What to do with your Corned Beef and Cabbage Leftovers??

Make egg rolls! 

This is a great dinner or snack! Here is what you will need to get started. 

Ingredients: 

leftover corned beef brisket

leftover carrots, potatoes, and cabbage 

Egg Roll Wrappers 

Begin by chopping up the brisket, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, into bite size pieces. Mix together in a large bowl. Take one egg roll wrapper at a time, lay it flat on your counter top or prep space, fill it with the mix as seen in the picture below. 

When you wrap it up, begin by folding up the bottom corner (in the picture below) Then fold in both sides. Holding tightly, brush with water, then gently roll. 

On a baking sheet, I like to use a wire rack for more even baking, but you could just use a baking sheet or you could fry them. 

Brush each roll with a little oil oil, then bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Tastes great served with a thousand island dressing-like dipping sauce. 

Last years egg rolls (2013)

Last years egg rolls (2013)

Click here for a homemade egg roll wrapper recipe

I hope you'll give them a try! If you do, let me know how things turned out :) 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Egg Roll Wrappers

Last year, I couldn't find egg roll wrappers, so I used a recipe that I found to make them yourself. 

http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2010/10/homemade-wonton-and-egg-roll-wrappers.html

The above website also has step-by-step pictures 

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour (perhaps whole wheat flour would work as well but I haven't tried)

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Less than 1/2 cup cold water

Corn starch or potato starch

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix flour and salt.

2. Make an indentation in the flour, and pour in an egg. Mix well with a spoon.

3. Pour in half of the water and mix, preferably with a spoon, but when that is no longer an option, mix with your hand.

4. Slowly mix in a little bit of water at a time until you get a non crumbly dough that is just the tiniest bit sticky.

5. Let the dough sit for twenty minutes, covered.

6. Lightly dust a flat immovable surface with corn starch or potato starch. (I prefer to use my counter, but any clean surface will work.)
7. Pull off a golf ball sized clump of dough and place it on the starched surface, lightly covering all sides.

8. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough in as square (or rectangle) a shape as possible. You want the dough to be relatively thin, because otherwise it won't cook well. I usually just roll until the dough becomes semi translucent- i.e. I can make out the color of the counter beneath. Be careful, though, because a dough too thin will tear while cooking.
If, during the rolling process, the dough begins to stick to either the counter or the rolling pin, spread a miniscule amount of starch on the dough. Too much starch though, will make the dough hard to work with. (Not to mention, give you chills.)

9. Using a cookie cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares. If you're making wontons, you probably want your squares at least 3 inches by 3 inches, and if egg-rolls, at least 5 inches by 5 inches. Alternatively, if you're making Chinese noodles for dipping in duck sauce or the like, you will want to cut these into thin long rectangles.

10. To cook, either boil for wontons or deep fry to make egg-rolls, fried wontons, or Chinese noodles.

11. If not using right away, dust with a heavier layer of corn or potato starch so they don't stick together, and stack. Cover with plastic wrap to stop moisture from escaping and wrappers drying out. I assume this can be frozen, but I haven't tried it myself.

Homemade Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread is a great side for your St. Patty's Day meal. Below is how I make it. Chloe loves it so much, this year she asked that we send some in to her class, for their St. Patrick's Day celebration! 


Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients: 

4 cups flour 
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups of raisins
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk (if you don't have it, you can make with milk and vinegar)
1 cup of sour cream

Use a large cast iron pan or 9 in. round baking pan


Begin by setting your oven at 350 degrees. 
In a large bowl mix together, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and raisins. In another bowl, blend together, eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream. 

Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Knead dough in the bowl, the dough will very sticky. 
Place the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet. Cut a slit in the top of the bread. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Cool before slicing and serving. Enjoy!! 

*Note: 
I often make this without the raisins and it still tastes great!! :) 



Until next time... 

Corned Beef and Cabbage

One of our favorite holidays to celebrate is St. Patrick's Day! We get all decked out in our green, bake Irish Soda Bread, Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, and cook the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, among a few other things. Since St. Patty's Day is near, I thought I'd share a few recipes, starting with Corned Beef and Cabbage. 

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Red Potatoes, and Carrots
Ingredients: 

3-4 lb. Corned Beef Brisket

Pickling spice (comes with corned beef brisket)

4 Large Organic Carrots, cleaned and cut

4-6 Organic Red Potatoes, clean and quartered 

1/2 head of Cabbage

5 cups of water 

I've made Corned beef and cabbage, a variety of different ways, but this is the EASIEST and my favorite way to make it. 

