HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Roasted Chicken, Take Two
S U C C E S S !!!!!!!!!!!
Can I get some trumpets and fan fare please?!!! This chicken turned out wonderfully. None of the problems I had the first time I tried making roasted chicken. I can roast a chicken!!!! This time the meat was fully cooked and the skin was brown and crispy. I wish I had been able to get a better photo. The chicken skin looks a bit black, but it is really dark brown. Know what the secret was? Peach preserves!!! 
Mrblocko said it was like the skin was candied. Holy cow!!!! This was the most addictive chicken skin on the planet. Seriously, I wanted to eat all the skin for dinner and forget about all that tender juicy chicken meat. I restrained myself, but only because I wanted to see how stock would turn out flavored by that sweet caramelized skin.
Mrblocko said it was like the skin was candied. Holy cow!!!! This was the most addictive chicken skin on the planet. Seriously, I wanted to eat all the skin for dinner and forget about all that tender juicy chicken meat. I restrained myself, but only because I wanted to see how stock would turn out flavored by that sweet caramelized skin.The stock turned out amazing. It's probably the best looking and tasting stock I've made, or helped to make. I made soup with the stock last night. I'll post about the soup sometime next week, so stay tuned for that!
You can find the recipe for roasted chicken with peach glaze at Real Mom Kitchen. I didn't have the garlic pepper that original recipe called for. Instead, I substituted McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. The steak seasoning contains garlic, salt and pepper, among other things like paprika and red pepper flakes. I'll definitely use the steak seasoning next time, whether I have garlic pepper or not. The combo of spices were a great contrast to the sweetness of the peach preserves.
Roasted Chicken with Peach Glaze from Real Mom Kitchen
5 pounds whole roasting chicken
1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
1/2 cup peach preserves
Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray rack in shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water; drain. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken with garlic pepper blend; place chicken breast side up on sprayed rack in pan. Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour. Brush chicken with preserves; bake an additional 35 to 45 minutes or until fork-tender and juices run clear. Chicken is done when internal temp reaches 180ºF. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
You can find the recipe for roasted chicken with peach glaze at Real Mom Kitchen. I didn't have the garlic pepper that original recipe called for. Instead, I substituted McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. The steak seasoning contains garlic, salt and pepper, among other things like paprika and red pepper flakes. I'll definitely use the steak seasoning next time, whether I have garlic pepper or not. The combo of spices were a great contrast to the sweetness of the peach preserves.
Roasted Chicken with Peach Glaze from Real Mom Kitchen
5 pounds whole roasting chicken
1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend
1/2 cup peach preserves
Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray rack in shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water; drain. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken with garlic pepper blend; place chicken breast side up on sprayed rack in pan. Bake at 375ºF for 1 hour. Brush chicken with preserves; bake an additional 35 to 45 minutes or until fork-tender and juices run clear. Chicken is done when internal temp reaches 180ºF. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Banana Gingerbread
I used to love banana bread. As an inexperienced cook, it was one of the few breads I knew I could make without totally screwing it up. Plus, there is such an appeal to making something delicious out of something that looks nasty and would otherwise get tossed out. (Let's face it, black bananas are creepy and gross looking, in and out of the peel.)
This all changed about 5 years ago. Blockette, whom we then referred to as baby blocko, had other ideas. I had made banana bread after dinner one night and, being pregnant and lacking in energy, was too tired to clean up the dishes. I made a terrible error in judgement, and left them to soak in the sink overnight. The next day I went to make myself some breakfast and the I saw the dirty dishes and got a whiff of their banana-y smell...let's just say it was not happy fun time. Bananas and anything banana scented were banned from the house until Blockette was born. Toward the end of the pregnancy it got so bad I couldn't even go to the grocery store. Bananas were just that evil!
The smell of banana bread, and sometimes even bananas themselves, still makes me a bit queasy. I do still make banana bread once in a blue moon because Mrblocko and Blockette love it so. I noticed we had a few over ripe bananas in the freezer, and figured it was high time I used them up.
