shrimp victoria
Posted: August 20, 2018 Filed under: appetizers, seafood | Tags: butter, flour, lemon juice, mushrooms, onion, parsley, pepper, rice, seasoned salt, shrimp, sour cream, toast, worcestershire sauce 3 Comments
Tales From The Sea
I found this recipe folded in my Mom “Betty’s” index card holder. I recognized her handwriting immediately.
There’s no doubting Mom’s love for seafood as this recipe is one of several shrimp recipes I’ve discovered in her cookbook (surf the shrimp recipe archive).
While I tell a few funny stories on this food blog about my dislike for most types of seafood, this recipe is delicious, proving once again that my distaste for seafood is waning. Mom would be proud.
The Write Stuff
I look closer at the paper containing the recipe and notice the phone number “CA6-4141”. I was time-warped back to an era when phone numbers began with exchange names. Exchanges were phased out in the 1960s and 70s, so this would date the origin of this recipe back about 50 years ago. The number CA6-4141? “CA” stood for “Capitol” which translated to “22” so the full phone number would have been 226-4141. Confusing short-code, huh? Today San Antonio has 10-digit dialing like most large cities. The city’s newest area code 726 went into effect in 2017 and made me smile because 726 is my birthdate, July 26th.
Also on the paper recipe (below) I see The Clegg Company. A quick Google and this San Antonio Business Journal article popped-up in sight. I was surprised to learn that the then 104-year-old retailer was purchased by Herman Miller – the maker of the iconic Herman Miller Aeron chair. This very chair was one I sat on during my days working for a large internet consultancy that went belly up after the dot-com bust. That’s another long twisty, turbulent story for another day!
While stories like these likely don’t mean much to folks outside my family I include them here as an example of the amazing ways we are connected to the past if we’re open to it. All this from a Shrimp Victoria recipe scribbled on a notepad… and tucked away for more than 50 years!
Foodie Tips
❤ The rice was good but believe it or not I’m trying buttered toast on the next go (we were out of bread)!
❤ Not sure how to clean and devein your shrimp? I’ve included a couple of YouTube videos below that will show you how easy it is!
❤ I thought I was being fancy by letting my shrimp marinate overnight in the fridge. Turns out that it’s not really necessary! My online sleuthing showed that a 30-minute marinade should be fine but with an acid-based marinade (this recipe has lemon juice) the shrimp can turn “mushy” as the acid can start to break down the shrimp. I didn’t experience this with my dish, however!
❤ While stores may not be consistent in how they classify shrimp, when you’re at the seafood counter there’s a method to the madness for how many shrimp typically come per pound (this is indicative of their size). Resources that will be helpful include the Certi-Fresh Shrimp Sizing Guide you can print, and keep with your cookbooks (score!)… and the Farm to Table guide that provides some detail on larger-sized shrimp. Now you’ll be able to decipher shrimp-like code like PUD, P&D, U/15, and 61/70!
i. Time
Total prep: About 30 minutes.
ii. Ingredients
½ cup | unsalted butter (my grandmother “Nanny” insisted on Falfurrias)
1 ½ pounds | cleaned, raw shrimp
½ cup | onion, chopped
1 cup | fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons | lemon juice
1 tablespoon | worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons | flour
1 ½ teaspoons | seasoned salt
dash | fresh cracked black pepper
1 ½ cups | sour cream
1 tablespoon | fresh parsley, chopped
to serve | rice or buttered toast (optional)
iii. What to do
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter. Cook shrimp and onion, stirring until the shrimp is almost tender, about 5 minutes.
A Mound Of Sour Cream? Texans “Yee Haw” About This!
2. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the flour, seasoned salt and black pepper. Then the sour cream. Return the skillet to the heat and cook over low heat stirring until hot, but not boiling.
4. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once over rice or buttered toast.
Yields 6 servings
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Shrimp Victoria Recipe ~ Note The Suggested Pairings
For The Perfect Meal (see bottom of recipe)
special baked chicken
Posted: January 31, 2018 Filed under: meats poultry and fish | Tags: bacon, chicken breast, chipped beef, dried beef, mushroom soup, rosemary, sour cream Leave a comment
This special recipe is dedicated to Alison ~
her kindness reminds me to never underestimate
the power of a Cousin.
