2020 COOKATHON #3B

I started Tuesday’s cookathon with a little backbeat to set the tempo ;-)

Bob bought this boombox for me 17 years ago, to set the tempo for me while I worked in my veggie and flowers gardens … and it still works fine ;-)

Today’s menus will be using a Pot Roast (from my ‘Betty Crocker New American Cooking’ cookbook), Ground Beef  (from my Betty Crocker’s Hamburger Cookbook’ cookbook), Bay Scallops (from my Weight Watchers ‘Slim Ways With Pasta’ cookbook), Fish Fillet (from my ‘Weight Watchers Quick Start Program’ cookbook), Chicken (from my ‘Betty Crocker New American Cooking’ cookbook), Pork Chops (straight from the freezer & pantry), & Cubed Steaks (from the ‘Woman’s Day/September 1977’ magazine page): everything was chosen to work as quickly as possible in the kitchen to beat the heat before it really sets in. I really cooked a LOT of meals this time because I don’t want to be in the kitchen at all – especially around a hot stove – during August.

The Cookathon #3A (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-cookathon-3a.html) & #3B Combo meals should skate me right on through the month of August.

That’s the plan anyway :-D

The first meal I got busy with is a 2-step meal, but that’s okay: kitchen time is minimal, and cooking it will be easy, as it will go into the crockpot after marinating. Easy-peasy ;-)

As usual, I adapt the recipes to fit my needs … recipes are a guide, not the gospel. If I have all the necessary ingredients, I feel I’m ‘good’ to go :-D Also, there is just 1 of me now, so I half the recipes when I make them; posting the recipes in their entirety for larger families.

So, what I turn out may not look “picture prefect”, but it suits me; and my taste buds.

==POT ROAST w-PEPPERS

I believe in eating meat – meat is healthy and necessary for a well-functioning holistic body. This recipe is a good source for protein, niacin, and iron.

POT ROAST w-PEPPERS ~ 8 servings

3- to 4-pound beef arm, blade, or cross rib Pot Roast * 2 large cloves Garlic, crushed * ½ cup dry Red Wine * ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar * 2 Tablespoons Olive OR Vegetable Oil * 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce * 1 teaspoon dried Rosemary leaves * 1 teaspoon dry Mustard * 2 Tablespoons Olive OR Vegetable Oil * 2 large green Bell Peppers * 1 large Red Onion, cut into halves, and thinly sliced * 2 Tablespoons Olive OR Vegetable Oil * 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar * 1 teaspoon dried Oregano leaves * ¼ teaspoon Salt * dash ground Black Pepper

Roast w-Peppers; ingredients.

Pierce surface of beef with a fork. Place beef in rectangular baking dish, 13 x 9 x 2 inches, or a glass bowl. Mix garlic, wine, ¼ cup vinegar, 2 Tablespoons oil, soy sauce, rosemary, and mustard. Pour over beef; cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours – but no longer than 24 hours.

Marinade Injector.

Pepper and Onion Side Dish Ingredients.

Peppers and Onion Side Dish Ingredients; placed in ‘fridge with roast until ready to cook the next day.

Remove beef from wine mixture; reserving wine mixture. Cook beef in a 4-quart Dutch Oven in 2 Tablespoons oil until browned; add reserved wine mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender – about 2 hours. Cook and stir green peppers and onion in 2 Tablespoons oil until crisp-tender – 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tablespoon vinegar, the oregano, salt and pepper; serve with beef.

**If cooking in a crockpot: place beef and wine mixture in crockpot. Set temperature to High, and bring to a boil – then reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking 4 to 6 hours depending on how your crockpot cooks. Make side dish as directed**

The SPANISH RICE w-BEEF was posted to my Blog in 2017; so I just posted a link to the recipe. Of course, things have changed … I am a widow now, so I cook and portion my meals in widow servings.

==SPANISH RICE w-BEEF ~ 6 (1 cup) servings (http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/02/spanish-rice-w-hamburger.html).

