Fabulous Big Dutch Babies!

We love Dutch Babies in our house.  I started making them when I lived with my Grandmother.  I can't remember if I first learned them in my home economics class and then brought them home to my Grandmother or if she was making them before that.

The great thing about this recipe is it is super simple and super delicious!

Ingredients:
**For a 2-3 qt size cast iron pan (or paella pan or other baking dish no more than 3 inches deep) (note recipe needs to be increased for a greater quart size)

3 T of butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  {If you are making it in a cast iron pan, make sure it is cured so that the dutch baby doesn't stick.  I wash my pans with soap ... so if the pan seems "dry", I add a touch of oil to the pan and "cook" it on the stove until the oil just sets in.} If the pan is cool, I put it in the oven to warm and to also add the butter to melt (don't let the butter burn).  While butter melts, whirl eggs at high speed with your mixer, blender, or food processor for one minute.  You will notice the eggs getting frothy.  Gradually beat in milk and flour - alternating them.  Remove pan from oven and pour the batter into the pan all at once.  Bake until puffy and lightly browned 18-25 minutes depending on pan size and your oven.  It is 18 minutes in my oven with the 2-3 qt size pan.


The dutch baby will puff up dramatically - so let everyone see it right away for an exciting presentation!  But, then it drops quickly - this is normal.

Dust the dutch baby with powdered sugar.  If you like it sweet, you can drizzle it with maple syrup as well.  For a "less sweet" taste, I often squeeze lemon juice on mine.  The kids prefer the syrup of course.

This is definitely a 5 star meal for both Dragon King and Fairy Princess!

What do you like on your Dutch Babies?

Italian Sausage Soup

I made some yummy Italian soup that was a hit with all of us.  I did use venison, but of course beef and pork sausage is good too.  The best thing is, you can use what ever vegetables you have on hand!  I will list the vegetables I used this time, but it is very flexible.  I plan on using some acorn squash the next time around!

Ingredients for 4 servings:
3/4 pound Italian sausage (I used homemade venison sausage)
1 clove garlic
1/2 small onion
1/2 to 1 diced tomato
1/2 diced bell pepper (what ever color you have)
1/2  cup diced carrots
1/2 cup of diced green beans
1/4 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef broth (I used better than bouillon)
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
8 oz of cooked pasta (what ever shape you have on hand)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions
Saute the sausage and set aside.  Cook the onions, peppers, and garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes.  Then add and saute the vegetables until soft.  Stir in the tomatoes, wine, broth, and spices.  Add the sausage.  Simmer for about an hour and add the cooked pasta just before serving.  We topped the soup with some Parmesan cheese and served it with biscuits.

Dragon King and Fairy Princess both rated it as a 5!  Hooray - we will make this again!

Let me know if you try it and what variations you use!

Gyoza (Potstickers) Venison Style!

Venison Gyoza

I am used to calling these by their Japanese name - gyoza, but you may know them as potstickers, Chinese dumplings, or possibly mandu.  Dragon King absolutely loves them and can eat a whole plate himself.  I am always trying to come up with new and creative ways for us to eat  venison, since we have quite a bit of it.

For my first excursion with these, I decided to make it really simple.  Fairy Princess absolutely loved them this way.  Dragon King liked them quite well, but I think he was looking for that similar taste as what he usually gets in an Asian restaurant   So, next time I am definitely going to add some green onion and minced ginger.  I think my husband and I will like them that way better too.  Obviously, rather than venison, you can use beef, pork, shrimp, tofu ... what ever you like!

Venison Mixture
1 pound ground venison
1 beaten egg
a handful of bread crumbs
garlic salt to taste
(diced green onion and minced ginger  will spice it up a bit - but Fairy Princess loved this planer and meaty taste)

You can buy round gyoza (potsticker) wrappers at an asian store.

