Beer-Glazed Sausage and Apples

I love New Year's.  I'm one of those people who always writes New Year's resolutions (and I've done so for a long time).  I also used to write a lot of poetry on New Year's Eve.  The problem with resolutions, as pretty much anyone who has ever tried it will tell you, is that it's really hard to keep up with them.  Even if your resolution is something you are excited about it can still be hard to keep it up.  And if I get off track I tend to just stay off track instead of figuring out how to get back on.  But last year I tried something different.  I actually read about it in a parenting magazine as a suggestion for kids, but I thought it would be great for adults, too.  Instead of making several resolutions I made a couple for each month of the year.  Some were just for that month but some were things that I maintained the rest of the year.  I really, really loved it.  I still didn't keep up with all of them, but for the important ones I really did.  I resolved to start praying for Jeremy every day a bit more intentionally, and I've been reading through this book and praying for him daily ever since.  One month my resolution was to go to bed by a certain time and get up at a certain time each day.  I did not keep up with going to bed on time (I've pretty much given up on that), but I did keep up with getting up.  I don't get up early every single day but it has become at least the norm for my lifestyle.  And it's GREAT.  Getting up early gives me some alone time before my son is up that I can use to spend with the Lord.  Also last year, I resolved to start a blog and I did (maybe I should have resolved to keep up with it).  This year I wrote down goals for how many blogs I expect myself to write each month.  I allowed for busy seasons (having a baby) and less-busy seasons (summer break).  I made check boxes for each month of the year.  And I LOVE lists.  More than I love lists, I love crossing things off lists.  So I really hope those check boxes motivate me to stay on track.

Speaking of busy seasons, it's been about two months since I blogged.  I am hanging my head in shame right now.  I actually cooked this meal in September.  Ha!  Over the past two months in this house we've had three holidays, two colds, and one yucky bout of RSV.  So yeah...things were a little hectic.  But life is a bit slower now, at least for the next 6 to 7 weeks until baby girl graces us with her presence.  So for now, I'm off to check a box.

Beer-Glazed Sausage and Apples

Very slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, fall 2012

• 1 12 oz. bottle Belgium-style wheat beer (I used some out-of-date Leinenhugel's)
• 1/2-1 tsp. crushed red pepper, depending on your preferences
• 1 14-16 oz. package smoked sausage (I used kielbasa) cut in 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. fresh green beans
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 2 medium cooking apples, cored and thinly sliced (I used granny smiths to counter-balance the sweetness of the glaze)
• 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel 
• 1 carton baby white mushrooms (12 ounces) 

In a large saucepan bring 1/2 of the beer and the crushed red pepper to a boil. Next, add the sausage and green beans. Reduce the mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook 5-8 minutes until the beans are tender. Drain and set the meat and beans aside. In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of the butter, and add the mushrooms.  When mushrooms are about two-thirds done, add the apples. Cook until the apples are just tender. Transfer mushrooms and apples to a platter. Add the sausage and green beans to the skillet you cooked the apples in. Cook the mixture, turning occasionally, until the sausage is browned on all sides. Once the sausage is browned, remove it and the beans from the skillet and drain any excess fat. Next, carefully add the remaining beer to skillet (mixture may foam) and stir to scrape up the browned bits. Add the remaining butter, brown sugar, vinegar, and orange peel to the skillet. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil the glaze gently, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Place the sausage and green beans back into the skillet to coat in the glaze. Then, fold in the apples and mushrooms. Cook over low heat until heated through.

This dish came out a little sweet for my liking.  If you like sweet, you will like this.  If you want to lessen the sweetness, you can just reduce the brown sugar.  Or, if you want to counteract the sweetness a bit I would suggest going for the entire teaspoon of red pepper, sticking with a tart apple, and using a spicier sausage.  Enjoy!

