breakfast for dinner

today we woke up to 2 feet of snow and slush. the bus didnt run so the girls missed school...unfortunately they missed the band festival their school was hosting. isabelle had a flut duet, soph was playing the drums, and bug the clarinet. so they stayed home and vegged all day. i finally made it to work around 9:15 after the roads opened back up...justy worked hard to get the roads cleared off...his day started at 4am

tonite we made breakfast for dinner: bacon, waffles, and quiche. this is a great recipe. if you have ever been intimidated by 'quiche' this is the recipe you must try. here is the basic recipe...just doctor it up!

Basic recipe:

10 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp thyme

one shallot, or one leak, or half onion diced and sauted in butter until really done

1 cup any kind of cheese

frozen hashbrown or old torn up bread

fresh spinache leaves or cilantro cut up

mushrooms, bell pepper, ham sauted, dates cut up,

combine the basic recipe. in a 2 quart casserole layer starting with the frozen hashbrowns, onion mixture, cheese and any other things you want in your quiche. add the egg mixture last by pouring over everything.

bake in oven at 350 degrees until done through

cube steak gravy and fried potatoes

this is what it looks like at our house when i say "come and get it"

justy made dinner tonite. cube steak and onions fried with a homemade brown gravy. green beans cooked until tender. drained and one lime squeezed over the top with course kosher salt sprinkled on top of that. fried potatoes. yum. we also heated up some tortillas.

it is snowing out right now. the wind is blowing. so this kind of food tonite was pure comfort.

~bon appetite~

Goulash

i love goulash. it always tastes so good. it simple food. tonite...this is what we made.

we arrived home from billings around 5:20pm this is our second trip to billings this week. its a long story....but in a nut shell justy was having some tests on his heart...a couple of echo's and halter monitor. he has this weird thing (mild form) of IHSS. the good news is: his heart has not changed since his last cardiac work up in 2003...yippeee!!!!!!!!!! and once again the cardiologist said we need to follow up yearly with him....yeah right. it took 7 years to get him to go back to the cardiologist...will probably be at least 7 more before he agrees to go back!

we browned some burger and drained off the grease. added 2 green onions, 4 ribs celery, 1/2 cup frozen corn, and one can of stewed tomatoes (i like diced tomatoes). meanwhile, boiled some elbow pasta and cooked till tender and drained. added the pasta to the meat mixture....and dinners on.

i'm beat. ~bon appetite~

p.s. i had a little trouble uploading the picture tonite....

Lasagna with Asparagus,Leeks, and Baby Portabello's

tonite i made a yummy lasagna that has seasonal asparagus in it. this recipe is in the april issue of bon appetite. i began by sauteing leeks, asparagus, and baby portabellos. then i used the same skillet to make the white sauce. the white sauce you make (in place of a traditional red marinara sauce) is so rich and delicious. its only ingredients are chicken broth, cream and flour! i had trouble getting the mixture to thicken. the recipe says "boil on high heat until thickened about 6 minutes" "sprinke flour over and whisk to blend" i ended up with lumps when i added the 2 tablespoons of flour...so i used my spider and fished out the lumps. then i decided to take equal parts soft butter and flour. i used 2 tablespoons each. i mashed them together until they were smooth. then i dumped that compound into the boiling liquid. it became thick and creamy instantly...and no lumps. i then boiled it another minute to cook off the flour taste. i also layered the lasagna into one pot instead of making individual portions as the recipe recommended. i did 3 layers of noodles, vegetables, and sauce. i had a total of 3 layers. on the very top i used mozarella cheese. then i baked it. it was super scrumptious....very rich. soph gave it a 5 out of 5 on taste.

for dessert i made a pastry. this is so easy and has a big wow factor for the lucky people who get to see you pull it out of the oven and eat it. here it goes:

one frozen puff pastry. thawed at room temp for one hour. flour the counter. roll out the long way to make it longer. place parchment paper on cookie sheet. place puff pastry on the paper.

i should have taken a picture on how to cut the strips into the pastry...but i only took a picture of the pastry once it was baked. the filling is easy. you can use any kind of cheeses you may have in the fridge. today i used:

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

2 ounces of cream cheese

one egg

2 tablesoons sugar

2 tablespoos flour

1/4 cup jelly or jam (i used homemade apple jelly my mom made) i whisked it all together until smooth. it was like really really thick pancake mix. i poured it down the center of the pastry...it is a little runny but just keep going! take the strips from each side starting at the top and and fold them over and over one another until you get to the last strips. put in in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. let it cool 10 minutes before cutting.

by the way...here is a prom picture. she had a great time and looked beautiful!

