Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

We go to St. Patrick’s Day parades on the Saturday and Sunday before St Patrick’s Day each year.  Last year, I made Cabbage Rolls (Lots of Work) with some of the cabbages we caught.  This year I wanted to make something less labor intensive and here it is.  I spent about 40 minutes prepping and then it bakes in the oven for 1 hour.  It is delicious!  Good enough for a dinner party with friends or family.

 Ingredients:

• 1 ½ heads of cabbage
• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 ½ C. cooked rice
• ¼ C. olive oil
• 1 onion, medium, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ t. thyme
• 1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
• ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the core of the cabbage and cut into bite size pieces.   Rinse under cold water and strain.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat and add the cabbage, stir well to cover the leaves with the oil and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.
4. In a skillet, brown the ground meat until brown and then drain.  Reserve.
5. In the same skillet, sauté the onions with half of the olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Add the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato sauce, Rotel, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning and the ground meat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rice to mixture and stir until incorporated well.
7. Spray a 13’ x 9’ baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Place half of the cabbage in the baking dish cover with half of the meat/rice mixture, and then the other half of the cabbage and then the other half of the meat/rice mixture.
9. Seal the baking dish with foil.
10. Bake for 45 minutes and then remove the foil and cover with the cheese.
11. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.
12. Allow to set for 10 minutes and then cut into squares to serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is great recipe for those St. Patrick’s Day cabbages.
• This tastes great the next day, but it does NOT freeze well, so eat up.

Hot Burger

This is my go to recipe when we grill.  These burgers are juicy and have just the right amount of heat to make me happy.  We grill all year round in New Orleans, but you can make these on the stovetop if you aren't able to grill like we do.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 lb. hot sausage, casing removed
• 2 packs of Lipton Onion Soup
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ C. water
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Directions:

1. Combine the hamburger ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix by hand, but don’t over work the meat.
3. Form 6 hamburger patties.
4. If you are grilling, place the patties on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer until you are ready to place them on the grill, so they firm up.
5. If you are cooking inside, place the hamburgers in a skillet over medium heat.
6. Cook for 4 minutes per side or until the outside has a dark brown color.
7. Serve hot on buns with cheese, lettuce tomatoes, and condiments.

Tips and Tricks:

• These freeze great.  I usually double the recipe and place the leftover patties in the freezer for another meal.
• I buy the hot sausage that is made fresh at the grocery, but you can also use Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage if you can't find the fresh made kind.
• I like to serve these with the Balsamic Onions.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.

Enchilada Casserole

This is not a guilt-free recipe, but it does get some veggies in on the action.  The meat is mixed with zucchini to create the filling for these enchiladas.  It is so GOOD!  I took this recipe from the Recipe Girl, thanks for trick!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
• 1 ½ C. onions, finely chopped
• 1 ½ C. zucchini (2 medium), finely chopped
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 ½ C. enchilada sauce
• 2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 C. pepper jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray a 13” x 9” pan with cooking spray
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground meat , then drain and crumble, reserve
4. Add the onions and zucchini to the skillet with oil and cook for 3 minutes on medium-low heat
5. Turn off the heat and add meat back to the skillet with 1 C. of enchilada sauce. 1 C. cheddar cheese, and 1 C. pepper jack cheese
6. Stir well and add ½ C. of enchilada sauce to the baking pan
7. Assemble enchiladas by placing 1/3 C. of meat/cheese mixture down the center of each corn tortilla
8. Wrap each tightly and place seam side down in the pan, cram all of the enchiladas into the pan
9. Pour the remaining 1 C. of enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and cover with the remaining cheddar and pepper jack cheese
10. Bake for 30 minutes
11. Cut into 8 squares and serve with sour cream

Tips and Tricks:

• I call this Enchilada Casserole because MY enchiladas never stay round in the pan.  They ALWAYS bust open!  It all tastes the same, but they are NOT nice round enchiladas!
• The zucchini is such a great ingredient in this dish.  Even if you don’t care for zucchini, I encourage you to try it.  It makes a wonderful filling for the enchiladas.
• Follow my link to make your own homemade enchilada sauce!  It's so much better than the can.

Chili Con Queso with Taco Meat

Simple recipe that the kids love. (The kids are 20 years old now, but they still love it.)   Great for the Superbowl or any game day or a Mexican fiesta.  This recipe is easy to double or triple.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 pack of Taco Seasoning or ¼ C.
• ½ C. water
• 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 can of Mexican Rotel tomatoes with green chilies

Directions:

1. In a skillet on medium heat, brown the ground meat then drain
2. Add the browned ground meat back to the skillet with the taco seasoning and ½ C. of water
3. Allow the taco meat to simmer for 15 minutes on low heat until the sauce is fully incorporated into the meat
4. While the meat is simmering, add the cheese and the Rotel to a microwave safe dish and heat for 5 minutes, stirring every minute
5. When the cheese is all melted, add the meat to the mixture
6. Stir well and serve in a small crock pot

Tips and Tricks:

• I serve this with Tostitos or Fritos Scoops.

