Recipes for the Week of June 1

Summer is almost here!

Spend your time outside instead of in the kitchen. Try these easy crock pot recipes from Chefmama.com. After a long day at work, or the playground come home to a wonderful meal that is ready to enjoy!

 

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (cut into cubes)
  
• 1/8 cup butter or margarine
  
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
  
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
  

Directions:

• Put chicken, butter and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
  
• Add cream cheese and chicken soup.
  
• Mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through out and warm.
  
• Serve with warm dinner rolls and choice of vegetable.
  

 

Crock pot Pork Chops Asian Style

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless pork chops
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
  
• 1/4 cup honey
  
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions:

• Place pork chops in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.
  
• Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
  
• Serve over brown rice
  

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds beef sirloin roast
  
• 1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 8 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese
  
• 8 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
  

Directions:

• Place the beef roast into a slow cooker. Stir together the water and au jus mix; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
  
• Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred or slice. Open the hoagie rolls and top with beef and provolone cheese. Serve with small bowls of the hot au jus from the slow cooker.
  

  
   

 

 

ChefMama Sauces

A great way to spice up kid friendly steak or chicken is by adding a delicious sauce that the adults in your family will like.

Here are a few of my favorites….

 

Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove minced

2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps

1-cup beef broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1-tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1-tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup minced green onions or chives

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

 

Directions

1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
   
2. Add onion and garlic, sauté 2 minutes.
   
3. Add mushrooms, sauté 4 minutes.
   
4. Add broth, wine, vinegar, soy sauce, green onion and rosemary.
   
5. Cook 2 minutes. Sever over meat.
   

 

Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

 

2 large shallots sliced thinly

1-cup vegetable bouillon

1/2 cup red wine

1 egg yolk

1-tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Coat nonstick pan with olive oil and brown shallots over medium heat.
   
2. Add egg yolk, bouillon and wine.
   
3. Simmer over low for 4 minutes.
   
4. Mix flour with 1 teaspoon water and add to sauce.
   
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
6. Stir and simmer until smooth and creamy. Pour over meat.
   

 

Zip sauce

 

Ingredients

 

1/4-cup butter

1 teaspoon each of dried rosemary and parsley

1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1-teaspoon salt

1/2-teaspoon black pepper

1/8-teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3-cup steak drippings

 

Directions

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan.
   
2. Add all ingredients except steak drippings.
   
3. Warm gently for 1 minute.
   
4. Mix equal parts of sauce with steak drippings just before serving.
   

 

Take care & Keep Cookin',

Jill Martens

www.chefmama.com

Recipes for the week of May 18

Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and corn

 

Ingredients

 

1 whole chicken (2-3 lbs.)

6 potatoes

1 can chicken broth

5 tbsp. Butter

1/4-cup milk

Seasoning salt or salt and pepper

Frozen corn or canned corn

1 can chicken gravy

1 garlic bulb (optional)

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. In small saucepan, add 4 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper or seasoning salt and melt over medium heat.
   
3. Pour chicken broth in bottom of roasting pan.
   
4. Place rinsed chicken in roasting pan and brush with butter mixture.
   
5. To add extra flavor you may add whole peeled garlic cloves to inside of chicken if your family likes garlic.
   
6. Add potatoes to side of chicken and stir to cover with broth.
   
7. Roast chicken and potatoes 1 1/2 -2 hours. The best way to tell exactly when your chicken is done is by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken to make sure it is at 180 degrees F. If you do not have a thermometer, pierce the chicken with a fork or skewer at the thickest part and make sure juice runs clear.
   
8. Transfer chicken to serving platter and carve. Remove roasted potatoes (I leave some aside for my husband who does not like mashed potatoes) and place in mixing bowl with milk and butter. Mix with beater on med until you reach desired consistency. Place in serving dish with gravy on side. Heat corn in microwave as directed on package. Serve.
   
9. 
   