~bon appetite~

Swiss Steak, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and frozen pizza

These last two nites i havent cooked! Wednesday morning i made swiss steak in the crock pot. I cut up round steak, red onions, and carrots. i layered them in the crock pot and added one can of stewed tomatoes on top. i cooked it on low for about 8 hours. when i arrived home i made white rice in the steamer and waa laa! dinners on. (this works great for deer or elk meat too)

thursday nite isabelle had her band concert...so.....i left work, grabbed mcdonalds, drove to busby, picked up justy, drove to ashland, and arrived 5 minutes before the concert. Isabelle performed a duet! she did a fantastic job. she plays the flute.

friday afternoon i took catherine to billings. she is going to prom tomorrow so we did a spray on tan and had a manicure done. then we went and bought groceries and drove back home...(only about 100 miles) :)

i am now exhausted... and doing my blog. i went to upload some pictures from wednesday nite from when me and the girls made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and i found this picture of pizza with ranch drizzled on top. i asked sophia and isabelle 'who took this picture?' they told me isabelle took a picture of what they ate for dinner so i could put it on my blog....justy made them frozen pizza. very thoughtful of her! so i am posting it...look how she plated the pizza on a cute little saucer.

i am not sure what i will cook tomorrow?? mom, dad, jerebear, and bran and bess are coming over to busby...we will go to Labre for the grand march and see bug all dress up with her date. cant believe i have a daughter old enough to go to prom. CRAZY! and its all very fun and exciting too. by the way, the recipe for the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe is on the ghirardelli chocolate chip bag...and it is phenomenal!

~bon appetite~

Pork Chops and Stuffed Pasta

it was a beautiful day! i didnt leave work till 5pm. when i arrived home justy was working on supper. he had pork chops dredged in flour with some 'secret' seasoning. we went outside and fried them up in 2 cast iron skillets.

once they were crispy on each side we headed back inside and used the 12" skillet to make the sauce. about 4 tbsp of butter was added to the skillet...along with the drippings and crispy bits of meat. i used amish butter...its soooo good. i diced the shallot and justy cut up the cremini mushrooms. we sauted them about 3-4 minutes then added about 1 1/2 cups of white wine. we cooked until reduced by at least half and then add cream. then we tossed the cooked pasta into the sauce.

this combination of chops and this sauce with pasta is sooo right. and i have this gentle rule i live by: i drink red wine and i cook with white wine. i have tried to drink white wine...i just dont like it. but it love it to make sauces with it. and i have cooked with red wine like in Coq au Vin...and it was good....but i love to drink it!

~bon appetite~

Chicken Pot Pie

tonite i made chicken pot pie. i used chicken breast i cooked in a skillet. while that was cooking i added to a bowl: one can cream of chicken soup, one can chicken noodle soup, one cup frozen peas, one cup frozen corn, one carrot peeled and chopped small. i added 2 tsp thyme to the chicken pieces while they cooked and salt and pepper to taste. once cooked i added the chicken to the mixure in the bowl.

i added all this to a 2 qt casserole and topped it with one sheet of puff pastry. i cooked it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. it was really tasty eventhough i used a few canned ingredients...i usually dont like to do that. but this was so easy! my girls all liked it.

after dinner i planted 60 red onion bulbs in my new raised bed! yippee!!! and a few minutes ago it tried to rain...it started with some pea sized hail and then the rain came...very nice sounding. i like hearing the rain on my tin roof. i ran outside and got a few pieces of the hail for isabelle....making sure i didnt get nailed with a piece!

the plate i used tonite is a set of dishes my granny sue in tennessee gave me. as a young married woman, everytime she bought groceries she was given tokens to purchase dinner ware at the grocery store...over time she had a whole set bought. she gave them to me several years ago. they are white milk glass with turquiose design around the edge. i think of my granny when i use them. she is a fantastic cook. love you granny!

