Amber's Kitchen Adventures...

Sauerkraut and Pork

2012-01-05T18:33:00.001-05:00

My family has always celebrated New Years by making Sauerkraut and Pork. This tradition is something my Grandmother picked up from her Mom and Dad and has just been carried down the generations. I poked around on the internet to learn a little bit about the dish and where the tradition might possibly have come from. I learned that the dish is a Dutch dish and that the Sauerkraut and Pork tradition for New Years is primarily found in areas that were settled by the Dutch, people that come from areas that were settled by the Dutch, and by people with Dutch ancestors. My Grandmother is from Pittsburg, Pennsylvanian, which my research found was a Dutch area for a while and hence that’s where our family’s Sauerkraut and Pork tradition comes from. (I am no expert on this and I am just sharing what the little bit of poking around on the internet found about this tradition; I do not want to offend anyone).

Recipe Review:
This is just one of the many ways that Sauerkraut and Pork and be cooked.

What you need:

Crockpot
Pork Roast (I used a 5lb roast)
Sauerkraut (As much as you would like. I used enough to cover fill the Crockpot)
1 ½ cups Brown Sugar

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown all sides of the roast. (This helps seal all the juices.)

Place roast in the Crockpot. Add as such Sauerkraut as you would like (if you do not cover the roast in the Sauerkraut you may want to add some water).

About 1 hour into cooking mix 1 cup of brown sugar in with the Sauerkraut and coat the top of the roast with the other ½.

Cook roast (depending on size) on HIGH for 3-5 hours or LOW 8-10, stirring occasionally.

Notes:

I have a 6 qt Crockpot and used a 5.5 lb roast and it took 4 hours for it to cook.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with mashed potatoes.

2012 Organizational Binder

2012-01-01T12:36:00.002-05:00

I know that these “Organizational and Management Binders” have been all over the internet and you probably don’t want to see another one, but one of my goals for 2012 is to be more organized and on top of things so I made one and wanted to share the way I did mine.

Supplies:

Binder
Dividers (I got 2 packs of 5 dividers at Wal-Mart for around $1 a pack)
Paper
Printer
Pens/Pencils

Steps:

The first thing I did when I decided I wanted to make my own Organizational Binder was decide what I wanted to put in it and decide what sections I would need.

I have the following sections in mine:

Calendar
Schedules
Budget
Finances
Bills
School
Meal Planning
Blog Planning
Contacts
Other

After deciding on what sections to have I got online in search of FREE printables to use in my binder. I was unable to find a full set that I truly like that had everything I wanted to use in my binder so I ended up making my own to my liking (I have shared links to where you can find the documents I used and print them if you would like).

I used the following documents:

2012 Calendar
Account Tracker
Bill Tracker
Birthdays
Budget
Contacts
Meal Planner
Monthly Blog Planner
Spending Tracker
Subscriptions
Websites & Passwords
Weekly Planner

When you’re finished with both of the above steps, you should go ahead and label the different sections in your binder and print whatever you wish to put in your binder. You can also go ahead and fill out the calendars and other items you put in your binder, and put them in your binder.

The last step is to enjoy an organized 2012 with the help of your Organizational Binder.

Happy New Years :)

What's going on....

2011-12-04T11:55:00.003-05:00

I know it has been over a month since I have posted anything, and the truth is I just haven’t had time to. Oh, and I really haven’t cooked anything in the last month either (except Thanksgiving and I did not get any pics :/). I’ve been really busy with work and trying to get myself back into school that this past month has just flown by. Another thing that has kept me from cooking and posting is that I have also been thinking about how I want to take the blog in a different direction and possibly even moving it (which I’m 99.9% sure the blog isn’t moving anywhere).

With all the said, here is the plan: I want to spend the rest of this month changing the layout, fonts, colors, etc of the blog. I plan on coming up with a new layout of how each post will look and what information is present to you and how it is presented (I even plan on going back and editing a bunch of the older posts to match the new format that the new posts will have). Last, I plan on coming back with new posts at the beginning of the New Year and posting something new for you at least once a week :).

Happy Holidays,

Amber

Skeleton Graves

2011-10-22T11:38:00.001-04:00

I love to go wandering around craft stores and look at all the cool stuff that they have. Earlier this month I went to JoAnn’s Fabric store (they have a lot more than just fabric) and wandered around all of their Halloween stuff when I came across different Wilton chocolate molds they had. They had chocolate pop molds, molds for chocolate covers pretzel molds, and regular candy molds. I saw a chocolate mold for skeleton pieces and it suggested that you make a brownie or cake skeleton graveyard and I just had to try it. This was my second attempted at using chocolate molds and I still think it’s a easy and fun thing to do.