Spanish Rice w-Beef; ingredients.

Spanish Rice w-Beef & Black Olives & Mandarin Oranges. Ready for the freezer

==GINGER SCALLOPS w-CHINESE NOODLES

This recipe combines scallops with delicate angel hair pasta (super skinny spaghetti noodles) coated in a richly flavored sauce. Supe quick.

GINGER SCALLOPS w-CHINESE NOODLES ~4 servings

¼ cup Scallions, minced * ¼ cup low-sodium Chicken Broth * 2 Tablespoons dry White Wine * 1 teaspoon Cornstarch * ¼ teaspoon granulated Sugar * dash ground White Pepper * 2 Garlic cloves, minced * ¼ teaspoon Salt * 2-3/4 cups fresh Green Beans, cut (I used canned – it’s what I had on hand) * 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil * 2 teaspoons grated fresh Ginger * 10 ounces Sea OR Bay Scallops * 3 ounces Angel Hair Pasta, cooked and drained

Ginger Scallops w-Chinese Noodles; ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine scallions, broth, cornstarch, sugar, and pepper; set aside.

Sauce prep.

Spray a large non-stick skillet or wok with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and salt; stir-fry 1-2 minutes, until garlic is tender. Add beans; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and continue cooking 3-4 minutes, until tender. Remove bean mixture to medium bowl.

Garlic frying; noodles cooking in background.

Garlic & Green Beans.

Heat sesame oil in same skillet; add ginger and stir-fry 2 minutes.

Ginger frying.

Add scallops; stir-fry 5-6 minutes, until scallops turn opaque.

Ginger & Scallops.

Add beans and scallion mixture to skillet; heat 1-2 minutes, until mixture thickens and coats scallops.

Garlic, Beans, Ginger & Scallops.

Place pasta in a serving bowl; add scallop mixture, and toss to mix well. Serve.

Finished.

Ginger Scallops w-Chinese Noodles & Mandarin Oranges. Prep for freezer.

==FILLET DIABLE ~serves 2

2 teaspoons Margarine * 1 teaspoon all-purpose Flour * ¼ cup Water * 2 Tablespoons dry White Wine * 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard * 1 teaspoon drained Capers * ½ teaspoon grated lemon Rind * 1/8 teaspoon White Pepper, divided * 2 fillets of Sole (I used Tilapia), 5 ounces each * 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Fillet Diable; ingredients.

In a small saucepan, heat margarine until bubbly and hot. Sprinkle with flour and stir quickly to combine; cook over low heat, stirring constantly – for 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in water, wine, and mustard. Return to heat and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Stir in capers, lemon rind, and dash of pepper; remove from heat and keep warm.

Sauce cooking.

Sprinkle fillets with lemon juice and remaining pepper. Spray rack of broiling pan with nonstick spray; transfer fish to rack and broil until fish flakes easily when tested with fork prongs – about 5 minutes. Sprinkle fillets with salt, then transfer to serving platter.

Fish fillets broiling.

Spoon sauce over fish.

Fillet Diable. Prep for freezer.

==CHICKEN w-VEGETABLES

Good source of protein and niacin

CHICKEN w-VEGETABLES ~7 servings

2½ to 3-pound broiler/fryer Chicken * 1 teaspoon Salt * 1 teaspoon Paprika * 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil * 1 can (16½ ounce) whole-kernel Corn, drained * 3 medium Tomatoes, cut into wedges * 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped * 1 medium Zucchini, cut into ¼-inch slices * 1 medium Onion, chopped (about ½ cup) * 1 teaspoon dried Oregano leaves * 1 teaspoon Chili Powder * ½ teaspoon ground Cumin

Chicken w-Vegetables; ingredients.

Cut chicken into pieces; cut each breast half into halves and remove skin. Sprinkle chicken with salt and paprika. Cook chicken in oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven or 12-inch skillet over medium heat until light brown – 15 to 20 minutes; reduce heat. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until zucchini is crisp-tender and veggies are heated through – 5 to 10 minutes. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon; serve with chicken.