~bon appetite~

Tri tip

so, tonite i had to cook the tri tip! justy was at the barn way too long for me...and i was starvin'...he had the horses saddled for the girls to ride. so by 5:00 he was still out there...so i thought i would give it a try. he already had it marinating in a dry rub (i dont know what all he used) since yesterday. so i lit the grill....when it was hot i put the tri tip on. i poured beer on it. i ended up using 3 cans of coors original beer. i turned it often and cooked it until my meat thermometer was half way between rare and medium. it turned out great!!!

we did finish the raised bed. i am excited to plant some heirloom tomatoes along with some green and yellow squash. i also have some herbs to put in the garden...yippee! and a few minutes ago we managed to pierce catherines ears! again. we did it when she was about 5 years old. but over the years she quit wearing earrings and they just closed up. she handled it well.

i hope you all had a great weekend...here's to a great week ahead with great food.

~bon appetite~

Friday and Saturday nite

Good morning! i didnt make time to blog until this morning. friday nite justy and i made spaghetti together after a long day at work...i had a glass of red wine and justy had a well deserved gin and tonic.

on saturday we hit the yard work. it was a beautiful day. we cleaned flower beds, rototilled, transplanted some bulbs and onions that returned from last year. around 3:00 justy hauled another load of cattle out to pature. when he returned around 4:00 we went for a drive up kirby and came down busby creek. it was so pretty. we got to see some brand new baby colts.

we returned home around 6:00 and i went into to start my shepards pie. i made some meatloaf with 2 punds of burger, one egg, a cupful of broken up triscuits (whatever flavor you have in the pantry) half an onion chopped, 3 cloves garlic chopped, and salt and pepper. while it baked i boiled potatoes, drained them, mashed them with butter and cream, and salt and pepper. when my meatloaf was done i drained off any greases and spread my potatoes on top. then i added cheddar cheese. baked it for another 10-15 minutes.

justy decided to work on the raised vegetable bed while i cooked dinner...what a guy!....tomorrow we will add a whole lot of soil/peat/compost....it should grow great veggies!

Chicken stuffed pasta and Brats

When i arrived home tonite justy was well on his way to having dinner on the table. He had brats grilling, pasta boiling, and he was cutting up a shallot and some cremini mushrooms for a sauce to toss with the pasta. yes, he used amish butter to saute them in....and then used white wine....reduced it by half and added cream. while he did this i made up a pumpkin pie and put it in the oven. home made whipped cream topped it off. after doing dishes and ironing clothes...i called kelsey and wished him a happy 28th birthday. i am now ready to browse my new bon appetite magazine....and relax.

~bon appetite~

Steak and slaw

so, i know i didnt blog last nite...my girls had their band/chorus concert. catherine (plays clarinet) and soph (percussion) were in a concert at 6pm i picked up mcdonalds before i left hardin...drove to busby and picked up isabelle (who had just rode the bus an hour to get home) and justy...we then ate on the drive to st. labre. the concert was nice...home around 8:00pm.

tonite....catherine had her prom date over for dinner so justy and i could meet him..YIKES! when the hell did this happen? it flies by...i know everybody says that...but one day you realize...its true. so justy grilled some steaks...i made some slaw...and....well....we met her feakin' boyfriend and had dinner! it was actually a good evening. i did not take a picture for fear of freaking out the nice young man....but ...i will post my slaw recipe :)

tomorrow nite....who knows? maybe i'll surprise you.

busby slaw:

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dices apples (peeled)

mix all the ingredients and pour over one bag of slaw mix. combine well and chill one hour. serve.


~bon appetite~

Artichoke and Spinache Rigatone

whew...i am so tired tonite! the girls were all home when i arrived around 5:15 they wanted to go to the barn and see a couple of new mares brought home yesterday. justy had just finished hauling a load of cows when i got home. he had a big day at work too. Governor Schweitzer was here today for and unveiling of some beautiful signs welcoming people to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. there were a lot of people here for this celebration including President Spang (NC tribal president). It all went great with a feast following down in the village at the busby school.

tonite for dinner i made a yummy pasta dish. i substituted manchego cheese (a spanish cheese) for the mozarella. i found the recipe in the april issue of real simple.

Recipe:

8 oz rigatoni cooked and drained

14 ounces artichoke hearts drained, rinsed, and quartered

1- 9 oz package frozen creamed spinache, thawed

1/4 c grated parmesan

1 c manchengo cheese grated...1/2 in the pasta mixture and 1/2 on top for broiling

In large bowl combine the cooked and drained pasta and all the ingredients except 1/2 c manchengo. pour into pretty casserole. top with the rest of the cheese...place under broiler until cheese is bubbly and a little browned.

serve.

