I came across this recipe for tamale pie over at Southern Plate last week and immediately added it to my menu plan.  Ground “beef,” Rotel, corn, French-fried onions, with a cornbread topping AND cheese (we used Daiya pepperjack) over that?  What’s not to love?  Paired with a jaunty little salad, it was a complete meal.  And a good one, at that!

We both loved the filling of the tamale pie – the flavors mingled beautifully together, and the taco seasoning that I added to the beef really set it off and made it taste like a big ol’ burrito, laid out flat.  The Jiffy cornbread mix we used spread over the top nicely, and while cooking I learned something new – when one is out of eggs, one can use a tablespoon of mayo per egg to replace it.  We only had Vegenaise on hand, and so I added it instead of high-test mayo, and the end result was still fantastic!  You never would’ve known I hadn’t used eggs. I’ll be filing this little tidbit away for later, to be sure.

The one thing I might do differently when I make this again (for that is a “when,” not an “if”) is use only one box of cornbread mix – or even forgo it altogether.  I found the sweetness of the cornbread to not gel quite perfectly with the other flavors in the dish, though LeeLee vehemently disagreed and has advocated for the cornbread topping to stay.  That’s why I think I’ll use only one of the two boxes next time; a nice compromise!  And who knows, maybe a little less cornbread will do the trick with the flavor profile.

In salad news, I also created a new dressing tonight – a creamy vinaigrette.  I’ll include the recipe below!

Suffice it to say, the entire dinner was great (even with the overabundance of cornbread)!  I will definitely keep this in the menu rotation.

And now the recipe:

CREAMY VINAIGRETTE

What you’ll need:

¼-½ cup mayonnaise (we used Vegenaise)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

In a half-pint jar/measuring cup/serving bowl, blend all the ingredients together with a fork until smooth, and let stand until salad time!

:)

There’s been a bit of a nip in the air this week – even today, as the mercury rises to 90 again, there’s an underlying autumnal feel – and as a result, it’s high time we bring out the Crock-Pot for some fall meals!  Though this isn’t the crockery’s maiden voyage this autumn – we had barbecue chili last week, remember – it’s the first time I’ve fired it up with fall in mind.  On tonight’s menu: Taco soup!

I’ve discussed this recipe before on this blog – several times, in fact – so longtime readers may remember how much I adore this soup AND how easy (and economical!) it is to make.  But for those of you who are new to the scene (and welcome!), let me clarify: This is one of those meals that takes minutes to cobble together and makes enough to last all week.  My standard-size Crock-Pot was filled to the absolute brim when I left the house this morning, teeming with a slightly spicy, protein- and veggie-rich concoction of black beans, chili beans, corn, taco seasoning, Rotel, tomato sauce, veggie broth, and – new to our kitchen – Beyond Meat vegetarian chik’n strips.

I’ve been wanting to try the Beyond Meat strips for a long time, but Whole Foods has always been out of them each time I’ve looked in the last month or so – a ringing endorsement, for sure.  The result?  The Beyond Meat worked out great!  It held together beautifully in the Crock-Pot all day, which has been a problem for some of its competitors, and had a good texture and taste.  LeeLee said it didn’t taste quite as much like chicken as some of the other strips we’ve used in the past, but I actually thought it tasted MORE like chicken than its competitors.  We agreed that neither of us truly remembered what chicken tasted like, having not had any in more than a decade.  So don’t let us steer you one way or the other on that. ;)  Either way, both of us liked Beyond Meat quite a lot and will be using it again!

We spooned the soup into big bowls and used tortilla-chip strips for dipping.  Pair it with a frosty-cold beer to ice down the taste buds when things get too spicy, and this meal can’t be beat!  Expect to see it time and again this fall and winter; and expect to see the Beyond Meat brand again, too.  We are converts, for sure!

:)

So, a couple of weeks ago I made a commitment to continue using my yogurt maker, since the process is so easy and the results are so tasty (and the product is so cheap! :)).  We were still working on some of the yogurt last week, but tonight I started a new batch, which should be ready first thing in the morning!  I’ve got a bag of granola (bought on sale) waiting to be added to the mix — postrun snacks, here I come!

:)

Anyone who’s been around Chez Recessionista for any period of time knows that Sunday-night cookouts are a mainstay around here.  Even in the dead of winter or the heat of summer, I can’t resist firing up the grill or the smoker and making a little backyard magic.  But tonight, with the temperatures mellowing out and the humidity absent from the air, there was simply no better place to be than outside on our brick patio, sipping a Port City Brewery specialty beer and smelling the food sizzling over the charcoal.

This week’s shipment from Great Country Farms included squash and corn, both of which were in perfect form for tonight’s dinner!  I sliced two yellow squash (squashes? I never know) into coins and put them atop a sheet of aluminum foil, topping them with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil  and adding salt, pepper, and garlic powder before wrapping the foil up into a neat little packet.

Then it was on to the corn: I removed the husks and put each on in its own foil packet, spraying the cobs with cooking spray and rolling them in some Tony Chacherie Cajun seasoning.  (We love our Tony Chacherie around here!)  Both the corn and the squash cooked on the grill for about half an hour.

