To Die for-- and we probably will

 Last night, the cupboard was scattered. I am trying not to go shopping again till Christmas.

Digging through the cupboards. What are those noodles,  Slightly ribbed 1/4 to lightly less than 1/2 when cooked.  Ah ha. Dug out a pack of frozen hamburger and thawed it gently in the microwave, which is to say-- take it out before its completely thawed and pry or cut it into smaller peice, and if need be.  After you start cooking it, you can put a glass lid on your skillet just till you can break it apart into large crumbles or lesser chunks. You don't want to cook it to soggy and you use a slotted spoon to transfer it to your pot later.

I buy preferrabley 18 to 12 percent fat burger. Enough for flavor and not to cremate in a iron skillet with just a smear of oil, but not enough to give you that greasy taste. In a pinch I will buy 20 percent lean, but no more fat than that. I buy it nearly every shopping trip   in big packs and then devide them into lesser amounts and store in storage bags ziplocks in the freezer. Lets say 1 1/2 lb packages or slightly more if you have more than 3 -4 people. Its a go to when you are lazy or desperately wanting not to get into "real" cooking.

 I also had canned organic Diced Tomatos which are a staple in this house. I buy them by the box. I needed 2 cans.   I use these instead of adding tomato sauce unless I want a heavier sauce. Much fresher taste. And oh Glory! There was a 8 oz jar of Prego  Basil Pesto.This is a must for me if the weather outside does not support Basil plants. Bag of shredded Mozzerlla in the fridge. Canned whole Corn, not creamed, in the cupboard.

Do a happy dance. Turn oven on to 350.

Put your noodles in a pot of water on the stove and start it to heating. When its boiling add a little salt, and noodles and cook till they are easily cut with a spoon but not over cooked. Pull off and pour into cullender in sink and let drain.

Put your meat on and fry and chop till you get the size chunks that you want. Add some salt and pepper to your taste, but not real heavy please. Your meat should finish with very little fat. If theres too much scoop off into another pan. If not too much fat, add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  Stir. Add your needs of Italian seasoning, some grated Oregeno ( comes in a little container with grater) or just a generous amount rubbed in your hand. Less oregano to about the same amount as the Italian seasoning.

This is not rocket science, Its food for the soul. Add  roughly 2 oz. of the canned juicy Basil Pesto. Put the rest in the refrigerater.

Now you can salt your sauce if you need too but please don't over do it.

Pour your noodles in a glass oven pan. Pour the sauce over them, folding it in.

Top with a very generous layer of Shredded Mozzerlla and pop into the oven. After 15 min, turn your oven up to 375.

let them cook until Mozzerella is a brown topping, just not totally burnt.

I serve with canned whole corn and simple salad.

Even my daughter went back for thirds.

This is joy food. But don't eat it all the time. You will gain weight.

I stumbled onto simple

 Haven't used this Blog for so long so I am not sure it will work. But here goes.

SIMPLE CHICKEN

Figuring out whats for dinner happens at the grocery store, costco, the meat shop-- where ever it is 

that you think of kitchen happenings. Then, people pop in and plans change. We have to be somewhat stocked and adaptable.

I pulled out a frozen whole chicken day before yesterday-- plans changed. I bought some of those little

Potatoes, mixed bag of white and red. They are about2"  in size or so, fingerlings would also work.

Last night,came rushing home pulled out a crock type dish, 3" high walls, and maybe 16" long.

No rub down, no prep, cleaned the chicken, plopped it into the pan. Pulled out carrots, cleaned them and chopped them into 2 - 3 inch chunks. Washed, cleaned the little potatoes and tucked them in, mixing with

my fingers until the colors were good. Took a half of a l/4 lb butter stick and rubbed the back of the chicken. Sprinkled the top of the chicken ( not the veggies) with Johnnys garlic seasoning. Sprinkled the

chicken again with some New Mexico Chilli pepper. Popped aluminum foil with a high loft over the crock and popped it into a 350 oven that had been preheating as I worked. After 20 min. in the oven I turned it all up to 425. Made a simple romaine and lettuce salad with slivered yellow bell pepper slivers.

Made Tea.  Checked the chicken with thermometer about 2 and 1/2 hours later. Done.Lifted the veggies out in a platter bowl, lifted the chicken out for head of household to cut into serving peices.

It was a hit. Thats my kind of cooking.

Tonight, making Chicken Pot Pie with the leftovers.

How to cook steak 4 ways.

Today I went to Chelan to Culinary Apple. Have been looking for a pan to cook the TD Turkey. Finally, after weeks, I just went to the cook store to buy whatever they had that was big enough for this year!
I find it so hard to make decisions these days.

They had two pans. One too small and I hope the 2nd one was big enough. If we don't like it. We will worry about that later. The price was in the expected ballpark.

Then I went to Safeway. I like to check their meat clearance sales, mainly because you are more apt to find a different cut to try.

They had 3 New York cut steaks at 38$, marked down yesterday to $24.95, marked down this morning to 14.98. This afternoon they had added a 30% off sticker. I knew the steak was still good, though needed used, so bought it , and 3 medium but long russet potatos and a  nice sized bunch of broccoli.