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

This is SOOOO easy!  It is the perfect fix it and forget it appetizer.  You can put these in the crock pot and leave them to be eaten for hours.  My friend, Karen shared this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 lb.) bag of ½ ounce Italian meatballs, frozen
• 2 (12 ounce) bottles of chili sauce
• 1 (32 ounce) bottle of grape jelly or 2 C.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet in a single layer
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown
4. Remove from the cookie sheet and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil
5. Place the grape jelly and the chili sauce in a pot or crock pot and heat until both are melted together
6. Add the meatball and cook together for 1 hour on low heat
7. Serve hot!

 Tips and Tricks:

• The key to this recipe is to use equal parts chili sauce to grape jelly.  You can make more or less.

Sloppy Joes

I'm a big fan of Saturday Night Live and I can't eat a Sloppy Joe without singing the "Sloppy Joe" song that Adam Sandler used to sing.  I don't think these Sloppy Joes are like the ones he was eating in the cafeteria at school. This is a Guy Fieri recipe.  It is spicy and flavorful.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• ¼ C. vegetable oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 lb. ground pork
• ¼ C. red wine
• ¼ C. apple cider vinegar
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 1 T. paprika
• 3 T. brown sugar
• 1 (6oz.) tomato paste
• 1 ½ C. tomato sauce
• ¼ C. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ T. black pepper

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed skillet, heat the veggie oil on medium-high heat and sauté the onions and peppers for 5 minutes
2. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute
3. Add the chuck and pork and cook thoroughly, breaking up the meat as it browns
4. Drain the meat, then add the red wine and the vinegar and deglaze the pan
5. Add the meat back to the pan and add all the other ingredients to the skillet, stirring as you add each
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently
7. Serve on buns

Tips and Tricks:

• Open your favorite beer when you start to make this recipe.  Take a few sips, and when the Sloppy Joes are simmering, add a splash or two to loosen up the mixture.  The recipe called for water, but I was drinking a beer, while I was cooking and thought the beer wouldn't hurt.  It doesn't.  I think it makes it taste better.
• This can be served on traditional hamburger buns or as sliders on White Mountain, or sweet Hawaiian rolls.

Meatballs and Scaccia Family Red Sauce

This is a combo recipe.  I've combined the recipe I use for meatballs which I've tweaked over the years and a recipe for Red Sauce from my friend, Sal's mother.  Sal's parents are from Sicily. His mom makes a delicious Red Sauce, and now you can too.

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• 1 lb. of ground pork
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ T. black pepper
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 C. bread crumbs
• ½ C. Romano cheese

Sauce:

• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 C. finely chopped onions
• 6 cloves of minced garlic
• 8 (6oz.) cans of tomato paste
• 4 (8oz.) cans of tomato sauce
• 10 C. water
• 2 T. kosher salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• ¾ C. sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large pot, sauté the veggies minus the garlic on medium heat until limp
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
4. Add paste and cook for several minutes, then add sauce
5. Add water, stir well
6. Add salt, pepper and sugar and heat until bubbly
7. Lower the fire and cook for 1 hour (stirring frequently)
8. Mix all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl
9. Make meatballs and place on a baking sheet
10. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes or until brown
11. Add the meatballs to the sauce and cook for an additional hour
12. Serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta

 Tips and Tricks:

• Meatloaf mix is ground beef, pork, and veal.  It is more expensive then buying the ground chuck and pork, but it makes great meatballs.  It’s your choice.
• I make meatballs with an ice cream scoop.  It makes about a 1 ½ oz. meatball.  This recipe will make about 28 meatballs.
• This freezes well. 

Tamale Bites

These are little bites of heaven!  The recipe comes from my friend, Jeannien's cousin, Marlene.  It makes about 200, so make them for a big party or clear out some room in the freezer.

Ingredients:

Tamales:

• 4 lbs. of ground chuck
• 1 pack of chili seasoning or ¼ C.
• 1 pack of taco seasoning or ¼ C.
• 2 T. garlic powder
• 2 (10 oz.) cans of Enchilada sauce 
• 1 lb. of Mexican cheese, shredded
• 1 corn bread

Corn bread:

• 2 C. corn meal mix
• 2 C. milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ C. vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 3 (10oz.) cans of enchilada sauce
• 1 can of Mexican Rotel

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Prepare the corn bread and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
3. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees
4. Allow the corn bread to cool, then crush the bread into crumbs
5. Mix all ingredients for the tamale mixture in a large bowl
6. Use a 1 inch scoop leveled, then roll into balls
7. Place tamale bites on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray
8. Bake for 30 minutes
9. At this point you can freeze the tamale bites until you are ready to serve them, or
10. Heat the sauce, add the tamale bites and enjoy!

 Tips and Tricks:

• This is a great Mexican Fiesta dish.  Everyone loves these.
• These freeze well without the sauce.  If you have leftovers that you want to freeze with the sauce, they become mushed up after they are reheated.  They still taste great, but they don't hold their consistency of balls.