~ ♥ ~
This recipe crept into my life several decades after it was penned from a very lovable and surprising person. I didn’t discover the recipe among the hundreds of my Mom “Betty’s” other recipes — I found it in my mailbox!
While recently packing up her family’s belongings to move near my childhood home in San Antonio my Cousin Alison came across this recipe from her Grandmother Delores’ cookbook and was kind enough to send it to me along with a few other recipes that will be soon joining the digital archives here at Betty’s Cook Nook. Alison knew what these recipes would mean to me!
The connection? Delores is my Mom “Betty’s” older — and only — Sister and this recipe is one of a precious few that have found its way to the Betty’s Cook Nook archive that was otherwise missing from my Mom’s cookbook. So Texas-sized props to my Cousin Alison!
A healthy appetite for family
When you’re a grown adult it’s not every day someone seemingly new arrives into your heart. Over the past few years Alison has shown me that even a part of my familiar family can have a surprising impact decades after we first knew each other. I love uncovering all the ways we are alike even when I’m not mining for things in common; a crescendo I hope has no end.
One such example is our thirst for our family genealogy. I heard from my family that Alison had great skills and interest for researching our past but it wasn’t until this month when I realized how true this was!
As a self-proclaimed internet researcher I pride myself on being able to find a lot of things online thru keyword and image searches. Heck, it was this post that helped me reunite with my Mom and her Sister’s childhood home here in Austin 80 years after it was built!
The Horní Lideč Coat of Arms
Shortly after receiving the recipes, Alison and I were geeking out via fierce sms txt exchanges after dual-searching a missing part of our family’s history — my Grandmother “Nanny’s” father, “Joe,” Betty’s Grandfather. I literally knew nothing about him but Alison found out from Census records she accessed on Ancestry.com that Joe was an orphan who came to the U.S. when he was a mere 9 years old! Joe hailed from a tiny village named Horní Lideč in Moravia — a country that is now part of the Czech Republic — and wound up in the farm country of Dime Box, Texas, where my Mom was born… and close to where Alison and I went to college. Gig ‘Em! Alison and I are currently on the hunt for more clues for how we can better know this branch of our family tree.
A wild and wicked past
Not only did the resiliency of my Great Grandfather’s history fuel my curiosity and ignite my respect but Alison told me she discovered her several times great Grandmother was Martha Carrier, a Puritan accused, convicted, and hanged in 1692 for reportedly being a witch during the Salem Witch Trails! Pure craziness! 19 years after Martha’s death the Massachusetts government awarded her family 7 pounds and 6 shillings and reversed the conviction. So humbling!
Martha – along with 19 others are recognized at Salem’s Witch Trials Memorial. I’ve only been to Salem once — on a dark 1990s Halloween’s Eve no doubt. Should my feet adventure to this part of America again, I’ll make sure and visit the memorial site which honors the past by perpetuating the unwavering commitment to social justice.
So what does all this have to do with special baked chicken? Well, quite a lot! Had Alison not sent me the almost-forgotten recipe we likely wouldn’t have dove deep into our family’s roots … or found a dish I hope to meet and eat again! Along the way we shared, learned, laughed, *and gasped* at what we discovered.
The point of all of this is know your family. Not just your nuclear family but as much of where you’ve came from that you can discover! And food is a wonderful way to connect and share the best of family along the way.
On to the most special baked chicken recipe I know!
Foodie Tips
❤ Apparently sliced dried beef is super salty and we forgot to run water over it per the instructions. I’d suggest following this step!
❤ Lover of the dried beef, are you? Well, you’re not alone. While one of my Nieces hates dried beef (a.k.a. chipped beef) with a passion she does hold a high regard for its historical significance. Check out this other BCN recipe where we explore another way to fashion dried beef into a, ahem, culinary delicacy.