Use it Up Days 7-9: Chili Pie

Since the soup incident, I haven't burnt anything else (food included).  My arm is healing up nicely.  By "nicely" I mean it looks disgusting, but it does feel better.  Malachi has been fighting a cold for almost a month - he is just about over it and now Jeremy and I have it.  Yippee!  Hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to keep cooking.

On day 7 I was going to make my favorite roasted potatoes and post the recipe for you but we didn't eat til pretty late.  So, we had oven broiled steaks, a salad that consisted of the few sad lonely veggies still in my fridge, and microwave baked potatoes.  Ha!  But it was all really good.  :-)  I actually just bought frozen veggies at the store for this week, so my fridge is starting to look pretty sparse.  That's fine with me though!  I don't intend to use up every little thing and then have to spend a gazillion dollars the next time I actually go shopping.  But we are a stock-piling family (I actually have a stockpile upstairs due to couponing deals), and we have built up a pretty big supply of stuff that I want to whittle down since we are working on saving money.  It has been exciting to see some things disappear that have been taking up too much space forever!

On day 8 I used up some cornmeal and we had a tasty chili pie (recipe below).

Day nine was cereal and I don't even know what Jeremy ate.  We were busy.  :-)

Chili Pie
Inspired by this idea, but heavily adapted.

Filling

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder



Spread up the side of the pan

• 2 tablespoons taco sauce

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping

In a skillet, brown the beef and onions.  Drain.  Stir in remaining filling ingredients and set aside.  In a large bowl combine all crust ingredients and mix well.  Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet (or baking dish of similar size).  Spread crust on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  The crust was pretty stretchy and it didn't spread too easily, but it turned out fine.  Pour filling into the crust, cover with cheese, and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Tea-Poached Chicken

Well, guys, this is the last of the recipes I had hanging out in my "to-blog-about" folder, and now I'm going to have to get back to actually cooking new stuff so I can come up with blog material.  Sigh.  Normally I like that idea, but right now I'm just eating whatever feels like it won't fight back later, which really doesn't leave a lot of options.  For now I'm not big on meat or fish or hot carbs (Yes, you read that right.), and I crave poached eggs (exciting, I know) and frozen burritos - need a tutorial on that?  Didn't think so.  Sadly, even my burritos did not like me today, so I guess those are out for now.  My Recipes to Try Pinterest folder is overflowing, but at the moment, I just want to eat bowls and bowls of limey-corn salad and guacamole and not much else.  Soooo.....this poached chicken thing might have to hold you all over for a while.

Sadly, I did cook a couple things lately that were really, really good, but I didn't take pictures.  One was a pasta primavera that wasn't creamy (because creamy is also out) and the other was a mushroom quiche, which I decided not to take pictures of because I didn't have the kind of cheese I wanted and felt like that was cheating.  Then we ate it.  And I'd just like to say, I am very, very sorry for not blogging about it.  But rest assured, I'll make it again soon(ish).

Chicken wrapped in cheesecloth boiling in a pot is, surprisingly, not very artistic. 

I never thought I'd poach a chicken.  The idea of boiling meat always sounded really odd to me, but for some reason I found this recipe appealing, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I should have tried it sooner - the main thing I have against cooking a whole chicken is how dry it tends to get, but, Surprise!  Stuff doesn't dry out when it's boiling. 

So here's my live and learn tips from this recipe.

1. BUY KITCHEN TWINE.  I didn't have it or anything like it, so I decided to wrap my chicken in cheesecloth to hold in the stuffing.  HA.  It didn't work too well.
2. Don't over-stuff the chicken.  Even if the cheesecloth doesn't hold the stuffing in well, if you over-stuff the chicken, the rice that is left in there won't cook, then you'll have to take it out and boil it until it's done, and it will get all weird.
3. There is no substitute for dried fruit if you don't have dried fruit, but if you dump some honey into the pot it gives it some sweetness.
4. Don't put peanuts in rice if the people you are eating with don't like peanuts.

This is one of those recipes I shouldn't write about because I didn't do it perfect (or even close) the first time, but oh well.  I seriously doubt any of you who I know read this will ever make it regardless, amIright?