Recipe Review:

This is not really a recipe just a fun thing to do with food :)

What you need:

Skeleton Piece Wilton Chocolate Mold
Melting Chocolate (chocolate chips)
Brownie or Cake

Directions:

Make your chocolate skeleton pieces using the mold. Then lay the piece out on a piece of brownie or cake to make a grave.

Serving Suggestions:

Would be ideal for food fun at an October sleepover or served at a Halloween party.

Halloween Candy Corn Cereal Popcorn Balls

2011-10-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

Right before October I went on a hunt for Halloween recipes. I searched every magazine I could get my hands on and I looked all over the internet to pick recipes. I came across this recipe online and thought it was a cute idea for popcorn balls and had to try it (with a few changes).

Recipe Review:

Ease: The popcorn balls we not hard to make, but they can be messy if not careful.
Taste: Sugary, but not much flavor.
Pros: Quick, easy, and Cheap.
Cons: Not much flavor

What you need:

2 cups Reeses Puff cereal
4 cups cooked popcorn
2 cups candy corn
4 tablespoons butter
10 oz marshmallows
4 tablespoons jell-o (orange for Halloween)

Directions:

Premix the cereal, popcorn, and candy corn. You could use whatever cereal you think would work best. In a large pot melt butter over a medium to low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted; then add jell-o.

Turn off the heat and add cereal, popcorn, candy corn mix. Mix well.

Let the mix cool for about 10 minutes. The coat your hands with butter or put sandwich bags over them and form popcorn balls out of the mix.

Serving Suggestions:

These would be okay to be served at a kids Halloween party.

Halloween Candy Corn Cereal Popcorn Balls

2 cups Reeses Puff cereal
4 cups cooked popcorn
2 cups candy corn
4 tablespoons butter
10 oz marshmallows
4 tablespoons jell-o (orange for Halloween)

Premix the cereal, popcorn, and candy corn. In a large pot melt butter over a medium to low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted; then add jell-o. Turn off the heat and add cereal, popcorn, candy corn mix. Mix well. Let the mix cool for about 10 minutes. The coat your hands with butter or put sandwich bags over them and form popcorn balls out of the mix.

Printable Link: Halloween Candy Corn Cereal Popcorn Balls

Chocolate and Pretzel Skeleton Fingers

2011-10-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

What you need:

Melting Chocolate or chocolate chip
Pretzel Sticks/Rods
Skeleton Finger Mold (I used Wilton’s)

Directions:

Melt the chocolate. You can do this 2 different ways: 1) pour the chocolate in a double boiler and stir over a low heat until melted or 2) pour chocolate in microwave safe dish and melt in 15-30 second intervals until melted (if microwaving chocolate it is best to use a plastic dish because it does not get as hot as ceramic and does not burn the chocolate as quickly). Next, pour melted chocolate into molds. Put a pretzel in the chocolate and continue filling as needed. Last, let the chocolate cool and harder. You can put it in the refrigerator to cool it faster.

Ham Chowder

2011-10-10T13:41:00.002-04:00

What you need:

2 packages cream cheese
6 cups water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 package of hash browns with green pepper and onions
1 package of ham sandwich meat or 1 slice of ham cut into bite size pieces
dash of onion flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Boil water and bouillon cubes until dissolved. Add cream cheese (softened). Stir occasionally and break up cheese until it is evenly mixed.
Add hash browns and cook and stir for about 20 minutes.
Add ham, onion flakes, and garlic. Cook on low heat about 30 minutes.

Popcorn Balls

2011-10-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

What you need:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
½ cup (1 stick) of butter
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 bags of popped popcorn

Directions:

Mix and heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt to simmering in a saucepan.

Boil rapidly for 2 minutes.

Pour over popcorn and stir until all the popcorn is covered.

You might want to start with 3 bags and add more as needed. Mix well and do not leave a lot of the brown sugar sauce in the bottom of the bowl or popcorn balls will be too gooey to form balls. Allow to rest until cool enough to handle 30 mins to a hour.

Cover hands with sandwich bags or butter and form into balls.

Cool completely. Wrap individually in plastic.

Hawaiian Open-Face Sandwiches

2011-09-28T16:09:00.000-04:00

What you need:

English Muffins
Honey Mustard
Leftover Chicken or Turkey
Pineapple
Provolone or Mozzarella cheese slices

Directions:

Toast English Muffins.

Spread with Honey Mustard.

Layer the sandwiches with chicken, pineapple, and then cheese.

Broil in oven until cheese melts.

Pull Apart Parmesan Garlic Biscuits

2011-09-25T00:16:00.003-04:00

What you need:

3 – 5 tbsp butter, melted
Garlic Powder
Grated Parmesan
Tube of refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

Coat the bottom of a pie plate with butter and garlic (garlic is optional).

Cut each biscuit into quarters.

Arrange biscuits on top of butter.

Sprinkle with Garlic Powder and Parmesan.

