Steak Pizza

Our weather in southwestern Ontario tends to be not as harsh as the rest of Canada but we still see subzero temperatures and a fair amount of snowfall each year.  That does not deter us or many in our region from outdoor grilling.  The grill is typically very close to the back or patio door, within an easy shovelling distance if need be.  Our grill is under a soon to be enclosed roof on the deck making it a three season room.

The weather was unseasonably warm so we grilled rib steaks.  Now, these were quite large steaks at an inch and a half thick as hubby does not like grilling thin steaks.  We buy our beef in bulk so the abattoir does a custom cut for our meat.  He likes his steak rare while I like mine medium rare but on occasion will eat rare.  

The real focus of this meal was the lightly seasoned rib steaks.  We served them with campstyle potatoes and a Caprese salad.  The sweet basil is homegrown mainly hydroponically and in the Aerogarden.  I currently have several basil plants on the go and honestly, you can never have enough basil!  

Campstyle potatoes is a rather simple, versatile dish always made in cast iron usually with potatoes and onions but sometimes mushrooms.  Cast iron gives the perfect caramelization for this dish!

I know many will think this funny but we always have left-over steak.  That's just the nature of the beast.  On the other hand, we love cooking once but getting two or more different meals out of what we cook.  We try very hard to minimize food waste so lef-overs are used within a couple of days or froze for later use.

Left-over steak can be used in so many ways.  One of our favourites is as a sandwich in pita bread.  This time I made sourdough flatbreads for steak pizzas.  These were a bit of a spin on the Margherita pizzas.   Toppings included red onion, sweet basil, fresh tomato, steak and of course lots mozzarella cheese.  The end result was a delicious meal with very little effort.
 

Hubby's Meatloaf

My husband is a large man at 6'7" and about 280 lb but he has a rather good medical history of being quite healthy.  When he gets sick which is rather rare, he gets sick!  On August 28 he came home in a lot of abdominal pain but it subsided.  The following day, he came home again in worse pain so to make a long story short he was admitted to hospital where he stayed for five days.  He was pretty much out of it for two of those days then the third day they let him have liquids and the fourth they started him on solids.  The poor guy!  Seriously at lunch time on day 4 he was sitting cross legged, table ready for food as soon as he heard the lunch cart.  It was a rather funny moment and while I did take a pic I can't share it here. 

Hospital food always gets a bad rap but when I was going to university I ate at the hospital cafeteria all the time.  The food was healthy and tasty.  The food at this hospital is good for the patients but not so much so for the visitors.  Visitors get whatever they put in the vending machines which really is not good! 

Anyway, I called hubby first thing in the morning the day he was scheduled to make his escape (aka be discharged).  I asked him what he would like for dinner...meatloaf!  I pulled a couple of pounds of ground beef from the freezer to thaw then headed up to the hospital.  He wasn't discharged until mid-afternoon but we headed back home with him excited about meatloaf.  You know, sometimes these types of events is all it takes to ground you just a bit!

My meatloaves range from plain to stuffed.  The commonality is ground meat (beef, venison, pork, chicken), a binder (eggs), liquid (ketchup, mustard, Worchestershire sauce), extender (bread crumbs and seasonings.  I made a basic meatloaf, a little lighter on the seasonings then served with the classic steamed potatoes and home canned green beans.  He was tucked in on the couch when I brought his plate in and oh my gosh, talk about a happy beam from ear to ear!  Such a simple meal and yet it brought so much pleasure...

Canning Ground Beef and Beef Chunks

We picked up our beef on the hoof purchase the last week of April.  The total weight was 339 lb meaning I have plenty to can up a few jars.  The first question that some may ask is 'Why would you want to can beef that is already frozen?'  followed by 'Why would you want to can beef at all?'.  The answer is two fold.  Home canned beef is a delicious, ready to heat and serve convenience product for your pantry shelves.  Take a walk down the canned food aisle of the grocery store where you will find several products containing beef (eg. soups, stews, corned beef).  You can home can these yourself for a fraction of the cost but you can add homemade convenience like seasoned ground beef, taco beef, shredded bbq beef, meatballs, meatloaf, beef chunks and so much more by home canning.  The second reason for home canning beef and beef products is unlike freezing, storage is not dependent on electricity.  If your hydro is out for an extended period of time, you could lose the entire contents in your freezer but that is not the case with home canned foods.  So even if you rely heavily on your freezer for food storage, a portion of your food should also be home canned or dehydrated.  Two lesser reasons but equally valid for home canning beef is to take advantage of a great sale or to save a bit on freezer space.

Some of my canning friends can large amounts of beef, as much as 50 to 100 lbs at a time in one product, often much more than that and multiple meat products amounting to 300 lbs or more of home canned beef products in addition to other meat products they can.  While I do can beef and other meats, I don't can in that quantity.  I usually can the following beef products in 500 ml (pint) jars, 6 jars per product: beef stew, meatloaf, seasoned ground beef, taco beef, meatballs in sauce, spaghetti sauce with meat, chili, and beef chunks.  That works out to 48 - 500 ml jars or about 55 lb of beef products total.  In general, you need 1 lb of ground beef or 1¼ lb whole cut (eg, steak, roast) per 500 ml jar.  More whole cut meat is needed because some trimming will be necessary.

