A place to record the great, the good, and the really bad recipe served at dinner at The Taj McCall along with a Family Rating System.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Philly Cheesesteak Calzone


Photo from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Philly Cheesesteak Calzone
1 pizza dough ball, thawed
16 ounces deli roast beef, thinly sliced (leftover roast beef like this Italian Beef or this French Dip would work great in this)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onions, cut in half and sliced into thin half moons
1 green pepper, chopped
6 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces provolone cheese, grated or thinly sliced

Separate the dough into 7 or 8 pieces and shape into a ball. Let them rest lightly covered for 10-15 minutes to help the dough relax a bit.

While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, until the onions begin to become translucent and the mushrooms start to cook down, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has cooked off, about another 3-5 minutes. Toss in the roast beef and cook until the beef is warmed through (if there is still a lot of liquid left in the skillet from adding the roast beef, either drain the liquid or cook until the liquid evaporates). Take the skillet off the heat.

Using a nonstick mat or a lightly greased countertop, working one at a time, start flattening each piece of dough into a circle. On the bottom half of the dough circle, leaving at least a 3/4-inch edge on the bottom and sides to crimp later, layer on a portion of the meat and veggies, taking care to portion the meat and vegetables so you’ll have enough for each calzone. Top the meat and veggies with cheese. Grab the top edge of the dough and fold it up and over the filling. Pinch edges to seal. Transfer to a cookie sheet and bake for 14-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Recipe adapted from MEL'S KITCHEN CAFE

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ****
Eli: ****
Phoebe: ****
Overall Family Rating: 15/20

Monday, September 26, 2011

Crockpot Enchilada Soup

The day I served this, the kids both had friends over after church. All four kids gobbled it up and asked for seconds!


Photo by Real Mom Kitchen

Crockpot Enchilada Soup
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper (I used red)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese
2 chicken breasts

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Recipe from REAL MOM KITCHEN

Family Rating:
Brad: *****
Jordan: ***
Eli: *****
Phoebe: ****
Overall Family Rating: 17/20

Friday, September 16, 2011

Peasant Pasta

My sis-in-law, Sarah, found this recipe for me long ago. The original recipe called for peas, but since peas are from the devil, I leave them out.

Peasant Pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped, optional
1/2 cup chicken
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
a pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half
24 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken broth. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add a little sugar, a little crushed red pepper and salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings. Simmer while pasta cooks. Stir cream into your sauce. Toss hot drained penne in pan with the sauce, stir to combing. Throw in basil and stir then transfer pasta to serving bowl.

Family Rating:
Brad: *****
Jordan: *****
Eli: *** (My boy is not big on pasta.)
Phoebe: *****
Overall Family Rating: 18/20

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

My kiddos loved these more than I though they would. A perfect dinner for those busy evenings! We call those "Wednesday Night Meals" around here.

Photo from Real Mom Kitchen

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 Tbsp honey dijon mustard
6 large croissants
6 slices of Monterrey jack or Colby jack cheese (I used Colby Jack)
1/2 pound shaved ham

Blend the cream cheese and mustard together until combined well. Slice croissants in half and spread some of the cream cheese over both sides of the croissants. Place a slice of cheese on each croissant and divide meat evenly between each croissants. Close croissants and place on a baking sheet. Bake them at 350 for 15 minutes until golden and crispy. Eat immediately.

Recipe from REAL MOM KITCHEN

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ***
Eli: ****
Phoebe: ****
Overall Family Rating: 14/20 with special consideration because it was sooooo easy!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Crispy Southwest Wraps


Photo from MEL'S KITCHEN CAFE

Crispy Southwest Wraps
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Dot with sour cream. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

Adapted from MEL'S KITCHEN CAFE

Family Rating:
Brad: ***
Jordan: ***
Eli: ****
Phoebe: ****
Overall Family Rating: 14/20

Monday, September 12, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie

My mom made this when I was a kid. Talk about comfort food! She uses frozen vegetable, though. I prefer canned veggies since frozen vegetables tend to "squeak" in my teeth and I hate that!

Chicken Pot Pie
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 small can corn
1 small can green beans
1 small can sliced carrots
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
salt & pepper to taste
2 pie crusts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain veggies and combine all ingredients (except pie crust) in a large bowl.  Place one pie crust in the bottom of a pie pan.  Pour chicken filling into pie crust and top with second crust.  Crimp edges and cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape.  Bake for 40-1 hour or until crust is golden brown.  Cool 10 minutes and serve. 

Family Rating:
Brad: *****
Jordan: *****
Eli: *****
Phoebe: *****
Overall Family Rating: 20/20

Homemade Pie Crust:
1 crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup + 1 tbl. shortening or butter (I prefer butter, but the crust isn't quite as flaky with butter)
3 tbl. water

Sift dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening until mixture looks like breadcrumbs.  Add water and stir until it comes together.  Roll out on a floured surface.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cheeseburger Roll-Up

Cheeseburger Roll-Up1 lb. lean ground beef
4 slices  bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
ketchup
mustard
4-6 oz. Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
frozen pizza dough ball

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Season with a big blob of ketchup and a half size of mustard. Taste. Adjust seasonings (I always have to add more ketchup and mustard). Add Velveeta; cook 5 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 min.

Roll dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one long side. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.

Adapted from KRAFT FOODS

Family Rating:
Brad: ****
Jordan: ***
Phoebe: ****
Eli: ****
Overall Family Rating: 15/20