Bake 12 – 15 minutes at 425˚.

Invert onto a serving plate to serve.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

This is by far one of my favorite dishes to make. It’s not the making it that makes it my favorite, but it’s how yummy it is. They are good served with lettuce, sour cream, and tomatoes. Also, the enchiladas are really good reheated the next day for lunch.

What you need:

1 Tbsp butter
1 can Old El Paso Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
8” flour tortillas
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 pint whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add Enchilada Sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla.

Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in lightly greased baking dish.

Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off foil and cook for another 15 minutes.

Onion Soup Roasted Potatoes

2011-09-17T23:07:00.002-04:00

What you need:

4-6 red potatoes
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix (pictured below)

Directions:

Wash and cut potatoes into wedges.

Mix potatoes, oil, and onion soup mix.

Spread out evenly on aluminum foil covered baking sheet.

Bake at 450˚F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Macaroni and Cheese with Leeks

2011-09-14T15:12:00.000-04:00

Let me start off by saying I am not really into macaroni and cheese; I do not even like Kraft macaroni and cheese, but I must admit that I am a sucker for a good bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese. I came across this recipe for macaroni and cheese with leeks and just had to try it. Before this making this dish I had never eaten a leek before, but I love onions and green onions, so I figured that leeks would be just as good. Turned out the leeks were really good and they blended really well with the macaroni and cheese, which made this dish amazing in my opinion.

What you need:

1/4 cup butter
5 cups chopped leeks (about 5)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound (4 cups) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 eggs
1 pound penne pasta

Directions:

Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat; add leeks and stir to coat. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender, but not brown, stirring occasionally; about 12 minutes.

Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to simmer, stirring often.

Add cheese and mustard, and stir until cheese melts.

Remove from heat; salt to taste. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling. Drain and return to pot. Stir cheese sauce into pasta in pot. Transfer to buttered casserole dish.

Bake at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes; until cheese sauce is bubbling. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Potatoe Soup

2011-09-10T16:37:00.003-04:00

I stumbled upon this recipe the other day and just had to try it. The soup turned out to be really good and it is quick and easy alternative to making bake potatoes. And the best part is that everyone can add their own toppings.

What you need:

4 decent sized red potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, divided
¼ cup sour cream
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Toppings: bacon, cheese, sour cream, green onions

Directions:

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on for 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half and let cool slightly. While the potatoes cook, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add broth.

Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in measuring cup; add to pan then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil stirring often; do not let the milk boil over. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Add potato to soup (with or without skins).

Mash the potatoes into soup using a potato masher.

Serve and top with your favorite toppings.

Onion Soup Hamburgers

2011-09-08T15:55:00.000-04:00

What you need:

Hamburger
Onion Soup Mix (I use Lipton and it is pictured below)

Directions:

In a large bowl break up the hamburger meat.

Add the onion soup mix to the hamburger.

Mix onion soup mix in well.

Form hamburger patties.

Heat a skillet or grill. Cook hamburger on one side until brown.

Flip hamburgers and cook on other side until brown.

Cook hamburgers flipping sides until the juices run clear and the hamburgers are no longer pink in the middle.

Table of Condiments

2011-08-30T16:51:00.001-04:00

I saw this online the other day and I thought it was really cute and I just had to share it. It is not completely accurate, but it does give a decent range of how long condiments should be kept. Just click the picture to see the full size image.

The link below is where it was found…

http://backtable.org/~blade/fnord/condiments.html

Spinach & Beef Enchiladas

2011-08-05T18:54:00.003-04:00

What you need:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon garlic-pepper

½ cup sour cream

2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

1 can enchilada sauce

1 (8) package flour tortillas

½ cup salsa

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9 in backing dish with cooking spray. In 12 in nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown.

Stir in spinach; cook, stirring frequently, until wilted.

Stir in cumin, garlic-pepper, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheese.

Spread about 1 teaspoon enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Top each with about ½ cup beef mixture.

Roll up tortillas; place seam side down in baking dish.

Drizzle some enchilada sauce on them.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Serve enchiladas with tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, etc.

Quick and Easy (and Cheap) Garlic Cheese Bread

2011-08-01T12:57:00.002-04:00

I love having garlic cheese bread as a side with almost any meal. What I do not love is have to pay $3-$4 for a box of frozen Texas Toast, so I have made my own version.

What you need:

Bread slices
Butter
Garlic Powder
Your favorite Cheese

Directions:

Butter the slices of bread. Sprinkle bread with garlic powder. Top with cheese.

Broil in oven until cheese has melted.

Breaded Chicken

2011-07-26T15:58:00.001-04:00

I’ve really wanted to find a good and easy recipe to bread chicken. Well the other day I had some chicken breasts to cook and I decided to try to make my own breading for the chicken out of things I just had in my panty. I was worried about how it would turn out because it is mostly flour and corn starch, but it turned out great and everyone loved it and I’ve already used this method of breading again.

