HALUSKI

HALUSKI

Comfort food...always welcome...always fattening lol. 
In my Eastern Pa. area with its multitude of Lithuanian/Slovak people, haluski (pronounced "halushky") is an old favorite. Sold at block parties, parades and church festivals, it's a simple dish to make comprised only of cabbage, onions, noodles and butter. One wouldn't really need a recipe, but as always, I remember that there are plenty of young people just starting out on their own, learning to cook, or newly married young wives who appreciate having a tad of instruction to get started cooking for their husbands and families, and for this reason, here is the recipe.

Slice into strips or one inch chunks a nice sized head of cabbage, and place it in your large sized crock pot.

Next, chop about 8 small to medium size onions, and add them to the cabbage in the crock, and mix together. Add a very small amount of water and sprinkle on a Tablespoon of garlic salt. Cover, and cook down, which will take several hours. The process is much quicker if you cook everything in a regular pot on the stove, but the taste is far better slow-cooked in your crock pot.

When your cabbage is cooked down and tender, (don't forget to stir occasionally) add a pound of real butter. I always use real butter for cooking and eating...margarine in this dish especially, will result in tastelessness and oiliness.

Cook your noodles (1 lb.) I use bow ties to avoid mushiness. Drain and mix into your buttered cabbage/onion mixture. Then just continue cooking at a low temperature...even on warm, to avoid sticking. Soon enough it's a treat ready to indulge in :-)

Ingredients
1 large head of cabbage chopped
8 small-medium onions chopped
1T. garlic salt
1 lb. real salted butter
1 lb. bow tie pasta



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Bloomin' Onion Cheesy Bread

Here's a delightful bread to serve with your Italian dishes, or just a tasty treat for bread lovers (like myself) There are 2 versions used on one loaf here...one side of the round loaf is Italian herb garlic, the other half is butter green onion. I'm listing the ingredients for both types, as I make the two flavored version...

Ingredients

1 round sour dough bread loaf

12 oz. sharp cheddar 

garlic powder

dried Italian seasoning

salt

1/4 c. green onion tops

8 T. butter

1/4 c. finely shredded Mozzarella

Start with a nice sized round loaf of sour dough bread...You are going to slice the whole loaf,  first one way, then the other, as far down as you can without going through the bottom. If you have an electric knife with a bread cutting attachment I STRONGLY recommend its use as this can be real tricky with a regular knife.

Next, if you are making the two sides separate flavors, melt 4 T. of butter in each of two bowls. (If you are making the whole loaf one flavor, melt all 8 T. in one bowl and double the ingredients for the flavor you are making)

For half #1, chop 1/4 c. of green onion tops, small. Mix those into one bowl of melted butter. Into the other bowl of butter, for half #2, add 1 1/2 T. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 heaping T. dried Italian seasoning. Mix well. Next you are going to cut up your cheese into many thin small slices. Then proceed to stuff all the cracks in the loaf with all the cheese, filling all areas.

Place your bread onto a sheet of foil large enough to wrap and cover the loaf. 

Now, you will drizzle your mixtures over the bread, half one flavor, half the other, or just one flavor if you so choose. Sprinkle with shredded Mozzarella and wrap up the loaf, baking at 350 for 15 minutes. After the 15 min, uncover and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Slice or pull apart to eat and enjoy your treat!!

drizzle...

sprinkle...

bake...

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Cottage Lasagna

    After being unable to locate my mom's lasagna recipe this week, I went off on a quest in search of a tasty lasagna that I could jazz up a tad and call my own...
The deed has been done...introducing my "Cottage Lasagna."  This lasagna dish has a mildly spicy flair while incorporating cottage cheese rather than the usual Ricotta, giving it a tad lighter of a texture!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 lb. hot Italian sausage

2 tsp. jarred minced garlic

2  14.5 oz. cans diced Italian style tomatoes

2  6 oz. cans tomato paste

dried parsley

dried basil

salt

3 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 1/2 lb. sliced or shredded Mozzarella

10 oz package lasagna noodles

oil

First place your two types of meat, and the garlic, in a large skillet and brown thoroughly, breaking it up small.

