Misc. Recipe

One thing I really enjoy for dinner is sauerkraut with kielbasa served over mashed potatoes - but when I found the following recipe it is a close second.

Easy Sausage Bake With Sauerkraut and Apples
http://southernfood.about.com

1 large onion - thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large apples, peeled - cored, and diced
2 cups apple juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 pounds cold pack sauerkraut - rinsed and well drained
2 pounds smoked sausage - such as andouille, kielbasa
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Heat oven to 425°.
In a large ovenproof saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute the onion and sliced sausages in vegetable oil until onion is golden and sausage is lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the apples and saute for 1 minute longer. Add apple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, sauerkraut, and pepper. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Serve with crusty rolls or biscuits and a tossed salad. Serves 8 to 10.

This recipe I have used over cooked peas, as a chip dip and also as a spread on Ritz crackers.

Cream Cheese Olive Pimento Spread

www.food.com

8 ounces cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup finely chopped pimento stuffed olive
1/4 cup finely chopped pimentos
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Measure all ingredients into a small bowl. Blend well. Use as chip-dip or spread on crackers.

I made the following recipe exactly as printed but I think the next time I make it I will try some other vegetable then spinach - like chopped up broccoli or maybe even just a variety of cheeses. I felt the spinach was a little strong. It does make a very nice presentation though.

Rolled Omelet
www.macheesmo.com

8 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch spinach - chopped
1 cup pepper jack cheese - grated
Salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and milk. Crack in eggs and whisk well to combine until the mixture is a single consistency. Season eggs with a big pinch of salt and black pepper.
Chop off any large stems from spinach and rinse well. Roughly chop spinach.
In a large skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil and all the spinach over medium heat. Season spinach with a small pinch of salt and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove spinach from heat and let cool slightly.
Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Press the parchment paper into the corners of the dish and make sure it wraps up the sides a bit. Pour eggs into the dish which should keep the parchment paper in place.
Distribute wilted spinach over the top of the eggs and sprinkle with grated cheese. Don’t over-do it on the cheese.
Bake omelet for 18-20 minutes, rotating it once halfway through, until the eggs in the center are just set. There shouldn’t be any liquid on top, but try to remove it from the oven before the eggs overcook and crack.
Let omelet cool for a minute and then lift the parchment paper out of the baking dish. Fold down parchment paper edges and start rolling omelet.
Roll omelet into a tight cylinder and then slice into 8-10 even pieces with a serrated knife. Serve immediately!

A friend of mine gave me a jar of pickled carrots that she had made and I liked them so much I had to try making some myself. Hers were a little more crunchy, which I like and they weren’t so sweet, so I might look for another recipe to try. These are very good served as a side dish.

Pickled Carrots

Yield: 3 pints
4 lbs. carrots
1 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 c. acid white vinegar - 5%
1 1/2 c. water - soft water works best
1 T. mixed pickling spices
1 cinnamon stick
Wash and peel carrots. Slice 1/2” thick, using crinkle or straight blade. (Or cut in lengths to fit pint jar height minus 1” and then cut in long strips) Cook in a small amount of water until just tender, then drain.
Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a medium saucepan.
Tie mixed pickling spices and cinnamon stick in a cheesecloth bag (or spice holder or loose nonmetallic tea holder) and add to vinegar mixture.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard spice bag.
Pack carrots into hot sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2” head-space. Carefully ladle hot liquid over carrots, leaving 1/2” head-space. Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe jar rim clean and place lid on jar.
Process 30 minutes in a boiling water canner.

I always have Spam on hand and the other day I was hungry for soup and was looking through some recipes on my cookbook software and found this one. I would definitely make it again.

Spam Potato Chowder

1 med. Onion - chopped
1/2 c. Chopped celery
1 T. Butter
1 (7 oz.) can Spam luncheon meat; diced
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Condensed chicken broth -
1 c. Water
1 lb. (about 3 med.) Potatoes; peeled and diced
Freshly-ground black pepper - to taste
1 1/2 c. Half-and-half
1/4 c. Chopped fresh parsley
In medium saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Add Spam; cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth, water, potatoes, and pepper. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and parsley; heat and serve. Print this post