❤ Of special note: My Mom advised this recipe can be delayed in a “slower oven” if guests are late.
i. Ingredients
3 ounce package | sliced dried beef
3 large | chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved
6 slices | bacon
to sprinkle | fresh rosemary, chopped
1 can | mushroom soup
1 cup | sour cream
ii. What to do
0. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
1. Run cold water over the dried beef. Dry then place the beef in a 12” x 8” x 2” baking dish.
2. Place the prepared chicken breasts on top of the beef.
3. Top each breast with a slice of bacon then sprinkle with the fresh rosemary. Place in your oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. While the meats are cooking combine the mushroom soup and the sour cream. When “time’s up” on the chicken pour the sour cream mixture over the chicken and continue baking 40-50 minutes at 350°F. Baste here and there, making sure to not disrupt the layering of the chipped beef and the bacon.
Yields 4-6 servings.
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Copy Of Mom’s Recipe – As Penned By My Aunt Delores (Betty’s SIster).
lemon light drop cookies
Posted: April 30, 2017 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, baking soda, eggs, flour, lemon extract, lemon yogurt, lemon zest, salt, shortening, sour cream, sugar 4 Comments
the power of lemon
Those who know me well know my love for lemons.
I’ve grown a few lemon trees from seed, I make my own limoncello, and anytime I incorporate the bright, citrusy flavor into food or drink, I’m reminded of its amazing power.
puttin’ on the spritz
After mastering the simple art of the drop cookie, I was ready to raise the bar by trying my hand with my cookie press, which I recently discovered due to this cheese straws recipe.
My Mom “Betty” had a metal cookie press that I remember well, but where do pressed cookies come from? I wasn’t too surprised to learn they originate from Germany… all the way back to the 16th century. Spritzgebäck or “Spritz” cookies are pressed butter cookies that are made by squirting dough through disks that make a variety of cool-shaped cookies. The cookie press is like a baker’s version of everyone’s favorite childhood toy – Play-Doh!
Hungry for more cookie history? You can learn a lot of interesting facts about the origins of cookies at this website.
foodie tips
❤ If using self-rising flour, decrease the soda to ¼ teaspoon and omit the baking powder and salt.
❤ The original recipe (below) makes about 70 2 ½” cookies. That’s right, 70! Since we weren’t having a party I decided to cut the recipe in half, which still yielded over 30 cookies.
❤ For the second half of my dough I experimented with my cookie press and was able to churn out some fun-shaped cookies*. Whether you try this or go the simple “drop” route, I wouldn’t suggest hand-rolling the dough into balls; these lost some of their charm and looked more like mini biscuits than cookies. So drop or cookie press all the way!
* Note: To get my cookie press to best form the dough, I chilled the dough-filled press in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen the dough. I clicked the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and voilà!
i. ingredients
to grease cookie sheet | shortening or cooking spray
1 ½ cups | sugar
1 cup | shortening, at room temperature
1 tablespoon | lemon peel, freshly grated
2 | cage free eggs
1 cup | sour cream or lemon yogurt (I used sour cream, my childhood BFF)
1 teaspoon | lemon extract
3 ½ cups | Pillsbury brand all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons | baking powder
½ teaspoon | baking soda
½ teaspoon | salt
to sprinkle | sugar
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Let’s make the dough! In a large bowl, cream the sugar, shortening, and lemon peel until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the sour cream (or yogurt) and lemon extract mix well. Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup; level off. To the batter add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend well.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar before placing them into the oven.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a light golden brown around the edges.
Enjoy!
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A Scan Of Mom’s Recipe Clipping
Here are some vintage Play-Doh commercials from me to you!
black forest squares
Posted: October 3, 2015 Filed under: desserts | Tags: almonds, brandy, cherries, chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, cornstarch, crème de cassis, milk, sour cream, sugar, whipping cream Leave a comment
Just like bad hair days, not every single food photo I take turns out amazing. This is one of them! But I promise you this tasted oh, so good!
Into The Forest We Go
When the word “forest” comes to mind, I often think about the first forest I ever visited – the San Isabel National Forest in Colorado.
Time warp 1980. It was the year of my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary and in the San Antonio Express News Mom read about a small, charming getaway in south central Colorado called Cuchara (Spanish for “spoon”). The article tugged at her heart and a family trip to Cuchara was going to happen! Since the only vacations I had been on were to the Texas Coast and one trip to Nuevo Laredo where I spent more time in the hotel sick than out and about, I knew we were in for a big treat – even bigger than when the Brady Bunch went camping.