Just place a small spoonful of your mixture into the center of the potsticker.  Moisten your finger with water and drag it around one half of the outer circle.  Then just fold over the wrapper.  Once folded pinch/pleat one side of the crescent and the flip it over and pinch/pleat the other side.  (You can see the pleats in the top picture).  Surprisingly, to me - I was able to make these in about 20 minutes.  It doesn't take long at all.  I then pan fried them.

Dipping Sauce (these are to taste and approximate measurements)
2 T soy sauce
2 drops of sesame oil (and/or chili oil)
1 t of rice vinegar (not distilled or cider - it won't be the right taste)
My kids just like plain soy sauce.


Dragon King rates this as a 4.5 - we will try the ginger and green onions next time.
Fairy Princes rates this as a big 5!

Please let me know if you try them!

Seared Chicken and Buttery Noodles

 Seared Chiken and Buttery Noodles

 

This has been one of Dragon King's favorite dishes for a long time.  It is very simple, but one that he loves.

Ramen noodles - After boiling drain water, toss with butter and soy sauce.
Chicken - season with garlic salt, sear on both sides in hot frying pan that contains butter and olive oil.
Peas.

Dragon King rates this meal as a 5 - of course
Fairy Princes rates it as a 4 ... except for the peas, which are a 5.  She is crazy for peas.

Chili and Biscuit Bowl

I modified this recipe from Food Network.  My kids have only had chili a couple of times and are only just starting to like it.  This is a nice mild recipe.  The original recipe calls for Bisquick for the bisquits ... I like to make my own Bisquick recipe that I found on Cooks.com a while back.

Master Mix for Bisquick - cut by 23% to make about 2 Cups.
2 C all purpose flour
1/3 T salt
1/2 C shortening
1/8 C baking powder
1/3 t cream of tarter
1/2 T sugar

Sift dry ingredients - cut in shortening till the size of corn meal.

Bisquit Bowl
Add 2/3 Cup of milk to bisquit mix. Shape into a ball.  Turn out on floured surface and knead 3-4 times.  Divide the ball into 6 pieces.  Roll each piece into a 6-inch circle.  Place a dough circle over the back of a lightly greased muffin cup.  Press around the cup to form a bowl shape.  Bake forr 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let cool slightly and remove.

Chili
1 pound of ground meat (we used venison)
1/4 of an onion chopped
1/4 of a green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 (14-oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained
2 T chili powder
Garlic Salt, Cumin, and Paprika to taste

Brown the meat.  Add onion, green pepper, and garlic and continue to cook until the meat is completely brown and the vegetables are tender.  Drain off any fat and discard (there was none with venison).  Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 35 minutes.

When ready to serve - spoon into the bisquit bowls.  Garnish with whatever toppings you like.  We added shredded cheese, but you could also add sour cream or sliced green onions - or anything else you like!  We also served it with blue and yellow corn chips.

Dragon King rated the chili a 4 and the bisquit a 2.  I guess that he prefers his bisquits with butter!  Fairy Princess rated the chili a 1 (still not a fan) and the bisquit a 4.  They could be like Jack Sprat and his wife and lick the plate clean!

Chicken Box Dinner

Once a week we are at Karate for two hours which encompases dinner time.  Fairy Princess has her class first so Dragon King eats during that time and then they switch.  It is a challenge to pack them a dinner that is fairly neat, nutritious, and appealing.  Here is their Chicken Box Dinner.







Chicken Box Dinner
Chicken cubed, sprinkle garlic salt, roll in egg and then flour.  Then it is lightly fried.  Ketchup for dip.
Green Pepper
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Watermellon

They loved it!  Both rated it a 5, especially the chicken.

Advocado Chicken Salad

Advocado Chicken Salad

9 oz Shredded Chicken
1/2 Chopped Advocado
1 t Lemon Juice
3 T Mayo
Salt and Pepper to taste

We put the salad on sesame buns with lettuce and served it with a side of cucumbers,  bell peppers, and baked blue corn chips.  I liked it but would have preferred a lighter bread - maybe a croissant.  Both the Dragon King and the Fairy Princess liked it pretty well too and rated it a 4 each.