Lasagne in a bundt pan.

This looked like a fun thing to make but it was not.  The demonstration showed the noodles going in the pan just right but when I tried it, they were too limp to stand up the inside and too short to reach from the inside to overlap the outside.  The thing didn't want to come out of the pan after it was cooked even though it is a non stick pan and I greased it as well.  It started browning too much on top (bottom) so after ten minuted I tented it with foil but it was crispy enough on the bottom that we didn't eat much of that part anyway.  Charlie had seconds so I guess it was not a total loss.   In any case, I don't plan to make it again.

Lasagna Party Ring

by Alvin Zhou • featured in 8 Epic Lasagnas

Ingredients  for 10 servings 

• 18 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for greasing
• ½ onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ lb 80% lean ground beef
• ¾ lb ground sweet italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 28 oz crushed tomato
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
• 1 egg
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup marinara sauce, for serving
• nonstick cooking spray

Preparation

• Boil the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted water until al dente, or 2 minutes shy of the package directions. Drain and lay the cooked noodles on an oiled baking sheet, oiling any overlapping noodles to prevent sticking.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• In a large pot over high heat, add the canola oil, onion, and garlic, and cook until they begin to brown, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. Add the beef, sausage, salt, and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat as you stir, until all of the moisture has evaporated and the meat is starting to brown on the edges, 4-5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sauce becomes extremely thick, almost paste-like, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, and egg and mix until smooth. Set aside.
• Slice 6 of the lasagna noodles in half. These will serve as the layers in between the meat and the cheese mixture.

Beth's recipe for Chicken Fried Steak

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

From Beth July 2019

Beef cubed steak, cut into serving size (I like pieces cut in half, about 2 1/2" X 5" so they're easier to turn when cooking), seasoned with Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (or s&p will do just fine).

Dredging flour seasoned with salt and (heavy) pepper.  Dredge seasoned beef in flour, dip in buttermilk, back into flour for a 'double dip'.  Fry over medium heat, using a cast iron skillet, in bacon fat, possibly with a bit of oil (enough to generously cover the bottom of the skillet), turning once when crispy and golden brown.  Don't use too high of heat or the crust will burn before the beef is cooked / too low heat and the breading falls off as the meat steams.....

When cooked through (about 5 - 6 minutes per side) remove to warm plate.  Add some more bacon fat or butter (your choice) to the skillet if needed for the gravy.  Add a couple tablespoons of the left over seasoned dredging flour and stir & cook in the fat.  Add a good amount of freshly cracked black pepper.  Stir in cold milk and stir and allow to come to a full boil.  Add more milk as needed ~ the gravy tends to tighten up after sitting a bit so let it be pretty loose when you think it's done.

Serve the gravy over the Chicken Fried Steaks and some mashed potatoes......

Personally, I think the bacon grease (which I keep in small containers in the freezer) is the key to a really good Chicken Fried Steak. It's not a diet meal, to be sure, but if you only eat it once every year or so it's not going to show up as the cause of anyone's demise! LOL

Chicken and Fish and Chips

Fish And Chips 

by Chris Salicrup

Ingredients  for 4 servings  I used chicken breast, pounded thin and battered with the same batter as the fish.

• 3 russet potatoes, cut into fried
• canola oil, for frying
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 lb cod fillets
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 bottle beer
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
• tartar sauce, for serving
• ketchup, for serving
• malt vinegar, for serving

Preparation

• Add the potatoes to a bowl of cold water to remove excess starch and prevent discoloration.
• Pour oil to a depth of 6 inches (15 cm) in a large heavy pot. Heat over medium-high heat until oil reaches 325˚F (160˚C).
• Drain the potatoes and blot dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Working in batches, fry the potatoes in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, or until pale golden. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Season with salt.
• Increase the heat to high. When the oil temperature reaches 375˚F (190˚C), return the fries to the pot and fry until golden brown. Transfer to the rack to drain again and season with more salt.
• Reduce the heat to medium-high to let the oil temperature reduce to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Pat the cod fillets dry with a paper towel. Season all over with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 cup (125 G) of flour to a plate. Dredge the cod in the flour, shaking off any excess.
• In a large bowl, whisk to combine the remaining 1½ cups (185 G) of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the beer, whisking until smooth.
• Dip the dredged cod in the batter, turning to coat completely.
• Fry the cod in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain for 3 minutes. Season with salt.
• Garnish the fish and chips with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, ketchup, and malt vinegar.

Pastelillos

Pastelillos

 Pastelillos are smaller and crimped while empadillas are larger and the edges are rolled, otherwise they are similiar.  empanada in Puerto Rica is actually a lot like schnitzel.