I had two recipes in mind, one that required dried cranberries and pecans, and the other called Banana Gingerbread. I couldn't decide so I let Blockette choose. I told her the choices and she yelled out, "Gingerbread. Oh please let's make the gingerbread. I love ginger!!"
I was afraid she might be disappointed that it wasn't gingersnaps or gingerbread cookies we were making. I knew the real reason she was excited about "gingerbread" was because of the book The Gingerbread Man. Fortunately, she wasn't disappointed and there was no confusion that we were making bread, not cookies. Blockette was just happy to be helping out in the kitchen. Hooray!
This recipe for banana gingerbread comes from Baking Bites. The recipe was everything I hoped for and more. I was a bit worried that using all purpose flour instead of whole wheat would mess up the density of the bread. It turned out just fine. There was a bit less rise than I normally get from quick bread. The bread didn't turn out heavy as a brick so who really cares if the top wasn't domed. My tummy sure didn't.
I did have a queasy moment when I first took the bread out of the oven. I was hit with this strong stink of banana that completely overpowered the gingerbread spices. Once the bread cooled all I could smell in the house was gingerbread goodness. The bread only had a slight hint of banana, mostly if you got a slice that had a chunk of banana that didn't get pulverized. I was OK with that though. So OK, that I ate the majority of the loaf. I will definitely make this bread again...and again.
Banana Gingerbread from Baking Bites
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon (sub for 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just ombined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf, 8-10 slices.
This all changed about 5 years ago. Blockette, whom we then referred to as baby blocko, had other ideas. I had made banana bread after dinner one night and, being pregnant and lacking in energy, was too tired to clean up the dishes. I made a terrible error in judgement, and left them to soak in the sink overnight. The next day I went to make myself some breakfast and the I saw the dirty dishes and got a whiff of their banana-y smell...let's just say it was not happy fun time. Bananas and anything banana scented were banned from the house until Blockette was born. Toward the end of the pregnancy it got so bad I couldn't even go to the grocery store. Bananas were just that evil!
The smell of banana bread, and sometimes even bananas themselves, still makes me a bit queasy. I do still make banana bread once in a blue moon because Mrblocko and Blockette love it so. I noticed we had a few over ripe bananas in the freezer, and figured it was high time I used them up.
I had two recipes in mind, one that required dried cranberries and pecans, and the other called Banana Gingerbread. I couldn't decide so I let Blockette choose. I told her the choices and she yelled out, "Gingerbread. Oh please let's make the gingerbread. I love ginger!!"
I was afraid she might be disappointed that it wasn't gingersnaps or gingerbread cookies we were making. I knew the real reason she was excited about "gingerbread" was because of the book The Gingerbread Man. Fortunately, she wasn't disappointed and there was no confusion that we were making bread, not cookies. Blockette was just happy to be helping out in the kitchen. Hooray!
This recipe for banana gingerbread comes from Baking Bites. The recipe was everything I hoped for and more. I was a bit worried that using all purpose flour instead of whole wheat would mess up the density of the bread. It turned out just fine. There was a bit less rise than I normally get from quick bread. The bread didn't turn out heavy as a brick so who really cares if the top wasn't domed. My tummy sure didn't.
I did have a queasy moment when I first took the bread out of the oven. I was hit with this strong stink of banana that completely overpowered the gingerbread spices. Once the bread cooled all I could smell in the house was gingerbread goodness. The bread only had a slight hint of banana, mostly if you got a slice that had a chunk of banana that didn't get pulverized. I was OK with that though. So OK, that I ate the majority of the loaf. I will definitely make this bread again...and again.
Banana Gingerbread from Baking Bites
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon (sub for 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just ombined. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf, 8-10 slices.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Zucchini Pie
I've seen all sorts of recipes for zucchini pie floating about the internet. I first saw this recipe on Allrecipes. I think I've made enough changes to the recipe to call it my own.
Mrblocko doesn't like zucchini. He tells me this every time I suggest adding zucchini to a dish. Zucchini pie is the exception to that rule. This dish is Mrblocko's favorite way to eat zucchini. Probably because it takes something that is supposed to be good for you and makes it completely unhealthy.
