled, diced

6 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

¼ cup sliced celery

1 or 2 green onions

4 slices of dill pickle, diced

Cook the potato chunks until they are fork tender then drain and cool. Be careful not to over cook them, remember you want chunks of potato not mashed.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix together well.

Add the celery, onion, and pickle and stir well.

Add the potatoes and egg and mix carefully.

Cover and chill until dinner time. 

Pizza Kits

This week I thought I would share my very favorite recipe from my collection of Investment Cooking recipes, Pizza Kits! What is a pizza kit you might be asking- well simply put it is a bag with all (or most- we'll talk about that later) of the stuff you need to make a pizza.

You have to understand that I love pizza, I just don't always want to go to town to pick up a pizza. (I live in an area that has no delivery- fun fact I've never actually had food delivered, ever) Also as much as I love pizza I don't really want to get a huge pizza and have to eat it all by myself. I know that the grocery store has frozen pizzas but I have never been a fan of those, they always taste like a frozen pizza and most to the time it seems like all the toppings end up on one side of the pizza and the other side is bare.

With a pizza kit you spend part of a day getting all the stuff ready and package it up. Then when you want a pizza all you have to do is thaw and assemble. By keeping the toppings separate until you assemble the pizza it does seem to taste fresher. Also a lot of times I will add things from the fridge to the pizza when I put it together.

So on prep day for these kits I make enough dough for 6 small pizzas, then they along with their toppings are frozen for later use. I like to make 6 at a time because a lot of the items I use for the toppings work out even that way. Most times I make two types of pizza each time so 3 of each.

Another perk of making these kits yourself at home is you are in control of everything that goes into/onto your pizza. So if for instance you don't do gluten use a gluten free crust recipe and gluten free toppings. Maybe you don't/can't do dairy again use dairy free cheese and you have a pizza you can eat. Same with vegetarian options or whatever your needs dictate.

For the crust I am sharing the one I am using currently, it not by any means the only option. I started using it in an effort to use more whole wheat flour in my diet. Since it is sweetened with honey it seems like maybe it might be a bit healthier....... Anyway feel free to use your favorite pizza dough recipe. For every 12” pizza your recipe makes you will get 2 small pizzas for your kits.

Since the dough (being a yeast dough) takes the longest I usually start my process by starting the dough.

Pizza Dough

1 ½ cup warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

2 Tablespoons honey (or sugar)

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

(I use my stand mixer for this, feel free to hand mix/hand knead the dough)

Combine the water and yeast in the mixer bowl and allow to sit for about 15 minutes to give the yeast time to bloom. You should see some bubbling that shows the yeast is alive.

Add honey, salt and whole wheat flour and beat until combined. Allow this mixture to sit at room temperature for about an hour or two. This step is optional but does give the dough a better texture.

At the end of the rest time I change out the paddle attachment on my mixer for the dough hook at this point.

Add the all purpose flour and knead the dough for about 6 to 8 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 6 equal portions.

Roll, stretch, pull the dough pieces into discs that are about 8” in diameter. And I am using the term disc very loosely. Personally I don't care if my pizza is perfectly round and mine usually end up shaped in some roundish shapes.

Now it is time to partially bake the crusts for about 8 minutes. You want them to just barely start to brown.

Cool the crusts thoroughly before you wrap them.

Meanwhile you need to prepare your pizza toppings. This time I made Ham and Pineapple Pizzas and The Works Pizza (a combination style) 3 of each.

Here is the list of what I used to make these.

1 (8 oz) can pineapple tidbits or chunks

3 slices of deli ham (I prefer a Black Forest Ham for this)

2 Italian Sausage links

Mushroom slices

Black olives

Sliced pepperoni (about 15-18 slices)

1 jar (15 oz) pizza sauce

8 oz (2 cups) Shredded cheese, I use an Italian Style Blend but Mozzarella works too.