I used the ingredients in these recipes for these. Since I have not been able to locate frozen discos, and make them from scratch, when I saw the tools shown above and thought they would be a lot faster to make them. I should be old and wise enough to realize that there is always a catch.  But I am not wiser, just older.  The catch is that the press makes so small pieces that it takes a lot longer to make them.  It was easier to make one but I had to make close to 60 to use the dough.  In the past, making them by hand and bigger, I made a little over a dozen.

PUERTO RICAN PICADILLO 

Prep time10 mins  Cook time20 mins  Total time30 mins

Puerto Rican beef hash seasoned with sofrito. Great with rice, or as a filling for empanadas, papas rellenos and tacos!

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) canned tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons Spanish olives, chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash of dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed small

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large frying pan, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add sofrito and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, adobo, garlic powder and oregano. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. The flavors should be robust.
3. Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

January 16, 2014 By Rebekah

EMPANADAS

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Picadillo
• 1 package empanada shells, thawed (I use Goya Discos found in the frozen section)
• OR you can make your own empanada dough
• Oil, for frying

Directions

Separate empanada shells and roll over with a rolling pin. Fill half of disk with about 2 tablespoons of  picadillo, leaving a half-inch rim around the edge. Fold dough over filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal well. Fry in hot oil a few at a time, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until crust is golden brown and bubbly.

Yield: 10 empanadas

EMPANADA DOUGH

 Prep time15 minsTotal time15 mins

Make empanadas at home from scratch with this easy empanada dough recipe! With just a few ingredients, this post will show you how to make empanada dough, which is ideal for frying with sweet or savory fillings. It can also be frozen like Goya empanada dough discos for use at a later time.

Author: Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget

Serves: 10-12

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 cup ice cold water

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the shortening until the flour resembles chunky sand.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour and add vinegar and about 3/4 cup of the water. Stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Add remaining water a tablespoon at a time if all the flour has not been moistened.
3. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead into a smooth dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 days if not using immediately.
4. Divide dough into 2-10 pieces (whatever is easiest to work with) and roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter or tracing a bowl with a knife.
5. Discs can be filled immediately and cooked. If not using immediately, stack on top of each other with a piece of parchment or wax paper between each pastry. Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 day or freeze.
6. If using from frozen, allow to thaw at room temperature for about 10-20 minutes before proceeding to recipe.

NOTES

The amount of empanadas will vary depending on size. This dough will produce about 10-12 5-inch discos.

Ribeye cap steaks

These are going to spoil us to any other kind of steak.

The steaks were cooked on the grill to mark them then finished in the oven to 125º

The potato pancakes were Beth's recipe with the addition of an egg yolk. I used small new potatoes which was enough to make 4 small pancakes and used less of the rest of the ingredients. 

Potato pancakes from Beth

4 gold potatoes, shredded and soaked in a bowl of salty water or frozen store-bought hash browns

2 fine chopped green onions or your favorite herbs

fresh grated nutmeg 

salt and pepper to taste.  remember the water was salted

1 C. plain bread crumbs

Drain shredded potatoes, squeeze with paper towels if necessary

Combine all the ingredients

heat nonstick skillet with 1/2 inch oil

carefully spoon potato batter in the pan

cook about 5 minutes or until ti turns brown, flip over, cook another 5 minutes.

Carrots were cooked with water until soft but not mushy then seasoned with salt, pepper and a little honey.

Bacon-Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I guess this recipe was intended to be eaten as a sandwich right out of the oven instead of as a sandwich from leftovers.  It sounded good and was a good hot sandwich but in the end, it was just another meatloaf.  We couldn't taste the cheese.

Bacon-Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Try slices on buns with iceberg lettuce and Russian Dressing. Source: Martha Stewart Living, March 2019

 2 slices day old white bread, torn into small pieces or 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs, preferably homemade
2 yellow onions, finely chopped (11/2 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 pounds coarsely ground chuck, preferably 85 percent lean 

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar
8 slices (6 ounces) bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into pieces; pulse in a food processor to make fine crumbs (or use plain breadcrumbs) set aside.P

Cook the Onions: Pulse onion in food processor until finely chopped (or do so by hand). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth, and 1/4 cup ketchup. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
Prep the Meat and Glaze: In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup ketchup and brown sugar for glaze; set aside. In a large bowl, combine onions with ground chuck, 1 egg, 1/2 cup reserved breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined. Gently fold in cheddar.
Bake and Let Cool: On a rimmed baking sheet, form meat mixture into a loaf that's 10 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2 inches high, packing firmly to prevent cracking. Coat top and sides with 1/2 of glaze, then top with bacon, overlapping slices slightly. Brush remaining glaze over bacon. Bake until top is caramelized and a thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165 degrees, 55 to 65 minutes. (If top is browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Let cool at least 25 minutes.