Once I tried to make this dish healthier by making the following substitutions:
pork sausage ---turkey sausage
crescent rolls---low fat crescent rolls
butter ----------margarine
salt-------------omitted
eggs------------egg beaters
I don't recommend doing this. The result was not very tasty. It could be that I was just comparing it to the original. With all that salt and fat, how could it not taste good. Sometimes I will make only one or two low fat swaps and that results in a much tastier meal. I don't make zucchini pie very often though. I figure it is a special treat and therefore OK to have a fatty fat filled meal every once and a while.
Without further ado, here is my version:
(Yeah I forgot to take a picture but imagine a quiche topped with cheese and you'll get the idea.)
Zucchini pie
1/2 lb bulk breakfast sausage
1 (8 oz) pkg crescent rolls
Dijon mustard
1/4 c butter
1 small chopped onion
4 c zucchini, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise and then chopped into thin half circles
2 T parsley
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 c mozzarella, shredded (this time I used 1 c mozz, 1/2 c provolone and 1/2 Swiss because I wanted to use up leftover cheese)
Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescents and press into 9 inch pie pan, covering sides and bottom completely. Don't be afraid to manipulate the dough to get it to do what you want it to. Squeeze a few Tablespoons of Dijon mustard over crust. Spread out the mustard with pastry brush so it forms a thin even layer over the unbaked crust. Meanwhile, brown sausage in skillet. Remove from skillet and set aside. Melt butter and cook onions and zucchini over med high heat for 10-15 min until the moisture evaporates from the veggies and they begin to brown a bit. You want to make sure you cook out a good portion of the water in the zucchini or else your pie will turn out soggy. Season with herbs. Place veggies in large bowl along with the cooked sausage. Stir to combine. Add eggs and half the cheese. Stir to combine and pour into unbaked crust. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes until filling is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Mrblocko doesn't like zucchini. He tells me this every time I suggest adding zucchini to a dish. Zucchini pie is the exception to that rule. This dish is Mrblocko's favorite way to eat zucchini. Probably because it takes something that is supposed to be good for you and makes it completely unhealthy.
Once I tried to make this dish healthier by making the following substitutions:
pork sausage ---turkey sausage
crescent rolls---low fat crescent rolls
butter ----------margarine
salt-------------omitted
eggs------------egg beaters
I don't recommend doing this. The result was not very tasty. It could be that I was just comparing it to the original. With all that salt and fat, how could it not taste good. Sometimes I will make only one or two low fat swaps and that results in a much tastier meal. I don't make zucchini pie very often though. I figure it is a special treat and therefore OK to have a fatty fat filled meal every once and a while.
Without further ado, here is my version:
(Yeah I forgot to take a picture but imagine a quiche topped with cheese and you'll get the idea.)
Zucchini pie
1/2 lb bulk breakfast sausage
1 (8 oz) pkg crescent rolls
Dijon mustard
1/4 c butter
1 small chopped onion
4 c zucchini, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise and then chopped into thin half circles
2 T parsley
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 c mozzarella, shredded (this time I used 1 c mozz, 1/2 c provolone and 1/2 Swiss because I wanted to use up leftover cheese)
Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescents and press into 9 inch pie pan, covering sides and bottom completely. Don't be afraid to manipulate the dough to get it to do what you want it to. Squeeze a few Tablespoons of Dijon mustard over crust. Spread out the mustard with pastry brush so it forms a thin even layer over the unbaked crust. Meanwhile, brown sausage in skillet. Remove from skillet and set aside. Melt butter and cook onions and zucchini over med high heat for 10-15 min until the moisture evaporates from the veggies and they begin to brown a bit. You want to make sure you cook out a good portion of the water in the zucchini or else your pie will turn out soggy. Season with herbs. Place veggies in large bowl along with the cooked sausage. Stir to combine. Add eggs and half the cheese. Stir to combine and pour into unbaked crust. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes until filling is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Apple Cider Chicken
I don't know what my problem is lately. I keep forgetting to break out the camera when I test out a new recipe. I think I keep getting distracted by a little thing called hunger.
Rachael Ray's apple cider chicken was a great dish to add to the fall meal rotation. I used 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts because that was what I had on hand. I don't think this dish lacked anything because the chicken didn't have bones or skin.
