Our TG Dinner 2016

Nov 25 2016

Our daughter was home for the weekend and ate on Thanksgiving Day, our son and family went to her parents to celebrate. We had our family TG dinner Friday.

I fixed some Skillet Dinner Rolls and Spinach Artichoke Dip for an appetizer we had at 4:00. I posted pics and a link in the previous post. I took the easy way out and had some precooked ham I heated sliced and a little water in a foil pack in a Crockpot. I did a green bean casserole in a Crockpot and did cheesy potatoes and corn pudding in the convection oven.  I had some meatloaf leftovers and some ate it and the ham. We ate at 5:30.

It was all pretty good, my ham was from Walnut Creek Amish Country; it was above average but I like my butcher Kah Meat’s smoked hams better.  For desserts there was Black Raspberry Pie, Custard Pie and a Pumpkin Roll all from Amish Country.

We all stuffed ourselves then sat around listening to some good music and talking and joking. It was fun family get together!

Wife set a pretty table

The ham

Cheesy potatoes

Corn pudding

Green bean casserole

My plate

Skillet Rolls & Spinach Artichoke Dip

Nov 25 2016

This recipe makes for a delicious bread and dip appetizer. I found the recipe on Seasons and suppers blog. I used Pioneer Women’s recipe for the spinach artichoke dip. For my rolls I used some frozen dinner rolls that are about the size of a golf ball.

I thawed them out and then coated a skillet with olive oil. I placed a bowl in the center sprayed with some olive oil. I added the rolls, 16, around the bowl. I covered with plastic wrap and placed in a heated 200 deg. oven that I turned off for 30 minutes until the rolls had doubled in size. In the mean time I had made my dip.

I had a little trouble getting the bowl out after the rolls had risen. Next time I would put some foil around the bowl to lift out, mine had a vacuum seal and had to use a knife to get it out. I spooned the dip in the center and baked for 20 minutes after brushing with butter on convection bake. For standard ovens it may take 30 to 35 minutes.  If they are brown and you tap on them and sound hollow they are done.

This makes a pretty presentation and for those that like to make their own rolls would be great. You could also use about any cheese dip with it. I served this for an appetizer at our family Thanksgiving dinner.

Click Here for link to recipe

2016 Thanksgiving Day Dinner

Nov 24 2016

Our daughter is home for the weekend and I am fixing our family dinner tomorrow. For tonight I fixed a Lipton onion soup meatloaf and potatoes; I used beefy for the meatloaf and original for the potatoes. The potato recipe is on the back of the onion soup box and you can get both recipes on Lipton’s site. For the lack of any other veggie I did peas in country gravy. I am having ham tomorrow and the meatloaf for anyone who doesn’t want ham.

I did the meatloaf on my Traeger pellet grill, It was in a little over 1 ½ hours at 300 deg. It was done a little early but held nice in the microwave. I did the potatoes in my oven at 380 deg. convection and was done in 35 minutes.  I made the gravy stovetop and added a bag of frozen peas. We had toasted English muffins with the meal.

Tasted good, I have other meatloaf recipes I like better than the Lipton’s but the wife and daughter loved it and had seconds. I liked the potatoes, thanks LTBBQ member, Art for telling me to look on the back of the box!

Hope all are having some good food and a fun and safe weekend with family! I wish the same for all who are not celebrating Thanksgiving.

Meatloaf

Country gravy peas

Lipton Roasted Potatoes

My TG dinner

Sausage Burgers & Mac n Cheese

Nov 18 2016

I think I just had the last nice day sitting out in shirt sleeves and enjoying the 70 deg. temps before cold weather sets in.  Supposed to be 40 tomorrow with snow! I told the wife I would grill some sandwiches, we had beef last night so it was some sausage burgers tonight.

I got a pound of fresh sausage from my butcher. The wife wanted hers plain so I made up a patty for her, using 1/3 pound of the sausage. The rest I added a teaspoon of Penzey’s Italian sausage seasoning, a ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper and some diced green peppers and green onions.

