This one's for my husband. After work today, he told me he read my blog and was very disappointed my tater tot story and recipe didn't get in. So, I told him, I didn't want to disappoint, so here it is:
About a week ago, we had some tater tots. Now, this is a kick HE is on, not me. For some reason, he likes them instead of french fries. It really all started when we had Swiss steak one evening for dinner and there was a lot of leftover sauce. He was like, "ooh....this would be good on tater tots! I came back with, well it's really for french fries, but a tater tot casserole would be good, what do you think? Of course, it sounds good, but how will you make it? I dunno.........I'll figure it out."
So, while having a cup of coffee, I came up with a recipe. I tried it this weekend and it was OK, not my best, but everything's up for tweaking. It kind of reminded me potatoes au gratin except with tots. I'm sure I can figure out how to make it better at some point. But, here's the initial recipe.
Tater Tot Casserole
1/2 bag frozen tots
1/2 green pepper, diced small
1/2 medium onion, diced small
1 cup or more cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup or more of milk
salt and pepper to taste
In a fry pan, brown the peppers and onions, get them soft. Then add the tots, mix well. Salt and pepper the mixture, but not too much! In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour to make a rue, if it's too thick, add more butter. Add the milk and mix the sauce until it thickens, pressing out any lumps. Then add the cheese. You can add more or less cheese depending on your taste. You can change the cheese to other types if you'd like, whatever you want.
Transfer the tots mixture to a casserole baking dish and add the cheese sauce. Bake on 375 for about 20-30 mins until the mixture is browned a bit on top and bubbly. Serve warm with anything you want.
Let me know!!! And, if you think of anything I can add, or subtract to the recipe, please let me know!!!
Enjoying Life!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Gnocchi & Broccoli
Good Morning!!!
I didn't post last weekend, I was out most of it visiting, doing things around the house, just not at a computer. Plus, I lost Internet on Sunday and didn't do a reset until Monday.
It was a gorgeous day yesterday and of course, we were out and about. Today it's supposed to be nice, but so far it's dreary and cool. Oh well, a good day for cooking. On today's menu is gnocchi and broccoli. It was the one thing my mom could really make well. It's been a staple in our home for decades. I do have a story about this recipe though. My ex-mother-in-law, Betty (God rest her soul), would make this recipe about twice a year. And, about twice a year, up until she got sick a couple of years ago, she would call me for the recipe! This went on even after I was divorced. She and I remained close. Now, here's the kick, Pop, my ex-father-in-law, asked me for the recipe last year!!! He, of course, wrote it down for future reference!
We cleaned out the freezer yesterday, what a mess! Basically, we just reorganized it so now everything has it's place and the newest is at the back. I really want a deep freezer, but I'm afraid I'd store stuff and forget I have it. Oh well, it's another wish list item. Speaking of wish list, we got our new furniture last week and love it!!! Of course, so does the cat. Not two minutes after the deliverymen left, Sami was on my new chair!!! Now, we have to keep her claws off of it. I have a spray that seems to work, I hope her habit breaks, but, try to break a 6 year old cat's habits..........not a easy proposition!!! Did you know, a 6 year old, a cat is 40 in human years? Found the table on the Internet and it does make sense. She's still on the "I don't like my food kick". She's so picky about the texture of her food, my options are limited. She likes shredded food only. She won't eat the ground or chunks, just the shredded.
Now, for this recipe I use store bought gnocchi. I know they are heavier, but it really works well with the broccoli. One of these days, I'll try it with the homemade gnocchi, but I have a feeling, they'll just break up or be smashed and not work well.
Anyway, here's the recipe. I hope you make it an enjoy! I'll be making it today.
Gnocchi and Broccoli
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bag frozen cut broccoli, 20 oz
salt, pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 lbs frozen potato gnocchi
In a saucepan, add all of the ingredients above, except the gnocchi, and cook on medium heat. While the broccoli is cooking, in a large pot, 6 quart size, boil and salt the water for the gnocchi. Add the gnocchi upon boiling and stir them immediately so they will not stick together. Take about 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water add to the broccoli. The broccoli are done when they are soft. They should be done when the gnocchi are done. The gnocchi are done when they double in size and float to the top. The package directions will give you the approximate time. When they are done, drain them, reserve some of the liquid, just in case. Add the gnocchi to the broccoli mixture and mix well. Let the mixture cook for about a 1/2 hour so all of the flavors meld together. The mixture should be silky and creamy. If it's dry, add more of the pasta liquid. If it's not silky enough, add a little more olive oil. This is what makes it silky. Serve in bowls, add some Locatelli cheese (pecorino romano) and more hot pepper if you like it spicy!
