I'm picking out a Thermos for you...

Beef and Pasta Portobello
-1 c. dried small-shell macaroni
-1 lb. lean ground  beef
-1 medium portobello mushroom, stem trimmed, cut into 3/4" cubes
-1 c. chopped onion
-1 medium garlic clove, minced
-1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
-1 (8 oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
-1/2 c. water
-1 bay leaf
-1 tsp. sugar
-1 tsp. salt-free Italian seasoning
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Prepare the macaroni according to package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain well, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, mushroom, onion and garlic for 8 to 10 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and the veggies are soft, stirring occasionally. Put in a colander and drain well. Blot with paper towels to remove excess fat. Wipe the skillet with paper towels. Return the drained mixture to the skillet.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the macaroni. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the macaroni is warmed through. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Makes 4 servings

*My notes on this recipe: I guess this was labeled low-sodium or something, but I can't recall. I used gemelli in place of the macaroni. I don't keep Italian seasoning on hand so I used oregano, thyme and a touch of sage (all dried). I DID use the crushed red pepper flakes-this dish needed something to give it a little life. I don't have a large enough skillet, so after draining the meat I moved it over to my stock pot/dutch oven thinger (really cheap and not a great piece, but it works-kind of...I need to buy pots and pans!)

I've been a few days behind on typing my meals in here, so I though I would type up what I missed from last week's main dishes.

Holiday Meatloaf
-2.5 lbs coarse ground chuck
-1/2 lb. ground pork
-2 c. chopped onion
-1.5 celery stalks, chopped (about 2/3 c.)
-3 Tbs. butter
-2 tsp. salt
-1.5 tsp. black pepper
-1 Tbs. Worcestshire sauce
-1/2 c. tomato ketchup
-1 c. stuffing mix
-2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-1/3 c. fresh minced parsley or 2 Tbs. dried parsley
-Purchased marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven for 350 F. Combine the ground chick and pork in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Microwave the onion and celery with butter for 3 minutes on HIGH (100 % power). Add seasonings and Worcestshire sauce and microwave an additional 30 seconds.
3. Add onion mixture, ketchup, stuffing mix, eggs and parsley to the meat mixture and mix until well combined. Divide between 2 loaf pans or 5 mini loaf pans.
4. Bake large pans for 1 hours, 15 to 20 minutes; mini pans, 1 hour. If frozen, thaw first and bake as directed.
5. Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes, covered, then drain rendered juices and transfer the loaf to a serving platter.
6. Add about 1/4 cup of the meat juices to the marinara sauce, and serve with the meat loaf. 
Makes 10 servings.

*My notes on this recipe: I used Stove Top (herb something or other) for the stuffing mix. I added in an extra 1/2 a celery stick, so it had just a tidbit more than in the recipe. I don't have a loaf or mini loaf pan (YET!!!), so I put these in paper cupcake liners in 2 (12 c.) muffin tins. 1 (12 c.) tin I baked as directed, and the other I froze (removing the cups after freezing and placing in freezer bags) for a later dinner. It might be trashy, but I don't care-I just had a little bit of ketchup on the side and skipped the marinara sauce! 
I thought this recipe was lovely.


Un-Fried Chicken Fingers
-Nonstick cooking spray
-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-Ice water
-1/2 c. light mayonnaise
-1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
-1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
-1 Tbs. Old Bay seasoning
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning
-1/8 tsp. black pepper
-Dash of cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
-1/2 tsp. dried basil
-1/2 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Set a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray the rack generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Put the chicken in a large bowl of ice water. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl. Set both bowls aside.
3. Put remaining ingredients (bread crumbs through oregano) in a pie plate, and combine well.
4. One at a time, remove the chicken breasts from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off fat. Between 2 sheets of wax paper, pound the chicken breast with a mallet or rolling pin until it is about 1/3" thick. Cut the chicken into strips.
5. Brush the mayonnaise-and-mustard mixture on each piece of chicken until coated thoroughly, then transfer the chicken to the pie plate and bread each piece. Put the chicken on the prepared rack and spray each piece lightly with cooking spray. Repeat process with remaining chicken breasts.
6. Place the baking sheet in the bottom shelf of the oven, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the coating crisps and browns.
Serve with barbecue sauce or another dipping sauce. Makes 5 servings.