    

                                                           

Drain some but not all of the drippings. Next add your tomatoes and paste, mixing thoroughly, then add 2 T. each of dried parsley and dried basil, and a tsp. of salt. Simmer the mixture uncovered for 45 minutes.

Start your water and when it boils, cook your lasagna noodles. Depending on the size of your lasagna pan you'll need 8-12 noodles. Add some salt and a tsp. oil to the water to help prevent sticking. Cook them Al Dente, meaning they are still firm in the middle. When done rinse with cold water and lay them out on foil or wax paper to make them easier to work with.

While your pasta is cooking you will prepare your cheese filling. In a mixing bowl combine 3 c. small curd cottage cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, 2 T. dried parsley and 1 tsp. of salt. Mix it well.

Now you are ready to layer your lasagna!

First, a single layer of noodles...

Then evenly spread a layer of cheese mixture using 1/2 of it...

Next you will place a layer of Mozzarella. I used shredded, but I would have preferred sliced...

Then an even layer of a little bit less than half of your meat mixture. Now you repeat the layering process all over again, finishing up all your items.

Sprinkle GENEROUSLY with the other 3/4 c. of grated Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for about 30 min. and until bubbly...

Enjoy enjoy!!! Even better heated up the subsequent couple days!

(pictured with a portion of "Bloomin Onion Cheesy Bread)

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Pepper Steak

    I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food...don't care for anything with that characteristic sweet taste...however I DO love Chow Mein  and Pepper Steak, and I'm crazy about rice. This is my recipe for Pepper Steak. I used to have a real wok to stir fry in, but no more...so I make do with my large fry pan.
    Start out with about 1 1/2 lb. of beef cut into cubes or strips. Heat oil in the pan and when it's hot, fry up your meat, rather rapidly. When the meat is browned stir in 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp. garlic salt, 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger, and 2 med. onions sliced up. Simmer all of that 12-15 minutes.

    Slice 2 small/medium green peppers into strips and add to the mixture, cooking another 5-8 minutes.

    Add 6 oz. of chicken broth to the pan, and in a bowl blend 1 T. cornstarch, 3 tsp. sugar and 3 T. Soy Sauce. Add that to the pan and stir everything continuously as it thickens.

    Next cut 3 or 4 small Roma tomatoes into thin wedges, and place them all around on the top of the pepper steak mixture that is cooking. Cover and simmer 10-15 min.

Serve over rice with a sprinkle of crispy chow mein noodles on top.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. beef cubes/strips

1/4 c. oil

1 c. water

2 med. sliced onions

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 small/medium green peppers in strips

6 oz. chicken broth

1 T. cornstarch

3 tsp. sugar

3 T. Soy Sauce

3-4 small Roma tomatoes

rice

chow mein noodles

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Rice Krispie Crusted Chicken

                          Rice Krispie Crusted Chicken                                  

So yesterday I had some whole chicken legs and decided to go into "invention mode" again. I came up with an idea I THOUGHT the whole time I was cooking, that I was inventing...only to discover after Googling it out of pure curiosity later, that many people already do what I tried. The GREAT thing though, was that no one's recipes that I read did it like me and used my seasoning method, so turns out my recipe IS original...so here it is...

Pour 1 1/2 cups of Rice Krispies into a mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, crush them a tad, but not completely into crumbs...leave a lot of it whole. Add 3 packets of Oodles of Noodles Beef flavoring (save the plain noodles for something at another time...there are many uses.) Add a tsp. of garlic salt, a tsp. of black pepper, a tsp. of Italian seasoning, and 2 heaping T. flour. Mix it all up and pour it into a gallon size zip lock food storage or freezer bag. In another bowl place 4 heaping T. real mayo and 3 T. Italian salad dressing. Mix well.
One by one, coat your chicken legs (or breasts, cutlets, whatever you're using) with the mayo mixture and drop into the bag, seal and shake and squeeze until well coated. Then place into a baking dish VERY lightly coated with non-stick spray. Bake for the normal amount of time that you would for the size/type of pieces you are using.
This turned out REALLY TASTY! Next time just for shits and giggles I'm going to use COCOA Krispies and see what happens!!

