Quick breakfast

It has been awhile since i updated, i worked night shift this past week, and it seems to take a lot out of me. If i do not sleep in late, i usually spend the mornings on the couch reading a book. The end of a long week, with a long weekend ahead, warrants a trip to the country to visit the homestead.

So i woke up this morning with lots to do before heading out to the country for the night. I have to pack some clothes, clean my kitchen, water the plants, and get ready for the day. As i was not really hungry, i decided to let breakfast cook itself while i started in on my chores.

This breakfast is simple, just crack 2 eggs into a bowl, whisk them together with some milk and your choice of spices. Drop a 10 to 12" pita into a pie plate, pour the egg mixture in, and set another pita on top. For a bit of extra flavor today i added bacon bits and Parmesan cheese. You can add veggies, your choice of cheese, ham, anything you like, so long as the egg mixture does not rise above the pita.

Don't worry about pushing the top pita into the egg mixture, it rises as it cooks and will meet the top quickly!

Bake this in the oven at about 350 F. While it was cooking, i got the dishes done, so now all i have to do is pack and water the plants.

After 20 minutes pull it out and poke the center to be sure the egg is set. Sometimes this is difficult to tell if an oily cheese is used. If it needs it, cook for another 5 or 10 minutes. Slice like a pizza, and serve with some ranch dressing, fruit and juice or milk.

This is a lot of food, it would serve two people. I seldom eat it all unless i know i am going to have a very active day with a late or no lunch. Since i am only one, i usually wrap the leftovers tight and stick it in the refrigerator until tomorrow. Best to re-heat in the oven, microwave makes it soggy.

Now, off to the country!

Meatloaf

It has been a wonderful day.The weather was beautiful from sunrise to sunset, hot and sunny. I went for a long walk with my family and looked at brand new cars. And i got my first real sunburn of the season.

So after my walk, i opened every window in the house and hauled out some hamburger...but what to do with it? I thought about just making a plain hamburger, but while out walking we had stopped for lunch and that is what we ended up having. Meatballs? Well, i did not really feel like pasta, i have already had that a few times this week. Meatloaf? Mmm, i have not made that in awhile!

While the meat was defrosting in the microwave, i chopped some onions and green peppers fine. I added these to the meat, as well as some grated Parmesan, about 1 Tbsp of ketchup, some store bought spice mix, and some dried garlic. I mixed it all together, slapped it in the pan, and scootched it into something resembling a loaf. I do not like touching raw red meat, it is disgusting. So i try to touch it as little as i can while making burgers, balls and loaves.

After cleaning up, i baked my little loaf at 375 F for about half an hour, then i mixed the topping. When i was a kid, my mom just used BBQ sauce or ketchup. Tonight, i decided to get creative! I used about 2 tsp of Heinz 51 sauce, and 1 tsp each honey mustard and ketchup, after i stirred them together (and tasted) i added a drip of VH steak sauce, it might have been abut 1/8 of a tsp. I spread this mixture onto the meatloaf and stuck it back into the oven.

Meanwhile, i scrubbed a potato, stabbed it and stuck it in the microwave. It takes 6 minutes to bake, i recommend turning it over at 3 minutes, or else sometimes there is a little raw spot where it sits on the glass turntable. I had also decided to have some veggies with my meal. I boiled a small pot of water and set a small strainer on top. I do not have a veggie steamer, so this is what i use. I put the frozen veggie mix on top (green & yellow beans and carrots) and in the bottom boiling water, i put 1/4 cup of frozen peas. By the time the potato is cooked, so are the veggies. I have to balance the lid on the pot, and it lets a bit of steam out, but the steam that is contained does what it should.

I love garlic butter and Parmesan on my baked potatoes, so when it comes out of the microwave, i slice and add those right away so they melt into it. Plate the veggies by dumping the top ones out of the 'steamer' then use the strainer to drain the peas. No extra dishes! Slice the meatloaf, and serve! Yummy home cooked comfort food in a flash.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss -- Homemade Hamburger Helper

I like to call this recipe homemade Hamburger Helper, because that is what it is! Without all the extra yummy preservatives! This is the first time i made a full batch of this recipe, a few years ago i tried it several times scaled down to 1/4, it turned out good, but now i see not quite the same.

The recipe comes from a Kraft What's Cooking magazine...one of my favorites! I have back issues for the last 8 years! It states that it is a quick alternative to lasagna on a busy night...but i think it took longer to make than my lasagna recipe, which i also got out of a Kraft magazine. This is a picture of the review and the dish directly from the pages of Kraft. Looks delicious!

