Innie or Outie

This past week has been a busy one and we haven’t had much time for getting creative in the kitchen. Finding a free moment (due to a rainy day), hubby finally had a chance to give stew meat a bit of a twist, Papa’ s Beef ‘n Taters:

For the meal, hubby tenderized, sliced, and sautéed stewing beef in olive oil; added whole grain mustard, classic mustard, red wine, white pepper, minced garlic paste, and canned mushrooms; then simmered until sauce was reduced. The potatoes were sliced, microwaved, then sautéed with olive oil and fresh chopped chives; a bit of spinach and a small salad of iceberg lettuce, quartered cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, scallion, creamy cheese dressing and dried oregano flakes completed the meal.

Here’s another simple and filling meal that can be made in minutes with a precooked basic crockpot chicken base, Simple Crockpot-Chicken & Bean Pasta Dinner:

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Whenever convenient, precook basic crockpot chicken base of finely chopped carrot, bell pepper, onion, potato and chicken thigh with dried fennel, bay leaves, red miso paste, sesame oil, white pepper, rosemary leaves, minced garlic paste, minced ginger paste, water, and chicken broth granules. Remove bay leaves and freeze until needed.

When needed, remove chicken base from freezer; place in pot; and begin defrosting on medium-low heat. Meanwhile, start short pasta-of-choice water and cook according to directions on package. Also, in a seperate skillet, heat olive oil and saute frozen bean mix of choice adding dried oregano flakes; once defrosted thoroughly combine with chicken base; stir-in quartered fresh cherry tomatoes. Once pasta is al dente, strain and add to chicken base combining completely; plate and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese; garnish with fresh basil leaves; add whole wheat dinner roll on the side as an accompaniment.

Here’s another quick and tasty meal hubby came up with for the busy days, Papa’s Seafood Medley:

For the meal, hubby added shrimp and steamed new potatoes to leftover Savory Chicken Sauté” veggies with leftover Tuna Asiano as a side-dish.

Here’s another absolutely delish seafood dish by hubby, Papa’s Spicy Seafood Soup:

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The ingredients consisted of squid, shrimp, potato, carrot, asparagus, bonito stock, olive oil, canned whole tomatoes with liquid, crushed garlic, white onion, and cayenne pepper garnished with fresh chopped parsley. Accompanying the soup, a whole wheat dinner roll and butter.

Many of us enjoy the combination of wine and cheese on occasion. This dish combines the two in the form of leftovers, Wine & Cheese Rice:

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This meal consisted of leftover Crockpot Chunky Cheesy Stew and leftover Crockpot Coq Au Vin combined, placed in the center of a leftover precooked rice ring (with a small amount of sauce drizzled on top of the ring), and garnished with a fresh parsley sprig and cracked black sesame seeds.

A super simple way anyone can enjoy broccoli, Crockpot Chunky Cheesy Stew:

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Equipment and All Ingredients Needed

1 Knife 1 Cutting board 1 Crockpot 1 Ladle

1 Pound ham

8 New potatoes

1 Head broccoli

½ Large white onion

½ Cup water

1 Tablespoon minced garlic paste

1 Tablespoon white pepper

2 Teaspoons chicken broth granules

1 Teaspoon dried coriander

10 Slices cheddar cheese

1 ½ Cups milk

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Teaspoons corn starch

Fresh parsley sprigs

Whole wheat dinner rolls

View video with further details.

Hubby is back in the western-style phase and came up with this meal,

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For the meal hubby smothered sautéed beef strips in leftover demi-glase sauce with minced garlic paste; then added steamed fresh asparagus, baked potato with sour cream. a whole wheat dinner roll, and a small salad of iceberg lettuce, arugula, scallion, bacon bits, and hubby’s homegrown cherry tomatoes topped with a creamy cheese dressing.

Here’s another simple dish that’s easily preparedwith the use of a slow cooker, Crockpot Rosemary-Miso Pork:

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This simple crockpot meal consisted of pork roast, red miso paste, potato, carrot, red and green bell peppers, white onion, chicken broth, fresh rosemary, minced garlic paste, minced ginger paste, white pepper, cherry tomato, fresh basil, and cracked black sesame seeds.

Inspired by a dish my mom use to prepare, hubby came-up with this original version, Papa’s Mock Hungarian Stew:

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For the meal hubby sautéed chopped onion, chicken thigh, potato, and carrots in olive oil; added chopped Shitake mushrooms, minced garlic paste, white pepper, fresh rosemary leaves, tomato juice, and Spanish olives; let simmer until reduced; plated and added whole wheat dinner rolls for sopping-up the sauce.

For some this is a very busy time of year, this is a quick and simple 10 step holiday meal anyone can put together in a matter of minutes, Holiday Ham Dinner:

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1) Simply rinse and scrub new potatoes, place in the microwave in a covered container for 7 – 8 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, rinse and chop brocolli flowerettes, sprinkle with Italian herb seasoning, and place in another microwaveable covered container.
3) Open can of mushroom gravy and place in a third microwavable container.
4) Slice and begin sautéing ham steaks in frying pan on medium low.
5) Once potatoes are tender to a fork pierce, place in a frying pan and brown in olive oil on medium heat.
6) Place brocolli in microwave for approximately 4 minutes.
7) Open and plate olives and cranberry sauce. (If you didn’t have time to chill ahead of time, just place in freezer at the same time you begin preparing the meal.)
8) Remove broccoli and place gravy in microwave for approximately 2 minutes.
9) Plate brocolli, potatoes, and ham steak.
10) Drizzle gravy over ham steak and serve meal with remaining gravy, olives, and cranberry sauce on the side.