We all pitched in and helped, the girls now FAR more adept at working with dough and rolling out the rolls than they used to be when much of their time was spent seeing if they could submerse their arms into the big bag of flour all the way up to their shoulder.  They’d start by just putting their hands into the flour, to which I didn’t usually object, because, hey, who can resist the silky feel of flour in your hands.  Usually in a moment when my back was turned, the temptation would become irresistible, and my next snap shot would be of the bag of flour swallowing my child.  Happy child, messy kitchen.  Bread is never a clean event on the best of days, although much more so now than it used to be.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
Simple Romaine Salad
Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

Annie
Remembering the little people when their cheeks were big and rosy all the time…. sigh.

This is my mom’s recipe.  As a little girl I loved the leftover meatloaf sandwiches more than the meal itself.

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup oatmeal or breadcrumbs
1 cup tomato juice or 2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon dried onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix it all up, pat it into a greased loaf pan and pop it into the oven. Bake for 1 hour.  Let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

Peanut Butter Banana Waffles
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted

Mash the banana and the peanut butter together and then add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk so that the peanut butter doesn’t stay in big chunks.  Add the rest of the buttermilk.

Preheat the waffle iron.  In a large mixing bowl, sift all dry ingredients.  Mix the egg yolks, butter and  buttermilk mixture in a medium bowl.  Combine with the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Fold into the batter.

Follow the directions for your waffle iron.

Makes 10 to 12 waffles

This stack is of a bunch of the waffles we were testing.  You can see that the Lemon Poppy Seed ones are on top.

Annie
Stackin’ it up

Simply put, while the name is old-fashioned, a casserole is just a one-pot meal with the protein starch and vegetable all in one dish.  Preferably with a crispy topping, please.  Casseroles from our past don’t have to include canned soup to be hearty, one-pot meals.  And they don’t have to be something only served for a weeknight dinner.  Served in individual bowls or large ramekins and topped with a garnish, you quickly turn an everyday meal into a simple meal fit for entertaining.

This is a wonderful comfort meal for a snowy, winter evening, with friends or just family.

Casserole of Mashed Potato, Portobello Mushrooms and Swiss Chard with Goat Cheese

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Portobello mushrooms
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped and cleaned well
1/2 teaspoon salt
several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For the potatoes:
8 medium red potatoes, peeled and whole
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the water

4 oz. goat cheese

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Place the mushrooms and Swiss chard on a roasting pan and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 40-45 minutes.  The Swiss chard may be done before the mushrooms at about 30 minutes.  It’s done when it’s wilted and the stems are tender.  Remove the Swiss chard with tongs and transfer to a medium sized bowl.  Toss with balsamic vinegar.  Continue to cook the mushrooms until they begin to get darker on the edges.  When the mushrooms are done, let them cool briefly and then slice thinly into long strips.

For the potatoes:
Place the potatoes in a medium stockpot and cover with salted water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.  Drain the water; add the butter, milk and salt and whip with a hand mixer.

Reduce oven heat to 350°.  In four 2-cup oven proof bowls, layer the potatoes, mushrooms and Swiss chard, beginning and ending with the potatoes.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes begin to brown.

Serves 4 (or 6 if you use smaller bowls)

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Reduction 

Tenderloin:
2 pork tenderloins, (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total, trimmed of silver skin)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Reduction:
3 cups apple cider
1 cups apple cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 shallot, cut into 8ths
several grinds of fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°.  Rub the tenderloin with the salt, pepper, and paprika.  Heat the oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat.   Add the pork tenderloins and brown it on all sides.  Add the apple cider, apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, shallots, and heavy cream and bring to a simmer.

Place the sauté pan in the oven and cook until the pork reaches internal temperature of is 145° for medium and 150° for medium well, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Set aside the tenderloin on a platter and cover with aluminum foil.  Return the sauté pan to the stove top and reduce the sauce in the pan over medium-high heat until it measures 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.  Strain.

Cut the tenderloin on an angle into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices and serve with the sauce.

Serves 4-6

You’ll need to start this the day before (for the pork marinade).