In the last 15 minutes of cook time, I threw four Tofurky beer brats onto the grill as well and let them cook through thoroughly.  When they were ready, I followed this recipe from Tablespoon for a new sort of hot dog I’d never heard of before: Anchorage dogs!  I grilled two hot dog buns and then opened them up, added some spicy brown mustard and horseradish, placed the brats in the bread, and topped the whole thing with potato salad.  (We skipped the hard-boiled eggs that the recipe calls for; that seemed a bit over-the-top, even for us!)

And of course the corn and the squash – two tried-and-true side dishes in our household – turned out A-OK.  You just can’t beat fresh veggies!

So, in short, another great Sunday-night cookout!  It’s one of my favorite traditions.  (And spoiler alert – the smoker will be making its first appearance of the season in the next couple of weeks!)

Have a great week, y’all!

:)

This is one of those recipes that sprung up out of the pantry one day – I just happened to have penne, veggie “sausage,” canned mushrooms, jarred pasta sauce, and mozzarella shreds on hand, and decided to whip this up sight unseen.  Over time it’s become a go-to for us, and a great leftover-producer at that; one pan of this lasts for several meals for both LeeLee and me!

I set some pasta water on to boil, and while that’s working away I get my lasagna pan out and ready to roll.  Once the pasta is cooked fully, I drain it and plunk it right into the lasagna pan.  Then I add the sausage, which I’ve cut into coins (I like to use Lightlife Italian sausage, but anything goes, as usual), the pasta sauce, and any spices I feel the dish could use (depending on your jarred sauce, you may need lots of garlic/onion powder/basil/oregano/salt/pepper, or none at all – take a taste and see).  After stirring to combine everything thoroughly, I top the dish with shredded mozzarella cheese (Daiya would work great for the vegans among us!) and stick the pan in the oven to bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25 minutes or so.  At the 25-minute mark, I take a peek to ensure everything is nicely melted and/or browned, and if it is, I take it on out.  If not, let it go another 5-10 minutes and check again.

This meal is frugal in so many ways – the initial ingredients are reasonably priced, and the recipe makes enough to last for days.  It’s easy and tasty, too – a perfect combination after a long day at work!

The ingredients:

1 package vegetarian sausage links

1 jar pasta sauce

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 box penne pasta

1 bag mozzarella cheese

1 onion if you’re feeling fancy (I wasn’t tonight!)

:)

Gooooooo, Seminoles!

Tonight, my beloved Florida State University kicks off its football season against Pitt in what I hope is a rough welcome to the ACC for our friends up north.  (I mean no disrespect to any of you Pitt fans, of course, and hope you will still be my friend after today, no matter who wins. :))

The first game of the season has a hallowed place in our lives here at Chez Recessionista.  The date is circled on the calendar months ahead of time, and the process of planning a menu for the festivities is the stuff of legend.  Tonight’s meal, for instance, has been dithered about and debated, discussed at length with family and friends alike.  And, finally, after a month (no joke) of deliberating, we’ll have on the docket:

This devilled egg recipe is one I’ve been tweaking since last football season, and I think I’m finally happy with it.  Give it a try and tell me how you like it (and how I can improve upon it!).  We’re all friends here, no matter your football team of choice. :)

Here goes:

DEVILLED EGGS

Serves 24 (or 12 … or six … or two.)

What you’ll need:

12 eggs

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning, plus enough to sprinkle on top of the eggs

Hard-boil the eggs and let them cool, then peel them and cut them in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the yolks and place them in a bowl along with the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, and Cajun seasoning.  Combine the mixture until it forms a smooth paste, then spoon back into the hulled-out egg whites.

GO NOLES!

:)

Pizza, Sides 1 and 2!

The first time I ever grilled pizza was over at my best friend Marilyn’s house.  I’d wanted to try pizza on the grill for years – seriously! – but had never summoned up the nerve until she bravely led the way, and now I’m a convert and rarely bake pizza in a conventional oven.  Initially, I was afraid that the dough would seep through the grill grate and land on the coals, rendering my food inedible and forcing a call to Domino’s (not that there’s anything wrong with that).  But amazingly, everything tends to hold its form as it should!  So trust me – give this recipe a try once and you’ll be hooked on the excitement of your own fire-kissed pizza straight from the grill!

First, you’ll want to allow enough time to make the dough, let it rise for an hour, and, ideally, let it cool in the refrigerator for another hour or so minimum.  (Cooling the dough makes it more pliable when the time comes to shape your pizza crusts.)  So, backing up, allow at least two and a half hours – up to 24 hours if you want! – to get your dough together.  Today, I made the dough around 3 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. dinnertime.

To make the dough, add 1 cup of warm water to a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl) and sprinkle the yeast in, mixing gently with a wooden spoon.  Next, add one cup of flour and all of the olive oil and seasonings.  (And by all means, substitute out seasonings as you see fit!  This is an easy mix-in recipe and you’ll hone your personal favorite dough over time, believe me.)

Blend your mixture with the spoon or a stand mixer’s dough hook and continue adding the flour, half a cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a cohesive ball. 