Special Notes:

 

Again, ChefMama has taken steps to save you time (because we all need more of that right?) by using canned ingredients. However for the more adventurous of you ChefMama's I have included a chicken gravy recipe as well. Note the extra ingredients when you shop if you decide to use it.

 

Chicken Gravy Recipe:

Save a tablespoon of juice from the roasting pan and add to a skillet. Add a small chopped onion and cook slowly over low heat until browned which is about 20 minutes. Add one-cup chicken stock and 2 teaspoons cornstarch that has been mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water. Sir constantly over low heat until boiling and then reduces heat to simmer for 5 additional minutes. Strain or serve as is.

 

Flank steak with oven fries and steamed broccoli

 

Ingredients

 

2 lbs of flank steak (there will be leftover for sat. quesadillas)

4 med. Potatoes

4 tsp. Olive oil

Seasoning salt

Salt

Pepper

1 package steam in bag broccoli

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
   
2. Cut each un-peeled and washed potato into 8 wedges.
   
3. Toss potatoes with 2 tbsp of oil 1/4-teaspoon salt and 1/4-teaspoon ground pepper.
   
4. Place in sprayed baking dish and roast in oven for 25 minutes or until tender.
   
5. Stir them occasionally as they cook.
   
6. Meanwhile, rub flank steak with seasoning salt and pepper on both sides.
   
7. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in medium skillet over high heat.
   
8. Add steak to skillet and cook turning over once about 12 minutes for medium or until desired doneness is reached.
   
9. Place steak on cutting board and slice thinly.
   
10. Steam broccoli in microwave bag as directed on package.
    
11. Serve steak sliced with potatoes wedges and broccoli.
    
12. 
    

Special note:

 

To add a little specialness to your flank steak, you can serve with a sauce of choice such as shiitake mushroom sauce, red wine sauce or zip sauce. Please see attached article on sauces.

Mother’s Day Recipes

Lemon Shrimp Salad

Prep time 10 min. cook time30 min.

Ingredients:

1-pound medium shrimp (shelled and deveined)

2 hearts of Romaine (cut into 1 inch wide ribbons)

1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)

1 avocado (diced)

½ lemon plus two tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons grape seed oil or vegetable oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

1 pinch of sugar

Directions:

Fill medium saucepan with water. Squeeze the lemon half into the water and add lemon rind along with peppercorns and a generous pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil. Add shrimp and simmer until they are curled and just pink, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer shrimp onto a paper towel lined plate. Place shrimp into freezer for about 5 min. or until just chilled. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice with olive oil, grapeseed oil, sugar and a generous pinch of each salt and ground pepper. Add romaine ribbons, grape tomatoes, and diced avocado and chilled shrimp. Toss well and serve immediately.

Thurs. Soft Beef Taco Casserole

Prep time 15 min. cook time 3-4 hours

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef

1 small green pepper cubed, optional

1-cup chunky salsa

1/3-cup sour cream

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1-½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 package Mexican rice

Directions:

Brown ground beef and green pepper over medium heat. Drain and add salsa and stir. Spread each tortilla with a little sour cream. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture into each tortilla and wrap to secure mixture. Place the tortilla's seam side down in a sprayed slow cooker. Spoon remaining mixture on top and spread so that all tortillas are covered. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook on low 1 ½ to 2 hours. Serve with Mexican rice prepared according to package.

Thursday Barbequed Turkey Sloppy Joes

Prep time 5 min. cook time: 6-7 hours

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey

2 medium onions

2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (6oz.) cans tomato paste

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. liquid smoke hickory flavoring

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

½ tsp. seasoning salt

8 sourdough rolls, split and toasted

Corn on the cob

Fresh fruit

Directions In large skillet brown turkey and onion over medium heat stirring often until turkey is brown and crumbly, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and place in sprayed slow cooker. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, pepper and 5 teaspoons of liquid smoke. Stir, cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in the remaining 1-teaspoon of liquid smoke and serve on sour dough rolls with corn on the cob and fresh fruit.