Our Kiker family of five piled into two cars and with our CB radios at the ready we made the 12+ hour drive from San Antonio to Cuchara. Just inside the Colorado state line I remember my first few moments outside of the car – the air smelled so foreign … and fresh! It was like Mother Nature had sprayed air freshener and beauty in all directions!
Resting at an altitude of 8,468 feet, Cuchara had no stop lights and a year-round population about 100 strong. So this was a place you came to unwind. Fishing, horseback riding, hiking, sitting and staring this way and that (literally) – all the things we didn’t do in our usual city life. Mom and Dad rented a cabin at Yellow Pine Ranch – a working dude ranch with everything you’d expect and more. Here along the Cuchara River there was a pond, horses and even a donkey named “Cucklebur.”
Into The Forest We Go!
The National Forest was expansive and we had fun enjoying the views from our 1970s Toyota Land Cruiser. Mountains, pine trees and quaking aspens were abound and my Dad later referred to this land as “God’s Country.” It came as no surprise that in November of the same year Mom and Dad were back in Cuchara scouting for land to purchase so they could build a cabin in the woods – a joint venture with their friends Margie and Herb from Waco.
That is the kind of effect the beauty of a forest can create! Now let’s make black forest squares!
foodie tips ~
❤ As my kitchen smarts continue to deepen, I’m reminded that all pans are not alike! Glass and metal pans cook differently and you might find that if you’re cake is a little burned around the edges, you might switch to metal bakeware. Here’s why.
❤ In the 1970s while whip cream often came from the can, these days I use my gourmet whipper which creates a super fresh whip. When you make your own whipped topping you can flavor the creams but for this recipe we chose to go with the standard recipe.
i. ingredients
1 package | chocolate cake mix
8 ounces | sour cream
1 package (4-serving size) | instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup | milk
¼ cup | crème de cassis … or brandy (I had brandy on hand)
16 ounce can | pitted dark sweet cherries
2 tablespoons | sugar
1 tablespoon | cornstarch
to serve | fresh whipping cream
¼ cup | sliced almonds, toasted
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Turn batter into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out of the middle clean. Cool completely in pan.
2. In a large mixer bowl beat together the sour cream, dry pudding mix, ⅓ cup of the milk and the crème de cassis or brandy until the mixture is fluffy. Gradually add the remaining milk, beating until smooth. Pour mixture over the cooled cake and chill.
3. Meanwhile, drain the cherries, reserving ¾ cups of the syrup. In a sauce pan combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in the reserved syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute longer. Add the drained cherries, remove from heat and cool.
4. Spread the cool cherry mixture on top of the chilled pudding layer. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.
5. To serve – whip fresh cream to soft peaks. Pipe over cherry mixture in a lattice design. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Yields about 12 squares, depending on size
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Here’s a scan of Mom’s original recipe. Ironically it was from a 1980 Betty Homes and Gardens Magazine – the same year we took our awesome trip to Colorado (mentioned above).
Over the river and through the wood … we find ourselves above the tree line atop Colorado.
stroganoff steak sandwiches
Posted: December 16, 2014 Filed under: meats poultry and fish, sandwiches | Tags: beer, butter, flank steak, french bread, garlic powder, horseradish, onion, paprika, pepper, salt, sour cream, vegetable oil Leave a comment
A Christmas Spectacular
(Part II)
This stroganoff steak sandwich recipe is a continuation of the ultimate holiday meal which begins with this tomato bisque recipe, which you’ve gotta check out if you want your holiday meal to be complete. ;)
You’ll also be able to read a little more about how this recipe was selected for Betty’s Cook Nook plus learn about the photographer who took the picture of the 1970s Christmas family below.
foodie tips ~
♥ I was a little bummed when I started this recipe then discovered the meat needed to marinate overnight. Turns out it was well worth the wait. The flavor was delicious. I hope you agree!
♥ Any recipe where the first ingredient is beer is dyn-o-mite! Add sour cream and you’re taking your tastebuds on a one way trip to Fantasy Island.
♥ I’m a Texan. So in the ingredient ranges noted below, I always round UP.