Here is a video of the process for home canning ground and chunk beef.  My comments follow the video.

The ground beef and steaks canned in this video were to take advantage of a good sale on beef.  She used ground round which is 90% beef, 10% fat which is comparable to Canadian extra lean ground beef.  At $2.25/lb it is a little cheaper than our beef on the hoof but if I were shopping sales specifically for canning purposes I would hold out for a lower price per pound as she mentions.

Her work space is very restricted.  I would highly recommend the toaster oven be removed from the counter when canning to give a larger work area.  She is using the assembly line method for prepared the jars of ground beef and beef chunks.  This method can be problematic.  I preparing one jar completely (eg. filling, lids, into canner) at a time to reduce the chance of errors.  This is especially important when putting the lids and rings on the jars.

Ground beef is browned then packed into the jars.   This is called hot pack.  She uses beef bouillon but I don't recommend using the dried cubed bouillon that is very high in salt.  Use Better Than Bouillon or if avoiding corn syrup which is an ingredient in Better Than Bouillon use homemade, defatted beef stock.  Beef chucks are not cooked but rather raw packed.  Although she did not use any liquid in the jars, Bernardin and the Ball Blue Book recommend using hot broth.  Salt is not necessary if you want a low sodium product.  The hot pepper flakes are optional and you can basically season as desired as long as you don't add oil.  Pay attention to the correct headspace as 1 - inch is recommended.  More or less headspace can cause seal failures.

I am not familiar with her brand of pressure canner although I think it may be a Presto.  I use 3 quarts of water in my pressure canners.  The vinegar will prevent water deposits on the outside of the jars.  The 10 minute vent is recommended for all pressure canners to remove any extra air from the canner that may hinder the canning process.  Once the 10 minute vent is finished put the regulator (jiggler or rocker) on and begin the processing time once the rocker jiggles at a steady pace about 2 to 3 times a minute.  Process 500 ml (pint) jars for 75 minutes, 1 L (quart) for 90 minutes.

Mom's Basic Meatloaf

My apologies for not posting as much. It has been a week now working on painting the kitchen.  Let me tell you it has been a bit more complicated than I originally thought it would be but just wait until you see it!  We absolutely love the colour...so rich and bold making the floor and appliances pop.  Today we (one of our kid's partner) worked on the final touches.  I will be doing the finer detail edging using an artist's brush then will be putting the kitchen back together so my normal cooking will resume tomorrow.  Oh, and if you are wondering what colour I painted the kitchen, look at my plates :)

Meatloaf was one of the last meals made in our kitchen before prepping it for painting.  I think basic meatloaf was one of the very first dishes I learned to make as a newlywed.  Many complain that their meatloaf is too dry but I have never had that problem.  I use 1 egg per pound of lean ground beef.  That's my secret.  When combined with the other liquid ingredients and dry bread crumbs the results are consistently moist and tasty meatloaf.  I modify my basic meatloaf recipe to create unique meatloaves by adding shredded vegetables, turning into a roll with filling or even making mini meatloaves but the basic meatloaf base remains the same.

Mom's Basic Meatloaf
recipe by: Garden Gnome

3 lb lean ground beef
3 eggs
1 c dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
¼ c ketchup or Heinz 57 Sauce
½ tbsp garlic pepper

Beat eggs.  Combine all of the ingredients mixing well.  Fold into a loaf pan, patting down slightly and smoothing the top.  Bake at 175ºC (350ºF) to an internal temperature of 71ºC (160ºF), about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Cover with tinfoil and let rest 10 minutes.  Remove from the loaf pan.  Slice for serving. 

Second Attempt at Homemade Taco Shells

Taco Bell was one of the very few fast food restaurants I would indulge in for the tacos but it's on my hit list of never to eat at again restaurants so I am on a quest to make homemade tacos from scratch.  That means I want everything made from scratch including the shell and the seasoning.  This quest is all about creating the perfect taco!  During our last vacation I bought a tortilla press and masa harina.  My first attempt at making tortillas was encouraging.  With a bit of tweaking I should be able to get as good as if not better than store bought tortillas.  Tortillas can be formed into salad bowls and taco shells.  I was a bit disappointed in the first taco shells I made so was on to plan B.

Google is an amazing tool that saves an awful lot of leg work.  I made a note to check for some type of taco form the next time I was at a kitchen specialty shop.  Being rather impatient I did a search to find that such a character does exist then went onto eBay and purchased one.

The taco shell maker I bought is really a simply designed tool meant to get the perfectly shaped taco shell.  Now some would question why I would want to make my own taco shells since they are quite inexpensive.  The reason is quite simple in that I am after the fresh flavour of homemade.  Saving a bit of money on the cost of taco shells by making homemade is just an added bonus.  Making taco shells one at a time likely is not practical for a larger family but it works for our needs.  I'm sure there are taco shell formers available that will make more than one at a time.