Tea-Poached Chicken

Adapted from here

• 1 whole chicken
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked short grain rice
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 black tea bags (I used some smoked tea that my sister gave me.  This is similar.)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Gut chicken, then rub with salt.  Cover and chill 2 hours or more.  Rinse and pat dry.  Combine rice, peanuts, and ginger and stuff into chicken.  Tie legs together with string (STRING, people).  Heat broth and 8 cups of water in a stock pot and bring to boiling.  Add chicken, breast side down, and tea bags.  Return to boiling.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, turning chicken after 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from broth and cut to serve.  Strain broth, reserving any rice mixture.  Stir soy sauce and honey into remaining broth, and salt to taste.  Garnish with cilantro.  Serve with rice stuffing and a side of broth.

 

Hawaiian Chili

This chili isn't really Hawaiian, I don't think.  I call it Hawaiian Chili because my sister-in-law taught it to me, and she learned it in Hawaii from friends who were living in Hawaii at the time.  Therefore, in my head, it's Hawaiian.  So the other day when I googled "Hawaiian chili" I was kind of surprised to see all sorts of recipes calling for ham and pineapple, and not a single one calling for taco seasoning.  Amazing, I know.  I guess this chili is probably equivalent to the "American pizza" I ate in Brazil, which was American because it had corn on it.  Yeah.  Well, whatever, you don't care, right?

3 Types of Beans

My babiest brother came to visit a couple weeks ago.  I loved having him here.  Not only is he my brother and I love him, but he also was so mature and helpful that it just amazed me.  My phone beeped?  He was off the couch to pick it up for me before I could lift a finger.  Dishes needed washed?  He helped until they were completely DONE.  Baby needed watching?  For the week he was here, Malachi thought Dan was the next-best thing to Daddy and Mommy.  And did Dan get super bored?  Probably, but he never mentioned it or complained.  When Sam came to visit a few years ago by himself, I had no children, so we went hiking and went to an amusement park and all sorts of stuff.  When Dan came, I have a child and some serious morning sickness, so we went to....Goodwill.  Also the grocery store.  And to get ice-cream once.  He did go to a movie with my hubby, and we went "out to eat" at Cook-Out and then shoe shopping!  Awesome!  But I think he had fun, regardless.  He's a trooper.

Nothing smells better.

He's had this chili before, and he ate it for lunch the following two days, so I figured it was a good bet to make it again.  I was right.

Malachi enjoyed his chlii, too.

This is a great dish to make for company - it's cheap, it's really easy, and everybody loves it.  I've made it in a crockpot or on the stove - you can really do what you want.  You don't have to add the onions or the dried cilantro if you don't want to.  Also, you should really use fresh cilantro, but I was out, and in the spirit of full disclosure I am giving you the recipe exactly as I made it.

Hawaiian Chili

• one pound ground beef
• 3 cans of beans - choose any three different varieties that you like.  I used black beans, kidney beans, and white beans this time.
• 1 small onion, or half a large onion
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet Ranch seasoning
• dried or fresh cilantro, to taste

Brown the beef, onions, and dried cilantro together in a pan and drain the grease.  If you are using fresh cilantro, add it closer to the end.  Stir together all ingredients and heat through in a crock pot or a stock pot.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, and rice.  Enjoy!

Apple Cheddar Omelet

Several years ago my mom and I took a road trip.  A dear friend of mine was getting married in Connecticut, and we drove up together to attend her wedding.  We accidentally drove through New York City, which was "fun" if you don't count the Friday night traffic and serious car crash that happened right in front of us.  When we finally got to our hotel we ordered bacon and pepperoni pizza from some joint that managed to deliver it piping hot to our hotel within 10 minutes, and seriously, people, it was the best pizza I've ever had.  The next morning, we found some awesome little diner with comfort food and good coffee.  It's the kind of place I never expected to find outside of the south, but then the waitress arrived and said something along the lines of, "Whaddya want?" and I realized we were still in the north.  Whilst there, I ate the absolute best omelet I've ever eaten (sidenote: who knew "omelet" was so easy to spell?  I just tried omelette, omelete, ommelette, and finally gave up and clicked the stupid squiggly line and it was "omelet."  Ugh.  I really do try to foreign-ize all my words).  It was hot, it had white cheddar cheese and sage sausage cinnamon apples and sigh....  I have literally been thinking about duplicating that omelet ever since.