They went on my Traeger at 195 deg. to smoke for an hour and then browned on my Weber Spirit about 3 minutes per side. I toasted the buns and added some cheese to my wife’s. I had some Bob Even’s double cheese pasta with Applewood smoked bacon I did in the microwave. It is about as good as I can do myself and a lot easier!

It tasted pretty good for a simple fast and easy meal! We both had some olives on the side and I just had mustard on the sandwich.

Sausage patties

An hour of smoke

Browning on the grill

My supper

Instant Pot Beef, Mashed Potatoes & Haluski

Nov 17 2016

It was a beautiful fall day here an unusual warm day of almost 70 deg. It was great to be out cooking. I was hungry for beef and noodles. I went to my butcher looking for a nice arm roast; he didn’t have any but had this nice English cut chuck roast. It has the short ribs included with a chuck.

It was too big for my Instant Pot and for the wife and me. I cut the ribs off and a tail piece to save and use for some Asian style ribs later, I seasoned the roast with just some pepper to smoke on my Traeger first. There would be enough salt in the onion soup and gravy mix.

I had wanted noodles but had almost a half head of cabbage left from making kraut so I would have some Haluski. The roast went on my Traeger at 3:00 PM for an hour of smoke at 195 deg. Then I seared it in my Instant Pot on Sauté mode about 3 minutes per side. I then added some chopped carrots and onions and let them cook a while until the onions started to brown. I deglazed with some beer and then placed the roast on top. I mixed a packet of Lipton’s beefy onion soup mix and Pioneer brown gravy with about 2 cups of water and poured over the roast.  I set the IP to Meat Stew normal mode for 55 minutes.

When the beef was done I let set about 10 minutes then released the steam, removed from the pot, and shredded; it was fall apart tender. I added the meat back to the pot and set on slow cook normal while I cooked the noodles and cabbage. When the noodles and cabbage was about done I nuked some Bob Evans garlic mashed potatoes.

I served it all with some toasted English muffins and butter. It sure was good tasting, the more I use my instant pot the more I like it.

The English cut chuck roast

Divided it up

It got an hour of smoke

Seared in the IP

Carrots & onions sauted

Beef added with soup & gravy mix in water

Roast was done

Shredded then back in the pot

Frying the Haluski

My supper

Krauts on for New Year's Day

I just shredded cabbage to make a half gallon of Kraut for my New Year’s Day good luck meal of pork and kraut.  It takes 30 days to ferment so will be done Dec. 16^th and have a couple weeks to mellow in the fridge.

Instant Pot Potato Soup

Nov 14 2016

Every since last Friday it has been too busy, at least for this old man. Friday afternoon my grandson invited me as a Veteran for a program his school does for Veterans. He had his other Grandpa there too.

Saturday my local VFW post had their annual dinner for members and their wives.  Had a great meal of roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and a small chicken breast. Sunday we had left over Greek ribs, fried potatoes with onions & green peppers and a salad.

Today I had an appointment with my eye Doctor for my macular degeneration.  After wards we ate at a favorite place in downtown Lima, Ohio on Main Street across from the courthouse, the Fat Cat Diner. It is a 50’s style diner that has been there since or before the 50’s. They have the best burgers and fries I have ever eaten, the wife agrees. My burger with cheese, mustard and onions must have started out a half pound patty and was done just right, crisp outside and a hint of pink inside and served on a toasted bun. The wife and I shared the fries. I am not a big lunch eater and could not eat the entire sandwich.

I know it’s a little rambling but we old retirees can do that! I had planned on some potato soup and a Kassler ham, made with a pork loin, sandwich for our supper. The potato soup was done in my Instant Pot and off the top of my head but potato soup is easy without a recipe. I was too full from my lunch to have any of the ham but my wife ate a slice with her soup. I had my bowl of soup with extra pepper, shredded cheese and bacon bits on top.  The wife just had bacon bits on hers.

The soup was great and the wife thought extra good so I wrote up the recipe to save for a keeper. To me it was about the best I have made but would experiment with incorporating bacon or ham in the recipe.

Click Here for printable recipe

Some ingredients

All in the pot

My supper