Shepherd's Pie

This is the one dish that all the kids (and teachers) would run to the cafeteria to get on a day when it was served.  It's got it all: meat, starch, veggies, and cheese!  I got this recipe from Alton Brown on the Food Network.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

• 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ½ stick of butter
• ½ C. half and half
• 2 t. kosher salt (1 t. in the boiling water, 1 t. in the mashed potatoes)
• ¼ t. ground black pepper
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 egg

Meat Filling:

• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• 1 lb. of ground pork
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 C. baby carrots, chopped
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ¼ C. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. rosemary
• 1 t. thyme
• 1 C. frozen corn
• 1 C. frozen peas

• ½ lb. of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thick 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until they are soft
3. In a skillet, brown the ground meat and pork with the salt, pepper, and Tony’s on medium heat, about 5 -7 minutes
4. Strain the meat and reserve
5. Strain the potatoes, add the butter, return the potatoes to the pot
6. Whip the potatoes with a mixer, adding the half and half, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and finally the egg
7. Reserve the potatoes
8. In the same skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat and sauté the onions and carrots until limp, about 10 minutes
9. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
10. Add the meat and coat with the flour
11. Cook for 2 minutes
12. Add the tomato paste and coat the meat
13. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, and thyme
14. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes
15. Add the peas and corn and stir thoroughly
16. Spread the meat mixture into a 13” x 9” x 2” baking dish
17. Using a spatula, spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture, carefully sealing the edges of the pan with the potatoes
18. Add the sliced cheese on top of the potatoes
19. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and starts to slightly brown
20. Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• You should be able to cut this casserole into squares to serve.  Getting the first square out is the hardest, like with lasagna, but after that it isn’t bad.
• I think this actually tastes better the next day after it sits in the refrigerator overnight.  You can make this the day before you want to serve it, put in the refrigerator, and bake it the day it is to be served.

Beef Stroganoff

This is another family favorite from "Talk about Good" cookbook.  You know the drill, I've tweaked it and made it my own.

Ingredients:

• ½ stick of butter
• 1 small chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• ¼ C. lemon juice
• ¼ C. red wine
• 1 can of consommé
• 1 can of water
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 C. sour cream
• 1 (12 oz.) bag of extra broad egg noodles minus 1 C.
• Chives

 Directions:

1. Sauté the onions in the butter over medium heat until soft
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Add the ground chuck and cook until brown
4. Add the lemon juice, wine, consommé, water, and Creole Seasoning
5. Cook for 15 minutes
6. Stir in the uncooked noodles and cover
7. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid is incorporated
8. Stir in the sour cream and heat through, but DO NOT BOIL
9. Serve with sprinkled chives

 Tips and Tricks:

• I use light sour cream.
• Use a red wine that you like to drink for this recipe.  You only use a little bit in the recipe, but you can drink the rest with the meal.
• This recipe is rich, so a steamed veggie is a great side dish.

Meatloaf

This is a Herry family favorite!  The sauce is sweet and sour and the meatloaf is tender. This recipe started as one out of "Talk about Good", but I've added so many things it no longer resembles that original recipe.

It kinda looks like a big meatball, Huh?

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

• 2 lbs. of meatloaf mix
• 1/3 C. chopped onions, fine
• 1/3 C. chopped green pepper, fine
• 2 eggs
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ T. black pepper
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ C. of chopped Rotel tomatoes (save the juice for the sauce)
• ¾ C. bread crumbs
• ¾ C. parmesan cheese

Sauce:

• 2 (8oz.) cans of tomato sauce
• ½ C. juice of the Rotel tomatoes
• ¼ C. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ C. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl
3. Form a meatloaf shape in the center of a 13 x 9 pan
4. In a different bowl mix the ingredients for the sauce
5. Pour the sauce over the meatloaf
6. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes
7. Baste every 15 minutes

 Tips and Tricks:

• Meatloaf mix is ground beef, pork, and veal.  I have made this recipe with just ground chuck and it is good.  It is great with the meatloaf mix.
• The sauce starts thin and runny.  It thickens up as it cooks with the meatloaf.
• Mashed potatoes are a great side dish with this meatloaf.
• This freezes well. 

Chili

This is my mother-in-law, Dotty's Chili recipe.  It is quick and yummy.  She says she does not use beer, so I'm not sure when I added that step, but it gives the chili a good flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 medium onion chopped fine
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 can of beer
• ¼ C. chili powder
• ½ T. sugar
• 1 T. salt
• ½ T. pepper
• hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven on medium heat, brown the ground meat then drain
2. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat and sauté onions until limp
3. Add tomato paste and chili powder, stir well and brown
4. Add beer and sugar
5. Cook for 30 min
6. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce if desired

Tips and Tricks:

• Don’t use a light beer.
• If you double or triple this recipe, be careful with the chili powder.  It seems to me that chili powder intensifies the more you add.  The strength of chili powder differs greatly.  It depends on what kind you use.
• This freezes great!