Hamburger Pot Pie - Dad's away, what will these kids eat?

So husband has left town for a guys trip to Florida.   Gone from today until Sunday.  So, as I need to do another recipe this week, the question is, what to make?
Found a recipe for hamburger pot pie.  Looks reasonably kid friendly, so will give it a try!

Hamburger Pie

Crust
2 cups flour
3/4 cup crisco
1 tsp onion salt
1/4 cup cold water
Cut crisco into flour with pastry blender.  Mix onion salt and water.  Sprinkle water a tbsp at a time.  Mix lightly with a fork until it comes together.  Form a ball with your hands.   Wrap in Saran and chill for 1 hr.

Filling
1 tbsp canola oil (oma called for crisco again, but I changed this)
1 lb ground beef, lean
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can green beans.  (I substituted 2 carrots, finely chopped)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 can tomato soup
Brown meat in oil.  Stir in Carrots, soup and seasonings.  (I added 1/2 cup water and let it simmer for 15 minutes to cook the carrots)

Roll out half of dough and line pie plate.   Add meat filling.  Roll out 2nd half of dough and cover.  Crimp edges, slit steam holes.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400.

The verdict
All kids ate it!!   Didn't even have to bribe with dessert.  Overall I'd call it a success.   My pastry was  a bit bland as what I had was onion powder, not onion salt.  I should have added some salt.  
I would make this again.

Fresh from the oven

thumbs up

no complaints

Round 2 - a new start

Ok, so the apple/pork chops kind of underwhelmed.   I'm getting back on the saddle today with "Sweet and Sour Chicken Drumsticks" served with "Hush Puppies" on the side.   Not sure what possessed me to do this on 'fright night' (the night with Sparks and Basketball running simultaneously, usually an excuse for me to make kraft dinner)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Drumsticks
12 chicken pieces
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
Cornstarch
Canola oil for frying

Skin chicken (oops, missed this step).  Beat egg, water and oil together.  Dip chicken in egg mixture and the sprinkle both sides with cornstarch.  Heat oil in heavy pan and brown chicken.  Place in large baking dish and pour sauce over.  Bake for 40 minutes at 375.

Sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp soya sauce
3/4 cup sugar


Hushpuppies
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 small onion diced very fine
1/2 cup milk
Stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix egg, onion and milk.  Batter should be stiff enough to drop, not pour.   Drop level tablespoons into deep, hot fat.  Turn until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel, serve at once.

Ok, not exactly a heart smart meal, but oh well.  I served this with coleslaw, apple sauce and some jello for dessert.

Reviews
Pretty successful!   Everyone ate both the chicken and the hushpuppies.  As the chicken was a bit wet, it couldn't really be picked up to eat.  The sauce was good.  Not sure if the kids would have enjoyed the hushpuppies were it not for the sweet and sour sauce to dip.   Easy.  Will make again!  (incidentally, the jello was a bust.  Am I the only idiot in the world who has trouble with this seemingly simple food?)

Hushpuppy batter, quite stiff

chicken being browned before baking

Bon Appetit!

January 16, 2010 - Pork Chop Apple Casserole, Cheese Scones and Butterscotch cake

Ok, we're off and running!   Thought I'd start with something that would probably be a hit with the kids.  Oma had the pork chop casserole listed along with the scones to be served together.     The butterscotch cake, which is credited as being from Liz Logan (my mother) seemed like an appropriate match.  

Pork Chop - Apple Casserole
4 pork chops, 1" thick
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tbsp brandy
1/4 cup dried thyme (I used 1 tbsp only)
Garlic
2 apples, cut into thick slices
Brown pork chops. Drain off fat.   Saute garlic for one minute.  Add brandy, apple juice and thyme.  Scrape pan to remove brown bits.   Put pork chops back in and put apple pieces around them.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, until meat is cooked and apples are soft.  Serve with hot cheese scones.

Cheese Scones
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup grated cheese
3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
dash of tabasco
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold shortening
1 1/4 cup milk
Cut shortening into flour and baking powder.  Add most of the cheese (reserve a small amount), bacon, salt and tabasco sauce.   Add milk gradually.  Stir until it forms a ball.  With hands, knead ball a few times.  Do not over-knead.  Shape with hands into a circle.  Pre-cut into sections, like a pie.   Place circle on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese   Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

Butterscotch Cake - Liz Logan
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups brodie flour (substitute 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cups raisins (optional, I didn't do this)
3/4 cup milk
Mix oil, sugar and eggs.  Beat well.  Gradually add flour and milk and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add raisins, if desired.  Bake in greased, square cake pan at 350 for 35 minutes.  Ice with glaze (below)

Glaze
1/4 cup soft margarine or butter
2 tbsp hot milk
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup icing sugar
Mix all and spread over cake while still warm so as to have a glaze effect.  



Reviews - Served on a Sunday evening to the immediate family

Philip - Liked the dessert and was happy to learn he'd get a piece in his lunch the next day.
Eleanor - Ate the most out of the kids.  Liked the scones

Michael - "Not a strong starter for the purpose of this blog"

Wilhelmina - Was in a bad mood so basically ate broccoli and butter only. Perked up for the cake.

Jodi - meh!    Not terrible, but not great.  Let's see what next week brings. 

Cake before icing

Pork chops being cooked

final result

Cake being eaten with icing

scones

How to proceed

I'm not sure how to proceed.  My initial idea was to number each recipe and randomly select a number each time I do groceries so that I can buy the supplies.   (my grocery lists have a very nerdy quality about them with meal planning written in etc).  

My hubby, the statistician (who I figured would enjoy my ordered approach), suggested that I should really rule with my heart on this and select recipes as I wish to use them.  For example, he said, if I'm going to a potluck lunch with my friends, I should seek out something appropriate.  My worry with this is that I will skip the scarier items (such as those which may involve liver, yuck).  

I think that each time I do meal planning (about every 5 days or so), I'll incorporate one savoury and one sweet.  My Oma obviously had a sweet tooth as a large % of the recipe boxes involve dessert.   The only items I may pass on are those in the canning section.  I have yet to embrace canning ever since reading "Larry's Party" (can you say botulism?).

Onward!  Next post will show some food results!

Day 1 - Never blogged before

So it's a new year and as always, I feel like I need a new project.   Hard to believe that making lunches and changing diapers lacks something, but alas, it's true.

In April of 2008, my Oma (grandmother), Wilhelmina Dirks passed away at the ripe old age of 92.   In addition to a small inheritance which I spent on a new Pandora charm for myself and a Wii for the family, I also received two recipe boxes.   Oma loved to cook.  The recipes are a mix of dutch traditions, scary concoctions straight from the 1970's (a bad decade for cuisine) as well as shared recipes from her many friends.   I was happy to get them and thought that I would be sure to use them and would spread the recipes around to my cousins and siblings.  However, upon receiving the recipe boxes, I promptly stuck them in a cupboard and haven't done anything with them since.  Did I mention that when she passed away I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd kid?   Anyway, things have been a bit busy for the past 2 1/2 years, but I'm ready to take a stab at it again!  Incidentally, my 3rd kid was named Wilhelmina, after Oma.

Take note - I'm hereby announcing that I will tackle the two recipe boxes.  No matter how weird the recipe, I will make it and test it on my poor husband and 3 kids.   Each recipe will get its own blog posting as well as reviews from myself and the family.