Lunch September 25, 2011 Spinach Artichoke Dip

LUNCH September 25, 2011

First I started by making Spinach Artichoke Dip.

 You will need 1 10oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained.  I can Artichokes, drained and cut in half, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup grated parmesan and 1/2 cup grated mozzerella.



Spray casserole dish



Cook 20-25 @ 325*.

Salad, Jalopeno cheese and Spinach Artichoke dip served over chips.

Served with shredded beef chili, topped with a little grated cheese and ritz crackers.

Easter Basket Cupcake Picture Blog

Happy Easter everyone!

Every year since my oldest was in preschool (1996) , I have made these cute little cupcakes by the dozens. This year was no exception, we made over 100. Here is a list of ingredients:


Cake mix
Frosting
Sweet coconut
Green food coloring
Pull n peel twizzlers
Jelly beans
Robin eggs (whoppers)

I have taken a lot of pictures, and they are kind of self explanatory.

I am going to state the obvious here, but make cupcakes. Mix the batter, pour in the paper and bake. I like to use cherry or confetti mixes, makes for fun colors. ~ COOL ~

Dye the sweet coconut. Pour coconut in a ziplock with 5 or 6 drops of green food coloring. ~Squash~

Frosting, I like to make my own cream cheese, or you can buy your choice of frosting. My frosting has cream cheese, butter, vanilla, lemon juice and powdered sugar. ~Frost cupcakes~

Now if you are doing MASS quantity like me, do NOT frost them all at once. Frost 5 or 6 and press the green coconut on top. Once frosting “dries”, the coconut has a hard time sticking to it. ~Grass~

 

Now for fun, add jelly beans, robin eggs or your choice of “Fun”. If candy is having a hard time sticking, just dip the end in a little fresh frosting and VIOLA, it‘ll stick. ~Jelly beans~

Now for the basket handle. I’ve done these numerous ways. I’ve used every kind of licorice I could find. The Pull n peel I have found to work best. (It’s nice and moist) There are 9 sections in 1 strand. Cut the long strand in ½ and divide in half, one group of 4 and the other 5. I do this because it’s cheaper. For best results (especially if the kids are helping) use 6 sections out of each strand and let the kids eat the other 3. (big smiles) ~Licorice~

Now you are DONE! If you do not like coconut (shame on you), then just dye your frosting green.

Touch of summer this frigid April afternoon!

Unbelievably cold outside today. It's only 37*, rain mixed with snow and it's April 15. Just last week it hit 85*. So instead of giving into the winter blues, I've decided to pretend its summer. Summer squash and zucchini, homemade fries, bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs and watermelon… Yum!

  I like to start with the bacon! Fry it up nice and crisp.  Crumble 1/2 for squash and the other half for the cheeseburgers.

 

 

 

Squash and Zucchini, I bought these at the store and I must say as puny as they look, it’s the best they’ve had in a long time. I can’t wait for summer when my own garden will be flooded with large scrum~shush squash.

Slice the squash a little thick. Squash has the tendency to cook itself to death and disappear. So place the squash in the bacon grease over medium heat, stir, and turn to low and cover. Stir every 5 minutes, cook for covered 15-20 minutes, uncover stir in ½ the bacon, chopped onion and diced garlic, sprinkle with a touch of seasonal salt.

While the squash is simmering, place the hamburger patties and hot dogs on the broiler pan. (Because it’s raining outside and you can’t use the grill.) I like to sprinkle Montreal steak seasoning on the burgers. Flip and continue cooking. When burgers and dogs are finished cooking, turn the broiler off and place a slice of bacon and a slice of cheese on each burger. Ohhh how I love the melty oozy cheese.

Scrub potatoes and slice into fries. I normally use my fry daddy for this, but since I cooked fish in it last, it needs to be cleaned, so I poured some vegetable oil in a skillet, pan fried them and sprinkled a little “Freddy’s” seasoning on them.

 
I like to use Earth Grains thin buns, a lot less calories and you taste more of your burger than a cheap bun.





Grab a glass of tea, click your heels together and enjoy!

Steak Chili... Yum

STEAK CHILI!

Friday night and life is good! Today started out with a workout at the Wellness Center, lunch at the China House with great friends, a tour of the Farm Show and picking out paint colors with my boys. BTW Paul has quite the eye for army green, and to top the evening off… Chili, Steak Chili!  It's like saying Bond, James Bond.  Ohhhh so much fun!

To start off… garlic, leaks and cilantro in butter and top with steak.  I like to use about 3 large cloves of garlic diced and about 1/3 of a leak chopped. Add to this a handful of cilantro, generously chopped. The steak  I used 3 T-Bones, use any of your choice, I marinade in hickory smoke for about an hour and thinly slice.

Sprinkle with Cumin, Salt and Pepper.

Add 1 Jalapeño, seeded, and ½ chopped sweet onion., Top this off with a generous amount of Taco seasoning.
Cover and simmer 2 hours.





Oh don’t forget to add several jiggers of liquid smoke and ½ a bottle of Corona Light.   This will make the world go round :).

Love the slow simmer.

 

 

 

When the steak is nice and tender. Add a can of black beans, and large can of chili beans, green chilies, Rotel, tomatoes, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, onion and Bell Pepper.