You can serve this dish as is, or if you prefer, with meat or fish. Sausage is usually a good meat to go with the dish. I've served it with sausage, meatballs, pork chops, tilapia, flounder, almost anything you want.
Enjoy!!!!!
I didn't post last weekend, I was out most of it visiting, doing things around the house, just not at a computer. Plus, I lost Internet on Sunday and didn't do a reset until Monday.
It was a gorgeous day yesterday and of course, we were out and about. Today it's supposed to be nice, but so far it's dreary and cool. Oh well, a good day for cooking. On today's menu is gnocchi and broccoli. It was the one thing my mom could really make well. It's been a staple in our home for decades. I do have a story about this recipe though. My ex-mother-in-law, Betty (God rest her soul), would make this recipe about twice a year. And, about twice a year, up until she got sick a couple of years ago, she would call me for the recipe! This went on even after I was divorced. She and I remained close. Now, here's the kick, Pop, my ex-father-in-law, asked me for the recipe last year!!! He, of course, wrote it down for future reference!
We cleaned out the freezer yesterday, what a mess! Basically, we just reorganized it so now everything has it's place and the newest is at the back. I really want a deep freezer, but I'm afraid I'd store stuff and forget I have it. Oh well, it's another wish list item. Speaking of wish list, we got our new furniture last week and love it!!! Of course, so does the cat. Not two minutes after the deliverymen left, Sami was on my new chair!!! Now, we have to keep her claws off of it. I have a spray that seems to work, I hope her habit breaks, but, try to break a 6 year old cat's habits..........not a easy proposition!!! Did you know, a 6 year old, a cat is 40 in human years? Found the table on the Internet and it does make sense. She's still on the "I don't like my food kick". She's so picky about the texture of her food, my options are limited. She likes shredded food only. She won't eat the ground or chunks, just the shredded.
Now, for this recipe I use store bought gnocchi. I know they are heavier, but it really works well with the broccoli. One of these days, I'll try it with the homemade gnocchi, but I have a feeling, they'll just break up or be smashed and not work well.
Anyway, here's the recipe. I hope you make it an enjoy! I'll be making it today.
Gnocchi and Broccoli
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bag frozen cut broccoli, 20 oz
salt, pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 lbs frozen potato gnocchi
In a saucepan, add all of the ingredients above, except the gnocchi, and cook on medium heat. While the broccoli is cooking, in a large pot, 6 quart size, boil and salt the water for the gnocchi. Add the gnocchi upon boiling and stir them immediately so they will not stick together. Take about 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water add to the broccoli. The broccoli are done when they are soft. They should be done when the gnocchi are done. The gnocchi are done when they double in size and float to the top. The package directions will give you the approximate time. When they are done, drain them, reserve some of the liquid, just in case. Add the gnocchi to the broccoli mixture and mix well. Let the mixture cook for about a 1/2 hour so all of the flavors meld together. The mixture should be silky and creamy. If it's dry, add more of the pasta liquid. If it's not silky enough, add a little more olive oil. This is what makes it silky. Serve in bowls, add some Locatelli cheese (pecorino romano) and more hot pepper if you like it spicy!
You can serve this dish as is, or if you prefer, with meat or fish. Sausage is usually a good meat to go with the dish. I've served it with sausage, meatballs, pork chops, tilapia, flounder, almost anything you want.
Enjoy!!!!!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Pork Chops, Cauliflower and???
Hello Hello!!!
It's Sunday and the race is on!!! Tony Stewart started 2nd next to Mark Martin on the pole. Go Tony!!!
So, yesterday I took out pork chops and didn't know what to do with them. I thought they were bone-in 1" chops x2, but they were 1/2" chops x4. So, splitting them and stuffing them was out of the question. What to do? I decided to make them like I sometimes make chicken breasts. They came out good, and why not? It's all good ingredients. Today I decided to make Pasta and Cauliflower. We hadn't had it for a long time, so it was time, yanno? And, at the grocery store today, my hubby said, "hey, we haven't had lentil soup all winter!" So, you know what's coming..........lentil soup! But, that will be next week. Hopefully it will still be cold out and we can enjoy it. Lentil soup is definitely a winter food and we've had such a mild winter, I didn't even think of making it. Oh well..........we'll get over it.
