Lady Vagabond Cooking

Grandma Nola's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-21T13:45:00.001-05:00

My son, J, thinks these are the best. It’s a pretty standard recipe, but the added vanilla pudding makes things a bit more interesting. Recipe can be halved.

Well, I don't see salt, but here's most of what you need. I left the pecans out of this batch; I was sharing cookies with a "no nuts" eater.

Sift the dry ingredients. That's waxed paper on the board to catch everything (I don't dirty up extra bowls if I don't need to!).

Here it is all sifted!

Cream the butter and sugars.

Add pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients

Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if you use them).

Drop 'em on a cookie sheet or baking pan and toss 'em in the oven.

Sneak a couple while they're cooling.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 3.4-ounce packages vanilla pudding mix

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 1 minute. Add pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla. Mix 1 minute on medium speed. Add dry ingredients, mixing on low for a few seconds to blend. Mix on high 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 6-7 dozen.

Ham and Cheese Casserole

2012-05-15T09:26:00.003-05:00

This recipe starts out based on Cook's Country's macaroni and cheese casserole with some minor changes, such as adding ham. I dress it up a bit with some thyme and chicken broth, too. The whole point is to use up those bits of ham left over from your holiday meals. Although it’s already cooked, I like to brown the ham first just to get a little more flavor into the casserole. Happy eating!

Hmm...we seem to be missing chicken broth, an onion, and salt and pepper. Guess they're camera shy.

Cook the pasta.

Mix American cheese and corn starch.

Brown bread crumbs.

Brown ham.

Saute onions.

Add spices to onions.

Add milk and chicken broth.

Add American cheese.

Add beaten eggs.

Add ham, Worcestershire and pasta.

Pour into 8 x 8 casserole dish.

Sprinkle on cheese...

...and bread crumbs.

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni
8 ounces American cheese, grated (2 cups)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup panko or regular unseasoned bread crumbs
1½ cups diced ham
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook for 5 minutes and drain; set aside.

Toss American cheese with cornstarch; set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan on medium low. Add bread crumbs and cook until golden; set aside.

Wipe out saucepan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan. On medium heat, brown diced ham lightly; set aside.

Wipe out saucepan. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in flour, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Whisk in broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in American cheese-cornstarch until melted. Whisk in eggs, ham, and Worcestershire. Stir in pasta. Pour into 8 x 8 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let set for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Pasta: 5 minutes isn't long enough to cook it al dente; it will finish cooking in the oven.
Cheese: Buy American cheese in a block and grate it. Don't use those awful artificial slices!

Rolled Tacos

2012-05-03T11:40:00.001-05:00

Growing up on the Arizona/Mexico border, I ate a lot of Mexican food. One of the treats that I especially loved was rolled tacos (taquitos). These were usually made with leftover roast. They were just a way to use up leftovers, but they were so popular that some restaurants served them with beans and rice as a menu item. Our high school served them every couple of weeks, and the students loved them. By the way, the lunch ladies could be seen early in the morning actually rolling the tacos. No frozen, pre-formed cafeteria food back then!

What you need for rolling tacos are fresh corn tortillas. If they’re fresh, you don’t have to soften them before rolling. My mom bought tortillas at the tortilla factory behind our local Safeway store. She got them hot off the press and could roll them while they were still warm. If you don’t have a factory nearby, try a Mexican grocer or any store that sells a lot of Mexican products. Otherwise, just buy the corn tortillas in your favorite grocery store and soften them (see notes).

The salsa is homemade. I’ll save that recipe for another post.

Grab the leftover roast.

Heat it up.

Roll 'em up.

Fry 'em.

Ingredients

Leftover roast beef
Cumin, salt and pepper to taste
Corn tortillas
Vegetable oil

Directions

Heat roast in a skillet with a 2-3 tablespoons of water. Season to taste. In this batch, I used 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoky paprika, and a dash of salt and pepper. Shred the meat.