♥ The bread. At the store I was in a flurry and forgot to pick up some french bread. I used some thin sliced white I had loitering in the pantry and still loved this sandwich. Use your favorite sliced bread and you’ll be AOK. I promise.
♥ I prefer these sandwiches warm. If you follow the original recipe they are likely to be room temperature cool. Either way, you win.
♥ Some people cry over spilled milk. When I later realized I forgot to butter my bread I have to admit a few sniffles were born.
i. ingredients
the marinade:
⅔ cup | beer
⅓ cup | vegetable oil
1 – 2 teaspoons | salt
¼ – ½ teaspoon | garlic powder
¼ – ½ teaspoon | fresh cracked black pepper
all the rest:
2 pounds (1” thick) | flank steak
2 tablespoons | falfurrias brand butter
½ teaspoon | paprika
to taste | salt
2 cups | white onion, sliced
6 slices | buttered french bread, toasted
1 cup | sour cream (I’m crazy for Daisy)
½ – 1 teaspoon | prepared horseradish
ii. what to do
1. Place the steak in a shallow dish. Combine the first 5 ingredients above and pour this marinade over the steak. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day … drain the steak and broil it 3 inches from the heat for 6 minutes on each side for medium rare in an electric oven (gas boiling tips here) or until its the desired degree of doneness. Slice across the grain in thin slices and set aside. Keep warm if you can.
3. Combine the butter, paprika and salt in a skillet. Add the onions and cook them until they are transparent then set aside.
4. Combine the sour cream and horseradish in a saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring until warm.
5. Place some onions on the buttered bread, top with a few steak slices then a dollop of your sour cream mixture. You can smear your dollop on top of your sandwich. I left mine a dollop for photo-taking purposes. Add a dash more paprika on top and you’re ready to dive in!
Yield: About 4-6 servings
Here’s a scan of the original recipe! Note the missing Apple Cider recipe (how could they?!). No worries – I have a substitute recipe coming soon.
mom’s layered salad
Posted: April 13, 2014 Filed under: appetizers, salads, sides | Tags: bacon bits, black olives, eggs, green onions, green pepper, ham, lettuce, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, peas, sour cream, sugar, swiss cheese, water chestnuts Leave a comment
Layers Of Taste
This salad recipe should be in everyone’s cookbook, so best bookmark it now.
My Cousin Julie said this dish is very popular for potluck meals – and when she’s taken this she’s always been asked for the recipe.
It’s that good!
Foodie Tips ~
♥ If you plan to eat this salad right away, run hot water over the frozen peas before adding so that they will defrost. Or you can use canned or fresh peas.
♥ Ingredient amounts may be doubled and layers may be doubled for large party servings. You can add any of the optional ingredients below to make this salad more of an entree then serve it with rolls, iced tea and a dessert! Need some dessert ideas?
♥ You may notice that in my pic above I served my salad from a glass champagne bucket. Whoopsie – no big glass dish for me! If you don’t care as much about the presentation you can layer this salad in any bowl that you’d like but make sure it’s large enough to hold the head of lettuce and all its friends.
♥ If you can serve the salad with the layers in tact send me a pic! It’s probably best to toss the salad just before serving. That is, after everyone has already viewed and snapped pics of your multi-layered wonder.
i. ingredients
the main stuff:
1 head | iceburg lettuce, chopped
1 box | frozen peas
2 cans | water chestnuts, drained (I added a can to the recipe below)
5 | green onions, chopped
1 cup | swiss cheese, shredded
optional | ham, chopped
optional | black olives, sliced or chopped (I used 2 cans)
optional | hardboiled eggs, chopped
optional | green peppers, chopped
optional | dealer’s choice :)
the topping:
1 cup | mayonnaise
1 cup | sour cream
½ – 1 teaspoon | sugar (it’s not me, it’s the ’70s calling!)
to serve:
1 bottle | hormel brand bacon bits (yummm… a bottle)
1 cup | parmesan cheese, shredded
ii. what to do
1. In a large glass dish layer the first five ingredients to form the base of the salad. Add the optional ingredients, as you wish.
2. Mix together the three topping’s ingredients above and spread over the top of the salad. Be sure to cover to the edges to seal. The salad may be covered with plastic wrap and left in the fridge for a day or two or enjoyed now.