Here are the recipes:
Pork Chops and Rice
4 x 1" with bone port chops
1 large onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper
1 tsp basil (dried or 2 tsp fresh, chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (dried, or 2 tbsp fresh, chopped)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup rice
olive oil
Salt and pepper the chops first. Then, in a 12" skillet, add olive oil to coat the pan, then lightly brown the chops. Remove. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings and saute for a few mins, onions will begin to soften. Add the pork chops and juices back in the pan, underneath the mixture. Cover and cook for an hour and 10 mins on med-low heat, turning once 1/2 way. The mixture will make enough liquid to add the 1 cup of rice making sure all of the rice is submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes.
Pasta and Cauliflower
1 large head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 lb boxed campanelle
1/2 cup olive oil
7 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup Locatelli cheese (or 1/2 c Locatelli, 1/2 cup Grana Padano mix)
In a 6 quart pot, boil water adding salt to taste. Depending on the time to make your pasta al dente, add either the cauliflower first or the pasta. The cauliflower takes 8 mins to cook, pasta about 10 mins. So, I add the pasta first, set the timer for 2 mins, then add the cauliflower and cook for an additional 8 mins.
While the pasta mixture is cooking, heat the olive oil, fry the garlic, parsley and pepper until the garlic is sizzling. If this gets done first (garlic will be light brown - do not burn!!!), turn the heat down to extremely low. When the pasta mixture is done, add 1 cup of the pasta water to the oil and then add the pasta and cauliflower to the oil and garlic. Do not drain the pasta like you normally would, you may need some more liquid, or if you do, drain it into a bowl to reserve the liquid. Add the pasta mixture to the oil mixture and stir well. Add 1 cup Locatelli and stir. Remember, Locatelli is pecorino romano cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these recipes! Please make them and let me know!!!
It's Sunday and the race is on!!! Tony Stewart started 2nd next to Mark Martin on the pole. Go Tony!!!
So, yesterday I took out pork chops and didn't know what to do with them. I thought they were bone-in 1" chops x2, but they were 1/2" chops x4. So, splitting them and stuffing them was out of the question. What to do? I decided to make them like I sometimes make chicken breasts. They came out good, and why not? It's all good ingredients. Today I decided to make Pasta and Cauliflower. We hadn't had it for a long time, so it was time, yanno? And, at the grocery store today, my hubby said, "hey, we haven't had lentil soup all winter!" So, you know what's coming..........lentil soup! But, that will be next week. Hopefully it will still be cold out and we can enjoy it. Lentil soup is definitely a winter food and we've had such a mild winter, I didn't even think of making it. Oh well..........we'll get over it.
Here are the recipes:
Pork Chops and Rice
4 x 1" with bone port chops
1 large onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper
1 tsp basil (dried or 2 tsp fresh, chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (dried, or 2 tbsp fresh, chopped)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup rice
olive oil
Salt and pepper the chops first. Then, in a 12" skillet, add olive oil to coat the pan, then lightly brown the chops. Remove. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings and saute for a few mins, onions will begin to soften. Add the pork chops and juices back in the pan, underneath the mixture. Cover and cook for an hour and 10 mins on med-low heat, turning once 1/2 way. The mixture will make enough liquid to add the 1 cup of rice making sure all of the rice is submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes.
Pasta and Cauliflower
1 large head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 lb boxed campanelle
1/2 cup olive oil
7 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup Locatelli cheese (or 1/2 c Locatelli, 1/2 cup Grana Padano mix)
In a 6 quart pot, boil water adding salt to taste. Depending on the time to make your pasta al dente, add either the cauliflower first or the pasta. The cauliflower takes 8 mins to cook, pasta about 10 mins. So, I add the pasta first, set the timer for 2 mins, then add the cauliflower and cook for an additional 8 mins.
While the pasta mixture is cooking, heat the olive oil, fry the garlic, parsley and pepper until the garlic is sizzling. If this gets done first (garlic will be light brown - do not burn!!!), turn the heat down to extremely low. When the pasta mixture is done, add 1 cup of the pasta water to the oil and then add the pasta and cauliflower to the oil and garlic. Do not drain the pasta like you normally would, you may need some more liquid, or if you do, drain it into a bowl to reserve the liquid. Add the pasta mixture to the oil mixture and stir well. Add 1 cup Locatelli and stir. Remember, Locatelli is pecorino romano cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these recipes! Please make them and let me know!!!
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