Runza Casserole

I can't believe I have never blogged a recipe for bierocks. This are a pocket of bread stuffed with ground meat, cabbage, and usually cheese. I learned about these when I was in college. I'll have to blog the recipe next time we make them.

What I like about bierocks and now this runza casserole, is that they are excellent recipes for using the cabbage my husband insists on growing each year. I always shred it and freeze it to easily add in to recipes such as these or Chinese food like General's Tso or lo mein. I'll have to blog those recipes soon too. 

Last year my husband grew 4 heads of cabbage so I'll probably need to use these recipes a couple of times.The original recipe for Runza casserole came from here.

Runza Casserole

Crust:                                                             

1 1/4 teaspoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, softened

Filling:

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 small head shredded cabbage (I use frozen cabbage)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

cheese (velveta, pepper jack, cheddar, etc)

egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon water) optional

1. Combine yeast, water and sugar and let sit until foams, approx 10 minutes. Add flour and butter. Knead for 5 minutes with additional flour if necessary. Place dough in a warm area and allow to double, at least 1 hour.

2. Cook beef and onion on medium-high in a large skillet. Drain and discard grease. Add cabbage, cook until wilted, approx 10 minutes. Add seasonings.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Split dough into 2 pieces. Roll out into circles. Press on into greased  8x8 casserole dish. Add hamburger mixture. Place sliced cheese on top, as much as you prefer. Add second circle of dough. Pinch crusts together like a pie to seal. Brush on egg wash. Cut vent slits.

5. Bake until golden brown, approx 20 minutes. Cover with foil and cook additional 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.  

**I froze mine before baking then unthawed 24hours before baking. I cooked about 45minutes to brown the crust.

Kale, Sausage, and Cannellini Bean Soup

This soup does not photograph well but it is so delicious. In fact, I could go for another bowl right now! 

This recipe comes from my Bible study, "What Love Is" by Kelly Minter. This is my kind of Bible study, learn about God AND yummy food! I had the ladies in my small group over to try out the recipes. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate and a blizzard prevented them from joining us. However, some local college students were already out and decided to come over. I enjoy living near the university and the opportunities it opens up to our family.

Kale, Sausage, and Cannellini Bean Soup

By Kelly Minter

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used 1 tablespoon minced)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

shaved parmesan cheese for on top

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained

2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, more if you want a brothier soup

1 lb Italian sausage (Kelly prefers 4 sausage links, I used ground)

1 large bunch kale, large ribs removed, chopped (I could only find baby kale which worked well)

1. Cook sausage in a stock pot. I then put it in a crockpot since I was having a luncheon the next day.

2. Add oil to stock pot.

3. Add garlic and oregano, saute until translucent.

4. Add vinegar and tomato paste, cook another minute until the oil and paste has blended together.

5. Add beans and stock. Bring to a simmer. (I added everything to the crockpot at this point).

6. Add sausage. Kelly recommends adding kale 30-45 minutes before serving so kale isn't overcooked.

7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cheese.

Stuffed Pretzels

It's been awhile since my last post because 2015 was a very busy year! My husband got a new job, we sold our house (after I was a single mom during the weekdays for 3 months), moved to a new town 3 hours away, moved out of that apartment into the house we bought 2 weeks before having our 3rd child.  So, I've been busy. I've still been cooking and baking but every new recipe I tried didn't seem blog worthy.

Until....

Stuffed Pretzels!

I've spent many late nights looking at Pinterest while nursing the baby. When I found this recipe for ham, swiss, and jalapeno stuffed pretzels, I had to give them a try.

We didn't have Swiss cheese so I used shredded cheddar instead. I just used leftover ham from a previous meal and cut it into small pieces. I omitted the jalapenos since my kids don't like spicy food.

A first I was intimidated by this recipe with all the steps but I'm glad I didn't let it stop me because it was surprisingly easy and quick even with a 3 year old helping.

We loved these pretzels so much I immediately made another batch since I still had the water and egg wash. We didn't have enough all purpose flour so I had to use some whole wheat flour instead. The dough wasn't as elastic (as I would expect). I didn't try these yet, I wanted to see how they would do freezing them so I will probably find out this weekend.

• Stuffed Pretzels
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• Dough:
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110-115 degrees F)
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 
  
• Cooking Liquid:
• 8 cups water
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 
  
• Fillings:
• Ham, diced
• Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
• 
  
• Egg wash:
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 
  
• Directions:
• For the dough: 
• Combine water, yeast and sugar in a stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment. Let stand for at least 10 minutes or until mixture foams.
• Add butter, flour and salt; kneed for 12 minutes on medium speed.
• Cover with damp towel and allow dough to rise in a warm spot until doubled. (I like to let me dough rise for as long as possible since it gives it a richer, yeastier flavor.)
• 
  
• Assembly and Cooking:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Add water and baking soda to a large pot and bring to a boil.
• Divide dough into 8 equal rounds.
• Roll each round out into a 16" rope.
• Roll each rope out so it's 4 inches wide.
• In a small bowl combine ham and cheese. Add 3 tablespoons of filling evenly along the rope.
• Tightly roll the dough back into rope, jelly roll style, pinching the edges together. 
• Make a U shape with each rope of dough, holding the ends.
• Cross the ends over each other, pinching ends onto the bottom of the dough.
• Place pretzels - one at a time - into the boiling cooking liquid. Cook for 30 seconds each.
• Transfer cooked pretzels to prepared baking sheet.
• Once all of the pretzels have been cooked, brush the tops of each with egg wash, then sprinkle with garlic salt.
• Place pan in the oven and bake for 16 minutes.
• Eat warm, or transfer to a rack to cool
• 
  

My helpers:

Sweet Potato Snickerdoodles

I found my new favorite cookie recipe....sweet potato snickerdoodles. I've never been a fan of snickerdoodles but when my husband made these for me, I was hooked!

