Fab Foodie Mama

Ravioli Ready for the Freezer I have published the recipe for my ravioli here on my blog previously-->>  Ravioli I wanted to do more of a step by step method with some photos from my 'test kitchen' here.  Hope this helps! Ravioli Filling: 1 lb Top Round Steak, trimmed 6 Slices (about half baguette) French Bread 4 - 5 Cloves Garlic or equivalent minced garlic 1 T Olive Oil 1 Can Spinach, drained 1 C Chicken Broth 3 Eggs, beaten 1 t Nutmeg 1 t Ground Cloves 1 t Salt 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese 1 C Fresh Parsley, chopped or 2-2 1/2 T dried  Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat and add the garlic.  Stir for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.   Cut up the round steak and add to pan.  Add salt and pepper.  Cook until well done.  Remove steak from pan and set aside.  Add chicken broth to plan and deglaze.  Remove from heat. Browning the round steak Put 4 pieces of bread into pan.  Remove.  Squeeze ou

My Grandma's Italian Style Chicken (aka Chicken Cacciatore ) is a quirky one and a tough one to get right consistently.  I'm going to try it here in real time and blog about it as I go. So far I have assembled a cut up chicken, with the skin kept on, in a roasting pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom.  I'm realizing that my pan is a bit too small.  I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and placed the chicken, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, uncovered in the oven until the skin gets browned and a bit crispy.  I'm hoping the bottom pieces get crispy or else I may switch them around in the pan during cooking. So,  after 15 minutes, I took the chicken out.  The top pieces were getting browned, but not underneath.  What I did was transfer the chicken to a larger roasting pan, spreading the pieces out more evenly and adding more oil and spices.  I set timer for 15 more minutes.  Note to self, get a large roasting pan with

Annie's Bridal Shower Our oldest daughter is getting married this summer.  Her bridal shower was on Sunday at our home.  There were about 25 women here and we all had a very nice time.  I prepared a lot of good food and had to time it precisely.  Several others helped me too.  My mom, Ruth, Rachel.  Rachel was the hostess.  She did the games and all the coordinating. The main dish was quiche.  I made five.  Two spinach and feta, one ham and swiss, one bacon and cheddar and one broccoli and cheese.   We had a cold broccoli salad and a pasta salad also - those were my Mom's and I don't have the recipe.  But will get it.  Here is the generic quiche recipe - add the ingredients I mentioned above.  It all cooks for the same amount of time, gratefully: Basic Quiche Ingredients:   4 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cups heavy cream Salt and pepper to taste 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, or frozen, thawed. Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

So today there was a little break in our sub zero temperatures.  It got up to 19 degrees and the sun is shining. I was in the mood for something simple and hearty today so I made some creamy chicken and rice soup.  Probably not the best for me with the butter and cream, but it is FAT TUESDAY, remember..... Creamy Chicken and (Wild) Rice Soup Foodie Mama's Super Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup Ingredients: 5 C Chicken Broth 1 C Uncooked White Rice or Wild Rice 2-3 C Cooked Chicken, Shredded 1 t White Pepper 1T Dehydrated Minced Onion 1/2 t salt 1/2 t celery salt 2 C Water 1-2 Carrots 1/2 C Butter 1/2 C Flour 1 1/2 C Heavy Cream Directions: In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water, celery salt, salt, pepper, onion, carrots and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 (long grain white rice) or 45 (wild rice) mins.  Remove from heat. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, me

Foodia Mama is on a roll with cooking (and blogging too!).  Today I made yummy creamy chicken enchiladas.  Here is the recipe.  The sauce can be modified to your liking (red sauce, verde sauce, etc...) Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients: 1 rottisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded 4 oz softened cream cheese 2 c shredded mexican blend cheese 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 c and 1 T milk 2 cans green chillies (I pureed mine in a blender for a more kid friendly version) 8 oz sour cream 10 7" flour or corn tortillas cooking spray cilantro (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, 1 T milk, 1 can green chilis, 1 C cheese and chicken. Put mixture in center of tortillas, roll up and place seam down in a greased casserole pan.  Set aside. For the sauce, combine the sour cream, 1 C milk, the other can of chilis and the soup. Pour sauce over enchiladas and bake for 35 minutes, c

Man, I feel so bad for all the people who have to work outside in the elements this Winter.  It has been so cold here.  We broke the record of consecutive days below freezing last week.  And while there were 2 days in the 30's we are now right back down hovering at zero +/- 5 degrees.  I feel fortunate to be able to work from my home office.  Tonight feels like a slow cooker night.  I don't even want to go to the store so am using what I have in the house. I had some frozen stew meat in the freezer and some egg noodles in the cupboard so I decided that Beef Stroganoff is a perfect option. I make mine with dill weed, mustard and a bit of sour cream.  It is soooo good and will be so warm this evening when Ron gets home from work and Will from school. Slow Cooker Beefy Stroganoff Ingredients:  2 lb stew meat (or other lean cut of beef, cut in 1" pieces) 3/4 c beef broth 2 T prepared mustard 2 t dill weed 1 T minced onion salt and pepper 1/4 c flour

Winter just won't give up it's grip on us here in the UP.  Ron and I got back last night from a week+  in Phoenix.  I worked all week and Ron tagged along this time with me to get out of the snow and cold for a bit.  We were scheduled to fly home from our connecting flight in Chicago on Friday night but flight was cancelled, and then cancelled again on Saturday.  So....we finally got a small break in the weather on Sunday night and were able to get home.  Had a couple of fun days in Chicago - shopping and dining out, but certainly very nice to be home after a whopping 8 days away. The last thing we wanted to do tonight was go out to eat.  As the temp is below 10 degrees F, warm comfort food was in order.  Porcupine Meatballs - a throwback from the 70's.  Yum... I'll name this version after the ski area in the Porcupine Mountains in the Western UP. Porcupine Mountain Meatballs: Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef 1/4 c water 1/2 c uncooked white rice 3 T

Dear Foodiemama Followers: Embarrassingly, I have not posted in over a year.  Those of you who live almost anywhere in the Continental US, you know we have been battling the Polar Vortex, which has been bringing in heaps of snow and sub zero temperatures.  The only good thing of all of this bad weather, is that I have been in the mood to cook, specifically comfort food to keep us warm.  I made this tonight.  It was one of the simplest dishes and so comforting.  I made this for dinner, but this is a great breakfast or brunch food as well. Happy 2014 Foodists! Buttermilk Biscuit Ham and Egg Bake Ingredients: 2 tubes of Buttermilk Biscuits (uncooked) 1 Dozen Eggs 1 C Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1/2 t Pepper 1/2 t Onion Powder Butter or cooking spray Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x11 casserole pan with butter or cooking spray.  Lay the biscuits evenly on the bottom of the pan.  In a large bowl, combine all other ingredient