Fried Ravioli

Ingredients:
1 c. fine bread crumbs (purchased)
1/4 c. Parmesan, grated
1 T. paprika
3 eggs
3 T. milk
1 pkg. frozen ravioli (9oz.)
3/4 c. flour
4 c. vegetable oil
1 jar purchased marinara sauce for dipping
parsley, minced

Directions:
Combine crumbs, Parmesan, and paprika in a resealable plastic bag. Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl.
Dredge ravioli first in flour, dip in egg wash, then coat in the bread crumbs. Chill on a rack for 15 minutes.
Heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees in a high sided pot.
Fry ravioli in batches until golden, 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce; garnish with cheese and parsley.

Makes 20 ravioli. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
This is super simple to make. Quick and easy and it tastes good.

Meatloaf

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 t. salt
2 eggs
16 saltine crackers, crushed
1 onion, chopped (or dried onion)
1 t. Worcestershire
1/2 can tomato soup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl being sure not to over mix.
Place mixture into a bread pan.
Cover the meatloaf with the remaining tomato soup.
Cook for 1 1/2-2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees.

Total time 15 minutes + cooking time

Verdict:
Blake loves this meatloaf and I normally have all of the ingredients on hand. Win/win.

Tamale Corn Cakes With Carnitas

For the corn cakes:
3 cups water
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/3 c. masa harina
3 c. fresh corn kernels, pulsed in a food processor
1 c. Parmesan, grated
1/2 t. cayenne
salt to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 T. milk
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. vegetable oil

For the carnitas:
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. prepared yellow mustard
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. cayenne
3 c. leftover cooked meat (pork, rotisserie chicken)

For the corn cakes:
Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Simmer water in saucepan. Whisk cornmeal gradually into water then whisk in masa harina. Stir in the corn and cook until mixture is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add Parmesan, cayenne, and salt.
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and chill for 1 hour. When firm, cut into cakes using a biscuit cutter.
Dip cakes into the egg mixture, then dust with flour. Fry in oil in a saute pan, browning on both sides. Transfer cakes to a paper lined plate and serve.

For the carnitas:
Simmer all ingredients (except meat) in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add meat; cook until hot.

Makes 10-12 corn cakes and 3 c. carnitas. Total time 1 hour + chilling.

Verdict:
When I made these I forgot to put the corn in the food processor. I also don't think I cooked them long enough so when I was cutting them they didn't hold their shape so I just molded them with my hands. It seemed to work out pretty well. When I was cooking these I expected them to be dense. When we ate them they were hollow in the middle. Blake and I both liked these. We were not really a fan of the carnitas. It was a little too sweet for our liking.

Reuben Egg Roll Wraps

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sauerkraut, drained
1 1/2 t. caraway seeds
juice of 1/2 a lemon
6 oz. corned beef, thinly sliced, cut into strips
4 oz. swiss cheese, thinly sliced, cut into strips
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 T. water
8 egg roll wrappers
2 T. prepared yellow mustard
1 c. vegetable oil
purchased thousand island dressing

Directions:
Saute sauerkraut and caraway in a skillet. When most of the moisture has evaporated and sauerkraut begins to brown, stir in lemon juice; set aside. Prepare corned beef, cheese and egg wash.
Arrange an egg roll wrapper on a work surface with a corner toward you. Brush edges with egg wash. Place a strip of cheese on the wrapper about 1" above the bottom corner, then top with strips of beef and about 3 T. sauerkraut; drizzle with mustard.
Fold the bottom corner up over the fillings to enclose, fold in the sides, then roll to the top corner of the wrapper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add half the egg rolls and fry on all sides until brown and crisp, 5-7 minutes; drain on paper towels while frying remaining rolls. Serve egg rolls with thousand island dressing for dipping.

Makes 8 egg rolls. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I saw these and thought "this is a perfect way to use up my leftover corned beef." I was a little worried about Blake liking them. He doesn't like sauerkraut, he doesn't really like swiss, and he doesn't like reubens. I figured it was going to be a hard sell. Guess what? He liked them. Crazy but true. I liked them too.