Came home and put the steaks in ziplock, poured in some balsamic marinade  stuff, but lightly, worked it in with the plastic bag movement and left it on the counter to rest.

Today would be a great day to try the charbroiler on the Wolf.
So typed in "how do I cook steak on my wolf charbroiler." Interesting reading.
As I proceeded down the articles, I came to some cook blog and it was now just how to cook steak and then 4 ways to cook steak,

After that I decided that church  night was probably not the best time to try the charbroiler for the first time. So read the  4 ways and chose one. I will do this one again but will tweak my timing just a little.

Steaks had to be one inch + and mine were.
So heres how the meal went.
Turned one oven on 350 to preheat. An hour and half before dinner I put the washed , punctured potatoes in foil and in that oven. Next time I will give them another 15 - 20 minutes.

Thirty minutes before supper, I made tea, salad and got everything at hand and ready.I sat the table and  I set the second oven at 400 degrees and waited for it to heat.

I put the broccoli water on to heat and chopped broccoli to add when water was boiling.
I rubbed the steaks with a cut garlic clove.
I took a iron skillet that was large enough and put it on high heat until it was getting pretty hot. I put about 1-2 teaspoons of oil in the pan. I slid my steaks gently out of the bag into the skillet and arranged them side by side. No poking them, just gentle tongs. . They heated for 1 and 1/2 minutes. I used the tongs to turn them over gently. I then  cooked them on the other side of 1 and 1/2 minutes, still on high heat.  While that was happening I used  silicon brush and added barbecue sauce, just enough, montreal steak spice, a little more sauce. Then I put the steaks into the 400 degree oven and sat the timer for 10 minutes.

I finished last minutes  table butter, salad dressing, salad, sour cream etc., so we were ready to roll and steaks came off about the same time as the broccoli. Boy was I nervous!

Dad's steak was perfect and so was mine. Jan came in cut her steak into pieces took it back to the skillet and added lots of barbeque sauce and cooked the devil out of it. I figured that you would be able to bounce that steak with three bounces across the room!

Next time,  I will blot any marination if I have to use it, rub with garlic, dry rub and leave it to rest on counter a good half hour as I had done this time.. And after the stove sear of Jans I will put hers into the 400 degree oven 3-4 minuets before I add Dads and mine. Only difference- next time.

And the next time I will try it with a sea salt crust.
and keep experimenting.

But for me it was a good steak. I could have used more seasoning. I will have to trial and error if salt makes the steak to dry and if pepper really does get bitter if its in the sear stage.

We will see.  But this was good for Dad and I. I could serve it to a lot of different guests--
But I will still play with it for flavor.

Love That Rice Cooker

4 cups Jasmine Rice

1 1/ 2 tsp knoor dry boullion

1 1/2 tsp Knoor dry tomato bullion

1/4 cube of butter sliced in slices and spread around

1 yellow onion Chopped

1 fuller branch of  celery leaves, chopped.

Put in the rice cooker. Let it set when its done in the cooker.

Fiesta Pasta Salad

mild side dish---------------

1 box of med to lg shell pasta 12 oz
While its cooking
Set washed can of black beans to drain

Dice
1/2 cup red onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1/c cup loose chopped cilantro

Add 1 1/2 tbsn of lime juice
add 1 1/2 tbsn olive oil
add 1 1/2 tbsn juice from from tamed jalopenos picled
Stir into salad
Stir beans into salad
Dump drained pasta shells into salad
add salt and pepper to taste
add 1/3 cup grated mozzarella chees

Stir

Pork in the Pot Dinner for Four

1. One two lb pork sirloin tip roast, like Cosco's. Defrost if needed. Wash, pat dry, spinkle well with
sea salt, top and bottom. Let set.
2. Spray crock pot with leithicen spray
3. small to medium red potatoes. about 3 cereal bowls, maybe a shade more. Clean, wash, cut in half.
Spread on bottom of crock pot.
4. Sliver med to med large white or sweet yellow onion. Sprinkle around on top of potatoes.
5. Drissel potatoes lightly with olive oil.
6. Place pork roast, fat side up, in the middle of the crock pot, make a space if you have too so there is room for the lid, but do not set it directly on the bottom of the crock. Spinkle the top of roast with  Johnnies with garlic seasoning. (green lid). Don't use it on the potatos.
7. Use a seasoning of  tomato, basil, oregano, crush in your hand and spread around one the potatos.
8. Use rosemary leaves and spread on top of roast with a few also onto the potatoes.
Turn on crock and cook about 2.5 to 3 hours on high.
9. Chop a orange or yellow bell pepper into 1" peices and sprinkle around on top of potatoes.
10. Take about two handfulls of grape tomatoes and sprinkle around on top of potatoes.
11. Crush and add more Tomato, basil, oregano mix seasoning.
Cook another 1.5 hours on high.

When ready to set on table, take out the roast and slice into 1/2 to 3/4 slices with good fine serated knife. Arrange in bowl or small platter. Dip potatoes and the veggies into another bowl.

Good with salad, broccoli or carrots.
A simple porus or open texture bread would be nice.