3. When ready to serve sprinkle the salad with the bacon bits and the parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
This photo is of Julie’s original Mom’s Layered Salad recipe. I took this pic on her dining room table which is as big and beautiful as Texas. The wood originated from a bowling alley.
Who would have thunk? My spectacular Cousin Julie, that’s who!
blue cheese bacon potatoes
Posted: May 9, 2013 Filed under: sides, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: bacon, blue cheese, butter, milk, pepper, potato, salt, shortening, sour cream Leave a comment
You Say “Potato” …
I Say … “Get out of my way, It’s mine!”
There have been some great “home run” recipes in Mom’s cookbook and this is one of them. While blue cheese sometimes makes my nose turn and run for the hills, this dish isn’t smothered with the sharp and salty taste.
With the arrival of the microwave to modern cooking, potatoes were often “zapped” because who wants to wait for an twice-baked potato!?
After I made this recipe, I’m reminded of the slow-baked potatoes Mom used to make … they arrive on your plate super soft all the way through! And well worth the wait.
Cheers To My New Spud Bud
to coat | shortening
4 | baking potatoes, medium
½ cup | sour cream
¼ cup | blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup | milk
4 tablespoons | Falfurrias brand butter (per Nanny)
¾ teaspoon | salt
dash | black pepper, freshly ground
4 slices | bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Rub each potato with shortening. Place them in the oven uncovered or wrapped and cook for 1 hour, or until done.
2. Remove potatoes from the oven. Cut a lengthwise slice into each potato (the potatoes are hot so be careful)! Scoop out the inside of each potato and mash the innards (yup, I wrote “innards”) in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. Add sour cream, blue cheese, milk, butter, salt and pepper to the potatoes then beat with an electric beater until fluffy. Some remaining potato lumps are OK.
4. Spoon the blue cheese potato mixture back into the potato shells.
5. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and return them to the hot oven for 15 minutes or until heated through.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.
Yields: 4 Servings (or 1 meal, if you’re me)
foodie tips ~
♥ It may take some practice but try and keep the potato from breaking into 2 separate halves. 1. When slicing, don’t cut it all the way through top-to-bottom. 2. When scooping, you can leave about an 1/8″ of the potato’s inside with the skin to give it a happy but hollow foundation.
♥ This is a great sidekick for this steak diane recipe that I also made on the 2 year anniversary of BCN. It’s also a good side for this barbecue pork chop recipe. Come to think of it, it’s really just a great recipe all by itself!
♥ Note below that this recipe hails from Better Homes and Gardens, March 1968. Why, I was just a young tot of one way back then!
ground beef goulash
Posted: May 9, 2012 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals, meats poultry and fish | Tags: beef bouillon, butter, green pepper, ground beef, onion, paprika, potato, sour cream, tomato sauce Leave a comment
A New Favorite
On the anniversary of Betty’s Cook Nook, it was a unanimous decision to make this somewhat off-ishly-sounding dish, but a tasty delight.
I always pictured goulash as something that was made from cabbage, sauerkraut, an perhaps an eye of newt… and stirred by a witch maneuvering a wooden stick into her cauldron.
Tonight, it was a nice surprise to celebrate the 1st birthday of BCN (that’s Betty’s Cook Nook, y’all)!
Let’s Eat
i. ingredients
2 tablespoons | falfurrias brand butter (per my Grandmother “Nanny”)
2 cups | thinly sliced onion
2 pounds | ground beef
1 tablespoon | sweet paprika
to taste | salt
1 | green pepper, cut into strips
½ cup | canned tomato sauce
3 | beef bouillon cubes
1 cup | water
3 medium | potatoes, diced and cooked
½ cup | sour cream
ii. what to do
1. Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
3. Add meat, paprika, and ~1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until meat loses its red color.
4. Add green pepper, tomato sauce, bouillon cubes and the water.
5. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.
6. Add potatoes and heat. Stir in sour cream.
7. Don’t add more salt, unless you *really* need it. : )~
Serves: 6
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Dish it over noodles or mashed potatoes, folks.
impossible taco pie
Posted: April 15, 2012 Filed under: casseroles and one-dish meals, meats poultry and fish | Tags: bisquick, cheddar cheese, eggs, green chilies, ground beef, lettuce, milk, monterey jack cheese, onion, sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato Leave a commentGo Loco For Taco
This Pie Makes Its Own Crust ~ Total magic!