Pictured is the taco shell maker in use.  I put a fresh made tortilla shell into the form then proceeded to fry it in the deep fryer.  Here I ran into my first problem.  The depth of my deep fryer does not allow the loaded taco shell maker to be fully immersed so the shell cooks all at once.  This is not a huge problem as it only takes a few seconds to fry on each side.  The second problem is the actual design of the taco shell maker that when flipped over to fry the other side leaves a gap of unfried tortilla at the handle side.  It is impossible to get this portion into the oil given the design.  The alternative is to use an open pot of oil on the stove deep enough that the entire form can be submersed.  While this is an option, it is not one I'm overly warm to since heating oil on the stove is more of a safety risk than using a temperature controlled deep fryer. 

There has been progress in my journey towards making homemade taco shells.   The end result were delicious homemade beef tacos.  The homemade taco shells were quite good but they are not the same texture as store bought taco shells.  Masa harina is quite a fine grind so the resulting taco shells are smoother and crispier than store bought.  I'm looking for a homemade taco shell closer in texture to store bought.  To my way of thinking using a corn meal mixture should give me what I'm looking for.  Corn meal is a bit coarser so I will be experimenting with that for the next batch of taco shells.  I will also try making them just a bit thicker as the ones made with the masa harina were a bit difficult to work with.  They kept tearing on me.  I also did not like that the shells made with masa harina had jagged edges.  While this doesn't affect the flavour it is an aesthetics thing.  So back to the drawing board for my next attempt that will hopefully be closer to what I'm after.

Tacos (Beef)

We have never been much of a fast food restaurant family.  I grew up in a very small town that had no take-out food other than frozen pizza from the grocery store.  I can still remember the very first time I ever had a Big Mac and to this day I will very rarely splurge on one.  Taco Bell was established in 1962 and franchised in 1964 but it took a while to spread into Canada.  We discovered Taco Bell in the early 1980's.  It was an immediate hit as to the idea but not so much for eating there.  Tacos were novel, different from burgers and simply fun to eat.  We loved the idea of the hard and soft shells so from there created our own tacos, taco salad and a wide range of wraps.

What many don't realize about Taco Bell tacos is they can't be easily duplicated at home simply because the meat they use is precooked and dehydrated then sent to the restaurant.  The meat is rehydrated and warmed for serving at the restaurants.  As a result of all of this processing the meat has a texture that you can't duplicate at home.  Boiling the ground beef comes close to the Taco Bell meat but it still isn't the right texture.

We make tacos with extra lean, hormone free ground beef that is browned, drained then seasoned while simmering.  Unlike taco salad I keep the toppings a bit more simple.  Offerings include leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream and shredded cheese.  I use store bought taco shells but hopefully will be switching that to homemade taco shells now that I have a tortilla press.  They aren't identical to Taco Bell tacos.  I think they are better and they do get rave reviews from our family.

Taco Bell was the inspiration for a few of our family favourites and while we seldom go to Taco Bell, we've taken those food ideas and made them our own.  I try to keep that in mind each and every time we visit a restaurant.  Each meal becomes the potential inspiration for home cooking and that's what it is all about!

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak is minced beef formed into an elongated patty  to resemble a steak.  Like meatloaf it may contain other ingredients like bread crumbs as an extender but in order to be labeled as salisbury steak the mixture must contain a minimum of 65% meat.  Of that 25% can be pork.  The patties are usually served with gravy and mashed potatoes.  The meal is a popular commercially prepared frozen TV dinner.

Salisbury steaks can be bought pre-made usually in the freezer section but some butcher shops make them as well.  The patties can easily be made at home as well.  I used pre-formed salisbury steak patties purchased from a local butcher shop as part of the boxed meats bought to support a school fundraiser. 

Rather than use an actual gravy I took a shot cut by using home canned plain spaghetti sauce.  I served the patties on a bed of sautéed cabbage.  This made for a tasty, quick, filling yet frugal entrée that took less than 15 minutes to prepare.

Large Marge

I have to say we love our burgers but not the burgers most people thing of when you say burger.  The burger we go for are anything but fast food burgers.  The ones we enjoy tend to have a bit of a history and story behind them.  They are always hand made from scratch as well.

A favourite southwestern Ontario drive-in restaurant that has been in business longer than we've been married [our kids are grown and we have grandkids] makes a specialty burger called the Large Marge.  They have a whole story behind the Large Marge and pictures of everyone who has ever eaten a Large Marge on their wall except for my husband who can eat a Large Marge but we always get take-out so they have never taken his picture.  The Large Marge is a good 6 - inch diameter burger with 2 handmade beef patties (1 lb), lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and onion rings on a sesame seed bun.  Yes, onion rings!  It is an amazing burger to say the least.  This is a burger that you could duplicate at home but you would have to make the buns as well.  The heart of this burger is the handmade beef patties but the crowning glory is the onion rings.

Cheese & Mushroom Stuffed Meatloaf

During the summer months we are used to hot and humid weather.  However the weather has been rather unpredictable this year.  A couple of days ago the weather turned cool so I took advantage of that to make meatloaf.  Meatloaf in the summer is great hot on cooler nights but slices nicely for sandwiches the next day.  It also freezes nicely for later use for sandwiches or wraps. 

