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Cuppylicious!, Ethnic Foods, Meat, Pasta & Rice, Sauces and Dips

Sweet & Spicy Stir Fry

Beef Stir Fry with Vegetables

Beef Stir Fry with Vegetables

Total time:  25 minutes, plus rice or pasta cook time.

Citrus, soy and spice are everything nice. This works well as a marinade or sauce, grilled or stir fried or any way you like.

3 Tbsp peanut oil
3 Tbsp orange juice
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp spicy vinegar
1 Tbsp ginger root, minced or grated
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
1 clove of garlic, minced

optional ingredients:
1 pound meat, your choice, finely sliced
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 can baby corn
1 cup broccoli florets and/or pieces
1 can water chestnuts
1 bell pepper, chopped

Heat a large frying pan or wok on medium-high to high heat. Add peanut oil, swirl. Stir fry your onions for 3 minutes, then add meat, garlic, ginger, and lime juice. Continue to stir fry until meat is desired doneness (3-7 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and stir fry for 3 more minutes or until vegetables reach desired doneness.

Serve with rice or noodles!

Shown here with carrots, sliced water chestnuts, baby corn, and spinach.

I like to marinade my meat and onions in the sauce for 4-6 hours before cooking. I use the above method only if I don’t have time to set a marinade.

Beef, Breakfast, Cuppylicious!, Meat, Pork

Dinner Quiche

Hamburger Quiche

Hamburger Quiche

Total time:  Approximately 1.5 hours.

1/2 pound ground beef
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp sage
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp ground mustard

2/3 c ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
4 Tbsp heavy cream, divided in half
4 eggs
pie crust

Layered yumminess.

Layered yumminess.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Brown hamburger with onions, then stir in seasoning. Remove from heat. While that’s cooling, mix together your cheeses and 2 T of the heavy cream. In a separate bowl, mix together your eggs and remaining 2 Tbsp heavy cream.

Spread the meat mixture across the bottom of the pie crust. Dollop and then spread the cheese mixture on top of the meat. Pour the eggs and cream evenly across the top of it all.

Bake approximately 45-50 minutes or until eggs are set. (May take up to an hour.)

If you read it, you might recognize my seasoning blend from the Un-Sausage Cheesy Meat Wad recipe. It makes the hamburger taste remarkably similar to sausage. You can, of course, replace the meat and seasonings with sausage.

For my pie crust, I used half the recipe for Empanada Dough I. It was a perfect fit, and I could pull little pieces off and “reseal” anything that broke.

Beef, Cuppylicious!, Meat, Pasta & Rice

Frying Pan Casserole

Total time:  Approximately 25 minutes.

1/2 pound ground beef (optional)
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups broccoli florets and/or parts
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups shredded or 1 cup coarsely chopped cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
salt and pepper to taste
Ritz crackers (optional)

Brown hamburger, garlic, and onions in a large skillet on medium heat. Add soup and milk, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add broccoli and cook on medium 3-5 minutes or until soup begins to boil. Add rice and stir stir stir.

Top with crushed Ritz crackers and cheese before serving.

This filled up my frying pan and served three. Hooray for one-dish meals! Try it with any meat or no meat at all. Try it with any vegetable or no vegetables at all.

Beef, Cuppylicious!, Meat, Pork

Un-Sausage Cheesy Meat Wads

They taste better than they look.

They taste better than they look.

Total time:  Approximately 1 hour, depending on your ingredients.

Cheesy meatloaves with the flavor of sausage. A great appetizer or finger-food dinner! (Name courtesy of JB.)

There’s no pork in this recipe!

2 cups Baking Mix
1/2 pound hamburger
3 cups shredded cheese
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp sage
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp ground mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add hamburger, cheese, and milk, mix well.

Shape mixture into one-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes (I did exactly 20, and got some nice, soft, moist biscuity yumminess). Refrigerate unused portions.

Taste familiar? You can substitute 1/2 a package of flavored sausage in place of the hamburger and all those seasonings and get almost the exact same result! Or skip the hamburger entirely and make yourself a vegetarian dish.