Menu

Mon: Reuben Egg Roll Wraps

Tue: Tamale Corn Cakes With Carnitas

Wed: Meatloaf

Thur: Fried Ravioli

Fri: Meatloaf Sandwiches

Desert: Dreamy Cream Horns

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:
1 c. celery, sliced thinly
1/2 c. onion, diced
4 T. butter
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 c. green bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar, shredded
1 jar pimiento (4 oz.), diced
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. garlic, minced
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. dry sherry
2 c. cooked chicken, diced
1 1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted and divided
8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
1/4 c. Parmesan, shredded

Direction:
Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 3 qt. baking dish with nonstick spray.
Saute celery and onion in butter in a large saucepan, 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper, cook 3 minutes more. Blend in flour; add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheddar, pimiento, Worcestershire, salt, red pepper, garlic, pepper, and nutmeg, stirring to melt cheddar. Stir in sherry.
Add chicken, 3/4 c. almonds, and spaghetti to the saucepan; transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Mix the remaining 3/4 c. almonds with Parmesan; sprinkle over top of spaghetti mixture.
Bake tetrazzini, uncovered, until bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. Total time 1 hr. 15 min.

Verdict:
Eeew. Not good. I didn't even want to eat leftovers.

(Teri-the lady that made the tetrazzini must have had a better recipe than me. I couldn't steal any man with this.)

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:
3 bags of popped microwave popcorn
2 sticks of butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients together in a pot (except popcorn) and bring to a boil.
Boil until it reaches a soft ball stage on a candy thermometer.
Pour mixture over popcorn and mix together well.

Total time 30 minutes. Serves a lot.

Verdict:
My friend Cathy used to make this for me. She would send a bag home with me and I would eat it all myself. Because it is gooey, sticky, yummy goodness. If you are one of those people, like Blake, that like crunchy popcorn then this is not for you. But you "only like crunchy caramel corn popcorn eaters" are silly. That being said...when I asked Cathy for the recipe this was included in the directions and I thought it was funny.

"If you're feeling a whole lot of love for your family, it helps if you try to sift out the kernels that didn't pop before you pour the caramel over it."

Black Bean Chorizo Chili With Cheddar Cornbread

For the chili:
2 t. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
12 oz. ground chorizo sausage
2 t. garlic, minced
12 oz. beef broth
3 cans black beans, rinsed, drained (14.5oz each)
1 can diced tomatoes (28oz)
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. lime juice

For the garnish:
1 avocado, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 c. sour cream

For the cornbread:
1 c. flour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
3/4 c. sharp cheddar, diced

For the chili:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
Cook bell pepper, onion and jalapeno in hot oil until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo and garlic. Cooked until chorizo is cooked though, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in beef broth. Reduce heat to med and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add beans, tomatoes, and ground cumin. Simmer 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice.
Serve with garnish and cornbread.

For the cornbread:Preheat oven to 425.
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Combine eggs and milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Stir in melted butter and cheddar into mixture just until combined.
Pour batter into a greased 9 inch cake pan. Bake until cornbread is lightly browned and top springs back when touched, 20-25 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. Total time 40 minutes.

Verdict:
Don't you just love chili on a cold day? Add a Mexican twist and you have some good grub. The cilantro and lime juice in the chili really made all the difference. I couldn't find uncooked chorizo so I used already cooked (it looked like sausage links). The cornbread was good too. We made some honey butter to have with it.

Caramel Pecan Tart With Chocolate Sauce

For the dough:
Cream; Add:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
minced zest of 1/2 an orange

For the filling:
Bring to a boil; Add and fold in:
1 1/2 sticks butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. light corn syrup
3 T. sugar
3 T. heavy cream
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted

For the chocolate sauce:
Simmer; Pour over:
1/3 c. heavy cream
1 T. light corn syrup
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

For the crust:
Coat a 9 inch tart pan with nonstick spray. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cream one stick of butter and sugar in bowl with a hand mixture until light. Add yolk and vanilla, beat until combined, then add flour, salt and zest. Mix just until a dough forms.
Press dough evenly into tart pan, trimming excess from the edges. Chill until firm, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Place tart on prepared baking sheet and bake until crust is dry to the touch but hasn't begun to brown, 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

For the filling:
Mix all ingredients for filling in a pan except for pecans and bring to a boil. Boil until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Off heat stir in pecans.
Pour mixture into tart shell, return to the oven and bake until filling is bubbly and crust is brown, about 20 minutes. Let tart cool completely before slicing.

For the sauce:
Simmer cream and corn syrup for the sauce in a small saucepan. Pour mixture over chocolate, let stand 2 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Serve tart with chocolate sauce over top.

Makes one 9 inch tart. Total time 1 1/2 hours + cooling.

Verdict:
Oh this was so good. I had to give away the remainder so I wouldn't eat it all. Because I would. Every last bite. It tastes like a turtle candy bar. Good.