If you’re using a stand mixer, hooray for you – just let the dough hook do its job and knead your dough in the mixer bowl until the dough is no longer sticky.  Next, drop down past the next paragraph and join up with me there.

If you’re doing this by hand, turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and flour your hands well.  Then put a little elbow grease into the job and knead your dough until it’s no longer sticky – this usually takes me about five minutes, with the occasional distraction.

(Stand mixer users, please join me again here!  And by-handers, stick with me too.)  Spray a bowl – I usually use the one I’ve just been mixing in, and let me be honest, I don’t even clean the leftover flour and dough out – with cooking spray and place the balled-up dough in, sealing up with plastic wrap.  Let rise for an hour; your dough will nearly double in size.

Next, spray a zip-top bag with cooking spray (on the inside, people!) and put the dough in, sealing it up nice and tight and doing your best to remove any leftover air.  Place your bag in the fridge for at least an hour, up to 24, and let cool.  If you’re going to be longer than 24 hours, just put it in the freezer and place it in the refrigerator the morning you’re planning on using it.

Once your dough is ready, fire up the grill!  You want your grill nice and hot for this one.

Bring all of your supplies outside to your backyard table (or what-have-you) and clean your hands up well.  You might want to keep a clean dishtowel nearby because this can get a little bit messy.

Next, grab a hunk (that’s the scientific term) of dough, enough to fit in a fist, and begin to shape it into a small, personal-pizza-sized disc.  Experiment with the thickness to determine what style you like best.  Once it’s ready, just throw it onto the grill – and by all means please do not try to shape it and/or push it around once it’s on the grates!  Your dough will fall through the cracks and it’ll make a big mess.  Plus, you’ll burn yourself, which is hardly the way to kick off an evening al fresco.

After about five minutes on a super-hot grill, start checking your dough for doneness (on the bottom, at least – the top will still be pretty soft).  Once it’s browned (or blackened, as are some of our creations) to your liking, use a spatula to scoop it off the grill and bring it over to a plate or work surface.  Decorate it however you see fit – with any of the ingredients above, or with some of your own, we won’t judge you! – and place it soft-side down back on the grill for another five to seven minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bottom is browned.

Next, scoop it up again, place it on a cookie sheet (we actually use a pizza pan), slice it up with a pizza cutter, and voila!  Personal pizzas for all, cut up into sizes suitable for sharing.

The ingredients:

1 cup water

1 packet of yeast

3-3 ½ cups flour

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. cumin seed, optional

1 jar pizza sauce

1 container sliced white mushrooms

1 bell pepper

1 can sliced olives

1 jar capers

2 veggie burgers, heated and sliced up into bite-sized squares

1 ball mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese that melts, like Daiya)

As I write this, the cabinets above our refrigerator are stuffed to the gills with fresh-out-of-the-ground potatoes, picked just this Saturday during our annual Pancakes and Potatoes pilgrimage out to Great Country Farms.  After a day or so of drying out atop newspapers strewn across our dining area (table, chairs, floor – no space was safe!), we put them in several paper shopping bags and have stowed them away in their own special cabinets.  If past years are any indication, we’ll have enough potatoes to last us to the new year!  And at a fraction of the price of store-bought – and much better tasting, too.  (Did you know most grocery-store potatoes are last year’s crop?  I didn’t, either, until we started venturing out to Great Country Farms every year.)

The picking process can be laborious if not for the tractor that rips out row after row for us to feast upon.  The first year we went to Great Country for the event, LeeLee and I brought our own shovels – and by “shovel” I mean “trowel” – to try our hand at unearthing our food the old-fashioned way.  Less than 10 minutes later, we found ourselves balefully eyeing the bright yellow tractor that was cheerfully ripping trails in the soil, exposing hundreds upon hundreds of potatoes in its wake.  We dropped our trowels immediately and followed along like water skiers, picking up dozens of pounds of spuds with ease.  In the years since, we’ve not even bothered bringing our own trowels along.  It’s much more fun to follow the farmers at a safe distance and glean from their hard work!

Over the years, we’ve experimented with how best to store our produce and have come up with some findings as we’ve progressed.  The first year, we stored our potatoes amid paper bags in cabinets under the kitchen counter.  This preserved them very well, but we lost a very important cabinet for the season in the process.  For the last two years, we’ve stored them in the basement in a retrofitted “root cellar” (which is in fact a portion of our laundry room).  The first year of basement storage, we used paper bags again, and the potatoes turned out just fine.  The second year, we used cardboard boxes, on the advice of The Internets, and our potatoes degraded much faster than usual – rotting before we could use them all.  Whether this was a result of the boxes or just the batch of potatoes (Did I dry them well enough?  Were there any rotten ones I missed?) is still undetermined, but I’m not about to risk a repeat performance!

So back to the kitchen, and back to paper bags, they go this year.  This time I’ve cleared out a little-used cabinet that is sure to be a perfect home for our fair spudly friends.  I’ll report back on their preservation process – and, of course, on the meals we make with them, too!  I’m thinking hash browns will be on the menu next weekend … but we’ll see.  Film at 11!

:)