Lay out a corn tortilla on a plate or cutting board. Place 1 tbsp meat along the lower half of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly. Seal with a toothpick. Deep fry or pan fry (turning as needed), about 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve with salsa.

Notes

Softening Tortillas: If your tortillas don't roll well, steam them briefly in the microwave. Alternatively, you can dip each tortilla in hot oil for a few seconds--very traditional!

Frying: Rolled tacos should be deep fried to get an all-over golden color, but I usually make a handful at a time, so they're pan fried and end up a little less uniform in color. See the taco that split in the last photo? That happens sometimes!

Toothpicks: I used toothpicks in these photos, but they're face down in the pan. Yes, you run the toothpick in and out like you're pinning fabric together. It works better with rounded, pointy toothpicks. The toothpicks in the photo are the flat kind. They don't work as well, but that's what I had. If your tortillas will stay closed without toothpicks, don't use them!

Raspberry Cake

2012-04-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

I love raspberries, so I started playing around with an easy way to use this yummy fruit. This is based on the old Jello-O cakes from years ago, but I've kicked things up a bit with cream cheese icing flavored with raspberry extract. The vanilla pudding mix makes the cake just a little heavier. That helps the cake hold up when it's infused with the sauce.

Well, I left the vanilla extract and powdered sugar out of the picture, so...here are most of the ingredients!

Into a bowl goes the cake mix.

Then the oil...

Then the water...

Then the eggs...

Then the pudding mix.

Mix it up.

And pour it into a cake pan. Bake according to package directions.

Heat the jam.

Add the raspberries.

Add sugar to taste.

Add raspberry extract.

Strain the sauce.

Use a drinking straw to poke holes in the cake.

Fill the holes with raspberry sauce.

Spread the frosting on the cake.

Ingredients

Cake

1 white or vanilla cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix

Raspberry sauce

1 jar red raspberry jam
1 half pint of raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp raspberry extract

Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raspberry extract

Add dry pudding mix to cake mix and prepare cake according to package directions. Cool completely. Poke holes in cake and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat jam on medium heat; add raspberries, sugar and raspberry extract. Cook mixture 5-10 minutes, mashing raspberries as they soften. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. (My strainer's holes are too big to catch everything, so I usually have to strain it again through a tea strainer). Chill sauce for 20 minutes. Pour sauce into fine-tipped bottle (or use a zipper bag with one corner cut off). Fill cake's holes with sauce.

In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating slowly to incorporate. Whip on high to desired consistency. Mix in vanilla and raspberry extracts. Spread frosting on cake. Chill cake about 30 minutes. Serve with extra raspberry sauce, as desired.

Linguini Delight

2012-02-27T15:04:00.004-06:00

What's delightful about this dish? Well, I didn't have to visit the grocery store! If you're like me and keep a few common pantry items around, you'll be able to concoct your own version of Linguini Delight. Have fun with it!

Ingredients

6 ounces linguini or other noodle-type pasta
2-3 strips bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cream or half and half
1 teaspoon chicken base

Directions
Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and set aside. In the meatime, in a medium saute pan, cook bacon on medium heat, crumble, and set aside. To bacon drippings, add enough olive oil to equal 3 tablespoons. Add chopped onion and saute on medium high until translucent. Add 1 tablespoon butter, minced garlic, and thyme. Saute 1 for minute, stirring frequently. Add cream or half and half and chicken base. Stir on medium low heat for 1 minute or until heated through. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss. Serve with a sprinkle parmesan cheese.

Notes
Haven't used chicken base? It's a great way to add a chicken flavor to your dishes. Basically, it a jar of powdered chicken broth. You just scoop out what you need. It's similar to bouillon, but the brand I use isn't quite as salty. It lasts a long time in the pantry. I've used leftover ham chopped finely and ham base for this basic leftover recipe, too. Add vegetables, too, if you need to use 'em up!

