Ma What's For Dinner? » onion

Zippy Zucchini

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:00:21 +0000

Sometimes you just have to dress up the veggies you know what I mean? If I don’t want the kids to dunk them in ranch dressing or even worse, BBQ sauce then I have to get a bit creative. These are the best zucchini I have ever had, I mean if you don’t count when I bread ‘em and deep fry them of course…I’m just saying. Not only do they taste good they are a great way to start introducing fresh herbs to your kids.

1 T olive oil

2 large zucchini sliced thin

1/2 onion sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 t crushed red pepper flakes

5 large basil leaves chopped

10 mint leaves chopped fine

S&P

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. When warm add zucchini. Toss to coat and sprinkle with S&P. Toss in onions and mix again. Season with red pepper and garlic. Cook until veggies begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Toss in your fresh herbs and allow to cook for an additional minute or so. Serve and enjoy!!!

Two side notes today. I may be slower than usual returning comments today. I’m off to see a first cut of our pilot episode of Ma, What’s For Dinner. Keep your fingers crossed it’s fantastic.

Secondly I’d like to say a huge welcome to all our new followers. I’m so glad you’re all here!

Summertime Pasta

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:05:20 +0000

Welcome to our kitchen! If you’re here from Follow Me Back Tuesday please come in, take a look around, leave us a comment so we know you were here! Ok, now back to our show…

I don’t know why I equate italian sausages with summer but, well, I do. It makes me think of firing up the grill, or going to a ball game, or hitting the food stands at the town fair. I love me some sausage, so does the fam, but sometimes I need to find a different way of making it then the good ol’ grilled standby.

Enter the Summertime Pasta. It’s a one dish meal and it’s so so good. I just threw a whole bunch of stuff in the fridge into the pan and viola, a delicious dinner is on the table. Enjoy.

1 lb penne pasta

1 T olive oil

1 lb bulk italian turkey sausage (hot or mild)

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion sliced thin

8 0z mushrooms, sliced

1/2 T red pepper flakes

1 t dried oregano

2-3 T dry vermouth (or you could use white wine)

1 cup chicken stock

S&P

parmesan cheese

1 bunch baby arugula

Set a large pot of water on to boil for your pasta. When it’s hot season the water with salt, add pasta and cook until al dente.

In a large pot heat your olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble in your sausage and cook until well browned. Once browned (about 8 minutes or so) add in your onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. Allow veggies to soften a bit, about 5 minutes then add in your garlic and cook for an additional minutes. Season with red pepper flakes, oregano, and S&P. Deglaze with vermouth and allow to cook out for a minute or so. Add in your chicken stock and bring down the heat and allow to simmer while your pasta finishes cooking.

Drain your pasta and add to the sausage sauce. Mix well and then serve on a small plate. Top with arugula and shaved parmesan cheese then sprinkle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Mmmm good!

Cowboy Up Burgers

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:00:18 +0000

Ok seriously…what is up with all the gloomy weather here in the Northeast? I feel like I haven’t seen the sun for more than a 5 minutes stint in almost 2 weeks. Where the heck did we move? Seattle? So what do I do when I get depressed and need a little summer lovin’? Crack open the coronas and fire up the grill. You all know how I love to get my burger on so I whipped up some Cowboy Burgers, or Cowboy Up Burgers as we in Red Sox Nation like to refer to them…

There are opposite sides taken in the battle of the burger wars. It’s sort of like Color War Week at camp. There are those who believe you should only gussy up what goes on top of the burger, and those who believe you should work on the actual burger itself. I’m sort of split. So for this one, I did both. I dress up the burger’s interior and toss some good stuff on top. I like it when the burger is flavored through and through, but then I felt like it looked a little naked there on the bun so I felt bad for him and slapped on some grilled onions and mushrooms….the choice is yours, but what makes this a cowboy burger is what is on the inside. Take a looksie…

2 lbs ground beef, 85/15

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/4 large red onion diced

2 T worcestshire sauce

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 big T montreal steak seasoning

1/4 cup beer

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all your ingredients into a large bowl. Toss to combine with your hands just enough to incorporate all the burgers. Form patties, I usually get about 6 big burgers. Sprinkle with some olive oil and grill to desired doneness. We like ‘em medium-rare to medium. The nice thing about these burgers is that the all the ingredients help to keep them nice and moist so even if you leave them on the grill a little longer they are still nice and juicy! We just had friends over to BBQ, uh in the rain mind you, and they said these were the best grilled burgers they’d ever had. Yes they are! Giddy up, Cowboys!