I seldom use an actual loaf pan for meatloaf.  I hand forming into a baking pan which results in oblong cuts or I use a deeper (about 8" x 9" x 4")  but smaller baking pan.  I made a basic meatloaf base consisting of lean ground beef, mustard, eggs, ketchup, seasonings and bread crumbs.  Then I pressed ¾of the mixture into the pan pushing up the sides to form a type of shell.  Once the shell was formed I filled with raw spinach, sautéed onions and bacon pieces, and provolone cheese.  When the well was stuffed I topped with the remaining ¼ of the meat mixture forming a top.  I baked the meatloaf at 180ºC (350ºF) for about 45 minutes.

Meatloaf stuffed with cheese oozes its rich, yummy goodness so I've never had it cut neatly.  We cut meatloaf cooked in the wider baking dishes into squares rather slices.  This makes for a nice substantial piece of meatloaf easily topped with sauce and big enough to appreciate the stuffing.  I served the meatloaf with oven baked russet potatoes and sautéed, garden fresh zucchini with spanish onions in butter.  The zucchini was picked from the garden moments before doing the sautée!  This is the way I like to have fresh vegetables when the garden is producing.  This is very much a summertime comfort meal on the cooler days.

Rice Stuffed Meatloaf

I have made several stuffed meatloafs over the years. It starts with a simple idea of how to present the same foods in a bit of a different way. I like using stuffings because when cut the meatloaf reveals a surprise. The nice thing is a wide variety of stuffings can be uses like a potato mixture in the vegetable stuffed meatloaf. This time I had an idea using sticky rice so proceeded to cook the rice then construct the meatloaf.

Baked/Problem

This meatloaf idea worked perfectly in my mind but was a nightmare to execute! I made the rice then realized it had to be cooled before using as a layer but sticky rice sticks together so spreading while cooled wouldn't work. The solution was to spread the hot rice on a Silpat® baking sheet, press into a layer then let cool. Once the rice was cooled I set about creating my layers of prepared meatloaf, spinach, cheese and rice on a sheet of wax paper. Rolling the loaf proved to be a two person, rather frustating ordeal!

The filling kept breaking through the meat layer. Then the wax paper started sticking. We finally got the loaf into a baking dish and fixed the break throughs as best as possible. I baked the meatloaf at 200ºC/400ºF until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Surprisingly the resulting meat loaf did not look too bad. There was one break-out (red arrow) so the meatloaf wasn't picture perfect but that doesn't really matter if the end result is good tasting food.

Rice Stuffed Meatloaf

My original plan for this meatloaf was a well defined spiral pattern. I was disappointed when the loaf first came out of the oven but cutting revealed a fairly well defined swirl so I was happy with that outcome. This meatloaf cut like a dream with nice clean lines. I used shredded mozzarella cheese left-over from Superbowl Sunday that didn't give the contrast that orange cheddar would have. I liked the way the spinach came out.

Despite not being the most perfect picture food the meatloaf was very tasty! The sticky rice really added to the texture so this will be something I will try again. I already have another plan in the making so watch for another stuffed meatloaf coming soon.

A Burger With Attitude for Canada Day 2008

Happy Canada Day

Many people celebrate Canada Day by having get-togethers that include grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. In our neck of the woods we are hoping that the latest trend of raining almost daily will end. Today we woke to more rain and winds out of the north so the temperature had dropped quite a few degrees. We are planning to do a little boating tomorrow depending on the weather. Grilling will likely be part of our celebrations if we don't stop at one of our favourite haunts while boating. Later in the evening weather permitting we will sit on the dock to enjoy the fireworks. We don't set them off ourselves but don't mind enjoying seeing various displays. I do hope the rain holds off and it warms a bit!

Burger With Attitude

I've mentioned before that my husband makes the most fantastic homemade burger patties using fresh ground beef. However, there is no reason that a burger always has to be made using ground beef. Saturday he decided to make burgers but with a twist. Instead of using just ground beef he added ground pork and turkey to the beef. Then end result was a flavourful, juicy burger with a noticeable but pleasant difference in taste.

The following recipe is for a large batch of patties with about a third used to make meatballs. We were entertaining that evening so the meatballs were cooked then went into the slow cooker with sauce for later. The burger patties freeze nicely either raw or cooked as does the cooked meatballs. This is something we regularly do when cooking for stocking the freezer with homemade convenience foods. It is a frugal use of time and the energy source used to cook the food.

Toppings: iceburg lettuce, aged sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes, dill pickles, onions, jalapeno peppers
Condiments: Miracle Whip®, ketchup, mustard, relish

Combination Burger Patties

5 lb lean ground beef
2 lb ground pork
2 lb ground turkey
2 ½ dry bread crumbs
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1½ tbsp garlic pepper
¼ c Heinz 57 steak sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl using your hands. Form into large patties* about 5 - inch diameter and ¾ - inch thick or form into 2 - inch meatballs**.

Grilling: The most important thing when grilling burgers besides having your grill set to the correct temperature (medium) is to never press the patty to flatten. Flattening forces all those lovely juices out of the burger and increases flare-ups. The second most import thing when grilling is to only flip the burger once. Use a large barbeque flipper to flip the burger to prevent the patty breaking. Flip when the patty is nicely browned with defined grill marks. Grill on the other side until the burger is nicely browned with well defined grill marks and the interior registers at least 71ºC/160ºF*** on an instant read thermometer***.