This dish tasted very sweet because of the honey, cider vinegar and all the sugars from the caramelized onions. I thought it was almost too sweet at first, but the flavor mellowed out as the dish cooled. This tasted even better as leftovers, although the caramelized onions wound up looking a bit like worms. That may be a pro for you as well if you have a 4 year old who is fascinated by worms. Blockette loved that it looked like we were eating worms.
I thought the chicken and onions would be tasty over a bed of rice. I picked up some jasmine rice a few weeks back and thought it would be the perfect time to give it a taste test. I could not shut up about this rice. Jasmine rice, where have you been all my life? Seriously, this was the best rice I've ever tasted. It was fragrant and had this sort of nutty undertone. I've gotta find more recipes that call for rice, just so I can make me some more jasmine rice! Go jasmine rice!
Rachael Ray's Apple Cider Chicken
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
2 whole chicken breasts, 4 halves, bone-in and skin on
Salt and pepper
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, 7-8 sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
3 tablespoons honey (eyeball it)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup plus apple cider vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
Preheat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and add to the hot oil, skin side down. Brown chicken, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and reserve. Add another 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, the onions, thyme, honey and the garlic. Season the onions with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently for about 20-30 minutes or until the onions are really brown. Add cider vinegar, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a bubble.
Once at a simmer, return the chicken to the pot with the liquid and onions. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, flipping the chicken over in the sauce about halfway through. Remove lid, check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by cutting a small slit in the thickest part of the breast with a paring knife to have a look inside. If it is cooked through -- no pink meat -- remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Turn the heat up to high and simmer until the sauce thickens up slightly, about 4-5 minutes. You can serve the chicken right away topped with a big spoon full of sauce and the onions or you can return the chicken to the pot, turn the heat off and cover with the lid until you're ready to serve it. Once you are ready, add 1/2-3/4 cup additional chicken stock and turn the heat back on to heat everything back up.
Rachael Ray's apple cider chicken was a great dish to add to the fall meal rotation. I used 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts because that was what I had on hand. I don't think this dish lacked anything because the chicken didn't have bones or skin.
This dish tasted very sweet because of the honey, cider vinegar and all the sugars from the caramelized onions. I thought it was almost too sweet at first, but the flavor mellowed out as the dish cooled. This tasted even better as leftovers, although the caramelized onions wound up looking a bit like worms. That may be a pro for you as well if you have a 4 year old who is fascinated by worms. Blockette loved that it looked like we were eating worms.
I thought the chicken and onions would be tasty over a bed of rice. I picked up some jasmine rice a few weeks back and thought it would be the perfect time to give it a taste test. I could not shut up about this rice. Jasmine rice, where have you been all my life? Seriously, this was the best rice I've ever tasted. It was fragrant and had this sort of nutty undertone. I've gotta find more recipes that call for rice, just so I can make me some more jasmine rice! Go jasmine rice!
Rachael Ray's Apple Cider Chicken
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
2 whole chicken breasts, 4 halves, bone-in and skin on
Salt and pepper
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, 7-8 sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
3 tablespoons honey (eyeball it)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup plus apple cider vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
Preheat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and add to the hot oil, skin side down. Brown chicken, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and reserve. Add another 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, the onions, thyme, honey and the garlic. Season the onions with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently for about 20-30 minutes or until the onions are really brown. Add cider vinegar, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a bubble.
Once at a simmer, return the chicken to the pot with the liquid and onions. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, flipping the chicken over in the sauce about halfway through. Remove lid, check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by cutting a small slit in the thickest part of the breast with a paring knife to have a look inside. If it is cooked through -- no pink meat -- remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Turn the heat up to high and simmer until the sauce thickens up slightly, about 4-5 minutes. You can serve the chicken right away topped with a big spoon full of sauce and the onions or you can return the chicken to the pot, turn the heat off and cover with the lid until you're ready to serve it. Once you are ready, add 1/2-3/4 cup additional chicken stock and turn the heat back on to heat everything back up.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Freebie fun from the weekend
Back in September our family participated in CROP walk (A 3 mile walk to raise money for the hungry, locally and globally.) Those that completed the walk got a gift certificate for a turtle sundae at an ice cream parlor a few towns over. We finally got around to using our coupons Friday. Little did we know that the Ice cream parlor was having a fund raiser for one of the area elementary schools. All you had to do was place your receipt in a bucket and a portion of the total went to the school. Even though we didn't pay for our dessert, we were still able to put our receipt in the bucket. It was like getting a reward for our reward.
