Rouladen

Rouladen, red cabbage, fried potatoes, salad and Hefe-Weizen

We love German food.  It's wholesome, hearty and reminds us of good times in Germany.  Jeff and I lived in Germany for 5 years.  We lived in Wiesbaden for 2 years and Ansbach for 3 years.  I also lived in Nurnberg for 3 years with my parents when I was a little girl.

Wiesbaden, Germany

Ansbach, Germany

Nurnberg, Germany

So a few days ago, I made Rouladen, which is a braised beef roll with gravy.  Rouladen is one of our favorite dishes.  It take a little time to make it...it's a little labor intensive... but it is well worth it!

Rouladen

9 slices of bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb sirloin, thinly sliced length-wise.  (My grocery store sells it already sliced, but you can ask your butcher to slice it for you.)
1 T. olive oil
1/4 c. mustard (you may use more/less depending on the size of the sirloin)
1 dill pickle, sliced length-wise into quarters
salt
pepper
1 t. parsley
1/2 c. white wine
3 c. beef broth
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. water or milk


Finely chop the onion and 1 piece of bacon.  Place the chopped bacon, 3/4's of the onion and the olive oil in a Dutch oven, or a large, deep frying pan.  Cook the onion mixture over medium heat for about 5 minutes.


To prepare the beef, I use a large cutting board and lay the pieces of sirloin on it.  Spread the mustard on each piece of beef.  Place 2 pieces of bacon on top of the mustard.  Sprinkle the bacon with salt, pepper, the remaining chopped onion, and parsley (about 1/4 t. for each piece of beef.)  Place the pickle slice along one of the short ends of the beef.  Starting with the pickle side, roll the beef up.  Secure each roll with 2 toothpicks (or you can use string if you'd like!) 

Push the cooked onion and bacon to one side of the pan.  Turn the heat up to med/high.  You may need to add another Tablespoon of olive oil.  Place the beef rolls into the hot pan and brown on all sides.  Once the sides are browned, move the rouladen to one side of the pan.  Pour the wine into the pan and stir up the brown bits that are on the bottom.  Add the beef broth.  Place the rouladen in the middle of the pan and stir in the onion/bacon mixture that was pushed to the side.  Turn the heat down to low.    Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.  Occasionally turn the rouladen over and stir the broth.

Mix the flour and water (or milk) together.  Remove the rouladen and increase the heat to high.  Once the liquid is boiling, slowly pour the flour mixture into the pan and whisk.  The gravy should thicken quickly.  Turn the heat to low and add the rouladen.  Coat the rouladen with the gravy.  Serve with potatoes (pan fried or mashed are great!)  Enjoy~

Tailgating with Bacon

Sorry about not posting more often...  teaching 2 classes, taking 2 classes (my LAST ones!) and spending time with Jeff and JP have left me with too few free moments where I can share my cooking thoughts, recipes and craziness of my life.

http://aalto.arch.ksu.edu/personal/knoxweb/images/wildcatlogo.jpg

Ever since we moved to Kansas in 2004, Jeff and I have talking about going to K-State football games.  Jeff went to one a few years ago and I had never been to one.  Until this year.  Since I'm a student, I bought season tickets for both of us.  Student season tickets.  We have general admission to the student section.  I doubt that we buy student season tickets again.  Why you ask?  When was the last time you sat stood in the student section of any game?  Do you know how rowdy excited students are at a home football game?  Especially if they've been tailgating for a few hours?  We usually end up moving to vacant seats at halftime.

So anyways, we've been tailgating a lot lately.  We have a lot of fun watching people.  We play a few games sometimes, drink a few beers, hang out with friends and eat good food.  And then watch some pretty good football.  Well, except for last night.  That was just brutal.

Here are a few recipes that I've made for tailgating.  Enjoy~

http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2009/08/18/100-ways-to-use-a-stick-of-bacon/

Bacon Chestnuts
7-9 slices of bacon (I use Oscar Myer Center Cut)
1 can whole chestnuts, drained
1/8 t. garlic powder
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
2 T. grape jelly
toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Cut the bacon into thirds.  Wrap each small piece of bacon around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.  I find that if I slightly stretch the bacon, it works better.  Place wrapped water chestnut on a cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray.  Sprinkle the wrapped water chestnuts with the garlic powder and brown sugar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until bacon is slightly browned.  Remove the water chestnuts from the pan and place into a small crockpot.  Mix the chili sauce, grape jelly and BBQ sauce together and pour over the chestnuts.  Place the crockpot on warm for at least 1 hour.  Wrap in a towel and take it to the tailgate!  


