New Potatoes and Creamed Peas

 Garden Fresh New Potatoes and Creamed Peas

Potatoes are good. Peas are good. But combine them together in a creamy white sauce, and you have a meal fit for a king, as they used to say.  Nothing can compare to the taste of baby potatoes and sweet peas picked fresh from the garden.  When I was growing up, this meal was considered a special treat, and we looked forward to eating every year! It was that good!! 

My mother didn't always have the extra money to buy cream, or evaporated milk, so she used whole milk instead.  This recipe came from my grandmother, who lived her entire life on the farm. She always had cream, fresh cows milk, eggs and garden produce.

Ingredients

2 lb. new potatoes or baby potatoes, washed and cut in half
3 c. sweet peas, fresh or frozen
1 c. water
3 1/2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
2 c. milk
1 c. half and half cream or evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add potatoes and bring the water back to a boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.  Drain.

In a medium saucepan, add water and peas. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and lower heat. Simmer peas for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender.  Drain. Add the peas to the new potatoes.

In the same pot you cooked the peas in, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the flour taste. Gradually whisk in milk and cream.  Stirring constantly, cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the peas and potatoes. Heat the through, stirring frequently. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning if needed.

Chicken Tenders in Garlic Butter

With a few simple ingredients, you can have an amazing dinner ready to serve your family and or friends in a very short time. Tender, juicy chicken tenders, spices, garlic,and butter.  What could be better than that?!

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into tenders
1 tsp. paprika or smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. olive oil or cooking oi
4 Tbs. butter, divided
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. water or white wine

Directions

Season chicken tenders with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Place the chicken tenders in the skillet and fry them on one side for about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter with garlic and parsley. Spoon the butter garlic mixture over the chicken and cook for 1 minute or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken is 165°.   Remove chicken tenders and place on a serving platter.   Deglaze the pan with water or wine because this is where all the flavor is. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the tasty bits.  Pour over chicken and serve.

Easy Strawberry Cake From Scratch

You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for this cake.  If using frozen strawberries, be sure to thaw them first before using. Then chop them up or mash them to make a purée.

Ingredients

1 c. butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 (3 oz.) package strawberry jello
4 eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk, room temperature
2 c. strawberries,  divided. Use half for the cake and the other half for frosting. If not frosting the cake, use only 1 c. strawberries to make purée

Frosting

1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 to 4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. strawberry pureed

Directions

Make strawberry purée. Blend the strawberries in a blender, food processor or a handheld emulsion blender. Pour the into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil gently for about 20 minutes, or until the contents are reduced by half. You should have about 1 cup strawberry purée total. Cool mixture completely.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease and flour the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch cake pan, or two 8-inch round cake pans. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla and jello. Beat until light and fluffy and the mixture is smooth. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, combine salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour.

Alternately, add milk and flour to the jello mixture, beginning with milk and ending with milk. Beating well after each addition. 

Gently fold in 1/2 cup of the cooled strawberry purée.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Prepare Strawberry Frosting

In a small bowl, beat butter and 3 c. powdered sugar together until thoroughly mixed together.

Mix in salt, vanilla extract and milk.   Beat until light and fluffy. You can add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin, or add a little more milk if the frosting is too thick.

Stir in 1/2 cup strawberry purée that you made earlier.

Spread frosting over cooled strawberry cake.

Sweet and Savory Barbecued Meatballs

 

This is one of the best barbecued meatball recipes I have come across. The meatballs are moist and flavorful and the Barbecue sauce is sweet and tangy. We usually double our sauce, but I don't always double the brown sugar. I go by taste and if it needs more sweetness, I add until it is right for us. That also goes for the rest of the seasonings.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 c. oatmeal  or bread crumbs, plain or Italian style
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

BBQ Sauce

1/2 to 3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup or BBQ sauce or use half and half of each
1 Tbs. molasses
1 onion, chopped fine
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp. liquid smoke

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a  shallow baking pan with cooking oil or line the pan with foil and spray that for easier cleanup. 

In a small bowl, combine the oatmeal or bread crumbs and egg together.  Let sit for several minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid.

Lightly combine ground beef, bread crumbs soaked in the egg and evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, garlic, onion, and Parmesan cheese. It is important not to over mix, or your meatballs will be tough. 