Welcome to all the Tuesday Tag Alongs. I can’t wait to come back and visit your sites. I love making new bloggie pals.

Supreme Upside Down Pizza

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:13:55 +0000

In the mood for something quick hearty and satisfying? Put down that phone and save yourself the delivery charge…no, I’m not talking DiGiorno, I’m talking about a homemade delight that will have your kids (and you) jumping for joy.

Serves: 6-8 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

1 lb ground beef

3/4 bulk italian sausage

1 c mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

1 t dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, chopped

S&P

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes

1 8 0z can tomato sauce

1 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough

1 8 oz container fresh mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet brown ground beef and sausage over medium high heat. Once browned add in mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Season with oregano and S&P and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until veggie start to soften. Stir in tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes on low heat.

Pour meat mixture into a 13×9 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Open up pizza dough tube, unroll and top cheese with it. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Top with dollops of fresh mozzarella and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with a side salad and your kids will stand on their heads for this one time and time again.

Macaroni with bacon, sausage, and cheese

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:00:11 +0000

Serves: 6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes

1 lb. elbow macaroni
3 T butter, divided
2 T all purpose flour
½ t dry mustard
3 cups whole milk
1 t fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese cut in large cubes

1/2 lb. kielbasa cubed

1/2 lb. bacon chopped

1/2 large white onion chopped

½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup panko bread crumbs
S&P

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set a large pot of water over high heat to boil. In a large saucepan melt 2 T butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Once the milk has thickened add in mustard and nutmeg, and season with S&P. Reduce to medium low heat and melt in shredded cheese. Allow to cook on low for a few minutes.

When water is boiling season water with salt and add pasta. Note package cooking time and reduce by 2 minutes, the macaroni will continue cooking in the oven later. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pot.

In a separate sauce pan heat bacon over medium high heat. Once bacon is crispy removed with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool. In the bacon drippings saute chopped onions. Once the onions are soft, combine with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, turn off heat and set aside.

Pour cheese sauce over pasta in pot. Mix well. Add in chopped kielbasa and cubed cheese. Transfer to a greased 13×9 baking dish and top with bacon, onion, and bread crumb mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

The Neely’s Get Your Man Chicken

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:25:58 +0000

Pat & Gina Neely’s Get Your Man Chicken

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skinless
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon lemon-pepper
Hot buttered rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken, meat-side down first, and turning once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate to reserve.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.

Add onion to the pan and saute until tender, roughly 3 minutes. Add the stock and wine and stir, scrapping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to high and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the dried herbs and lemon pepper. Add the chicken thighs back into the pan.Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes.

Remove chicken from liquid and serve on hot buttered rice. Ladle the sauce on top and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Sausage surprise bundles

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:00:46 +0000

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 20 minutes

8 bacon strips, diced

1 cup onion, chopped

1 16 ounce can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained well

1/2 pound kielbasa, roughly chopped

2 T brown sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t caraway seeds

1 16 ounce package hot roll mix

2 eggs, divided

1 cup hot water

2 T butter, softened

poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet heat your bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon to a paper towel. Set aside. Add onion to the bacon drippings and cook until soft, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut, kielbasa, brown sugar, garlic salt, caraway seeds, and S&P. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

While that is cooling, get started on your rolls. In a bowl, combine contents of hot roll mix. Stir in one egg, water, and butter to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough with a large bowl and let it rest for 5 more minutes.

Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece into a 4 inch circle. Top each circle with 1/4 cup filling. Fold dough, forming a ball; pinch edges to seal. place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Beat remaining egg. Brush over bundles and sprinkle with poppy seeds, salt, and garlic powder. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with soup or salad. YUMMMMMMMY!!!!