Frying (meatballs): Heat 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium in a fry pan. Place meatballs in a single layer on the bottom of the fry pan. Fry until browned. Turn and continue cooking until browned through. Remove from fry pan using a slotted spoon. Repeat until all meatballs are cooked. If freezing allow to cool then flash freeze in a single layer and package into freezer bags. If using the same day, place in slow cooker, add sauce then set on low until ready to use.

* The patties will shrink in diameter and thicken while grilling. Alternately you can use a burger patty press if desired.
** A meatballer can be used for this.
*** The old advice to cook until no longer pink is no longer recommended. The inside can still look pink depending on whether the ground beef was fresh or frozen and how it was thawed when cooked to the proper temperature however, depending on where the ground meat was purchased can look brown before it is safely cooked. Therefore it is best to use an instant read thermometer to ensure your burgers have been cooked to the proper temperature.

Stove, Grill, First Cooking & Tuna Salad

This is a mish mash post consisting of an update on our stove and grill, the first couple of meals and my tuna salad. Readers are interested as to how we are settling in, our kitchen renovations and many are looking for tried and true recipes. I will be adding labels to the earlier posts to help with the searching for those interested. Recipes and pictures along with chit chat as we renovate the kitchen will be appearing on a fairly regular basis now things are semi-back-to-normal.

I actually cooked on the ancient stovetop here. Two burners were working so I made pasta with homemade meat sauce from the freezer then topped with sauteed mushrooms. It was a simple meal that wasn't too taxing on the electrical problem. Recall that when we moved here there were electrical problems causing the microwave not to work properly, ancient built-ins and the gas grill connection unsafe to use. The crockpots and campstove were buried under so much stuff that I still haven't found the campstove!

It took a good couple of days to rewire and get the cabinet ready for our stove. The stove finally went in yesterday so I was pretty pleased. The downdraft is not connected yet but everything else works. Near the top of the backsplash there is a black dot that is the wiring from the old fume hook. The backsplash and countertop will look rather funny for the next week as we move the sink (almost touching the stove) to where we want it.

Oktoberfest Sausage

There was a natural gas hook-up for the grill however it was not secured properly and ended at the elbow (bend at the top painted black). This meant we had to secure the natural gas line itself then provide the connections from the elbow to the grill. Thanks to a family member the grill was up and running a week after we moved. If you want to see how we made the corrections please vist my homemaking blog where information will be posted.

You would think our first grilled meal here would have been steaks along with the ice wine bought special to celebrate our new home. No, it ended up being ocktoberfest sausages. The weather was warming significantly with rising humidity levels so octoberfest sausages made for our first bulk cooking session here. We grilled up a large batch for dinner served with sauteed mushrooms, onions and honey mustard on grilled buns then froze the rest for later quick meals. We sat by the water eating our simple meal on the water felt wonderful. It was homecooked!

The temperatures have soared here yesterday with it hitting 95ºF with extremely high humidity levels and smog warnings. It was not a day for cooking or grilling so I used a package of the pre-cooked seasoned ground beef I've talked about in previous posts to make a taco salad. This is an easy, quick to make, ideal summertime recipe. The winds shifted in the evening blowing in cooler air so I put a pot of pasta on for tuna salad for the tonight's dinner.

Tuna Salad

I make a lot of pasta salads during the summer. Most invole a pasta, vegetables and homemade viniagrette. Tuna salad is different as this is an old family favourite from our newlywed days. It is a wonderfully quick to make and cool to eat salad for those hot summer days. It can be made ahead for those busy hot days. It travels well for lunches too.

Tuna Salad

shell maccaroni
light olive oil
salt
--
1 tin tuna fish packed in water
radishes, quartered then sliced
cucumber, peeled and quarters
green onions, chopped
Miracle Whip
salt to taste

This is more of a method. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add a dash of oil and good pinch of salt. Stir in the pasta. Cook until el dente. Remove from heat, strain and cool. Place into large mixing bowl.

Prepare the vegetables. Open the tuna and drain then flake. Mix the tuna and vegetables into the pasta. Spoon Miracle Whip a couple of tablespoon at a time, mix. Continue until you get a creamy salad consistency. Sprinkle with salt then mix well. Spoon into a serving dish. Chill at least one hour before serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley.

Hamburger Casserole with Caesar Salad

An update: If you have been following my blogs you will know that we tentatively bought another house and had our house listed for sale. Yesterday after many dealings with a very arrogant and demanding potential buyer, the conditions were lifted so our house is officially sold. Our new house will be officially sold to us as soon as the papers are initialed in about an hour. My new kitchen has been updated quite a bit but we will have to remove a built-in stovetop and oven so my stove will fit. I'll have more countertop and a lot more natural light. I can't wait to share some of the foods that will be prepared in my new kitchen. Until then I will be sharing some of the foods coming from my current kitchen. As always, I hope you enjoy!