I start with my crockpot, place the potatoes on the bottom, the raw brisket on top of the potatoes, add the pickling spice, then layer the carrots on top. I add about 4-5 cups of water, or until everything is covered. Then cook on high heat for about 7 hours. 

Next, remove the brisket and vegetables from the crock-pot, leaving the liquid, add the chopped cabbage and cook for 10-15 minutes. 

When that is finished I remove the cabbage and serve aside the brisket and veggies with a slice of Homemade Irish Soda Bread! It is DELICIOUS!! 

Look out for my next post...What to do with your Corned Beef and Cabbage Leftovers! :) 

Until next time... 

BBQ Chicken Calzone

I few weeks ago,  I had spent many hours meal planning for the next few months, but I hadn't decided on what to make for dinner, Sean text me from work asking "what's for dinner tonight,"  just as I was searching through the fridge and pantry to see what I could come up with. He suggested BBQ Chicken Calzone which sounded good to me. We haven't made it in awhile and the only thing I needed from the store was some cheese. Here is the recipe below, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! :)

BBQ Chicken Calzone or Pizza 

Ingredients: 

1 pizza dough, (follow my quick recipe or you can use whatever dough you prefer)

1 medium organic red onion, finely chopped

1 lb. natural chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup of barbecue sauce of your choice 

1/2 lb of  mild or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg

a few slices of smoked gouda 

salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 425.

If you followed the pizza dough recipe, you can start this recipe while the dough is set aside to rise. 

In large skillet, cook chicken on medium heat until no longer pink. I add some salt and pepper here. 

Add 1/2 of the barbecue sauce and the red onion. Cook, stirring often, until onions are tender. 

Let this cool as you roll out the dough. 

Place your rolled out dough onto your pizza stone, spread the rest of the barbecue sauce on half of the dough, sprinkle with half of the cheese, top with the chicken mixture, then add the rest of the cheese. 

Fold dough over and seal edges tightly with your fingers. Brush egg wash onto the dough. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Allow at least 10 minutes to cool before cutting and serving. 

*sometimes no matter how good you seal the dough, cheese and bbq sauce drips out. (this especially happens when you make it as a pizza) Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven for easy cleanup. 

If you give it a try, I'd love to hear what you think.



Until next time...

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!!! 110

Dr. Suess has some BIG fans in my house! About 2 years ago, I signed up the kids for the Dr. Suess Book club. I think they have just about EVERY book every written or adapted by Dr. Suess, the calendar hangs in the kitchen, and they are huge fans of the movies, The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who, and The Grinch. Chloe spent the past summer reading all of the books and there are many nights when I check in on her, find her asleep, Reilly asleep, and they are both surrounded by the books that she fell asleep reading.

A few years ago we started celebrating Dr. Suess' birthday with fun snacks and a green eggs and ham breakfast. It has become a tradition in our house that every March 2nd, this is what we do!


These are some pictures of what we have done over the past couple years.

green scrambled eggs, green-over easy eggs, and some bacon 

stripped pudding cups

Chloe enjoying her breakfast 

Liam showing me his green eggs

Chloe and Reilly with her mountains of books

My babies look so little here!
Well it is time for me to make this years breakfast of green eggs and ham :) Followed by some fun crafts that Chloe would like to do, along with a birthday countdown craft for my little Liam, who will be 4 years old this month!! My oh my...where does the time go?!

Do you celebrate the love for reading and Dr. Seuss' birthday in your home? If so, share your ideas!


Happy reading and Enjoy!

Until next time...

Eight Layered Dip

I think I say this often but this is one of my favorite snacks to make, especially if we are having people over, or if we are taking food to someones house. It's super easy and you can mix and match all sorts of ingredients depending on what you prefer. 

The amount of ingredients all depends on how much you want to make (And the size of your bowl) Of course you can make it in any bowl but I like doing it in a large clear bowl so that you can see all of the layers. 

Ingredients:

Guacamole (I prefer homemade but you could use store bought)

Taco meat (We often have Taco Tuesday in our house, so there is always taco meat. I use ground beef or ground turkey with seasonings) 

Lettuce ( I prefer romaine) 

Tomato 

Shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar, monterey jack, and pepper jack. You could use a taco or mexican blend) 

Black olives

Sour cream (or organic greek yogurt)

What I do to start is grab some avocados and make some fresh guacamole, set to the side 

I grab a skillet and use ground beef or ground turkey, add some seasonings to make my taco meat. 