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:45:31 +0000

Fitzpatrick’s St. Patrick’s Day Feast

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours

1 3-4 pound corned beef brisket (with seasoning packet)

1 lb potato cut into bite sized pieces

1 bag baby carrots

2 onions quartere

2 garlic cloves

1 can beef broth

3 T apple cider vinegar

2 T brown sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 garlic cloves minced

S&P

1 head cabbage cut into 6 wedges

Toss potatoes, carrots, onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves into the bottom of a slow cooker. In a large measuring cup combine beef broth, spice packet from the corned beef brisket, cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, S&P and stir to combine.

Place the brisket, fat side up) on top of vegetables in slow cooker. Lay wedges of cabbage around brisket. Pour beef broth mixture over corned beef and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove corned beef from slow cooker and slice thin on an angle. Serve with yummy veggies or alongside the Potatoes Fitzpatrick…

Potatoes Fitzpatrick

3/4 pound boiled potatoes, sliced

1 head cabbage sliced

1 medium onion sliced

2 cloves garlic mined

1 T olive oil

2 T butter, divided

S&P

1 T apple cider vinegar

In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add in onions, season with S&P and allow to cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Toss in your cabbage and garlic and cook until cabbage wilts down, another 6-7 minutes. Remove from pan.

Toss in another tablespoon of butter and lay in your potatoes in an even layer along the bottom of pan, don’t touch them, let them crisp up a bit. Once they’ve browned add the cabbage and onion back in and stir to combine. Let the mixture brown a bit more then deglaze with cider vinegar and season with S&P to taste. Delish!!! This ain’t your nana’s cabbage!

Little Bo Peep Pie

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Little Bo Peep Pie

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

1 lb russet potatoes peeled and cubed

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 c mushrooms, sliced

½ T garlic powder

¼ c ketchup

2 T Worcestershire sauce

½ jar mushroom gravy, store bought

½ 10 oz can Light cream of mushroom soup

¾ c frozen corn

¾ c frozen peas

½ c milk

3 T sour cream

2 T butter

1 large egg

S&P

Special Equipment needed: 8 small ramekins or 4 medium sized ramekins.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your peeled cubed potatoes in large pot of cold water over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender (about 8-10 minutes after water boils depending on the size of your cubes).

In a large skillet brown your ground beef over medium high heat. Once the meat has browned push it to the sides of the pan creating a well in the middle. If the meat has given off enough oil add in your onions and mushrooms, if it’s a bit dry you can add a tablespoon of olive oil. Let the mushrooms and onions soften for 3-4 minutes then stir to combine with meat. Season with garlic powder and S&P. Add in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, gravy and soup. Let simmer for 5 mintues. Stir in frozen corn and peas. Stir to combine and remove from heat.

Drain your potatoes and return to pan. Pour in your milk, sour cream, butter, and egg and season with S&P. Using a hand mixer whip your potatoes until smooth and set aside to cool a bit.

Spoon your meat mixure into ramekins filling them half way. Take a large plastic Ziploc bag (or a pastry bag if you have one) and cut a small hole in the bottom corner. Spoon your mashed potatoes into the bag then pipe out the potato on top of the meat mixture in the ramekins covering it completely. Place your ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Serve with some veggies roasted alongside your pies!

Tasty Tidbit: Try topping these with shredded cheese and broil for 3 minutes…so good!

Upside Down Pizza

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:37 +0000

Upside Down Pizza

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

1 lb ground beef

1 c mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

½ c red pepper, chopped

1 t dried oregano

2 clove s garlic, chopped

S&P

1 14 oz jar tomato sauce

1 ½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tube refrigerated biscuits

In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium high heat. Once browned add in mushrooms, onions, red pepper, and garlic. Season with oregano and S&P and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until veggie start to soften. Stir in tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes on low heat.

Pour meat mixture into a 13×9 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Open up biscuit tube and top cheese with biscuits. You should be able to fit 2 rows of 4 biscuits. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Serve with a side salad and your kids will stand on their heads for this one time and time again.

Meaty Morsel: The beauty of the biscuit is that once again, everyone gets their own upside down pizza (always a plus with my bickering boys). But you can always top yours with refrigerated store bought pizza dough or even frozen puff pastry crust!