Remember: The fattier your meat and cheese, the more oil you will have on your cookie sheet. I only buy 80/20 hamburger and Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, so mine came out how some people would say “greasy“, and I would say “wonderful”. I used the above recipe, and since I can’t measure an “inch” to save my life, I made 30 cheese balls that flattened slightly to make “wads”.

We dipped them in Yogurt Dill Dip. We’re thinking they might taste good in a pita with cucumbers and tomatoes.

Beef, Meat, Pork, Sauces and Dips

Sweet and Spicy Meatball Fondue

Total time:  Approximately 2 hours.

Beef and pork meatballs in chili and red pepper jelly from Rania Harris (KDKA Pittsburgh Today Live, January 2008) via instant messenger, so I hope it copies right.

3 slices fresh white bread
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup finely chopped onion
¾ pound ground chuck
¾ pound ground pork
Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste
2 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Flour for dusting meatballs
Vegetable oil for frying meatballs
1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 – 10 ounce jar red pepper jelly

Directions:
Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, salt and black pepper to taste, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Blend mixture well, but don’t overwork, as the result will be a dense meatball. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.

Heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of an electric skillet set to 350 degrees. Dust the meatballs with flour to coat well. Add the meatballs to the skillet and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to paper towels to drain.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, combine the chili sauce and the red pepper jelly in a pot and heat just to the boiling point. Carefully add the meatballs and heat gently. Remove from heat and carefully pour into a fondue pot and serve following the manufacturer’s directions.

Yield: approximately 30 meatballs, 4 to 6 servings

[08:48] Jeremy: if u try it out lemme know how it is… ill tell u how that pita is

Cuppylicious!, Meat, Poultry

Mexi-pockets

It's really a chicken and potato hot pocket.

It's really a chicken and potato hot pocket.

Total time:  1 hour for prep, plus 1 hour per 10 Mexi-pockets.

For lack of a better term, that’s what I call these little crosses between hot pockets and empanadas. Make them with or without meat, with or without flavor. I do not recommend putting cheese inside of them, as the dough tends to soak it all up.

Keep in mind, all ingredients are optional; I use what I have available.

2 chicken breasts
3 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1-2 poblano peppers, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 habanero or serrano peppers

That’s where I always start. My preference is to put the meat, onions, seasonings and poblano peppers in my crock-pot on low, overnight with two cups of water.

Tonight, I boiled my chicken breasts with a tablespoon of lime juice, then separated and shredded the meat with two forks.

Boil your diced potatoes until they’re tender, but not soft, about 5 minutes. In a skillet, fry your onions and garlic until your onions start to turn clear, about 3 minutes on med-high. You can add any other vegetables or peppers at this time and fry them in the skillet – if you are not using a crock-pot, then I’d definitely fry all of your vegetables before putting them in your mixing bowl.

Place shredded meat and fried vegetables in a large mixing bowl. For potato pockets, we normally do the following for flavor:

1 tablespoon California chili powder (for color!)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
juice of one lime

It's the Empanadalamo!

It's the Empanadalamo!

Add to your vegetable mixture, mix well… or add nothing and use it as is!

I like to scoop my mix into empanada shaped pastries, but you could also just make burritos or lettuce wraps.

Typical accompaniments:
salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, green onions, lime

Try it with:
shredded beef, pork or tofu; black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans; corn, carrots, peas, cabbage, spinach – frozen, canned or fresh (but not all at once!)

You can place your uncooked hot pockets or empanadas on a cookie sheet and freeze separately, then pile them all up in a freezer bag for later use. Or cook them all at once; they keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer, and they reheat amazingly well (must be the shortening in the dough?).

Beef, Cuppylicious!, Meat, Pork

American Polpette (Meatballs)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Total time:  1 hour, plus pasta cook time.

1 pound hamburger
1 pound pork sausage (I like to use a roll of Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Regular Sausage)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1/2 roll of Ritz crackers (approx. 17-20 crackers)
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of parsley
1 tablespoon dried onion or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place meat into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle seasonings on top of meat. Crush crackers into fine pieces across meat and seasonings. Add eggs and mix by hand for 3-5 minutes.