Mrblocko was out with his friends on Saturday so Blockette and I went out for fun mommy-daughter time. I had a coupon for one of 3 different spice blends at Penzey and I let Blockette pick out which one we got. She had so much fun smelling all the herbs and spices in that store. It was hard to get her to leave.
Then, I had a coupon for a free cookie and small hot chocolate at Barnes and Noble. Blockette doesn't like to eat/drink anything that is above room temp and will scream like I'm making her imbibe molten lava. (Mmmmm...molten lava!) So, I did the only humane thing, I gave her the cookie and drank the hot chocolate myself. The sacrifices I make for the happiness of my child!
After we consumed our cookie/cocoa combo, we headed over to the mall and I used my coupon for a free pair of underwear from VS. I'm never going to have to wash underwear ever again because VS keeps sending me free coupons. Of course, I might have to wash my underwear more often if I ever actually changed it. (How often are you supposed to change your underwear anyhow? Every year? Month? I can never remember.)
Next, we went to Aunt Annie's and used our coupon for a free pretzel. Blockette thought it was super fun to share the giant pretzel. It was so fun in fact that she forgot about the fact that we left the Disney store without getting her anything Princess or Fairy related. Who knew Pretzels held that kind of power?
If all that wasn't enough free excitement, I brought the weekend to a fabulous end with a wonderful ear infection! For free! I didn't even have to pay for it. Isn't that awesome!!!! I'm so totally psyched!!!!! Can't you tell? With all these exclamation marks!!!! Now, could I get a free antibiotic at Meijer? No. Of course not. The kind I needed wasn't free. At least it was only $4 at Walmart. Yay Walmart Pharmacy!
Mrblocko was out with his friends on Saturday so Blockette and I went out for fun mommy-daughter time. I had a coupon for one of 3 different spice blends at Penzey and I let Blockette pick out which one we got. She had so much fun smelling all the herbs and spices in that store. It was hard to get her to leave.
Then, I had a coupon for a free cookie and small hot chocolate at Barnes and Noble. Blockette doesn't like to eat/drink anything that is above room temp and will scream like I'm making her imbibe molten lava. (Mmmmm...molten lava!) So, I did the only humane thing, I gave her the cookie and drank the hot chocolate myself. The sacrifices I make for the happiness of my child!
After we consumed our cookie/cocoa combo, we headed over to the mall and I used my coupon for a free pair of underwear from VS. I'm never going to have to wash underwear ever again because VS keeps sending me free coupons. Of course, I might have to wash my underwear more often if I ever actually changed it. (How often are you supposed to change your underwear anyhow? Every year? Month? I can never remember.)
Next, we went to Aunt Annie's and used our coupon for a free pretzel. Blockette thought it was super fun to share the giant pretzel. It was so fun in fact that she forgot about the fact that we left the Disney store without getting her anything Princess or Fairy related. Who knew Pretzels held that kind of power?
If all that wasn't enough free excitement, I brought the weekend to a fabulous end with a wonderful ear infection! For free! I didn't even have to pay for it. Isn't that awesome!!!! I'm so totally psyched!!!!! Can't you tell? With all these exclamation marks!!!! Now, could I get a free antibiotic at Meijer? No. Of course not. The kind I needed wasn't free. At least it was only $4 at Walmart. Yay Walmart Pharmacy!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Potato Kielbasa Bake
Have you ever made a dish that you love, but you are surprised how good it tastes every time you make it? This is the case for us with Rachael Ray's Potato Kielbasa Bake. I'm not quite sure how I even convinced Mrblocko that this dish would taste good. He's not a big fan of sauerkraut. I'm not either, but there was just something about this recipe.