To see the recipe I originally found, click here.

SWEET POTATO SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

PRINT

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

12 mins

TOTAL TIME

27 mins

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 18

INGREDIENTS

• *for the cookie dough*
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup {1 stick} unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¾ cup sweet potato puree{1 medium potato should be enough!}
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• *for the topping*
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Prepare your sweet potato by scrubbing it and drying it well. Poke holes on the surface with a fork, then wrap in a paper towel, and microwave for about 5 minutes, until soft and cooked through. Cut in half and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugars for the dough, until light and fluffy.
4. Using a spoon, scoop out the sweet potato flesh and add it to the butter-and-sugar mixture. I didn't measure mine precisely but a medium potato should be close to ¾ cup! Mix everything well using a hand or stand mixer, until well incorporated and smooth.
5. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and vanilla, and mix to combine.
6. Add in the flour, and mix until the dough just comes together.
7. If the dough is a little soft, let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up, as it needs to be able to be rolled in sugar without falling apart.
8. When ready, line two cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.
9. Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl.
10. Grab the cookie dough, scoop out spoonfuls about the side of a golfball, and drop them in the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough around until completely crusted in sugar, then place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating trays halfway though.
12. Let cool slightly then enjoy! Store in an airtight baggie or container for best results.

Canning Spaghetti Sauce

What do you do when you have a ton of fresh tomatoes to use? You make anything and everything made out of tomatoes that you can think of. For us, it means making stewed tomatoes (I'll try to post some of the many recipes we use for these), taco sauce, BBQ sauce, pizza sauce, and spaghetti sauce.

Of course, you will wash and core your tomatoes first.

We have this wonderful Victoro or Squeez-o strainer that we use for our tomatoes and apples. It's absolutely wonderful for making all of our homemade sauces and pretty easy to use.

An easy trick is to grind your onion and green peppers together in a food processor at the same time.

Now that you have your tomato juice, put it on medium high heat, add onions, peppers, tomato paste, oil, and spices.

We usually have several pots and our roaster going at once since we make approx 40 quarts of spaghetti sauce alone each year. Add your hot peppers and cook until boiling. Stir often.

Once your sauce has reached your desired thickness, time to ladle your hot sauce into your hot, clean jars. 

I follow the Ball canning guidelines when canning spaghetti sauce. Leave 1/2 inch headspace.

Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Grandma Rising's Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 bushel tomatoes (Roma are best)

48 oz tomato paste

1/3 cup salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic, basil, oregano, paprika

6 green peppers

3 pounds onions

3 hot peppers

Wash tomatoes and run through Squeez-o strainer. Grind peppers and onions. Mix all ingredients together except for the hot peppers in a roaster on high. Place hot peppers on top. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least one hour.

Healthy French Toast Bake with Squash

Who doesn't like brinner? A recipe we enjoy is the Pioneer Woman's baked French toast. I changed a few things to make it a little lower in fat, calories, and sugar. This recipe is so easy and a crowd-pleaser. My kids are picky eaters and they love this recipe, even with the squash.

French Toast Bake

1 loaf crusty bread (I save the heals from my whole wheat sandwich bread in the freezer until I have enough to make this recipe)

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

2-3 cups sweet potato or butternut squash puree (about 1 squash)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

Grease 9x13 pan. Tear bread into pieces and evenly distribute into pan. In a separate bowl, wisk eggs. Add milk, sugar, vanilla and almond extract, wisk carefully. Pour evenly over bread. Cover pan and store in fridge overnight.

For topping: mix flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in fridge overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle topping evenly over bread. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer casserole. If you want a crustier casserole, bake it for 1 hour.

Top individual servings with maple syrup if desired.

Crumble bread and put in 9 x 13 pan.

Add liquid ingredients.

Sprinkle on topping.

Bake.

Enjoy!

Easy slow cooker chicken tortilla soup

There are a lot of recipes online for chicken tortilla soup, but wanted to share our version, which we eat often because it's delicious, economical, and super easy.

We usually substitute home-canned tomatoes for cans of Ro-Tel, but the basic ingredients are this:

2 chicken breasts
2 cans (14 oz) Ro-tel (you can also use two cans diced tomatoes if you don't like Ro-tel)
1 can black beans
2 cups frozen corn (or canned, or fresh, but probably not creamed)
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Optional items: Cilantro (dry or fresh); Tortilla chips for garnish.

How we make it: At night, before going to bed, put the chicken in crock-pot and cover with water by 1 to 2 inches. In the morning the chicken can be shredded with a fork; then add both cans of tomatoes and the black beans (drained). Add corn. Add spices. I'm bad about measuring spices, but a reasonable starting place is 2 tsp each of Chili powder, cumin and garlic powder; 1 Tbs salt; and a few dashes of pepper.(Since we often garnish with salty tortilla chips, we often reduce the amount of salt.) Stir all the ingredients together and set crock pot for desired time; we usually do 8 hours, so that it's waiting and ready for supper.

Variations: We often used leftover turkey or chicken to make this soup; in that instance, you can follow the recipe as stated (minus cooking the chicken overnight) but add 2 to 4 cups of chicken broth in along with the cooked meat.  Also, the recipe is pretty accommodating, so adding things like peppers or onions works well.

Want it sooner?: We've also made this on the stove top, if we want to eat it sooner rather than later. In that case, put the chicken in a stock pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Allow to cook about 20 minutes; then remove chicken and allow to cool to the point where it can be cut up. Return chicken to pot, along with the other ingredients, bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for an hour or more.

Serves: 6 to 8.