Shape into meatballs and place in an oven safe baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Lift the edge of the aluminum foil to allow steam to escape. Bake 15 more minutes.

Seen here with spaghetti, Classico’s tomato and basil sauce, and asiago cheese.

Beef, Cuppylicious!, Ethnic Foods, Meat

Kefta (Moroccan Meatballs)

Kefta with extra onions and couscous.

Kefta with extra onions and couscous.

Total time:  1 hour.

Adapted from the Kraft Food & Family recipe for Moroccan Meatballs.

2 lb. ground beef
1 cup coffee, cooled
3 Tbsp. honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

COMBINE coffee, honey and cornstarch; set aside. In a large bowl, mix meat and seasonings until well blended. Shape into 24 meatballs.

COOK in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 10 min. or until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high.

ADD onions to skillet and cook 1 minute. Add coffee mixture to skillet; stir until meatballs and onions are evenly coated. Bring just to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 min. or until meatballs are cooked through (160°F) and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

I’ve made these a couple of times now, and this is the combination I like best. The original recipe just didn’t have enough flavor for me – my coffee overwhelmed everything. (Strong coffee will do that.)

Kraft drops the brand names for coffee, but I use whatever was brewed that day. I wouldn’t drink bad coffee, so why would I want to cook with it? 😛

Last time, served these with couscous.

Beef, Crock-pot Cookin', Cuppylicious!, Meat, Soup and Salad

Beef Stew

Beef Stew before stewing

Beef Stew before stewing

Total time:  5.5 to 10 hours.

It all depends on the size of your crock-pot. I use the larger amounts now because I have a 5 quart Rival crock-pot!

1-2 pounds of beef, any style cut, chopped into 1″ to 2″ cubes
3-4 potatoes, quartered
2-3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1-2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Place into crock-pot in this order:
garlic
Sambal Oelek
celery
onions
beef
remaining seasonings except salt
potatoes
carrots

Fill crock-pot with water until just below the vegetables – or to the tops of the vegetables. Cook on high for 1 hour, then simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Alternatively, just let it simmer 8 to 10 hours. Salt to taste just before serving.

Caution! Sambal Oelek is HOT HOT HOT!

I normally use a normal spoon to dish out my Sambal Oelek, and I use one heaping and a half scoop, which is about the equivalent of 1 tablespoon. That’s about as warm as I like it. Some chili isn’t that hot. Just use caution.

I start my crock-pot at 9:30am, and it simmers until 6pm. I don’t use any thickeners, but if you like your stew thick, definitely add some potato or cornstarch just before serving.

Beef, Crock-pot Cookin', Cuppylicious!, Meat, Soup and Salad

Corned Beef Cabbage

Before!

Before!

Total time:  7.5 to 9.5 hours.

It’s not just for St. Patrick’s Day! Cabbage is really good for you!

1-2 pounds of corned beef
1/2 head of cabbage
3 large potatoes
1-2 carrots
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
black pepper
2 cups of water

The corned beef seasons everything on its own, really. DO NOT ADD SALT.

Cut the corned beef into halves. Chop all vegetables down to size (somewhere between a large gumball and your fist, it’s your preference, really).

Place into crock-pot in this order:
meat
water
seasonings
onion
potatoes
carrots
cabbage

Corned Beef and Cabbage (Cooked)

Finished product. Cabbage color shows it's done, and you can see where the water/juice level has risen.

Cook on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 6-8 hours more. I normally start my crock-pot at 10am, and then turn it down at noon for dinner by 5pm. If I want to eat at 6pm, I turn it down at 11am. Check on it around 2pm and make sure the water level is almost the same height or the exact same height as your vegetables; add more water if necessary.

After! (Although we'd already eaten some.. *cough*.. just couldn't wait..)

After! (Although we'd already eaten some.. *cough*.. just couldn't wait..)