So, to make this lovely, cheesy, pasta masterpiece, you will need the following: (makes four 2 cup servings)

3/4 LB lean ground beef

2 cups chopped green peppers (about 1 +1/2 medium peppers)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jar (700 mL) pasta sauce

1 + 2/3 cups water

1/2 cup 'Zesty Italian' dressing (recipe recommends Kraft)

12 oven ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters

1 cup shredded cheese (recipe recommends Kraft 4 cheese Italinao)

Brown Meat in large saucepan or deep cast iron skillet on medium heat, drain.

Add peppers, garlic, pasta sauce, water and dressing; bring to a boil. Stir in noodles, reduce heat to medium-low, cover.

Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese. Cover, let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This is the mess after adding the noodles. I accidentally missed the line 'bring to a boil' before adding the noodles, but it turned out alright, just a bit hard to stir at first. The sheen on the top is from the Italian dressing. It was a new bottle and i got a lot of oil. Also, breaking lasagna noodles into quarters is not as easy as it may seem...i got more shards than quarters, but that is OK.

Now for the changes i made: I only added 1/2 a green pepper, it looked like lots, i didn't think it needed more. I used dried garlic, as i am not crazy about chopping garlic, i did not have any and the Market was closed. Next time, i will only use 8 or 10 noodles, unless i have company and am actually serving it all, 12 seemed like to much.

I also added the cheese in the bowl and covered it with a pie plate for a few minutes. This is because i was only taking 1 serving and freezing the rest for lunches, and i think it might be better to add the cheese as it is eaten. I am not sure if it freezes well, neither the magazine nor the website state if it is, but we shall see!

Pub Grub Night (Quesadillas)

Some nights, i get home from work and do not feel like cooking. We are all the same, admit it! Usually, i end up forcing myself to cook something, if it is a Friday i might order out, but once in awhile i feel like something different. This is when i resort to what i like to call Pub Grub. Food you can get in a pub: it's cheap, it's fast, it's good.

It depends on what i have on hand, some Pub Grub nights end up being as simple as frozen onion rings and fries baked in the oven. Tonight, i decided to get a bit fancy and use the leftovers. I had some chicken in the freezer from last weekends Crockpot adventure, some veggies, cheese, 2 pitas and, of course, my ever versatile tomato sauce.

First, i preheat the oven to 325 F. Not to hot, because all you are looking to do is melt the cheese. I build it directly on the cookie sheet. On both pitas i spread some of my sauce. Then to one, i add the veggies, sprinkle with Parmesan, then add chicken and cheese. It does not matter what veggies or cheese you use. Today i used green peppers, onions and Mozzarella, because that is what i had on hand.

Finally, add the top pita and stick it in the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes, turn it over and give it a few more. Again, you are just trying to brown it and melt the cheese, so it sticks together nicely. While this is cooking, do a bit of clean up and chop some veggies to go on the side. Today i dipped carrots and celery in a bit of ranch dressing. When the quesadilla comes out of the oven, slice (it is easiest with a pizza cutter) and serve!

Tonight, i added a glass of chocolate milk to cool the heat of the sauce. Since i made it a week ago, the cayenne pepper is starting to kick in. Now i can kick back with a book, and relax the night away! (not really, i have a tonne of laundry to do) .

Rainy Saturday pork chops

I woke up this morning and it was raining, boo. Not that i really had any big outdoor plans today, anyway, but a rainy day is a dreary day.

I had company coming for dinner, but I really did not feel like cooking anything, and i am low on groceries, so i thought i should throw something in my Crockpot. I have this cool little tin full of Crockpot recipes, so after going through it twice and doing a few online searches, i picked out this one : Simply Delicious Pork, and it was all the title promised! Of course, it did not look quite so fancy, but still delicious!

Of course, i had no pork chops in the freezer, so i must brave the rain and walk to the Old City Market to pick up some meat and apples. I had to go out to the library, anyway. It only cost about 6.50 for 2 boneless chops at one of the meat vendors, and about 1.60 for the apples at Baleman's Produce. I held off on my walk as long as i could, as the rain was coming down quite steadily. By 1:00 it was easing, so i pulled out my poor umbrella that has seen better days (i live on a street that can be quite windy) and away i go Uptown. Of course, half way there the skies opened up, but i got some nice rainy day pictures! This one is the main path though the Loyalist Burial Grounds, Uptown. I walk through here daily, it is a gorgeous place.