6 gallon size zip-lock freezer bags

6 quart size zip-lock freezer bags

zip-lock sandwich bags

zip-lock snack bags

When you are putting the following items into their individual bags be sure to get as much air out of the bags when you seal them. The less air in these bags the better the results will be and the longer they will keep in the freezer.

Divide the pineapple into 3 of the snack bags.

Cut the deli sliced ham into bite size pieces and put into 3 snack size bags.

Cook the Italian Sausage and drain well and allow to cool. When completely cool divide between 3 snack size bags.

Cook the mushroom slices in the same pan you cooked the sausage in, drain and allow to cool. When completely cool divide between 3 snack bags.

Place about 2 Tablespoons of sliced olives into each of 3 snack bags.

Place about 5 or 6 slices of pepperoni into each of 3 snack bags.

Place ¼ cup of pizza sauce in each of 6 sandwich bags.

Place 1/3 cup of shredded cheese into each of 6 sandwich bags.

At this point I make out a card to go into each kit. It has the name of the pizza, the baking instructions, and the date I made the kit. I put these cards into sandwich bags just in case something in the kit leaks.

So now I create fill a quart freezer bag with the toppings for the kits.

In the 3 bags for the Ham and Pineapple Kits I place:

1 bag ham

1 bag pineapple

1 bag sauce

1 bag cheese

1 bag with the index card

In the 3 bags for the The Works Pizza Kits I place:

1 bag cooked sausage

1 bag mushroom slices

1 bag olive slices

1 bag pepperoni

1 bag sauce

1 bag cheese

1 bag with the index card

Again get as much air out the bag as possible.

Store these bags in the fridge until you are ready to put the pizza kits together.

Make sure that the crusts are completely cooled to room temperature before you bag them up so that they don't get condensation in the bags.

Once the crusts are cooled place a par baked crust into a gallon zip-lock freezer bag along with the quart bag of toppings. Again get as much air out of the bag as possible and seal the bag.

Place the bags in the freezer.

When you want to have pizza all you need to do is thaw out the pizza kit and assemble the pizza. At this point you can add what ever you want to. There are some ingredients that I prefer to not freeze like green pepper, onions, spinach, etc.

Preheat the oven to 425°F

Cook the assembled pizza for 7-10 minutes and enjoy!

Toad in the Hole

This week I decided to share a breakfast recipe I first made years ago when I was in college. I was going through some old recipes a while back and found it again.

If you haven't run into Toad in the Hole before as I understand it we can thank our friends in old England for this one. Basically it is a large popover with meat (in this case sausages) in the bottom.

This is a really easy recipe but don't tell anyone else that, it's our secret. You can make this one to impress that special someone and they will think you have some fantastic skills in the kitchen.

Since the batter can be held in the fridge for up to 24 hours this is also a great one if you are cooking for just yourself. You can either mix it up on the first day and then make it again on day 2 or use that leftover batter to make 2 popovers to go with another meal. (they are great with salad for lunch)

The batter calls for an optional egg white, I use it if I happen to have one on hand but it really isn't necessary. It does make the bready part pouf up more so if you trying to impress someone add it (or if you have one to use up) but don't stress if you don't have the extra white.

For the sausages this recipe uses the Brown & Serve ones from the freezer aisle of your local store. I have subbed in regular cooked sausage links and that works too. You could also use any cooked meat in place of the sausages. Bacon or ham also work really well.

Toad in the Hole

4 to 6 Brown & Serve sausages (thawed)

Butter & jam (optional)

batter:

1 egg

1 egg white (optional)

½ cup half and half (or milk)

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

4 to 6 Brown & Serve sausages (thawed)

Butter & jam (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a medium bowl beat the egg (an egg white if you are using it) Blend in the half & half (or milk) then stir in the flour and salt.

Put this mixture into the blender and process for 1 minute or until no lumps remain. (at this point the batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours)

Place sausages in 2 10 ounce glass or ceramic baking dishes. Place the baking dishes with the sausages into the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Pour the batter into the hot baking dishes (immediately after removing from the oven)

Place the baking dishes in the hot oven for for 20 minutes.