Chicken & zucchini.

Chicken w-Vegetables & Corn on the cob. Prep for freezer.

==PORK CHOPS

I just browned the chops until there was no more blood draining from them; mixed the boxed potatoes, and placed the chops on top – baking the whole thing according to the boxed instructions.

Pork Chops browning; with peppers & onions cooking for the Roast w-Peppers meal.

While the chops cooked, I started cooking the peppers and onions for the pot roast meal (recipe posted above).

When the chops were cooked to my satisfaction, I set them aside while I prepared the scalloped potatoes; then I placed them on top … and slipped the casserole into the oven.

Pork Chops w-boxed scalloped potatoes.

While the pork chops and potatoes baked, I put the sliced pot roast and pepper-onion mixture in their freezer containers – leaving them unlidded until the scalloped potatoes came out of the oven; some of the potatoes would go into the roast meal.

Sliced roast & vegetable side, waiting for scalloped potatoes.

Roast Beef w-Peppers & Pork Chops w-Scalloped Potatoes. Prep for freezer.

==EASY SPANISH STEAK SKILLET DINNER ~serves 4

4 Cubed Steaks * 3 Tablespoons Oil * 3 medium Onions, sliced thin (about 2½ cups) * 2 large Garlic cloves, crushed * 1 Tablespoon Flour * 2 teaspoons Chili Powder * 1 teaspoon Sugar * ½ teaspoon Salt * 2 cans (16 ounces EA) * 1/3 cup thinly sliced Stuffed Olives * 4 ears of Corn, husked and halved crosswise

Easy Spanish Steaks; ingredients.

Heat large skillet over low heat until hot. Add steaks and brown each side quickly over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.

Browning the steaks.

Add oil to drippings and heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until lightly browned and tender.

Sautéing onions & garlic.

Stir in flour. Chili powder, sugar and salt; add tomatoes and olives. Cook and stir until thickened.

Sauce cooking.

Add browned steaks and corn (I omitted the corn here – and added a cob of corn to my freezer meal container). Bring to a boil; cover and simmer util corn is tender – 10 or 15 minutes; turning corn occasionally.

I serve this meal with mashed potatoes.

Steaks added to the sauce.

Boil the potatoes while the steaks finish cooking.

Easy Spanish Steaks Meal with corn & pears.

Easy Spanish Steaks Meal. Freezer Ready.

2020 COOKATHON #3A

This cookathon is a bit lengthier than my others because it’s done in two-day’s-time instead of one; but most of the recipes are short and quick. It’s really too hot to cook right now, but eating is a necessity … and I prefer my own cooking: my cooking is tastier and healthier (MHO); and more economical ;-)

That said, I will admit that summer months are my junk food months – a few quick noodle meals … and a couple pickup/takeout orders … mingled with my homestyle freezer meals.

So, with that admission in mind, I did spend some time in the kitchen pulling together a few easy meals that wouldn’t keep me bent over a hot stove and lead to heat stroke … and by my estimations, the meals in the Cookathon Combo (#3B Meals post follows this post) should take me through the end of August; God willing :-D

I cooked a turkey/ham dish (I used a smoked turkey drumstick); a fish dish (I used Tilapia; but Cod, haddock, or Scrod will do as well); a simple kielbasa & potato skillet meal; and fried hamburgers.

BAKE THE TURKEY LEG (I used a pre-cooked smoked drumstick) before preparing and cooking the kielbasa/potato skillet meal: the turkey leg can cool while the skillet meal cooks. Bake the turkey leg as follows: (1) Preheat oven to 250-degrees Fahrenheit (2) Place the drumstick in an oven pan sufficient to hold the drumstick without crowding the pan’s dimensions … and deep enough to hold the meat drippings, as well as baking water – add a dash of water or broth to the pan (3) Bake for 2 hours; rotating the pan occasionally – until the meat tests at an internal temperature of 155-degrees on a meat thermometer.