Now to simmer and let it rest over night.  As most of my best Chili's go, they must "Soak" overnight.  ENJOY!

Happy Birthday Grandad! ... Grilled Steaks and Mushroom Spinach Potatoes



(T-Bone, Rib-Eye and Sirloin)



Oh steak, yes lots of steak.  I have a freezer full, so when my father-in-laws birthday game due, I of course, volunteered to grill steaks for the party.  Only 23 of us.  Not bad for a Finney get together, you outta see us over the Holidays, 40+. 

Anyway, Steak!  A nice selection if you ask me.   Partially thaw the steaks and marinade them in Allegro Hickory Smoke Marinade for a cpl of hours.

I start off with Hickory wood chips, misted with water and dbl wrapped in foil, with several slits across the top.  Place in the middle of the bottom rack between the charcoal.

1st of 3 loads



Next I add the charcoal.  I place a layer of Kingsford light and then I place a layer of Mesquite briquettes.



On the first side sprinkle with a little Seasoned Meat Tenderizer and after you flip the steaks sprinkle "Montreal Steak Seasoning".  FABULOUS!

I then wrapped each steak in foil and placed in the electric roaster to keep warm.

Now for the potatoes,  I love fried potatoes.  Once again I cooked 6 slices of bacon in the skillet, removed and added the potatoes to the grease.  (The reason for only 6 slices of bacon, is because of the cost, almost $6 a lb. here, so by dividing up the package into thirds, it helps cut costs.)
I used 8 red potatoes with skins on, thick sliced.  After frying the potatoes I placed them in a cake pan and sprinkled crumbled  bacon with 1/2 chopped onion on top.  I also sprinkled a little crushed red pepper.

Here comes the fun part.  In another skillet I add 4 garlic cloves, diced, and several handfuls of fresh sliced mushrooms ~ drizzle with red wine vinegar.

Next comes the spinach.  I love, love fresh spinach.  I take 2 or 3 large handfuls and chop.  Add to mushroom mixture.



turn off heat



The mushroom mixture with be hot, so when adding the spinach, turn the heat off and stir.



Time to top off the potatoes.  Spread mushroom spinach mixture over the top of the potatoes and sprinkle with grated parmesan.  

Yum!

Happy 64th Birthday Grandad!

Happy Birthday Grandad Love, Paul Violin.AVI

Kielbasa, Spinach and Potatoes smothered in Onion Cheese

I don't have an official name for this dish, so after reading you can help me come up with one. It is a layered potato casserole dish. I started by frying 6 slices of bacon in the iron skillet. While the bacon is sizzling I sliced 6 red potatoes, with skins on, not in cubes but thick slices and put into a bowl of cold salt water with a jigger of vinegar. Once the bacon was done, I removed it and drained the potatoes and added them to the bacon grease. 

Salt, Pepper and a sprinkle

of crushed red pepper.

Stir and cover. Cook until tender, uncover and turn the heat up to crisp the potatoes. I crumbled up the bacon and mixed with 1/2 a chopped sweet onion.

Meanwhile, I slice the Kielbasa in long thick slices. I have found that if you slice smoked sausage into
bite sizes, they lose their flavor.

In a small skillet I drizzle olive oil and add about 1 tablespoon of butter. Melt and add 4-6 garlic cloves dices. You can use a garlic press, but for this dish I find the little chunks to be crisp and flavorful. Yummy! After the garlic is nice and sizzling I add a large pinch of the bacon onion mixture. Then add ½ a bag of fresh spinach leaves (chopped) and turn the heat off, stir, coating the spinach with the garlic butter sauce. Cover and set aside.

                                          

Now for the last, but not least layer. CHEESE. I used a nice Amish onion yogurt cheese. My cheese is special ordered and shipped. So you probably won’t be able to go to the local grocer and buy it, but any cheese of your liking will do. Grate the cheese of course.

Now to layer. A nice large cake pan will do. Kielbasa, potatoes, spinach, bacon and onions and top with cheese. Stick it in the over, 350* or so for about oh… 15 -20 min. Bake until cheese is oozing with bubbliness …. Total Yumminess! (I know, it’s not a real word, but I like it)

                    

  




Served with steamed fresh green beans and fresh mixed veggies ~ cucumbers, onions, radishes and celery topped with red wine vinegar and grated parmesan.

And that is what I call Supper! 
~ Farmer Karen

First of many to come, Welcome

Okay, first blog in 3 yrs.  I deleted the others as they were just midnight ramblings anyway.  As my fb friends already know I am a foodie.  I didn't realize there was a term for people like me until I started watching the Food Network and the Cooking Channel (all the time) a couple of weeks ago.  It's nice to see that I am not the only one addicted to food 24/7.  I find myself waking up in the middle of the night creating new bread recipes or thinking about adding shallots to the caramelized onions on fococcia bread. 

I'm really excited about this blog.  I've been using fb as my foodie blog, but it just doesn't offer me the space I need to show pictures and add detail.  So if you are reading this, WELCOME!  I will post often, a lot about food, farming, family, chickens, quilting, muddy dogs, recipes, barefoot cobbler's kids and whatever else I find important at the time I sit down to blog.  Mostly food.... love ~ love food!

Hugs~Farmer Karen