Turn the oven temperature down to 350°F and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Note: if you want to make just 1 toad in a hole and 2 popovers preheat 2 6 ounce custard cups in the oven with the casserole/sausages. Use half the batter for the toad in a hole. Then divide the remaining half the batter between the 2 preheated custard cups. Bake as above but remove the popovers from the oven after 10-15 minutes at 350°.

3 (or 4 or more) Way Meat Mix

This week's blog post is a little longer and actually contains multiple recipes. That's because this post is based on a meat mix recipe. This recipe is part of my collection of what I always refer to as my “investment recipes” because just like a good financial investment these recipes pay off over time.

This meat mix is a recipe I found in one of my fairly old cookbooks in my cookbook collection. (yeah, I am dorky enough to actually collect old cookbooks) In that book it was simply called 3 Way Meat Mix. Over time I have adjusted the recipe to more to my tastes and come up with more ways to use the base mix. In fact just about every time I make this I come up with ideas for more ways to use it. The ones here are my current favorites.

So to start you need to make the meat mix:

3 Way Meat Mix

½ cup chopped onion

1 Tablespoon oil

2 lbs ground beef

2/3 cup ketchup

½ cup water

¼ cup coarsely chopped celery

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

Sweat the onion in the oil just until it because fragrant then add the ground beef and cook until browned (breaking the meat up while it cooks)

Drain well.

Add the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes to cook off most of the liquid. (watch so the mixture doesn't burn)

Remove from the heat and cool.

Use a measuring cup to portion the meat mix into zip lock bags each containing 2/3 cup.

I just use regular sandwich bags for this step, remove all the air then store all the bags together in a gallon size freezer bag that is labeled.

Store the bag of the meat mix in your freezer until you need a quick dinner.

Each bag of meat mix will be enough for 1 or 2 servings depending on your appetite and what you serve as sides with it.

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Dinner #1 Quick & Easy Chili

1 1/3 cups (2 of your bags) of 3 Way Meat Mix

1 can (14 ½ to 16 oz) dark red kidney beans (undrained)

½ to 1 cup tomato (or tomato based vegetable) juice

1 Tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)

Hot sauce to taste (I use Chipolte Tabasco)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat. The amount of juice you need will depend on how thick you like your chili. As for the hot sauce, I will leave the amount up to you.

Serves 2

I usually only add the ½ cup of the juice and I consider the consistency to be perfect. You might notice in the photo of the chili I serve my chili over rice and I get 2 very generous servings from this recipe.

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Dinner #2 Quick & Easy Sloppy Joes

2/3 cup (1 bag) 3 Way Meat Mix

Hamburger bun, toasted

Heat the meat mix and serve on a toasted hamburger bun. This will either make 1 double open faced sandwich (covering both the top and bottom buns or 2 more traditional sandwiches)

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Dinner #3 Cheesy BBQ Sandwich

2/3 cups (1 bag) 3 Way Meat Mix

2 slices cheddar cheese

2 slices bread, toasted

Heat the meat mix.

Place toast on a baking sheet. Spoon hot meat mix over bun, top with cheese and broil until cheese melts.

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Dinner #4 Taco Salad

2/3 cup (1 bag) 3 Way Meat Mix

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ – ½ teaspoon chili powder

Salad mix (I use the kind from the bag in the grocery store)

toppings of your choice

I used:

sliced olives

sour cream

salsa

grated cheese

sliced green onion

tortilla bowl (optional)

*feel free to use whatever toppings you like on your taco salads.

I like to use a baked tortilla bowl for my taco salad but that is totally optional.

Add the cumin and chili powder to your thawed meat mix and heat. (I use the microwave for this)

Place your salad mix onto a plate, into a bowl or into a tortilla bowl, top with the heated meat mix. Top with your favorite taco salad toppings and enjoy.

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Other ways to enjoy the meat mix

Now for some other ideas for using this meat mix.