Then I gather lettuce and chop in small pieces, and tomato I dice it up. 

For cheese I usually use a blend of cheddar, monterey jack, and pepper jack.  

Then I still need a jar of black olives and some sour cream (or I use organic greek yogurt) 

I spread the guacamole into the bottom of the dish, then carefully add a layer of sour cream. 

Next a layer of cheese, followed by the olives, topped with layers of lettuce and tomato. Then I add a layer of the ground meat, topped with another layer of cheese. 

***Big Tip: 

If you are making this ahead of time, I suggest not adding the meat layer and final layer of cheese. It tastes best when the meat is warm and the cheese melts a little onto the meat. If I'm planning on pulling this out later, I put the meat in a separate container, heat it up first, then add the meat and cheese when I am ready to serve. 

*Other tips:

I have used my favorite salsa as an added layer, also as a substitute for the tomato layer.

A layer of jalapeño peppers gives it a nice kick to it too! 

Nice thing about this is you really can add whatever you'd like. And if you are like me and there are certain this that you don't like (I don't like raw tomatoes) You could just have a half layer of something and leave the other half a little plain.  

I always serve with tortilla chips 

ENJOY!! 

Apple Crumb Pie

This is one of my ALL TIME favorite desserts! I LOVE apples!! This pie gets made very often in the fall after we go apple picking, but I often make it year round because it is so good! It tastes amazing when it is hot out of the oven, with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream!

My sister had been asking for pie the other day, she offered to peel the apples, and head to the store for some vanilla ice cream. That sealed the deal so while she was out I whipped up this delicious apple crumb pie.

Apple Crumb Pie 

Ingredients: 

Pie filling:

6 apples (peeled, cored, cut into wedges)

3/4 cup of sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Pie top:

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup of flour 

1/4 cup of butter

9 inch pie crust or rolled out pie dough 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Roll out dough and press into pie plate.

Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the vanilla and apples, mixing until apples are coated in mixture. Pour apple mixture into the pie plate.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Using a fork, mix until becomes crumbly. 

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the apples. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Covering the top for the last 15 minutes to avoid over browning

Allow about 10 minutes to cool before cutting and serving. 

Enjoy!! 

Pie Dough Recipe: 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

8 tbsp cold unsalted butter (1 stick, cut into small pieces)

4 to 5 tbsp ice water

Mix together, flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Using fingers or fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it's in small pieces and mixture has yellowed. 

Slowly ass 4 tbsp of the ice water and mix until the dough comes together. Add the last tbsp, only if necessary. 

Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then use for pie recipe. 

Caramelizd Apple Stuffed Pancakes

This is a recipe that I found years ago out of a magazine. I don't remember which magazine but it looked so good that I gave it a try and changed things up a bit to my liking. It is such an easy recipe, with quick and easy prep and clean up.
I've used this recipe for breakfast, as well as breakfast for dinner. The kids love a chance to have breakfast for dinner, so this is a real treat.

Caramelized Apple Stuff Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter
about 2lbs. apples (4-5 apples) (skin can stay on, cored and cut into wedges)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
Powder sugar

*you will need a cast iron pan or an oven safe skillet (10-12 inch pan)
along with another skillet to use on the stove top.

Begin by heating your oven to 425 degrees.
In a blender, mix eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, salt, and the 1 tbsp of sugar. Set aside until needed.

Place the cast iron pan in the oven to heat up.
In separate skillet, medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter. Add the apples and cook until they begin to brown. Add the 3/4 cup of sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Continue stirring, cooking until apples are tender and the juice has thickened.

Next, carefully remove the cast iron pan from the oven, melt 1 tbsp of butter, then pour in the batter from the blender. Return the pan to the oven, baking until puffed and golden (about 10-12 minutes)

Carefully transfer the pancake from the pan to a plate, spoon the apples over half of the pancake and fold over. Sprinkle powdered sugar over top and enjoy!

*This pancake feeds all 4 of us and there is sometimes a little leftover.


Enjoy!!

PB & J French Toast

• Liz's Breakfast for 4: PB & J French Toast

• Ingredients: 

  For jelly topping: 1 and 1/2 cups of grape juice 1/2 cup of jam or jelly 1/2-1 cup of grapes(optional) For french toast: 8 slices of your favorite bread About 1/2 cup of peanut butter of your choice 2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk 1 tsp of vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon Butter

  Jelly Topping: In saucepan, whisk together grape juice and jam until smooth. Add grapes. Simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly until thickens. I whisk in a little flour to help thicken. Only a tbsp at a time.