3 pounds boneless pork loin
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients except the pork.  Rub the pork loin all over with the herb mixture; cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375°. Place the pork in a roasting pan and roast until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145° for medium and 150° for medium well, (about 1 hour). Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with the Cranberry Port Sauce, below.

Cranberry Port Sauce

1/2 pound fresh cranberries
6 tablespoons port
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/8-inch thick slice of fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red currant jelly

Combine the cranberries, port, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and ginger in a small enamel (or other non-reactive) saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is slightly thickened.  Discard the gingerroot, stir in the jelly, and set aside to cool slightly. Pour the sauce into a pitcher and serve with the sliced pork. It’s great, hot, cold, or room temperature.

Serves 4 – 6.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds stew beef
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 large onion, diced
1 cup diced fennel
2 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
½ green pepper, diced
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons fennel seed
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Zest of one orange
2 cups red wine
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Toss the beef, flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl so the beef is coated with the flour. Place the beef in the pot and cook until browned. Add the onions, fennel, carrots, celery, peppers, garlic, spices, salt and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the orange zest, red wine and tomatoes.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Serve with polenta

Roasted 5-Herb Chicken  

If you are in a hurry, you can cut the chicken through the breastbone and lay it flat on a cookie pan.  It will reduce the cooking time by about 45 minutes.

1 whole roaster chicken
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°.  Rub the chicken outside and inside with the herbs, salt, pepper, paprika, and oil. Bake for 1 1/2hours or until the legs feel loose in the joint. Serve with mashed potatoes

Serves 4-6

Variation:

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Follow the instructions above and stuff the chicken with one whole lemon cut in half and two heads of garlic.  If you’re roasting it the quick way, place the chicken on top of the lemon and garlic, then roast.

I like these steaks for a number of reasons, not the least of which is you can get away with serving 4 to 6 ounces per person because of how they are sliced – on the bias and thinly.  It ends up looking like more and therefore, folks tend to eat a little less.  They are also flavorful cuts of meat, which take well to marinade and are quick to cook.  To stretch the meat to serve more people, make sure you have enough sides to compensate.

Flank Steak with Sherry Portabella Sauce 

Marinade:
2 pounds flank, hanger or skirt steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Marinate for at least 1/2 hour in a shallow pan or platter.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups shallots, peeled and quartered, about 1/2 pound
2 large Portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons butter

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the oil and shallots and cook until soft and brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and add the flank steak.  Increase heat to medium high heat.  Cook for 6 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other.  When an internal thermometer reads 120 degrees, transfer to a platter.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft and tender.  Return the shallots to the pan, heat and add the sherry and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the butter, whisking until incorporated.  Slice meat on the bias in very thin cuts.  Add any meat juice to the sauce and serve.

Serves 4-8
(eight if you have several sides like next Tuesday’s recipe for Warm Brussel Sprout Salad with Toasted Pecans)

This meal is intended for a weekend evening of entertaining and lingering at the table with laughter and stories.

The fried onions are a wonderful, crunchy treat, but if you are pressed for time you may excluded them.  The time pressed may also choose to skip the pan sauce at the end.

Dijon Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Lentils and Fried Onions

Pork:
2 to 3 pounds pork tenderloin with silver skin removed
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter

Fried Onions:
2/3 cup canola oil
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon salt

Lentils:
2 cups lentils
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Pork:
Cut the pork tenderloin into 15 or 16 equal pieces and flatten them with the palm of your hand.  Rub them on both sides with the mustard, salt and pepper.  Five minutes before the lentils are done, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Heat two tablespoon of the reserved oil.  Carefully place the pork into the pan and cook for 5 minutes on one side and 3-4 minutes on the second.  Remove before they are fully cooked and let rest as they cook the rest of the way.  Meanwhile, deglaze the pan with the wine and stock.  Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and whisk in the butter.  Spoon lentils onto the plate, place the pork chops on top and spoon sauce on top.

Fried Onions:
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Heat the oil and carefully add the onions, frying for 5 minutes.  Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and set on paper towel to drain and sprinkle with salt.  Remove all of the oil from the pan and set aside.

Lentils:
Using the onion pan add the lentils, chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serves 6-8