RECIPES FROM THE WEEK OF APRIL 26

When the weather gets hot, the kitchen gets hotter….Keep cool with these hot grilling recipes from Chefmama.com

Grilled Flank Steak

Prep. Time 20 min marinate time 4 -6 hours Cook time 20 min.

Ingredients:1 (1-1 ½ lb. flank steak)
1-tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Fresh squeezed juice of one orange
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Brown rice

Directions: Trim fat from flank steak and place in a resalable Ziploc bag. Combine remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and pour into the bag. Seal and place in dish to prevent leaks. Turn to coat and refrigerate for 4-6 hours turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinate and cook on hot grill 4-6 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. Thinly slice across the grin and serve with brown rice and veggie of choice.

BBQ Stuffed Burgers

Prep. Time 10 minutes Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients:1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
Seasoning salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
4 hamburger buns
2 medium sweet potatoes (sliced)
1-tablespoon olive oil
4 ears corn on the cob
Aluminum foil

Directions: Divide meat into 8 equal portions and shape into thin patties. Sprinkle cheese in center of half of the patties. Press remaining patties on top and press together to seal. Place on grill and cook to 160 degrees F. turning once (about 15-20 minutes). Brush with BBQ sauce the final minute of cooking. Place on buns and top with condiments of choice. Meanwhile, place sweet potato slices on aluminum foil and top with olive oil. Fold foil into packet and grill along with corn for about 15 minutes. Serve burgers with corn and sweet potatoes.

Grilled pork tenderloin and Asparagus

Prep time 30 min. cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients:1-pound whole pork tenderloin
1 pound fresh asparagus rinsed and trimmed
½ cup peanut putter
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
1-teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions: Make marinade by whisking together soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic and pepper in a mixing bowl. Reserve ½ mixture in separate container. Place asparagus in a Ziploc bag and pour ¼ cup of marinade from mixing bowl into bag, turning to coat. Do the same with tenderloin using another Ziploc bag and the rest of the marinade. Let the meat and asparagus marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. While marinating, prepare a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium high and oil the grill grates. Add peanut putter to reserved marinate and Wisk until smooth to create a dipping sauce for the pork and asparagus. (This is a great step to let the kids do). Grill tenderloin for 3-4 minutes on each side, rotating it a quarter turn at a time, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees in the center. Remove meat from grill and let rest for 5 minutes as the internal temperature rises. While meat is resting grill asparagus for about two minutes on each side, or until done. Slice pork in 1-2 inch slices and serve with asparagus and dipping sauce.

Recipes for week of April 12th

Recipes for week of April 12th
Sunday: HAPPY EASYTER!!!
Have a blessed Easter! Make your own family’s traditional recipes, and share some of them with us on our blog at www.chefmama.com.

Monday: Roast Beef with Carrots and Potatoes
Prep. Time: 20 min. Cook time1 ¾-2 ½ hours
Ingredients:
4-6 lb. beef rib eye roast
1-package baby carrots (16 oz.)
2 medium onions cut into 1-inch thick wedges
2 lbs. small new potatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbs. dried thyme
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine garlic, thyme, and pepper and press half of this mixture evenly into the surface of beef roast. Add oil and 1-teaspoon salt to other half of seasoning mixture and set aside. Place roast fat side up on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast for 1-¾ -2 hours for medium rare or 2-2 ½ hours for medium doneness. While meat is roasting, combine carrots, potatoes, onions and rest of seasoning mixture. Place in pan and place in oven during last 60 minutes of roasting time. Remove beef and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables.
Special note: Save leftover beef for Wednesday’s recipe.
Tuesday: Cornflake fried chicken with Smashed Potatoes and Peas
Prep. Time 10min Cook time 15 min
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 large eggs
2-cup milk divided
3 cups cornflakes
Salt and pepper
8 red boiling potatoes
1 ½ cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Pound chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an even ½ inch thickness. Whisk together eggs and 1-cup milk in shallow bowl. Crush cornflakes into another shallow bowl and toss with ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dip into egg mixture shaking off excess. Then dip into cornflakes pressing them onto chicken. Fry chicken turning once until golden brown and just cooked through about 5- 6 minutes total per chicken breast. Drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, Generously cover red potatoes with cold water in medium saucepan. Add 1 tsp. salt and simmer covered until they just begin to get tender, about 8 minutes. Add peas and simmer, partially covered, about 5 more minutes until potatoes are tender. Drain and return to pan. Add butter, 1-cup milk and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Let stand off heat for 1 minute, then mash coarsely and serve with chicken.