Tuna Pasta Salad

2011-06-29T13:59:00.021-05:00

A lady I worked with many years ago served this salad at an office luncheon. We all loved its savory flavor. Made with common ingredients, you might not have to make a special trip to the grocery store for this one.

Dressing

1 small can of oil-packed tuna

1/4 cup dill pickle juice from pickle jar

1 cup mayonnaise

Salad

1 6-8 oz. package small macaroni or penne, cooked al dente

1 dill pickle, chopped finely

1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly (use part of the green tops, too)

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 small can chopped or sliced olives

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

salad greens (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, combine tuna, oil from tuna can, pickle juice and mayonnaise. Fold in salad ingredients. Add pasta. Chill and serve alone or over salad greens.

Notes
The oil from the tuna helps flavor the salad. Oil-packed tuna blends more easily with the mayonnaise, leaving only the pickle juice as water based. If you use water-packed tuna, the water in the tuna is likely to cause the salad dressing to separate, although it is still tasty. Don't add salt until you have tasted it! You might find that the tuna, dill pickle and pickle juice provide all the saltiness you need. Add only about 3/4 of the pasta until you see how well your pasta is covered by the dressing, adding more pasta as desired.

Hobo Stir Fry

2011-04-24T14:44:00.005-05:00

I call this a hobo stir fry, because it's just a collection of whatever vegetables I have on hand. In this case, I've made an "Asian" style sauce. If you want something less salty, you can always thicken some chicken broth with a teaspoon or two of corn starch and leave out the other sauce ingredients. Most of the time, I add some bean sprouts to the vegetable mixture, but I didn't have any, so I added extra broccoli, instead.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 bunch green onions (scallions), sliced thinly
2 carrots, diced
3 cups broccoli florets
1 yellow squash or zucchini, coarsely chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons lite soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 packet chicken bouillon concentrate or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

Directions
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil on high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and saute 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Set chicken aside in a bowl. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in skillet. Add vegetables except garlic. Saute vegetable about 5 minutes or until desired doneness. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add chicken to vegetable mixture. Heat through on medium. Add sauce, mixing well. Serve over rice.

Sauce: In a small saucepan, heat soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chicken base on medium low just until warmed.

Prepare vegetables

Sauce ingredients

Saute chicken pieces, set aside

Saute vegetables

Add chicken to vegetables

Add soy sauce to small pan

Stir in hoisin sauce

Add chicken concentrate and warm through

Add sauce to chicken and vegetable mixture

Whole Grain Helper a la Vagabond

2011-04-02T18:11:00.005-05:00

How about adding veggies and herbs to a simple boxed meal? Try the whole grain variety, too. I'm not fond of whole grain pasta, but I couldn't taste the difference in this dish. This is another meal I divide into one-cup serving containers for a quick and easy lunch. Much better than another frozen dinner! Microwaves nicely.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil

1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced

2 small portabella mushrooms, chopped

3/4 cup broccoli florets

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 1/4 pounds ground beef

1 package Whole Grain Hamburger Helper, stroganoff style

salt and pepper, as needed

Directions
In a large skillet heat oil on high until shimmering. Add onion, pepper, mushrooms and broccoli. Lower heat to medium and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary. Cook 1 minute longer. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside. Brown ground beef in same skillet. Prepare hamburger helper as directed on package, adding vegetable mixture to Hamburger Helper mixture before simmering. Cover skillet and simmer per package directions. Adjust seasoning.
Note: Because of the added vegetables and extra ground beef, additional salt and pepper might be needed.

Green Enchilada Casserole

2011-03-08T13:38:00.012-06:00

While this is a tasty supper dish, I like to divide it into individual freezer containers and take it to work for lunch. It makes about 8-10 lunch servings--my very own Vagabond Cuisines!

Saute onion

Stir in chicken, 1 cup of cheese, soup, chiles, and enchilada sauce

Add tortilla pieces

Cover with remaining cheese

Heat until bubby!

