Lemon Dip

Use Store Brand Products to
save money.

I received this recipe from my boss, Patsy.  It is very simple and quick to make.  Serve with Vanilla Wafers.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 cup butter (at room temp)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon powdered lemonade mix (unsweetened Kool-Aid) [I use 1 envelope]
• Box Vanilla Wafers

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and lemonade mix using an electric mixer.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
2. Can be shaped into ball, or just put into a bowl to serve.
3. Serve with Vanilla Wafers.

NOTE:  If shaped into a ball, the ball can be rolled into crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers.

Stout Beef Stew

This is a new recipe that I threw together tonight.  I love my Guinness and with the cooler weather that has been around lately, I thought I try something new out.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Whole Bay Leaves
3 Pounds Top Sirloin Steak (cubed)
1/2 Medium Sweet Onion (chopped)
6 Celery Stalks (chopped)
4 Cloves Garlic (chopped or minced)
1/2 cup Flour
32 oz Beef Broth (1 carton)
1 Can Guinness Beer (12-16oz can)
2 teaspoons Dried Rosemary
2 teaspoons Dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
2 Pounds Carrots (chopped)
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Heat a stock pot (at least 8 quarts) over medium heat for a minute or two.  Add olive oil and bay leaves.  Cook 2 minutes.
2. Add meat and stir.  Turn heat to high.  Cook; stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
3. Add onion, garlic, celery.  Cook additional 2 minutes.
4. Turn heat to medium.  Cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Add flour in small bunches and stir until smooth after each addition of flour.  Turn heat to medium-high, cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add beef broth, Guinness, rosemary, parsley and salt.  Cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add carrots and stir.  
8. Cover and turn heat to low-medium.  Cook for 2 hours.  Stirring occasionally.
9. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.  Or serve as a stew with crusty bread.

This is a thick, rich stew with a lot of flavor.  NOTE:  Try to get the bay leaves out before serving.  If you can not find them, tell guests not to eat them.

To Avi - I will be bringing some to work on Thursday for you to try!

Not so Scandinavian Potato Sausage with Sauerkraut

Potato Sausage is a thing that we ate growing up in a Norwegian family.  It is a wonderful blend of pork and potatoes, but does not have a lot of flavor.  This is how I cook my potato sausage now.

Ingredients:
Potato Sausage (My folks made their own, but I buy mine at my local Cub Foods.  I do not know if you can buy outside the Dakotas and Minnesota)
1 Hot pepper of your choice - Chopped Coarsely
1 pepper (green, yellow, red, orange:  Your choice) - Chopped Coarsely
1/2 large sweet onion - Chopped Coarsely
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 - 12oz beer (I prefer a microbrew or dark beer, but anyone will work)
1 - 14 ounce can sauerkraut (I am part German, but use the cheapest sauerkraut at the market)
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil

Directions:
Heat frying pan over medium low heat.  Add olive oil.  Brown sausage on both side over medium low heat.  Add chopped veggies and salt and cover.  Stir occasionally to remove excess water from veggies.  Cook for about 10 minutes.  Add beer. Cook covered for about about 30 minutes.  Add Sauerkraut, juice and all.  Cook until sauerkraut is hot.  Serve with any vegetables and bread of you choice.

Colorado Green Chili Stew

A favorite of mine while living in Denver was Green Chili.  You can not find it anywhere in the state of Minnesota, so I have to make my own.  Here is what I do.

Colorado Green Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 lb Boneless Pork Roast
1 1/2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic (3cloves fresh garlic, minced)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (or 2 whole fresh tomatoes, diced)
1 - 14.5 ounce can chicken broth (I use low sodium)
Up to 1 cup of water
3 - 4 ounce cans green chiles (or up to 5 cans depending on taste) [In Denver everyone roasts their own.  I just buy canned, but roasted them yourselves is much better.  I am simply too lazy]
1/2 Big Sweet Onion, Diced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
If you like hotter, add a couple of fresh hot peppers diced.

Directions.

Brown Pork and Garlic in Olive Oil

• Cut exposed fat from roast.  Cut pork roast into large 1 to 2 inch cubes.  Remove any excess fat, but leave some for flavor.  Process in food processor to the consistency of course ground hamburger.
• Heat olive oil in large sauce pan or small stock pot (at least 4 quarts).  Brown pork in olive oil with garlic.  Add the flour to this mixture and brown for a couple of minutes.  Stir quite often.  
• Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer for at least 2 hours.  Do not taste for first hour or so, but do stir.  After an hour taste to see if you need to add more chiles, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• If you want a thicker stew, cut down water and/or add more flour.



I typically only use Own Brand Ingredients

• If you want a thinner stew, cut down flour and/or add more water. 

Serve with cheddar cheese and flour tortillas.

Notes:

• A typical Colorado Green Chili is thinner.  I prefer mine thick.  I do not add any water (I do not add the water the recipe calls for) unless I have to after an hour of simmering.  Enjoy.
• You can use a bigger can of diced tomatoes (or more tomatoes), instead of adding water for a thicker chili.
• Remember to leave a little fat on the pork.  It adds a lot of flavor.

Mexican Lasagna in a Crock Pot

When we were canning tomatoes this past week end,  Ashley and I had a jar of salsa that did not seal.  I put it in my frig pondering what to do with it.  Knowing that I had a potluck coming up at work, I thought about what I could make with it for the pot luck.  I searched my cabinets, finding black beans, black olives, enchilada sauce, corn and lasagna noodle.  When I looked in my freezer, I found I had a pound of ground beef.  I decided to try my hand at a Mexican Lasagna that I could make in the crock pot.  It turned out great (though I was very worried about how it would taste) and it actually got second place amongst all of the dishes.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)

1 Can of Corn

1 Can of Black Beans

1 Large Can of Black Olives (I sliced them)

1 Can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 Pound Ground Beef

1 1/2 Pounds Shredded Cheese (Cheddar, Colby Jack or Mexican)

3 Pints Salsa

Directions:

Brown ground beef.  Add 2 pints of salsa and the enchilada sauce to make a sauce.  Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  Put about 1/2 the salsa in crock pot.  Layer the following ingredients until out of ingredients or crock pot is full.  Lasagna Noodles, Salsa, Corn, Black Beans, Olives, Meat Sauce, Cheese.  I put a few olives on top of the cheese in the last layer.  My crock pot get really hot, so it only took about 3.5 hours to cook.  I unplugged it and slightly opened the top to let it rest for about a 1/2 hour before serving.