As you can tell, the Potato Kielbasa Bake won't even qualify for runner up in any beauty pageants. She does win Miss Congeniality though. That's just as good, if not better, in my book. I know we eat with our eyes just as much as our tongues, but if given the choice, I'd rather eat a plate of something that makes you close your eyes and smile versus shiny plastic showroom food.
I've made a few changes here and there. The main change I've made is reducing kraut by about half. Feel free to look at the original recipe on the hyperlink at the top of the page if you are a big fan of sourkraut. Here is the version I make:
Potato Kielbasa Bake
2 T olive oil, divided
1 lb Kielbasa, cut on angle in 1" pieces
1 lb frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3 T flour
2 c chicken stock
1 c milk
3 T prepared yellow mustard
1 14 oz can sauerkraut
1 T butter
1/2-1 c shredded Swiss cheese
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Heat a large skillet on med-high with 1 T oil. Cook kielbasa until brown and crispy. (we cook ours until they are black. If yours get black, don't worry. They most likely aren't burnt. The sugars are just caramelized, and this is a good thing.) Remove sausage from the pan and set aside.
Cook the hashbrowns in the sausage drippings per the package directions. (I always need to use more oil to cook the hashbrowns.) Remove hashbrowns from pan, set aside.
In the same pan, add 1 T oil and crank the heat up to high. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they are brown and caramelized. (You could speed up the cooking time by using a different pan to simultaneously cook the sausage, hashbrowns, and onions. I hate washing dishes so I just use the same pan to cook everything.) Once the onions are browned to your liking, add the butter. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour to coat the onions. Cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in stock, milk and mustard. Bring the gravy to a bubble. Reduce the heat and then add the kraut. Cook until the gravy begins to thicken and the sourkraut is heated through, about 3-4 min.
Stir in the sausage. (At this point you can transfer the kraut/sausage mix to a 9x13 pan, but my largest pan has oven safe handles so in the name of not doing more dishes I just bake it in the skillet.) Spread the hashbrowns over the top of the kraut and kielbasa. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over the hashbrowns. Bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, about 15-20 min. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 min to give the gravy a chance to set.
As you can tell, the Potato Kielbasa Bake won't even qualify for runner up in any beauty pageants. She does win Miss Congeniality though. That's just as good, if not better, in my book. I know we eat with our eyes just as much as our tongues, but if given the choice, I'd rather eat a plate of something that makes you close your eyes and smile versus shiny plastic showroom food.
I've made a few changes here and there. The main change I've made is reducing kraut by about half. Feel free to look at the original recipe on the hyperlink at the top of the page if you are a big fan of sourkraut. Here is the version I make:
Potato Kielbasa Bake
2 T olive oil, divided
1 lb Kielbasa, cut on angle in 1" pieces
1 lb frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
3 T flour
2 c chicken stock
1 c milk
3 T prepared yellow mustard
1 14 oz can sauerkraut
1 T butter
1/2-1 c shredded Swiss cheese
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Heat a large skillet on med-high with 1 T oil. Cook kielbasa until brown and crispy. (we cook ours until they are black. If yours get black, don't worry. They most likely aren't burnt. The sugars are just caramelized, and this is a good thing.) Remove sausage from the pan and set aside.
Cook the hashbrowns in the sausage drippings per the package directions. (I always need to use more oil to cook the hashbrowns.) Remove hashbrowns from pan, set aside.
In the same pan, add 1 T oil and crank the heat up to high. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they are brown and caramelized. (You could speed up the cooking time by using a different pan to simultaneously cook the sausage, hashbrowns, and onions. I hate washing dishes so I just use the same pan to cook everything.) Once the onions are browned to your liking, add the butter. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour to coat the onions. Cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in stock, milk and mustard. Bring the gravy to a bubble. Reduce the heat and then add the kraut. Cook until the gravy begins to thicken and the sourkraut is heated through, about 3-4 min.
Stir in the sausage. (At this point you can transfer the kraut/sausage mix to a 9x13 pan, but my largest pan has oven safe handles so in the name of not doing more dishes I just bake it in the skillet.) Spread the hashbrowns over the top of the kraut and kielbasa. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over the hashbrowns. Bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, about 15-20 min. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 min to give the gravy a chance to set.
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