~bon appetite~

Arm Roast and Potatoes

I have to admit...i pushed the easy button for dinner tonight. i was busy spring cleaning some closets and before i knew it it was almost noon. so justy grabbed an arm roast from the freezer. one of the easiest and effortless meals is a roast done in the oven over several hours. i usually cook the roast one hour for every pound and set the oven low...275 degrees. today i had a frozen arm roast that weighed about 5 1/2 pounds. i put it in my trusty cast iron skillet, sprinkled it with garlic salt and montreal steak seasoning. i washed 6 small and medium potatoes and put them around the frozen roast. i then cut up half a red onion and sprinkled it on top. i covered the roast with tin foil and placed the whole thing on the bottom rack in the oven at 275. i let it cook 6 hours. in the mean time i made an old fashioned side of deviled eggs. while i was making the eggs, soph, jeremiah, isabelle, and justy had a mean game of poker going on....catherine was on the computer...imagine that!

for dessert i made another old fashioned dish...a cobbler. this is a really easy recipe and you can use any kind of fruit you like...canned peaches to frozen black berries. my motto is 'never completely follow a recipe' put your own twist on it...you can do....come on...now try it!

schindler cobbler:

1 stick of butter

1 cup of flour

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 can of peaches sliced

Melt butter in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. in a bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and milk. pour into melted butter in casserole dish- do not stir- pull peach slices out of can with fork and plop on top of batter one at a time. bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*can use one bag of frozen berries of you liking in place of canned fruit.

~bon appetite~

Beer Basted Tri Tip

Good evening everyone! I went shopping in Billings today. Found a beautiful rug for my home...i posted a picture of it. jeremiah and catherine and i found it at the import store. justy stayed home (he used the semi and hauled bulls out to pasture). we arrived home around 6:40pm and justy had just about finished the tri tip...sophia took some pictures of the cooking process. here it is:

*light the grill

*take one tri tip (it is a cut of beef from the sirloin usually about 2-3 pounder) in this case it is from one of our ranch raised beef

*make a dry rub with 1 tsp each: Lawry's seasoned salt, onion powder, and Lawry's garlic salt, and fresh ground pepper. rub it on dry all over the tri tip.

*as justy says,' then you throw it on the grill'. have 3 cans of your favorite beer on hand to baste with during the cooking process. baste with beer when you put it on the grill and turn meat about every 10 minutes basting with beer after each turn. be generous with the beer. cook 30 -50 minutes depending on your liking of doneness.

*remove from the grill and let set about 10 minutes. slice and plate. grab a cold beer (or a glass of red wine) and enjoy!

Rueben sandwich

It's Friday. I arrive home to 3 hungry girls and one very sickly husband (he did manage to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup at some point today...and then ran to the bathroom to dispose of it....again and again....use your imagination). So, i poured myself a glass of vino and assembled my sandwiches. I used rye bread, pastrami, sour kraut, and baby swiss cheeses. I grilled them in my cast iron skillet and then piled them onto a cookie sheet. Then i threw them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The cheese was gooey, the meat and kraut all warm and tasty and the bread crusty...mmmm Catherine said, 'man, this is good'. i did take a picture but it wasnt all that great....so instead i am posting a video of Isabelle practicing her flute shortly after dinner. Meanwhile, i gave justy some ibuprofen for his aching and a plain grilled cheese...he said he was ready for something more that canned soup. we've cleared the path to the bathroom....... I have him snuggled down now under blankets...for now. He is watching 'phenomenon' with john travolta. Isabelle is coloring next to me. catherine is cleaning her room...which is a freakin' miracle...she screams every now and again if she sees a spider. spiders seem to navigate to her room like no other room in the house...but i would never admit that to her. she has the vacuum cleaner in there and just sucks them up. with any luck we'll be able to see the floor again when she is through. and soph is relaxing on the couch watching the movie with her dad...(her room is always clean...she doesnt even mess her bed up when she sleeps)
Not sure what the weekend will bring as far as food goes but i'll be back tomorrow with another post. i would say bon appetite but tonite in honor of my irish roots and the rueben sandwich i will say ~slainte~

hamburger and sauce with tossed greens

Tonite my husband was going to cook dinner. We planned on grilling burgers outside because it is so nice out...but he had to haul cattle in the semi...out to pasture. 2 loads. So when i arrived home me and the kids got to work. Soph and Jeremiah patted out 8 burgers and lit the grill. Then they grilled them using a little Lawyries season salt on each side. While the burgers were grilling...Soph and Jere cut up one leek and 4 medium size portabellos. We then made a sauce to serve over the burgers. Isabelle whipped up some buttermilk ranch for the tossed green salad. It was a simple but satisfying meal. I love sauces. I think in the U.S. we always put 'gravy' with our meat. But there is nothing like a great sauce. A sauce is thinner than gravy. It should just coat the spoon. Its rich and succulent. A sauce made in a pan after meat has been cooked is super tasty...but you can just use a clean skillet and the following ingredients to make a simple sauce anytime.