Not 10 minutes after i got home, the rain stopped (of course). But I threw the chops in the slow cooker. The recipe is as follows. It is supposed to serve 6 people, i cut everything in half and used 2 chops.

1 + 1/2 Lbs boneless pork loin, cut into 6 pieces. OR 6 boneless pork chop loins.

4 medium Golden Delicious Apples, sliced

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Place pork in Crockpot, cover with apples. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl, sprinkle over apples. Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

6 hours was quite sufficient. In fact, it was more like only 5 +1/2 hours, and i had to scoop them out because when i stabbed with a fork, they started to fall apart! I took the bit of the juice that was at the bottom, put it in a pot and then mixed about 1 ts flour with about 1/8 cup cold water and mixed that with the drippings. I whisked it as it heated and thickened and it made a delicious apple flavored gravy.

To go with this, i made some potatoes. All i did to them was wash and slice, i didn't even peel them. I spread some garlic butter in a pan and then sprinkled it with some spice mix (Mrs. Dash). I threw the potatoes in and tossed them around, and then sprinkled on more spice. Then i just baked them at 350 F for about 30 minutes. I give them a mix after about 15 to make sure they are not sticking and so one side does not burn.

So, by the time dinner was cooked, the sun was coming out. Now all i have to do is clean up my extremely messy kitchen and maybe go for another walk to get some groceries!

Breakfast for dinner

I went for a long walk tonight and got home quite a bit later than expected, so i decided to whip up a quick dinner, an egg wrap!

My egg wraps are kind of 'leftover' egg wraps, i throw a bit of whatever is in the fridge into it. Tonight i browned a bit of onion while i mixed 2 eggs, about 2 Tbsp of milk, some spice mix (like Mrs. Dash), some Parmesan cheese and some bacon bits. I whipped all this with a fork, so it will cook up nice and fluffy. Then i poured it over my onions.

Usually, i can turn an egg round in my small frying pan with out ripping it. It comes out a fine circle to match my pita. Unfortunately, tonight it tore. But that is OK. After letting the concoction cook one one side, i flip it, of course. So long as it is cooked enough that it will not need to be flipped again, i spread some of my home made pasta sauce on it and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese (or what ever is on hand).

While the cheese is melting, and the bottom is cooking, i spread some mayo (Miracle Whip) on a pita. Then i slide the egg concoction onto the pita, and roll it up! It looks kind of nasty, but tastes yummy!

I usually don't bother tucking in the ends like a burrito because i use a knife and fork to eat it with. I recommend using a sharp knife, or it will be messy! Usually once it is sliced open, you can see the layers quite distinctively, but since it was not flipped whole, today you can't.

I also sometimes have this for breakfast, of course. Usually it is a weekend treat. I serve it with a bit of yogurt, a banana and some juice!

Quick Pasta Sauce

Home made Pasta sauce usually takes all day; but a couple years ago, i found a quick, and cheap, way to make it! All you really need is one small can of tomato sauce, and one of tomato paste. I usually use the garlic paste to add flavor. In my grocery store, each of these cans cost less than 2 dollars. Throw these both into a pot (use a small rubber spatula to get the paste out), and stir until heated. Now usually, i find this mixture quite bland...so i raid the spice rack!

To my sauce / paste mixture, i add 1 tsp garlic butter, a small dash of Cayenne pepper, and either some parsley and onion powder, or a premade spice mix (like Mrs. Dash). I never add salt and pepper, but you can if you wish. Add whatever spices you have to your own taste. If i am using it all right away, i add hamburger, green peppers, onions and some Parmesan cheese. Put i am just 1, so i usually do not use it all right away.

Stir this on LOW heat (it will boil on a very low temperature, and don't turn your back, it will make a mess!) After it cools, i usually put it in an empty yogurt container. They are airtight and it will keep for up to 3 weeks. I find it will get a bit of condensation on the top of the sauce when it comes out of the fridge, but give it a stir and it is good as new. It gets better with age!

I use this sauce with everything, and i mean everything. It adds flavor! Mix a spoonful into a pot of KD. Add some into your grilled cheese before cooking. I even use it on my eggs! Of course, it can be used for plain old pasta and meatballs as well. Either way, it is delicious, quick and easy.

I am going to enjoy my pasta and sauce while watching Game 6 of the playoffs, Moncton has won 3 games, Saint John 2. It is the best of seven, so this could be the deciding game!

Let's go Seadogs!!!