Joe's Hotdish

It's a hot dish, because we're from MN, don’t cha know? 😂 This recipe is so fast and simple, it’s practically a cheat code for those nights when you’re too busy to even find your keys. I used to whip this up for my son when he was little, and he loved it so much, it became known as Joe’s Hotdish—

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (12 to 16-ounce) bag of dried egg noodles
• 2 (10.5 ounces) cans of cream of mushroom soup
• Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chacheres spice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring a medium to a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, breaking up pieces with a meat chopper or wooden spoon.
3. Once the beef is browned, stir in the cream of mushroom soup, milk, onion powder, and garlic powder. NOTE: Use milk to thin out - I don't measure, I just kinda pour it in.  I would start with 1/4 cup and go up from there. 
4. When the noodles are cooked, drain them and add the noodles to the pan. Stir to combine everything and allow to sit for one minute.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Notes

Foolproof Pie Dough

This is a recipe that I have been using for a long time.  My crusts are not very pretty ( I am still working on that) but the taste is amazing.  Yes, you read it correctly that there is vodka in the recipe.  I promise you won't taste the alcohol as it burns off first so you are left with a flakey crust. This recipe makes two crusts but you can easily 1/2 this recipe to make one crust if needed. 

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 12 Tbsp Cold butter, but into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 cut butter shortening, (Crisco) cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup Cold Vodka
• 1/4 cup Cold Water

Directions:

1. Process flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses.  Add butter and shortening and process until dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 12 - 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour)
2. Scrape the bowl rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around the processor blade.  Pulse until evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up. 4-6 quick pulses.
3. Empty mixture into bowl.  Combine vodka and water.  Sprinkled liquid over the mixture.  With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until the dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.
4. Divide dough into two even balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and flatten each into a 4-inch disk.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.  Freezes very well. 

Sausage Dressing

This dressing is so much more than a recipe—it’s a cherished tradition passed down from my grandma to my mom, and then to my sister and me. I’ve always just eyeballed the ingredients, trusting the feel and memories of making it, but this time, my husband helped me measure everything so I could share it with you as close as possible to how we make it. In my family, we always prepare it the day before—it’s just the way it’s always been done. You could bake it right away, but letting it rest overnight allows the flavors to come together most magically, just like we’ve enjoyed for generations.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz bag of Pepperidge Farms stuffing (I use the seasoned classic stuffing)
• 2 boxes of Stove Top Stuffing (I use traditional sage and turkey)
• 1/2 lb breakfast sausage
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2  cup onion
• 1/2 cup celery
• pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp Sage
• 1 tsp  Poultry Seasoning
• 1 tsp Thyme

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Melt one stick of butter, add the celery, onion, and pepper to taste, and saute for about 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two.  You don't want to burn the garlic as it can get bitter
3. In a large bowl, add the stuffing, the sausage, and the vegetables. Stir in the broth, beaten eggs, and milk.  
4. You can add the additional Sage, Poultry Seasoning, and Thyme and stir well.  Add more milk or broth if it is too dry. 
5. Stir everything together until it's evenly combined and add it to a greased 9x13 baking dish.
6. Cover with foil or lid and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil/lid and place it back into the oven for an additional 30 minutes uncovered.  
7. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving. 

Garlic Aioli

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Pepper

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.

Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve and enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

 These potatoes make a WONDERFUL side dish. 

1 lb new potatoes, halved Yukon works great
1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
small amount of oil
4 Tbsp Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Clean potatoes and cut them in half.  Score them into a diamond shape.

Season potatoes with garlic powder and a little oil.

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and parmesan cheese, creating a paste-like mixture.

Spread the parmesan mixture on the bottom of the baking pan.  Place potatoes face down on the baking sheet.

Bake until potatoes are golden and fully baked about 25 minutes.

Strawberry Compote

I make this sauce when I make plain cheesecake.  It is SO good over cheesecake and ice cream and pancakes.  Heck, it's almost good enough to drink LOL

4 Cups strawberries, diced up
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 - 1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
A pinch of Salt

1. Prepare The Strawberries. Start by slicing or dicing the strawberries.
2. Combine Strawberries & Sugar. Add the strawberries to a medium saucepan along with the sugar. 
3. Make Slurry. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until completely smooth, then add this cornstarch slurry to the strawberries and sugar. 
4. Bring To A Boil. Stir the mixture with a flexible spatula over medium heat until it begins to boil. 
5. Stir To Thicken. Keep stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer on the stove for 4-5 minutes, or until the berries have softened somewhat and the sauce has thickened. (Remember it will thicken more as it cools)
6. Cool. Let the strawberry topping cool, then transfer the finished sauce to an airtight container or glass jar. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.
7. Serve & Store. Store strawberry topping in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze this strawberry topping in an airtight freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge before using (the texture will soften slightly upon thawing). Enjoy this strawberry topping with waffles, ice cream, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, pound cake, yogurt, and more!

 

Biscuits

Let me tell you I have tried and tried to make biscuits for YEARS!!! They started out like hockey pucks LOL. But with lots of practice and a family that loves to try them, I have finally gotten some that are pretty darn good.  They aren't Hardee's good but they are pretty good.  Here ya go!

2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp Crisco, butter-flavored

3/4 - 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir together with a spoon. DO NOT DUMP the milk in all at once.  Start with about 1/2 cup and gradually add until the dough is wet.  Turn out onto a generously floured surface.  DO NOT KNEAD.

Roll or pat out your dough to about 1 inch thick.  Cut out biscuits.  I used a 2-inch biscuit cutter so they would be a bigger biscuit to use for breakfast sandwiches.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Place biscuits touching each other on the baking sheet.  Brush tops with additional buttermilk.  Bake in preheated 425 degrees oven for about 15-20 minutes until brown on top.  Makes between 8-10 biscuits.  

I personally do not use buttermilk.  I use either whole milk or 2% milk and they are still delicious.