Sauce:

*slice one leek

*slice up about one cup worth of cremini or baby portabellos

*4-5 tbsp butter

*one cup white wine

*1/2 -1 cup cream

Saute leek and mushroom in butter until tender. Add wine. Cook until reduced by half. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over grilled burgers.

I served this with a tossed green salad. Catherine did the dishes. Jeremiah played his electric guitar. Nice evening.

~bon appetite~

potato crusted salmon and sweet potato wedges

So, tonite I arrived at home at 5:20 and my sweet nephew came home with me. Its a treat when he comes to stay with us. Tonite I am making the salmon I bought on Monday at Costco. Another recipe in the April Real Simple magazine. Of course I cant follow a recipe exactly...so I have done it a little differently and it tasted great. My nephew said 'this is delicious'. The recipe says to take frozen hashbrowns and sprinke them on the fleshy side of the fish and press gently to help them adhere....they dont adhere. But dont worry...when you get to this part just quickly turn over the hashbrown encrusted salmon quickly but gingerly into the hot oil...yes, the frozen hashbrown will fall off the salmon into the oil....just lay the salmon on the bits of hashbrown...as it cooks it will adhere. After 3-4 minutes use a spatula and gently scoop up potato/salmon and flip over. Cook another 3-4 minutes. I decided to do the baked sweet potato fries as a side with some horseradish sauce on the side.

Here is a list of ingredients and recipes:

Salmon

*2 pounds fresh salmon cut into individual portioned steaks

*1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen hashbrowns

*canola oil in heavy skillet to coat the bottom of the pan

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. I like to use cast iron. Salt and pepper the salmon steaks. Sprinke with frozen hashbrowns and press them onto the salmon. Place in hot oil as described above and cook 3-4 minutes on each side.

Sweet potato fries

*Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

*3 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed, and cut into thin wedges.

*Coat potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper.

*Line cookie sheet with tin foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

*Lay wedges in a single layer on the foil and place in oven for 25-30 minutes until tender and longer if you want them a little crunchy.

Sauce for fries and fish

*1/4 cup sour cream

*1/4 cup plain yogurt

*2 tbps vinegar

*1 tbps horseradish

*1 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp pepper

Mix altogether with a wisk in a bowl. Serve on the side for dipping the potatoes and salmon.

Eating fish at least once weekly will improve your heart health. Fish is high in omega 3's. So give it a try!

~bon appetite~

linguine with asparagus and walnuts

So tonite i am starting my food blog...i ♥ to cook. i am always asking people "what did you make for dinner last nite?" i enjoy hearing what they made, what ingredients they used, and where or how they came up with the recipe. after much procrastination...i have decided tonite is the nite. i will blog every nite and present whatever it is i decide to cook. i will also take a picture of my dish to show you. evening meals with my family is what keeps me sane in a very busy world. wether its a hot dog or coq au vin...dinner's on. so pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on sinatra, read my blog, and get cookin!

i arrived at home after my 45 minute commute and i was in the door by 5:10...which is about 10 minutes sooner than i usually get home. i felt like i got home so early. when i get home at 5:30 i feel like i am running behind. crazy. anyway, i found a recipe in the april issue of real simple. it was linguine with asparagus and pine nuts...but i used my pine nuts in another recipe a few weeks ago...so i used walnuts. i switched it up a bit. i added butter, white wine, and and cream...how can you go wrong with those ingredients! here is my version of the recipe and the list of ingredients:

12 ounces of linguine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c chopped walnuts

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 pounds fresh asparagus washed, trimmed, and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 tbsp butter

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup cream

*cook pasta according to the package directions; drain and return to the pot.

*Meanwhile, heat up the oil in a skillet and add the walnuts and garlic. saute 2 minutes and then add the asparagus. continue to cook this for another 4-5 minutes until the asparagus is tender to your liking.

*add the butter and let it melt down.

*add the white wine and cook until reduced by half.

*once reduced add the cream. remove from heat.

*add the asparagus mixture to the pasta. season with salt and pepper.

so my girls thought this was super....and i think you will too!

~bon appetite~