Baking turkey drumstick.

==The KIELBASA & POTATO SKILLET MEAL is very simple and easy to pull together – for me, I just sliced half a kielbasa ring into thin rounds … peeled, and quartered about 3 medium potatoes: put the potato pieces into a medium skillet, and add water to cover the potatoes – season if you desire seasoning (I usually add butter, and salt and pepper when I mash my potatoes). Cover and cook over medium heat. When potatoes are fork ready, add the kielbasa pieces and steam with the potatoes, until heated through. That’s it! Easy-peasy. Serve with a dinner roll, green beans, and a fruit. I got 2 nice sized meal portions out of this – 1 I ate, 1 I froze. **Adjust the amount of kielbasa and potatoes to fit your family needs.

Wash and dry the skillet for the fish dish (recipe follows below).

Remove the turkey meat from the leg bone and dice. I already had diced ham meat thawed – if you don’t have diced ham at your fingertips, you will need to cook a slice of ham and dice it for the recipe (follows below).

I prepared and baked the turkey/ham casserole, and the fish dish simultaneously.

==HAM ‘N’ TURKEY CASSEROLE ~ makes 2 servings

Noodles may differ slightly, but typically, for extra-wide egg noodles, a 2 oz. serving = 1¼ cups of dry egg noodles; which will yield approximately 1½ cups cooked noodles.

HAM ‘N’ TURKEY CASSEROLE

4 ounces skinned, boned, and diced cooked Turkey * 3 ounces cooked, diced Ham * 1 cup cooked enriched extra-wide Noodles, medium width * ½ cup diced Bell Pepper * 1/3 cup nonfat dry Milk powder * 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley * 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan Cheese * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

Ham bits thawed and weighed.

Cubed baked turkey meat weighed.

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix thoroughly.

Ham & Turkey Casserole being mixed together …

Transfer to a 7 x 5½ x 2-inch casserole that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until heated thoroughly – about 25 to 30 minutes.

Ham and Turkey Casserole Meal w-Broccoli, Mixed veggies, & 2 small Rolls.

==BAKED FISH w-MUSHROOM -WINE SAUCE ~ 2 servings

If you do not have dry Vermouth, there are several alternative substitutions you can use: non-alcoholic white wine, white grape juice, or white wine vinegar.

Baked Fish in Mushroom Sauce.

BAKED FISH w-MUSHROOM -WINE SAUCE

2 teaspoons Margarine * 1 cup chopped Mushrooms * 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice * 1 small Garlic clove, minced * dash Salt/Pepper * 10 ounces Fish fillets * ¼ cup EA green scallions and dry Vermouth * 1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh Parsley (optional)

Fish fillets thawed and weighed.

I used Chanterelle mushrooms precooked in butter; thawed.

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a small skillet heat margarine until bubbly and hot; add mushrooms, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings; sauté over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Mushroom sauce cooking; Bob always liked eating mushrooms - I wish he were here to enjoy these fleshy Chantrelle's.

Place fish in a 1-quart casserole and top with mushroom mixture, scallions, and vermouth …

Meals ready for the oven (I cooked the turkey casserole & fish dish at the same time) – same oven temp; different cooking times.

… bake until fish is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork – about 10 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Baked Fish w-Mushroom Sauce w-Spinach & piece of Baguette Bread.

==PEPPY CHEESE HAMBURGERS ~6 patties

½ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese * 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise * 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce * ½ teaspoon Salt * ½ teaspoon prepared Mustard * ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients. Shape into 6 patties.

Heat skillet … or grill to medium high heat. Cook patties, turning once, to desired doneness – about 10minutes.

Peppy Cheese Hamburgers. Frying patties.

Peppy Cheese hamburgers; cooled, wrapped in foil & ready for the freezer. When I want to eat one, I’ll thaw it out and bake it with the French fries I’ll eat with it ;-)