The idea of “magic” was something I was obsessed with when I was in 5th grade. I dreamed of being a professional magician after seeing a store display on Broadway Avenue… a mechanical magician who could perform tricks compliments of his table, a cup and a few eye-shifty shenanigans.
Oh, yeah… I was hooked.
Magically obsessed, one day I drug my Dad and best friend Sean to Central Park Mall to a magic shop. My eyes rest upon on a magic kit and I knew in a blink it was meant for me.
Dad selflessly bought me and Sean each the magic cred (I remember triple digits, so it was a big deal ~ especially in the 70s).
Back at our upstairs playroom at 2927 Trailend, complete with black light, cloth-covered table and my instruction manual cleverly tucked underneath, I performed ~ almost flawlessly ~ some of the tricks I could decipher.
This recipe? Totally easy to make. And especially easy and great to eat!
Ta Dah!
Let’s.
Make.
Magic!
i. ingredients
1 pound | ground beef
½ cup | onion, chopped
1 package | taco seasoning mix
4 ounces | chopped green chilies, drained
1¼ cups | milk
¾ cup | bisquick brand baking mix
3 | cage free eggs
2 | red tomatoes, sliced
1 cup | monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
to garnish | ice burg lettuce, chopped
to garnish | red tomato, chopped
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 400°F.
1. Grease a 10½” pie plate and set aside.
2. Cook and stir beef and onion until brown; drain, then stir in taco seasoning mix.
3. Spread in pie plate and top with chilies.
4. With a blender or hand mixer, beat milk, baking mix and eggs until smooth; about 1 minute.
5. Pour into pie plate.
6. Bake pie 25 minutes then remove from oven.
7. Top with sliced tomatoes and cheese; return to oven and bake until knife inserted in the pie’s center returns clean (about 10 minutes).
8. Cool 5 minutes then top with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cheese.
Serves 6-8 Texans
Great For Breakfast Or Dinner
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Wanna spice up life? Add fresh diced jalapeños to the beef before you cook it. Adventurous!
sweet and sour grapes
Posted: April 1, 2012 Filed under: desserts, sides | Tags: brown sugar, cream cheese, grapes, pecans, sour cream, vanilla Leave a comment
You’ll Go “Ape” For These Grapes
There are only a handful of recipes that I can recall from childhood memory. You’re looking at one of them.
You may at first grimace at the idea of sour cream with grapes… but the sweet and sour taste was one of the earliest I can remember and topped with brown sugar, it was very easy to get me to eat them!
I remember mom serving this grape salad in her white Pfaltzgraff Heritage style custard cups. I’ve still kept her dinnerware all these years as the simple style withstands the test of time.
You can serve this as a side to the main course, but I think this is best enjoyed as a dismount from the table ~ a dessert!
i. ingredients
1 pound | washed green grapes, chilled
8 ounces | sour cream
½ teaspoon | vanilla
1 cup | brown sugar
optional ~ ½ cup | texas pecans, chopped
ii. what to do
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sour cream and vanilla until well blended.
2. Gently fold-in the grapes and coat well.
3. Transfer the grape mixture into individual-sized serving cups or onto a wide and flat serving platter (for folks to serve themselves).
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top… and the pecans, if desired. Try and ensure you get the brown sugar on top of the grapes (merely blending the sugar into the mixture will cause the sugar to dissolve).
Makes A Great Summer Treat
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Make sure and serve this treat chilled.
♥ You can double the recipe depending on how many folks you’re serving.
♥ As a young study, I don’t quite remember the pecans in mom’s original rendition of this, but it’s possible I forgot. I found a similar recipe during research online and feel that mom would approve; who doesn’t love the crispy crunch of Texas pecans? Today’s version of this treat calls for 4 ounces of sour cream and 4 ounces of softened creamed cheese (vs. 8 ounces of only sour cream). You can decide what tastes best.
♥ If you love sour cream, why not test out the mom’s frozen fruit delight ice cream? No churning required!
Betty's Cook Nook 