*My notes on this recipe: I skipped the Old Bay and Creole seasoning (didn't have any and didn't pick up any at the store-oops), and added in a dash of paprika, seasoning salt, and garlic powder. We at this with Hidden Valley spicy ranch-very good! Also-who decided to call them chicken fingers? Chickens don't have fingers.

Stuffed Pork Chops
-3 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
-2 shallots, finely chopped
-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-8 oz. mustard greens, stems removed, leaves torn into small pieces
-4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, finely diced
-1 c. finely diced cornbread (from purchased cornbread, corn muffin, or toaster corncake)
-1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
-8 boneless pork loin chops (6 oz. each), 1.25" thick
-1/2 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
-1 Tbsp. olive oil

1. Cook bacon slowly in a large saute pan or Dutch oven over low heat, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Discard all but 1.5 Tbs. bacon drippings from skillet.
2. Add shallots and garlic to drippings, cook over medium heat 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add greens, cover pan and cook 7 to 9 minutes, stirring twice, until greens are tender. Cool completely. Stir in cheddar, cornbread, Parmesan, and bacon.
3. Place pork chops on a flat surface; with a sharp paring knife, make a 1" incision on meaty side of each chop. Swipe the blade back and forth inside the chop to make a pocket all the way back to the fat side of the chop, without cutting through the chop. Stuff each chop with a heaping 1/4 c. stuffing. Wrap each chop tightly in plastic wrap and pack in a freezer container; freeze up to 1 month.
4. Thaw chops in refrigerator overnight.
5. Heat oven to 375 F. Season chops with salt and pepper; secure openings with toothpicks when thawed. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet; add chops and cook 2 minutes per side, until browned. Cover skillet and transfer to oven; bake 15 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 155 F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove chops to a platter; cover with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Remove toothpicks before serving.
Makes 8 servings.

*My notes on this recipe:I made the cornbread myself (from a Jiffy cornbread mix)-ended up only using 1/4 of the pan, so I had leftovers-yay!(I like cornbread). I accidentally didn't get thick enough pork chops, so it was slightly more difficult to create and fill the pockets. They also didn't take quite as much stuffing. I didn't do the make-ahead-and-freeze method as suggested by the recipe-just prepared and cooked them all in one night. I really liked the way this dish turned out, though!

All-in-all, as far as percentage of total entrees tasting delicious, I'd have to say this was my most successful holiday meal yet. Every dish received praise, especially the Twice-Baked Potato Casserole. I was really pleased with the way my Granny Doris' roll recipe came out.

Cola Basted Ham
-1 (8-10 lb; 1.5-2 lbs per person) ham
-2 (12 oz) cans Coca-Cola (this year I did Dr. Pepper-just as good!)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Rinse the ham and pat dry.
3. Place ham, fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Baste with some of the cola and cover with foil.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes per pound of ham, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees F. Baste with cola about every 30 minutes during cooking.

*My notes on this recipe: I love it! It's easy and delicious.

Spaghetti Squash
Squash:
-1 spaghetti squash (2.5-3 lbs)
-1/2 c. water

Herbed Butter Sauce:
-3 Tbs. butter, melted
-1/4 c. chicken broth
-1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
-1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. black pepper

1. Squash: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut squash in half lengthwise, starting at the stem end. With a spoon or melon baller, remove seeds. Places squash halves, cut-side down, in roasting pan. Add water. Cover with foil.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for an hour or until squash is fork-tender. Remove from oven, keep covered.
3.Herbed Butter Sauce: In glass bowl or measuring cup, combine butter and chicken broth. Heat in microwave on HIGH power for 1 minute. Remove thyme leaves and oregano from stems. Add to butter-broth mixture.
4. Using fork, shred squash into strands. Place strands in large bowl. Add sauce, salt and pepper; toss.

*My notes on this recipe: I HATED spaghetti squash when I was little-I've since changed my mind, even though the squash was a pain in the butt to cut in half. However, for just a little bit of effort, I was rewarded with a delicious side dish.


Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
-8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
-1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
-1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, softened
-1 pint sour cream
-2 c. (1/2 lb) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided use)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1.5 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1/4 c. chopped chives, for garnish
-6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Pierce potatoes and place on baking pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft.
2. Peel and mash potatoes in large bowl with potato masher or back of fork. Add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and 1 cup of cheddar. Stir well. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir again.
3. Spray a 13x9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place potato mixture in dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate casserole until ready to bake.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F, remove plastic wrap and bake casserole 30-35 minutes until hot. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese over casserole and return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.