The growing season is upon us and with the upcoming move, I'm doing more pantry and freezer cooking. The main goal is to reduce what we have to move as well as get ready for preserving this year's in season fruits and vegetables. As you know my pantry and freezers consist primarily of home preserved fruits and vegetables. However, store bought canned or frozen vegetables can easily be substituted in most of my recipes.
Hamburger Casserole

Hamburger casserole is one of those dishes I've been making from the time of being a new bride. It is a very frugal meal to make. I can still remember the first time I made it for my husband and him very carefully picking out every single pea. He has since reformed and will even eat peas raw now! This casserole really is just a mish mash done in layers. It's a perfect way to use up left-overs or homecanned foods. Any vegetable is fair game so adjust as you desire. Hamburger casserole is more of a method than a recipe. Note: A 500 ml jar is about one pint or 16 oz. If using store bought jars use 2 of the 10 oz cans per vegetable.

Hamburger Casserole
2 lb lean ground beef
2-3 large potatoes
1 500 ml jar homecanned carrots
1 500 ml jar homecanned green beans
2 cup frozen niblet corn
2 c lightly sauteed mushrooms
1 small chopped onion
1 500 ml jar homecanned pizza or spaghetti sauce
1 500 ml jar homecanned tomato soup
1 c milk
1/3 package (300 g) elbow noodles, cooked el dente
1-2 c cheese of your choice (usually cheddar)

Brown the ground beef. Drain and set aside. Microwave or steam the potatoes until just softening. Cut into about 1/4-inch slices and set aside. Drain vegetables. Spread the ground beef evenly on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place one single layer of potato slices over the meat. Add the vegetables in layers. Pour the pizza or spaghetti sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle on half the cheese. Cover with noodles. Mix milk and tomato soup together. Pour over noodles. Top with rest of cheese. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.
Serves 8 - 10

Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is a nice change from the many tossed and garden salads we eat. This is one of the few times that I will use a store bought salad dressing for a salad which doesn't happen very often. Besides Renée's Gourmet Caesar Dressing is a rich, creamy dressing that saves the time of making a Caesar dressing from scratch when I'm in a hurry.

The trick to Caesar Salad besides fresh ingredients is lemon. You can buy romaine lettuce already chopped and bagged for about $3 but most times you can by a head of romaine for about $1. There is a method to cutting romaine lettuce for salad but it is so simple you will wonder why you ever spent the extra money for pre-cut. Once the lettuce is cut, sprinkle it with fresh lemon juice. Add the dressing and toppings just before serving.

Caesar Salad

1 head fresh romaine lettuce
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tbsp Renée's Gourmet Caesar Dressing
4 slices bacon, cut across the strips
2 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
homemade croutons

Cut the bacon slices across the strips. Fry to almost crisp. Drain and cool. Set aside. Wash the romaine lettuce and allow to drain. Turn the romaine lettuce on a cutting board so the long side faces you. Make four cuts from root end to tip about 1-inch apart without cutting through the root end. Now cut across these cuts at 1-inch intervals resulting in approximate squares of lettuce. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with fresh lemon juice. Stir in the dressing and half of the Parmesan cheese. Place lettuce mixture onto salad plates. Top with Parmesan cheese, bacon pieces and homemade croutons. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Homemade croutons are oh so easy to make and a perfect way to use up bread bordering on becoming stale or homemade and artisan breads. Homemade croutons are lower in fats as well making them a healthier choice. You can use any seasoning you desire or leave them plain. What is a must have for this method is a Health Mister. This is a special bottle that is filled to a certain level then pumped so the oil forms a mist when sprayed. A health mister can be found at kitchen supply stores but I've seen them in regular department stores for around the $5 mark.

We don't use a lot of croutons so I make up a custom batch each time. However, you could make up a large batch then vacuum seal them in a mason jar for later use. I used lemon pepper to lightly season these croutons as they were to be used on Caesar salad.

Homemade Croutons

what you need:

• 4-6 slices bread
• olive oil (in Health Mister)
• seasoning of your choice

Cut the bread slices into 1-inch squares. Mist lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle on seasoning. Toss and repeat. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350ºF until golden brown. Turn and bake until golden brown. Turn off the oven and let sit to cool. Use as desired or vacuum seal in mason jars.

Victoria Day Weekend - My Husband's Burgers

Warning: This post may evoke serious cravings and incessant drooling! You may notice signs of addiction after one bite of these burgers.

We like to frequent a place that makes huge, delicious hamburgs served only with sides of sliced onions, dill pickles, ketchup and mustard. Cheese is optional. Several years ago my husband decided to duplicate these burgers at home. The rest is history. He has more than perfected the art of the homemade burger. These are simply the best burgers around! They are a real treat and once you see the size you will know why.

On the Grill

He starts out with fresh ground that day, lean ground beef. Then he mixes in his secret blend of spices and forms them into huge (about 1/2 lb) patties. He grills them on a hot grill flipping only once. One secret I learned from him is he never presses the patties down to flatten even though the the patties will shrink and thicken a little. The reason for not flattening is this will release all those yummy juices you want in the burger. Once the patties have been flipped and grilled to medium rare. He adds slices of real cheese, none of those processed cheese slices for these burgers! We've experimented with cheeses and have found cheddar, Asiago and Swiss to be among our favourites for these burgers. The hot, cheese laden patties are then place on fresh homemade, lightly toasted buns (my department).