Ingredients

1 Large Onion, diced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 Bone-in Chicken Breasts, Roasted, Boned and Shredded
20 Corn Tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 Can (28 oz.) Green Enchilada Sauce
1 Can (10.5 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can (4 oz). Diced Green Chilis (not Diced Jalapenos)
3 Cups Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese (reserve 2 cups for top)
Sour Cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-proof skillet or casserole, saute onion until translucent. Add remaining ingredients including only 1 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Cover and bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Notes

The original recipe called for a small onion and mild enchilada sauce. I had to modify, because the dish was too bland. Now I use a large onion and a medium rather than mild green enchilada sauce. Most of the time I use 2 4-ounce cans of green chiles, too. I buy bone-in chicken breasts and roast them ala Barefoot Contessa. I agree with her that they have more flavor cooked this way. Roasting chicken

Church Pot Luck Casserole

2011-03-08T13:33:00.008-06:00

Need a quick and easy for a potlock? Or how about it's cold outside, and you need some gold, old-fashioned comfort food to stick to your ribs? This casserole will keep 'em coming!

2 Boxes Macaroni and Cheese

1-1/2 Teaspoons Oil

1 Large Onion, Diced

3 Medium Mushrooms, Sliced

1 Pound Lean Ground Beef

1 Can (10.5 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup

1-2 Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to box directions. Stir in cream of mushroom soup. In a skillet, heat oil on medium high. Add onion and mushrooms. Saute until onion is translucent but not browned. Add onion mixture to macaroni and cheese. Brown ground beef in skillet. Add to macaroni and cheese. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Variation: use a bread crumb topping instead of grated cheese

Tomato Beef

2011-03-08T13:29:00.014-06:00

My mom found this recipe in a newspaper about 50 years ago. This was long before stir fries became popular!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

1-1/2 pounds top sirloin, thinly sliced

4 medium, ripe tomatoes, sliced and quartered

1 large onion, diced or sliced thinly

1 medium green bell pepper, diced or julienned

1 10.5-ounce can beef broth

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons corn starch

salt and white pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil on high until smoking. Add sirloin strips and cook on high for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and broth. Put lid on skillet and cook on medium high for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk Worcestershire sauce and corn starch until smooth. Remove lid from skillet and stir in Worcestershire sauce mixture. Cook uncovered on medium until sauce thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve over pasta or rice.

Notes

This is a quick cooking recipe. Prepare all ingredients before you heat the oil. The noodles or rice should be ready to serve before you start cooking.

Meat: you can use other cuts of beef, but be careful to choose tender cuts. This recipe cooks too quickly for tougher cuts.

I have tried canned, diced tomatoes for this recipe, but the flavor wasn't the same. If you don't like the skin on fresh tomatoes, you can place them in boiling water for a few seconds and then plunge them into ice water. The skin will split and can be removed easly.

The 10.5-ounce can of beef broth is a soup-sized can. If you don't want to open a larger can of broth and risk not using up the extra, look in the soup section of your store. Campbell's has beef broth that comes in a 10.5-ounce can, and it's usually with the soups instead of the broth. Don't use Campbell's consomme. It looks like beef broth, but the flavor is different. You can use more than 10.5 ounces of broth, but you will have to spend more time reducing the mixture at the end.

Variations: Endless! Mushrooms are an obvious addition.

Prepare all ingredients before you begin to cook.

After browning steak, stir in vegetables and broth.

Mom's Sunday Roast and Gravy

2011-03-08T13:25:00.005-06:00

When I was growing up, mom did a lot of baking, but this is one item that she didn't put in the oven. We lived in a warm climate, so she always used the stove top instead of the oven for cooking roasts, which had to cook a long time. "I don't want the oven on for several hours," she would say. "It heats up the kitchen too much." And so we have a roast cooked on the stove top.