  Tip: (***I read somewhere that instead of all 3 ingredients above, you can just use one can of frozen grape juice concentrate. I just never have that so I try to customize recipes to what I have on hand)

  French Toast: 

  Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, in a shallow bowl. Spread peanut butter on four slices of bread, place other four pieces on top of each. You will have four sandwiches. Dip each into the egg mixture. Be sure to cover both sides.

  Melt butter on skillet or large frying pan. Place each sandwich on skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until its nice and golden brown.

  Poor grape syrup over top and enjoy!
• This breakfast is beyond amazing!! Everyone enjoys :)

Until next time...

Ham, String Bean, and Potato soup

This is definitely a meal you will have if you grew up in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Ever since I was a kid this has been a favorite meal. I remember being at my mommom and poppop's house, I'd smell it simmering away in the kitchen and couldn't wait until it was ready to eat. As I have always seen it done this way, it is great to do with the leftover ham. Especially from Christmas and Easter dinner.

Tonights dinner 

Ingredients:
about 1 pound of ham,  cubed (If I'm using leftover ham, I break it up into pieces that will fit in the pot and then it will break up on its own as it cooks) 
4 cups of fresh organic string beans
5-6 organic potatoes, diced
1 organic onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 organic celery stalks
2 cups of organic chicken stock
4 cups of water
1 tbsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. savory

Probably one of these easiest set of directions:In a large stock pot combine ALL ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer all day. If you don't have all day, simmer until potatoes and carrots are softened.

-Also works well in the crock pot, if your crock pot is big enough.


Enjoy!!!

Stromboli

Stromboli wreath 

Stromboli is a favorite dinner choice at my house, it is also a fun food to take to a party. 


Ingredients: (This same dough is also used when I make pizza and calzones.)
3 1/4 cups Flour
9 oz. warm water
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp of salt or fine sea salt
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low until the mixture comes together. Then switch to the dough hook and keep mixing for 3-4 minutes on a medium speed.
If the dough is to dry add a little more water if it's too sticky add a little more flour.
(we use our Kitchen Aid Mixer but you can do this by hand if you don't have one)

2. Dump your dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic for about 5-7 minutes. Form into a ball and let set in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat and cover. Let rest 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to rise.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press down to deflate. Cut the dough into desired portions. Form into tight balls to press air out.
4. You can now place the balls of dough on a floured board covered with oiled plastic or a towel and let rise one hour. You may also save for another day by refrigerating overnight. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes before baking. 


For Stromboli: 

Dough 
1/2-1 pound cheese of your choice ( I use provolone and mozzarella) 
about 1/4 pound of salami 
about 1/4 pound of pepperoni 
about 1/4 pound of ham 
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375. On floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. (I will often roll out dough directly on my pizza stone.)  On one side place a layer of cheese, followed by layers of salami, pepperoni, and ham. Then add another layer of cheese. Fold over the dough, pressing together and sealing the edges. Beat egg in a small bowl, using a silicone brush to coat the dough with egg. 

Use greased baking sheet, or pizza stone, bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, dough will be golden brown. Depending on your oven the bake time will vary. 

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheats best in oven or toaster oven. 

Serve with heated spaghetti or marinara sauce of your choice. 







(Pictured below I divided the dough in half, rolled out first half, filled with meat and cheese, then rolled out second half and sealed on top. )

Giant stromboli 

Enjoy!! 

Pumpkin Roll

The end of 2013 was extra busy! So here's to the new year and catching up on a few things that I wrote and never finished and posted :)

* Pumpkin is one of my favorite things, it is a big reason why the fall is my favorite season. This is one of the many pumpkin recipes that I make. It started with the recipe on the side of a can of Libby's pure pumpkin. Since I first began making this, I have made a few changes. It is always a favorite dessert in our house! 

Pumpkin Roll Recipe: 

Cake ingredients:

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup of pumpkin puree

Filling Recipe:

1 package (8 oz.) softened cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar

• you need a jelly roll pan or baking sheet
  wax paper
  thin cotton kitchen towel 

Before you begin the cake take out the cream cheese to soften.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan and line with wax paper. Grease and flour the wax paper, then sprinkle the towel with powdered sugar.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, cloves and salt.  Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin and then stir in flour mixture. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Bake  for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Tightly roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.


Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake after is has been cooled. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake and sprinkle or roll in powdered sugar. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Storing in the fridge before serving will help the filling to set.

Tip: Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick. 

Enjoy!!