Fully Loaded

I use a basic white bread recipe for the buns (in archives) but sometimes use a whole wheat recipe. While my husband is grilling the burgers, I get the condiments ready. I mix a little mustard with mayonnaise to spread on the top bun. Garden fresh lettuce and beefsteak tomatoes are standard but sometimes store bought has to do in the off season. The onions of choice are Spanish or red, normally uncooked but sometimes sauteed if there is a request. Mushrooms sauteed in butter and homemade dill pickles and hot pepper slices complete the condiments. Even though ketchup and mustard is offered it is seldom used. I include a side of potato chips but really a side is not needed.

Cut

This is a sloppily cut burger and not the best picture. I should have put a ruler beside it as a gauge. Fully topped with the pattie and condiments, the overall height is about six inches. I kid you not! Ladies, this is one burger you will need to cut into half. I can just barely finish a half but only if I'm really hungry.

The patties freeze nicely in case you have that craving for a huge burger or you have extras. If freezing, freeze one or two per bag and vacuum seal. Re-heat by placing the bag in boiling water until the burger is heated through, about 10 minutes. This will retain any juices making the burger taste as fresh as the day it was made.

Sirloin Strip Steaks

Don't you wish you had smell-a-vision?

Fresh Cut Sirloin Steaks

My husband likes to cut our steaks just before cooking. He insists on the steaks being left at room temperature as well before grilling. Steaks should be thick for good grilling so his rule of thumb is about an inch thick. This piece of sirloin was cut into six generous steaks.

He doesn't like to add seasonings, marinates or sauces when he grills the steak. His reasoning for this is he wants the full flavour of the steak. I will admit to liking a little Montréal Steak spice on my steak but have mended my ways much to his relief!



Medium Rare

The secret to a good grilled steak is a hot grill and patience. Resist that temptation to flip the steak! Do not flip it. Place it on the hot grill then wait. Do not puncture it in any way. Allow the steak to grill on one side until the grill marks are well defined. Flip the steak and repeat until the steak gives a bit under touch. Remove from grill and let rest.

Steak grilled this way really doesn't need any seasoning. You will get nice juicy, melt in your mouth steak with the full flavour of steak. There is no need to mask it with steak sauce or seasonings. That's not to say you can't use them if you choose but sometimes undressed is best! Serve with baked potatoes and a salad for a lovely well rounded meal.

Sirloin Tip Meatloaf

Back by popular demand is my old template. I would like to spiff up the background and header so over the next few days you will see a few changes. So if you notice any weird things going on, it's just me playing with the template. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Ok, who the heck would make meatloaf using sirloin tip? Well, sometimes when you don't have much choice that's what you do. My husband picked up fresh, twice ground sirloin tip for kibby late the Thursday afternoon before Good Friday. He bought extra because the weekend was already slated for a lot of visitors and since one batch was going to a family gathering, he thought I would make one for those coming to the house. Along with all the Easter gatherings, our first grandbaby was baptized Easter Sunday. I would have ground the meat myself but with everything else going on (house sale), I was runny on empty.

We eat kibby raw so whatever is not consumed that day is baked then sliced for sandwiches. However, I found myself with about 2 lb of twice ground raw sirloin that need to be used and not a whole lot of energy to be creative. The problem is once frozen it can't be used for kibby and there was no way I was going to let this meat go to waste.

Sirloin Tip Meatloaf

We get the sirloin tip will as much fat as possible cut off because we eat it raw. Normally I mix in shredded vegetables for my regular meatloaf but I wanted this meatloaf to give firm slices when cooled. We seldom buy lunchmeat because I routinely slice meat and freeze it for making sandwiches later.

The following list of ingredients is just a guideline but close in amounts I used.

Sirloin Tip Meatloaf

2 lb twice ground sirloin tip
2 eggs
2 1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp tomato powder
1 tbsp carrot powder
1 tbsp zucchini powder
1 tbsp mushroom powder
1/2 c Heinz 57
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp mustand
2 good splashes of Lea & Perrins Worchestershire sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Mix the ingredients together then place in a loaf pan. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until centre is cooked through.


Sliced

This meatloaf gives firm slices when cooled. Of course we had some of it for dinner that night served with a tossed salad, baked potato and sauteed mushrooms. After dinner, I allowed the meatloaf to cool enough to put in the refrigerator. This is a bit of an aside. Up until recently I always had a fridge with metal racks. The new fridge has glass shelving so I'm a bit concerned over thermal shock at putting something too warm on them. So I set the pan on a folded tea towel just in case.

Once the remaining meatloaf was fully cooled, I sliced it thinly. It isn't as thin as what you would get at a deli but then the thickness is just right for a hearty sandwich. It has a wonderful flavour that will go just perfect with beefsteak tomatoes! I'm getting hungry just thinking of a slice of this meatloaf, a slice of beefsteak tomatoes, fresh garden greens, a couple rings of onions, a bit of mayo and mustard all sandwiched between fresh 12 grain bread.

Vacuum Sealed

Garden goodies are awhile away so beefsteak tomatoes are just a dream. From the looks of it, I will more than likely be planting in containers and move them but there is a chance of early possession which means the garden will continue as normal. I mentioned that I routinely make sandwich slices from whatever meat I cook.