*My notes on this recipe: I didn't use "baking potatoes"- I used 4 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes because I love them and they had a 'buy one 5lb. bag, get one free' deal at Albertson's. Also, I RARELY every use chives-98% of the time, I substitute the green ends of green onions/scallions and it works perfectly. It SAYS the chives and bacon are just garnish but they really added an extra little bit of deliciousness to the recipe.


Granny Doris' Hot Rolls
-3/4 c. sugar
-1.5 tsp. salt
-1 pkg. dry yeast 
-2 eggs
-2/3 c. soft shortening (Crisco)
-3 medium baking/mashing potatoes
-7.5 c. all-purpose flour

1. Scrub, peel, and cut potatoes into small pieces. Boil in a large saucepan until fork tender. Reserve 1.5 c. of the cooking water. Mash the potatoes very well (try to get all chunks mashed) to make approximately 1.5 c. mashed potatoes.
2. Mix water, sugar, and salt together in a very large mixing bowl. Add yeast. Then add eggs, shortening, and mashed potatoes. Mix flour in, one cup at a time, starting with a spoon, and when it gets more difficult to stir, by hand. Knead the dough until smooth and place in a large greased bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Pinch of small amounts and form into the roll of your choice. Let rise until doubled in size. 
4. Preheat oven to 400 F and bake until the tops of the rolls are lightly browned. Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks (be prepared for dough to continue to rise in the fridge-use a container that can hold it!).

*My notes on this recipe: Again, I used the Yukon Gold. If you have too many potatoes for 1.5 cups of mashed, save them for the Twice-Baked Potato Casserole, or just mash, season, and eat! I made my rolls into little balls, then put 3 little balls together to make a little 3-leaf clover looking thingy.


 

This year, Christmas dinner is going to be a little simpler than usual. I'm tired and don't have the time or the money to go all-out as usual. 
The menu includes:

Cola Basted Ham (this year I'm trying it with Dr Pepper instead of Coca-cola-cross your fingers for me!)
Grandma Doris' Hot Potato Rolls
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
"Kicked Up" Deviled Eggs
Spaghetti Squash (w/herbed butter sauce)
and
the Traditional Pumpkin Pie that I made and froze on Thanksgiving

The Cola Basted Ham is something I've made a few years now. The potato rolls are my grandmother's recipe, many years old but this will be the first time I make them-wish me luck! The Twice Baked Potato casserole and Spaghetti Squash are new recipes for me, and I make the "Kicked Up" Deviled Eggs every chance I get.

Recipes will be coming after the meal (you know... Tuesday?).
 
And on a side note, I find that this is my favorite "I can has cheeseburger" picture for the moment:

Notes from the creator/author of this recipe (not myself):
"I make this using Spanish chorizo, which is a hard, smoked sausage that can be sliced. If you can't find it, use the Mexican variety or spicy Italian pork sausage in its place. Remove the casings, crumble the sausage, and cook it all the way through before adding it to the dish."

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes


-1 Tbs. olive oil
-2 links Spanish chorizo (about 8 oz), thinly sliced on the diagonal
-1 c. chopped red onion
-8 oz linguine
-4 c. loosely packed spinach, washed, drained, and trimmed of tough stems
-2 tomatoes, cored, chopped (about 1 c.)
-1/4 c. dry red wine
-4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 c.)
-1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
-6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
-1/4 tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and onion and cook, stirring 3 to 4 minutes, until chorizo is brown and onion is translucent.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Stir in linguine and cook until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain linguine, reserving 1 c. of pasta water. Transfer pasta to skillet with chorizo and onion.
3. Over medium-high heat, add spinach, tomatoes, wine, and enough of the pasta water to make the pasta slippery. Cook, stirring 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted and ingredients are warmed through. Remove from heat; stir in goat cheese, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.
Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is (I believe) from Family Circle magazine.

*My notes on this recipe: I was having a terrible time finding chorizo of any kind, so I substituted hot italian sausage. Unfortunately, I only had about half the amount the recipe calls for, so I added a little extra red onion (1 whole medium red onion chopped, in total) to make up for the bulk. I was able to find pre-bagged spinach that was already trimmed, washed and ready to put into the recipe at Central Market. I substituted spaghetti (as I had far too much of it) for the linguine. Again, as with my previous recipes, I was unable to find good basil, so I omitted the basil from this dish. It was still pretty darn good.