1 Large Chuck Roast, Boneless Preferred

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tablespoons Dried, Minced Onion

Salt and Pepper

3 Bay Leaves

Beef Broth or Water (optional)

Directions

Pat roast dry with paper towel. Heat a large, deep skillet on high. Reduce heat to medium high and add roast (no oil needed) and brown 1-2 minutes. Brown second side 1-2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting. Drizzle Worcestershire Sauce over roast. Season with onion, salt and pepper. Place 3 bay leaves on roast. Cover and cook on low (3-4 hours) until roast falls apart.

Gravy

Remove roast from pan. Skim off all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Heat on medium. In a shaker, combine 1 Cup Water with 2 Tablespoons Flour. Shake until blended well. Add to skillet, stirring constantly until thickened to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Check the roast often to see if it is drying out. Chuck roasts vary greatly in the amount of fat and water they render during cooking. If needed, add water or beef broth. If your gravy becomes lumpy, use a wire whip or immersion blender to smooth out the lumps.

Macaroni Tomato Soup

2011-03-08T13:17:00.006-06:00

Years ago when I lived in Utah, there was a restaurant that featured a very basic soup that my kids loved. Soon I was making it at home to rave reviews. It took me a couple of tries to figure out that the missing ingredient in the tomato juice base was nothing but ordinary, canned beef broth. I've tried using beef bouillon, but it makes the base too salty. Folks have gushed over this soup and suggested adding all sorts of things to it. I kinda like it the way it is--simple and tasty.

8 ounces medium shell pasta

1/2 pound lean ground beef or turkey

1 42-oz. can tomato juice

1 can beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside. In a large, deep skillet or soup pot, brown ground beef. Add tomato juice, broth, and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add pasta and serve.

Notes

If you won't be serving the entire pot of soup, don't add pasta to soup pot. Instead, store the cooked pasta in a separate container and add to individual bowls when serving. If the pasta is mixed into the soup and stored in the refrigerator, it'll "grow" and become soggy.

Chicken Fajita Fettuccine

2011-03-06T17:40:00.004-06:00

What do you do with all of that leftover fajita meat? Toss it with some pasta, of course! When I was raising kids, Saturday night was fajita night. Come Sunday and Monday, I was always looking for something to do with the leftovers. It seems I always had onions, bell peppers, and sour cream left along with some fajita meat. This recipe cleans out the fridge and fills tummies, too!

Ingredients

2 large boneless chicken breasts, marinated for fajitas

1 large green bell pepper

1 medium onion

5 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1-2 tablespoons chicken soup base

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup sour cream

12 ounces fettuccine, cooked

Directions
Grill chicken breasts and slice thinly. Set aside. Slice bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves thinly. In a large skillet heat oil on high. Add pepper and onion slices. Saute on medium high for five minutes. Add garlic slices and saute one minute longer. Add thyme, soup base, and wine. Cook on medium for five minutes to reduce wine. Stir in sour cream and cook until heated through, about one minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine fettuccine and chicken mixture. Toss mixture to coat pasta. Serves 4.

Grill chicken

Slice vegetables

Saute vegetables

Add thyme and soup base

Add wine

Stir in sour cream

Combine fettuccine and chicken mixture

Mexican Casserole

2011-02-16T17:56:00.004-06:00

Originally, this was a crock pot recipe, but I never could figure out why it needed to be cooked for such a long time. It's a fairly basic casserole-style dish that only needs to bake a few minutes in the oven to bring the flavors together. So...goodbye to long cooking times (only for weekends), and hello to weeknight supper!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 can red enchilada sauce, mild or medium
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
12-15 white or yellow corn tortillas, torn into 1” pieces
8 ounces cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, grated

Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large, oven-safe skillet or casserole, brown ground beef and drain. Stir in enchilada sauce and soups. Fold in tortilla pieces. Spread grated cheese on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6.

Brown ground beef

Grate cheese and set aside

Stir in enchilada sauce, soups, and tortilla pieces

Spread grated cheese on top and bake