A few days ago that friend of mine came by to visit.  She's the kind of friend with whom I don't keep in touch well, and then when we get together I'm always thinking, "Why don't we keep in touch more????"  Anyways, it was a good visit, but that visit also reminded me of that omelet.  I did not have all the necessary ingredients, so I fudged, and it still came out pretty darn good.  But, if you want it to come out pretty darn better, substitute the yellow cheddar for white and the regular sausage for sage.

Apple Cheddar Omelet

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 pound sausage
• 1/2 medium apple, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (use a crisp, semi-sweet one)
• 1/4 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese

Crumble and saute sausage over medium heat until it is about 60% done.  Add chopped apple to the grease and cook until it's all done.  Remove from heat.  Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  Pour whisked eggs into the pan and allow to cook until it starts to bubble.  Fill one half with cheese, sausage, and cheddar, then fold.  Allow the cheese to melt and transfer to a plate.

*Disclaimer: The pan I used to make this omelet in is NOT a proper omelet-making pan.  It was a real pain in the neck when it came time to fold and transfer this omelet.  

Crock Pot Chicken

Waiting is hard.  Bedrock, petrified wood, concrete HARD.  Yeah, I'm sure that's a newsflash for you.

I applied to grad school this week.  You have to understand, I've been waiting four years for this.  We've gone from thinking I'd study at home in the first year of our marriage, to thinking we would move to Texas, to thinking we'd move to Los Angeles, to having no flipping idea WHAT was going on (we're still kind of there), to finally picking a school and a program and making a plan.  The problem now is that that "plan" is entirely contingent on what kind of financial aid we receive.  As soon as my FAFSA comes through, I should have an answer within a few days. It's out of our hands and into the Lord's, and that is not. easy. at. all. 

I'm practically squirming in this waiting process, because I feel like four years of hope and uncertainty and frustration and dreams and plans and stress is finally coming to a head.  Whether or not it works out for me to go back to school there are pros and cons, but deep down I'm kind of dying for it to work out.  In fact, I'm so hopeful that I'm completely not talking about it or even allowing myself to think about it, because deep down I kind of think it's not going to happen.  I have good reason to think it won't, but what do I know?  Clearly nothing.  That may well even be a defense mechanism - I was also convinced Malachi was a girl, and obviously I was wrong there, too (but I desperately wanted a boy).  Anyways, blech.  That is where I am. 

So, speaking of waiting, I cooked a 4-hour crock pot chicken this past weekend and it was pretty good. Worth the wait.  (And you can make it an 8-hour chicken, too, if you want to put it in before work).

Crock Pot Chicken

• 1 whole 3-4 pound chicken (I frequently find these marked down.)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. rosemary
• 2 Tb. fresh parsley (or 1/2 Tb. dried)
• 4 large fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1 sliced leek, or 1/2 chopped onion

Remove the grodies from the chicken, rinse, and pat dry.  Put chopped onion in the bottom of crockpot.  Mix dried spices together and rub chicken inside and out with them.  Place chicken breast-side down into the crockpot and top with fresh herbs.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Obviously, I put the chicken in upside down - live and learn.