                                       Ingredients                                                                                      
                                              2-3 lb. chicken pieces, breasts or cutlets                                                    
                                              1 1/2 c. Rice Krispies                                                                                        
                                              3 packets Oodles of Noodles beef flavor (seasoning only)                             
                                              1 tsp. garlic salt                                                                                                 
                                               1 tsp. black pepper                                                                                      
                                               1 tsp. Italian seasoning                                                                              
                                               2 heaping T. flour                                                                                               
                                               4 heaping T. real mayo                                                                            
                                               3 T. Italian salad dressing                                                                            

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Creamy Pork n Veggies over Noodles

So every once in a while I just start throwing things into my crock pot hoping they taste good when finished...that's what I did for this pork recipe yesterday...and it was yummy...so here it is...

Again, I use a large oval crock pot. In it I put 4-5 medium potatoes quartered, and 3 large carrots sliced. I then put in one can of mixed veggies, juice and all. Coat a 1 1/2 lb. pork roast with meat tenderizer, and place it in the crock on top of the veggies. Pour in one can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and one can of milk, right over top of the roast. Quarter 3 small to medium onions and place all the pieces on top of the roast. Then sprinkle on (according to taste) garlic salt, about a tsp. Paprika, and a fair amount of black pepper. Cook for about 4 hrs on medium or until roast is tender.

When done, remove 1 cup of the broth and place in a bowl. (With crock pot cooking you always get a liquid broth building up in most cases.) Add to the 1 cup broth, 1 cup of milk, and 2 heaping TBSP. flour, then wisk until smooth and finally, pour back into crock pot. It will thicken nicely.

Serve the finished dish over buttered noodles. You MAY need to add salt to taste :-) It is tasty garnished with some grated cheddar...

ENJOY!!!!


                                                                Ingredients 
                                                          
                                                            1 1/2 lb. pork roast
                                                      4-5 potatoes quartered skins on
                                                            3 lg. carrots sliced
                                                    1 can mixed veggies with liquid
                                                     1 can cream of mushroom soup
                                                                   1 can milk
                                                         3 small onions quartered
                                                               Italian seasoning
                                                           seasoned meat tenderizer
                                                                   garlic salt
                                                                   paprika
                                                                    black pepper
                                                                egg noodles
                                                               grated cheese

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Crock Pot Roast

    To seasoned cooks, making a pot roast is one of the simplest of meals, especially if making it in a crock-pot...however I am often approached for help on Facebook by young women and moms who are just starting out learning the most basic of things...even spaghetti can be a challenge when it's your first attempts at cooking. So here is my simple but delicious "Crock Pot Roast" recipe :-)

    I use a large oval-sized crock pot. For this simple recipe I'm going to make it super, super easy keeping my beginners in mind!
Place a 1 lb. package of baby carrots, 4 or 5 onions cut in chunks, and 1 1/2 to 2 lb. of new potatoes cut into 1 1/2" chunks WITH SKINS ON, into the crock pot. (I keep the skins on potatoes whenever possible because much of your nutrition is in the skins and it adds body as well. I even enjoy keeping them on when making mashed potatoes, though many people would not care for this.) Mix it all up with a large spoon and spread them evenly making a "bed" for your meat. Coat all sides of a 2 1/2 lb. beef roast with seasoned meat tenderizer. (What's nice about  pot roast is that even an inexpensive cut of beef ends up absolutely scrumptious!) Place the meat on the "bed" of veggies. Next, using generic brand A-1 steak sauce (much cheaper,) I mix 1 cup of the steak sauce with 1/2 cup of water and pour it all over the meat and veggies. Next I add 1 cup of Italian salad dressing (again a bargain brand works fine) and pour that all over as well. Then I sprinkle on some garlic salt according to taste, about 2 tsp. of black pepper and a light sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Cover the crock pot and cook for several hours until your meat is tender. That's it! Easy and very tasty. It can be served as is, or over noodles.

                                                                 Ingredients
                                           
                                               2 1/2 lb. cut of beef
                               1 lb. package of baby carrots
                                              4 or 5 onions cut into chunks
                                              1 1/2 to 2 lb. new potatoes,skins on, cut in chunks
                                              seasoned meat tenderizer
                                              1 cup A-1 or equivalent steak sauce
                                              1 cup Italian salad dressing
                                              garlic salt
                                              black pepper
                                              Italian seasoning

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