Wednesday: Beef Noodle Stir Fry
Prep time 10min. cook time 10 min.
Ingredients:
Leftover beef cut into strips
¾ pound green beans
1 (8oz.) cans water chestnuts
2 (3oz.) packages instant ramen noodles
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup beef broth
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 tbsp. vegtable oil
1 tbs. sesame oil
½ tsp. ground ginger

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ginger. Add beef and stir to coat. In a wok or large skillet, bring ½ cup water to boil over medium-high heat. Add green beans, cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove beans with slotted spoon and cover to keep warm. Add 3 cups of water to pan and bring to boil. Break up ramen noodles and add to pan (without seasoning packet) and cook 3 minutes. Drain and rinse noodles. Set aside. Add beef and marinate to the pan along with the green beans, water chestnuts and broth. Cook until sauce is thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently. Add noodles and mix lightly before serving.

Thursday: Cheese Tortellini with Shrimp
Prep time 5 min. cook time 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1-pound jumbo shrimp
1 lb. cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh)
2 cups broccoli florets
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-cup olive oil
Salt
Graded Parmesan cheese
1-cup chicken broth
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Boil a large pot of salted water over medium heat. Add tortellini and boil until done. Remove tortellini; place in bowl and set aside, but save salted water in pan. While tortellini is boiling, heat the olive oil, garlic, 1 tsp.salt and parsley in a small saucepan over very low heat. Let simmer a few minutes and turn off heat. Set aside. Place broccoli florets in microwave safe bowl with 2 teaspoons water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2-4 minutes and set aside. Cook shrimp in salted water for 2 minutes and add shrimp and broccoli to the tortellini. Now add the chicken broth to the olive oil mixture and reheat until fully heated. Pour over pasta and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Special note: If your children will not eat the shrimp, serve them the tortellini and broccoli with out the shrimp.

Friday: Barbequed Turkey Sloppy Joes
Prep time 5 min. cook time: 6-7 hours
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 medium onions
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (6oz.) cans tomato paste
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. liquid smoke hickory flavoring
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
½ tsp. seasoning salt
8 sourdough rolls, split and toasted
Corn on the cob
Fresh fruit
Directions In large skillet brown turkey and onion over medium heat stirring often until turkey is brown and crumbly, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and place in sprayed slow cooker. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, pepper and 5 teaspoons of liquid smoke. Stir, cover and cook on low 6-7 hours. Stir in the remaining 1-teaspoon of liquid smoke and serve on sour dough rolls with corn on the cob and fresh fruit.

Saturday: Tex Mex Lasagna
Prep time10minutes cook time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 8 oz. packages no boil lasagna noodles
1 32 oz. jar thick salsa
1 15 oz. carton ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


Directions
Spay a 19 x 13 inch baking pan with vegetable spray. Soak the noodles according to package instructions. Spread a thin layer of salsa over bottom of dish. Top with a single layer of noodles. Spread noodles with half of the ricotta cheese, one-third salsa and half grated cheese. Add another layer of noodles, and then spread remaining salsa and rest of ricotta. Add one more layer of noodles and top with remaining salsa and the rest of the grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees f. or until top is golden brown and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with fresh green salad.

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