Shape the meat into 30, 1-inch meatballs. Space the meatballs about 1 inch apart in the pan. Place the meatballs on a greased rack, if you have one, in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should read at least 160° and the middle of the meatball should not be pink. Drain off excess grease.

As the meatballs are baking, prepare the barbecue sauce.  In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, ketchup or barbecue sauce, molasses, onion, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder and liquid smoke. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 2 minutes stirring frequently.

To finish up the meatballs, you can put the meatballs in a slow cooker or simmer them on the stove top. To finish in the slow cooker, pour the sauce over the top and cook on low for about 4 hours. Or, place the meatballs in a large saucepan. Pour the sauce over the top and simmer on low heat until done. Stir occasionally. The heat needs to be low, otherwise the sugar will burn and your sauce will not be good.

Spicy Rub Seasoning for Meats And Vegetables

It is so easy to put together your own spice blends.  If you want to save some money, use the ingredients of your choice, then putting together your own spice blend is a great way to achieve just that.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. thyme
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. pepper
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 1/2 Tbs. paprika

Directions

In a small jar that has a tight-fitting lid, combine onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  

Put on the lid and shake the jar to combine the spices. 

To use, run some spice rub onto both sides of the piece of meat. This spice rub is great on chicken, fish, beef or pork.  You can also sprinkle it over vegetables to give them some flavor. 

Preheat the grill or, if cooking on the stove top, heat up the skillet. Add a tablespoon of oil in the skillet or lightly oil the grill grate on the grill. 

Cook the meat, turning, so both sides cook evenly, until the chicken juices run clear, or the other cuts of meat and fish are done.

 Hamburger and Wild Rice

For those days when you don't want to cook, or you don't have time to cook, this recipe is one of the best.  Using only 4 ingredients and some spices, you'll have a great meal prepared in no time. For the best flavor, use 2 different boxes of the long grain and wild rice. We used a cheap generic brand, and Rice-a-Roni.

Ingredients

2 boxes long grain and wild rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

Directions

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is done, and the onion is tender.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain off excess grease.

Combine the 2 boxes of long grain and wild rice together and seasoning packets in a small pot. Pour in the amount of water directed on both of the packages. Cook according to the longest cooking time directions, or until done. We just put ours on the stove and brought it to a boil without covering the pot. Then we turned the heat down to a simmer and continued to cook it until the rice was tender. We stirred it a couple of times when the rice was about done cooking as it was sticking on the bottom of the pot.

Stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup into the long grain and wild rice. Add some pepper and Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning to taste

You can either combine the long grain wild rice and ground beef together. Or you can grab a bowl and put a spoonful of ground beef and then a spoonful of the rice and mix it in your bowl.

Quick and Easy Pepper Steak

This is a quick and easy recipe to make when you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen. You can switch out the vegetables to suit your family's tastes.  Try adding carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, baby corn, or water chestnuts. We usually don't drain our canned vegetables. We add the water to the mixture for extra sauce.  I am one that likes more sauce especially when it is going over rice. You may need to add some extra cornstarch to make it thicker.

Also, you don't have to use round steak. We choose whichever is the cheapest at our store and use that. Round steak used to be the cheapest, but if you watch sales, you can get other steaks at a cheaper price. 

A handy tip to remember is to cut your meat while it is still partially frozen. This makes it so much easier.  And easier yet is to ask the butcher if they will cut it in thin strips for you.  Many places will do that if you ask, usually at no extra charge.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. oil
1 lb. round steak, sliced thinly into strips or whichever is the cheapest
1/4 c.. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. sugar
Dash of pepper
1 medium onion, cut thinly into half rings
2 sweet peppers, cut into thin slices
1 1/2 c. beef broth or stock
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables or stir fry vegetables
2 to 3 c. cooked rice

Directions

In a large skillet with a lid or a dutch oven, heat oil. Sauté the meat strips until meat is browned. 

In a bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and a dash of pepper. Taste the sauce to see if it needs more sugar, Worcestershire or soy sauce. We like ours a bit on the sweeter side so we put in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Pour the sauce into the skillet over the meat. 

Add onion, and peppers to the skillet. Stir and then cover. Simmer 60 to 90 minutes or until the meat is tender. 

Stir in the frozen vegetables. 

Mix cornstarch and beef stock together. Pour into meat and vegetable mixture. Cook and stir until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.