Serve the heated mix over cooked rice with or without toppings of you choice.

Mix the thawed meat mix with mayo, a bit of mustard and a bit of chopped dill pickle and use it as a sandwich filling.

Serve the heated meat mix over a baked potato

Now its your turn, I am sure you will find ways I haven't even thought of to serve this meat mix. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think Chocolate chip cookies were the first small batch cookie recipe I looked online for. It was also the one that took the longest to find/re-write to make it similar to my family favorite recipe. I made so many failed batches of cookies on the trail to this recipe. One of the things I love about chocolate chip cookies is how quick they are to make. You mix them up and bake immediately. Most of the recipes I found for the small batch ones required that the dough either be chilled in the fridge or frozen for a while before baking. I am assuming that this was to make the cookies not spread too much. Even with the chilling I had a lot of spreading issues with most of the recipes. I felt this was a fault in the balance of butter to flour in the base recipes so I started playing around with the balance. I am really happy with the recipe I have come up with, it is the closest to my family favorite recipe that I have able to come up with.

So like the other small batch cookie recipes on this blog this one makes 1 dozen or fewer cookies. I have been getting 12 cookies every time on my test batches. (the only time I got more was when I dumped in some extra chocolate chips to empty the bag)

Be sure that when you combine the flour, baking soda and salt that you really stir it together. Since we are talking about such small amounts it is extra important to really mix it so everything is evenly spread through the dough.

As with all my baking I only use real butter so that is what this was tested with, if you insist on using margarine your results may vary. Also before you ask I use regular butter not the un-salted variety so that is what the amount of salt is balanced for.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature

¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg yolk

½ cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt really well and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the butter and both types of sugar and using a small mixer beat them together thoroughly. (you want this mixture to be light and well combined)

Add the vanilla and egg yolk to the butter mixture and again combine well.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and slowly mix to combine well.

Carefully stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon portion out your cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes

Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Quick and Easy Caramel Coffee Cake

I have fallen in love with this recipe because not only is it really yummy it is so quick to make. The secret is it is made entirely in the microwave!! Yeah, in the microwave. I timed making it this time and in under 20 minutes (closer to 15 minutes) I had a delicious coffee cake ready to eat. That time includes allowing time for the coffee cake to cool down so you won't burn yourself on the hot caramel.

I love fast and easy recipes like this because they are great to pull out when someone drops by and you feel you want to serve some kind of snack. By the time the pot of coffee is finished brewing this little beauty will be almost ready. No one needs to know how easy it was. (we won't tell if you don't)

Quick and Easy Caramel Coffee Cake

2 Tablespoons butter

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons chopped nuts (I like walnuts the best but pecans would be good too)

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon spice (cinnamon, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice- use what you have)

1 cup Bisquick or other baking mix

¼ cup water

Put the butter in a 1 quart casserole dish and put in the microwave for about 30 seconds (on high) to melt.

Stir in the brown sugar, nuts, corn syrup, and spice then put back in the microwave for about a minutes. You want the mixture to be bubbly.

Tip the casserole slightly to get the mixture to run to one side and place a shot glass (or small juice glass) in the center of the casserole dish. When you set the casserole down the sugar mixture should surround the bottom of the glass.

Now combine the baking mix and water to make a thick dough. Drop the dough onto the sugar mixture (by spoonfuls trying to keep it evenly spaced around the glass)

Microwave at 70% for 4 minutes (if your microwave doesn't have a turntable rotate the casserole after 2 minutes)

Use a wooden pick to check that the dough is cooked all the way through (pick inserted in the dough should come out clean) if not cook it up to 30 seconds more at 70%.

Remove the casserole dish from the microwave and immediately remove the glass from the center of your coffee cake. (be careful it will be very hot)

Turn the casserole dish upside down on a serving plate, allow the dish to remain on the coffee cake for 1 minute to allow all the caramel mixture to drip down onto the coffee cake. Remove the casserole dish and allow your coffee cake to cool a few minutes before serving.