Saucepan Macaroni and Cheese

Well, I almost made it. As you might remember, my March resolution was to cook 4 Julia Child recipes. I was on track, but after the beouf bourguignon I completely forgot to make another one until March 31. Heh. I guess maybe that one counts as three... Anyways, I scrambled to make potato crepes (missing several ingredients) and Julia's recipe for poached eggs. I've never poached an egg and you can tell. I needed four eggs for dinner, which is all I had. After I ruined the first one (my simmer wasn't hot enough, apparently) and had a momentary temper tantrum, Jeremy came in and cooked the last three. Did you hear that people? JEREMY cooked them. The man can cook some good breakfast food. But overall dinner was...unspectacular. So, there's the anticlimactic ending to my little March madness.

In other news, I finally perfected my macaroni and cheese recipe, and I am so glad I did. I might not ever buy boxed mac and cheese again. Ok, that's a lie, I will definitely buy it again, but I certainly won't admit it. Oh, wait...

Saucepan Macaroni and Cheese

~1 pound of short-cut pasta (I like gemelli)
~1/2 stick butter
~2 1/2 cups milk
~1 1/2 oz. cream cheese
~1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
~1 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack
~4 torn pieces American cheese
~3 tablespoons sour cream
~3-4 tablespoons flour

Boil pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, melt all dairy products over medium-low heat until creamy. Whisk in flour until sauce thickens and is no longer runny. Stir in to pasta.

To make it a full meal:

Mexi-Mac

~2 lb ground chuck
~1 can black beans
~1 can yellow corn
~2 cans Rotel tomatoes
~2 packets taco seasoning
~2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
~1/2 large onion, diced

Brown meat until about 75% done. Drain grease, then add tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, and cilantro and cook until done. Heat corn and black beans and drain. Stir it all into the mac and cheese and devour!

Spiced Oven-Fried Pork Chops

It's funny how much things change over time. How much we change over time. And how much things stay the same. This week I got a new haircut - I cut off 10 inches and feel like a new person. I used to have hair down to my hips, and I loved it. I hated the idea of cutting it off. My dad and stepmom always told me how cute it would be short, and encouraged me to cut it. I've had it varied lengths since college, but I've been growing it out for a couple years. When I mentioned to my dad's family that I was going to cut it, my stepmom said, "But it's so cute long!" What?!

My sister and I, like any good sisters, have gone through "phases" in our relationship. We did everything together in elementary school, nearly killed each other in middle school, were close again in highschool, hardly talked during college (time and distance were the culprits)... Now we live ten minutes apart and spend a lot of time together. We're different people than we used to be, for better or worse. But we're also the same. We'll always fiercely love each other (and occasionally want to rip each other's throats out).

Tonight we ate a dinner I would have hated - HATED - 10 years ago. My tastes have changed so much it's unbelievable. I used to be the girl that could practically snort a bottle of hot sauce with out batting an eye. Now "medium" salsa makes me sweat. Medium. MEDIUM! Ugh. Anyways, this meal would not have ranked very high on my list in high school. Not a single ingredient. The side dish I'll tell you about later, but the main dish was pork chops. I still don't actually love pork very much, so I keep experimenting different ways to cook it that I might like more. Tonight was yummy.

Spiced Oven-Fried Pork Chops

(Heavily adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

This recipe serves 2

~2 bone-in pork chops

~2 cups coarse bread crumbs

~2 diced scallions (about 2 tablespoons)

~1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

~salt and pepper

~2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (or 1 tablespoon grated)

~1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

~1 tablespoon dried parsley

~1 cup plus 4 tablespoons flour

~3 large egg whites

~3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Pre-heat oven to 425. Stir together bread crumbs, scallions, garlic powder, cheese, thyme, and parsley and put in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Fill another bowl with the cup of flower. In a third bowl, whisk together egg whites and mustard until combined. Then whisk in the 4 tablespoons of flour until mostly combined. Coat pork chops in flour and shake off any excess. Next, coat chops in egg mixture with tongs. Next cover all sides of chops in a thick layer of bread crumbs. Sprinkle any excess crumb mixture on top. Spray a wire cooling rack with non-stick cooking spray and place it on a cookie sheet with raised sides. Put chops on rack and bake for approximately 20 minutes until cooked through

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