What you need:

Flour
Corn Starch
Lemon Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Butter or Vegetable Oil or Crisco
Chicken

Directions:

In a pie plate mix equal parts flour and corn starch. Add dashes of lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you like.

Heat a large skillet with butter or oil.

Dip damp chicken in flour mix, coating the chicken with the mix.

Put chicken in skillet. Cook on one side until breading has browned.

Flipped and cook until chicken is done.

Sweet Tea Rice

2011-07-25T12:12:00.001-04:00

I love looking through magazines to find recipes and meal ideas. This recipe was actually found in a Southern Living magazine that had a whole section on recipes made with Sweet Tea. I plan on making other recipes out of the issue, but this is what I got to making first. I would say that the Sweet Tea rice is really really sweet. I did not add anything to rice, but I would like to make it about and add some kind of veggie or fruit to the rice.

What you need:

2 cups of sweet tea
1 cup of uncooked rice

Directions:

Bring sweet tea to a boil in sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Stir in rice.

Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until sweet tea is absorbed and rice is tender.

Sautéed Summer Yellow Squash

2011-07-09T11:18:00.003-04:00

What you need:

2-3 Yellow Squash
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Slice the squash.

Chop the garlic and onion.

Heat a large skillet with butter and add onion and garlic; sauté garlic and onion for a few minutes.

Add squash and sauté until the squash is cooked to your liking. I cook mine until the squash starts to brown.

Sprinkle squash with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Enjoy :)

Sautéed Summer Zucchini

2011-07-08T16:51:00.001-04:00

What you need:

2-3 Zucchini
2-3 Garlic Cloves
1 Onion
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Slice the zucchini.

Chop the garlic and onion.

Heat a large skillet with butter and add onion and garlic; sauté garlic and onion for a few minutes.

Add zucchini and sauté until the zucchini is cooked to your liking. I cook mine until the zucchini starts to brown.

Sprinkle zucchini with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Corn Souffle

2011-06-21T14:17:00.001-04:00

At first this recipe just seems like a corn bread recipe, but it is not. It is very moist and not dry like normal corn bread.

What you need:

2 12oz cans whole corn, drained
1 8oz can creamed corn (a 10oz can will work)
1 stick of butter, softened
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 package corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well.

Bake in a 9x13 baking pan at 350˚ for 45 minutes.

Meal Idea:

The Corn Souffle goes great with Chili.

I hope you enjoy it :)

Chili

2011-06-21T13:59:00.004-04:00

This is a very simple recipe that does not require much work and you are always left with leftover for a few days. I make my chili mild, but it would be really easy to make your spicy if you wanted.

What you need:

Chili powder
1 8oz can tomato sauce or paste
1 12oz can stewed tomatoes
2 - 3 lb ground beef
1 12oz can Bush's Chili Beans
Chopped onion (optional)
Chopped green pepper (optional)
Chili mix (any chili mix will do; I have the kind I use pictured below)

Directions:

Brown ground beef.

In a large pot or crock pot mix brown ground beef and the Busk's Chili Beans together.

Mix in the tomato sauce/paste, stewed tomatoes, onion, and green pepper, mixing well after each new addition.

Mix in the chili mix stirring well and then salt and pepper to taste.

If you want spicy chili you can add some Cayenne pepper.

Simmer your chili on low heat stirring every so often. After about 1 hour of cook time taste the chili and add chili pepper, salt, or pepper to taste.

Let simmer for a few hours until you are ready to eat it.

Meal Idea:

This chili is good garnished with shredded cheese and sour cream. The chili is great lunch served with tortilla chip. The chili also makes a great dinner served with Corn Souffle (you can find the Corn Souffle recipe on another blog post).

Hope you enjoy it :)

Quick and Easy Cheese Biscuits

2011-06-10T00:11:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite recipes to make because it is quick, easy, and goes with almost anything. Oh, and on top of that I almost always have the ingredients in the house to make them.

What you need:

2 cups of Bisquick
¼ - 1 cup of shredded cheese (the amount of cheese depends on how cheesy you want your biscuits and use can use whatever cheese you like)
2/3 cup of milk
¼ cup of butter
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

First mix the Bisquick and cheese together. Then mix in the milk. Mix until dough forms.

Drop biscuits by spoon full onto baking sheet.

Bake at 425˚F for 10 to 15 minutes depending on size (for bigger biscuits, like the ones pictured, it takes about 15 minutes in the oven. I suggest baking them for 10 and then checking them every 2 minutes until you are happy with their doneness).

Melt better and mix it with the garlic powder.

Pour garlic butter mixture over biscuits while biscuits are still hot.

Serve warm.

Hope you enjoy them :)