I don't have a meat slicer but that may change in the new house if all goes well. What I do is cool the meat thoroughly. I find it best to let the meat cool overnight in the fridge. Then I cut into slices about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick depending on the meat. I like to vacuum seal the slices for freezing. With drier meats like most meatloaves, turkey, and chicken there is no need to flash freeze before vacuum sealing. For moister meats like ham, I place then in the vacuum sealer bag then into the freezer. Once semi-frozen, I vacuum seal them.

Homemade Beef Stew

With the house being listed and already shown, I've decided this is a good time to haul out my slowcookers. Life is already busy and it just got busier. Besides a meal cooking in the slowcooker fills the house with yummy smells. This just dawned on me when unexpectedly yesterday a couple wanted to see the house right this minute and since they were from out of town I figured the real estate agent should go ahead and show it. I had put stew in the crockpot for dinner so it was cooking as the house was being shown. The house smelled good and the three of them were pretty close to staying for dinner.

Beef Stew

Like soups, my stews tend to vary with what I have on hand. I don't measure but rather do a toss in thing. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of crockpots even though I have two. They are used for stews, pulled meat, hot apple cider and sometimes chili. They are used more during bulk cooking sessions.

My beef stew always starts out with about two and a half pounds of stew beef, olive oil, potatoes, carrots, onion, corn, fresh mushrooms, bay leaf, Montreal Steak spice and Worchestershire sauce. From there any vegetable is fair game and I have even added kidney beans to stew. I added rutabegga to this stew. So while there is no actual recipe, here is the method.

Method - Brown the stew beef in olive oil in a large frypan. Sprinkle a little Montreal steak spice over the browned beef. Pour the beef mixture into the crockpot. Splash 2-3 good dashes of Worchestershire sauce on top of the beef. Stir in prepared vegetables (bite size) and bay leaf. Pour in water or beef stock just until you can see it. Set the crockpot to low and leave it alone for about 8 hours. If adding greens like broccoli add just before thickening. For thickening use a flour slurry seasoned with salt and pepper 15 minutes before the stew should is ready to serve.

Bugs & Hamburger Soup

The day started out with very good intentions then quickly esculated to unneeded complications. But I did finish one large batch of a hamburger soup that will give us a couple of quick meals and a few meals in the freezer to help get through the next week.

Unidentified Bugs

Because of a rodent problem 99% of my dried foods are vacuum sealed in mason jars. I had exactly 6 bags of food in an upper cabinet that I didn't bother vacuum sealing because I knew I would be using them within a very short period of time and the chances of rodents getting up there are slim to none. What I didn't bank on was bugs!

It started innocently enough as I wanted to get my beans ready for sprouting. On the very back of the cabinet was what looked like a blotch of instant yeast. So my husband looked, deemed it dust, wiped it off and there you go. Except, I pulled out the only plastic bin I have in the cabinets. It held the 7 bags of of food: rice noodles, pot barley, bulger, couscous, gourmet wild rice, adzuki beans and balsami rice. Of those only the pot barley had been opened then secured with an elastichw ile the adzuki beans were in a zipper bag. Then I saw a lot more of the dust except it was moving! I don't know what these bugs were but I was not impressed at having to clean out an entire cabinet. The only thing that appears to have been affected was the barley so I don't know if they came in with the barley but I suspect so since it is a fairly new bag. At any rate, the new rule in our house is all dried foods will be vacuum sealed in mason jars.


We really need comfort, home cooking right now so I decided to whip up a batch of this thick soup. I've been making this dish ever since the kids were knee high to a grasshopper and it is a family favourite. What to call this dish has always been a question. My family refers to it as Mommy's Surprise and they likely aren't too far off. This is one of my home made versions of hamburg helper so anything is fair game including beans and barley. I'm making a 15 quart batch as I'm typing this entry. I'll keep enough in the fridge for a couple of meals and freeze the rest.

Hamburger Soup aka Mommy's Surprise

As mentioned this is one of our favourite, most requested meal during the winter. Don't let the picture fool you, there is 15 quarts of yummy soup in that pot. This dish freezes nicely even though it has noodles in it. We like it served with grated cheddar cheese on top and homemade sourdough (recipe will be posted shortly). This really is pantry cooking at it's best. The result is awesome, family friendly and can be made with ingredients from your pantry or freezer.

This is a method rather than a recipe but you could likely formulate a recipe from it. The base is always the same:

2 lb lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 qt vegetable stock
2 med onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2-3 qts stewed tomatoes

First brown the ground beef and drain. Pour that into a large stock pot and add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add about 4 oz of tomato paste and 2 quarts of water.

Now here is where it gets fun and you can raid the fridge, freezer or pantry to your heart's content. Note, if using left-overs, frozen or canned vegetables proceed as following if using fresh add every thing at once.

vegetables of choice: our favourites are - corn, garden peas, green beans, potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini and carrots
beans: optional but kidney and lima beans are quite nice, use homecanned or commercial for quick cooking
herbs: chives and thyme are nice, or use a bayleaf then remove before serving
pasta*: toss in a couple of handfuls of broad egg noodles

*substitute rice or barley for the pasta or if you want add those too

Sorry I can't be more specific. I don't measure but simply toss much like many of our family favourites. For those who have read through my blog, you will immediately know that is my style.