You can also fix this the day before the tailgate.  After the water chestnuts are baked and cooled, refrigerate.  Four hours before you need the yummy nuggets of goodness, place into the crockpot, pour the sauce (chili and BBQ sauce) and heat on high for about 4 hrs.  Wrap the crockpot in a towel and carry it to the tailgate!

To go along with the yummy nuggets of goodness, there are these bacon bombs, too.  They should fit in the same crockpot, so I make them together.  Bacon makes everything a little better, right??  And with all the jumping, cheering, yelling that you do at the game (or hanging your head like we did last night) you can burn off those bacon calories!  As Jeff said yesterday, what's better than pork wrapped in bacon?

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/12/bacon-wrapped-cocktail-sausages.html

Bacon Wrapped Smokies
1 package Little Smokies
1 lb bacon (I use Center Cut)
1/8 t. garlic powder
2 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
2 T. grape jelly
toothpicks


Preheat oven to 350*.  Cut the bacon into thirds.  Wrap each Little Smoky with a bacon piece.  Secure with a toothpick.  Place the wrapped bacon bomb on a greased cookie sheet.  Once all of the Smokies are wrapped, sprinkle with garlic powder and brown sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes until bacon is starting to brown.  Remove from pan and place into a crockpot.  Mix the chili sauce, grape jelly and BBQ sauce together and pour over the smokies.  Four hours before you need these bacon bombs, turn the crockpot on high.  Wrap in a towel and off to your tailgate!  

I usually make both of these at the same time and throw them into the crockpot together.  They are yummy and oh so easy to pop into your mouth.  You can cook them in the crockpot instead of baking them, however, baking them allows you to get rid of a lot of bacon grease.  And the sauce remains thicker if you bake these little gems first.

Company Chicken

So yesterday, I took part in the Kindred  Connection from the Windy Poplars blog. 

Kindred Connection from Windy Poplars

One of the questions was about your signature dish...  Company Chicken is one of mine.  I've decided to share my recipe of Company Chicken with all of you great folks that read my blog!

A little background:  In the 1970's, my dad was in the Army and my mum was a part of the Officer Wives Club at one of the posts we were at...I believe it was Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, Texas.  This club had a recipe exchange and this is one of the recipes that was received.   My mum occasionally made this recipe when I was growing up.  I forget what it was originally called, but I started calling it Company Chicken because that is what we had when we had company for dinner!  I've lightened the original dish up a little bit...every little bit counts!  I've used lightened products, precooked my bacon and less sour cream...you can use regular products, uncooked Center Cut bacon, and more sour cream if you're so inclined!  Also, you can find dried beef in the canned meat section of your grocery store.  It's near the tuna fish and comes in a jar.  I buy Armor brand...because that's the only brand my store sells!  And they don't sell the pouches at my store!  I freeze the rest of the dried beef for the next time I make Company Chicken.  You may also find dried beef in your deli.  My inlaws can get it in their deli at their local market.

Company Chicken
serves 4-6
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 slices bacon (I use Center Cut)
16 slices dried beef
1 can 98% reduced fat cream of chicken soup
8 ounces reduced fat sour cream
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8/ t. onion powder
fresh ground pepper

Rinse the dried beef several times in warm water, and let soak in a bowl of warm water and change the water twice while you're getting everything else ready.  Preheat the oven to 325*.

Cook the bacon until is is almost completely cooked.  You want the bacon to be soft and flexible rather than crisp.  I usually do this in the microwave.  Drain the bacon and pat dry with paper towels.


Mix the sour cream and cream of chicken soup together in a bowl.

Remove the dried beef from the bowl of water and squeeze dry.

Butterfly cut each chicken breast (cut it in half lengthwise.)  Check out this video from "Taste of Home" magazine for tips on butterflying chicken.  Open the chicken along the cut and place 4 pieces of dried beef.  Fold the chicken back up, like it was before you butterflied it.  If you're using thighs, you don't need to butterfly the meat.  Instead, place 2 pieces of dried beef along the "bone side" of the chicken thigh, and fold in half.

Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices of precooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.  With the thighs, wrap each thigh with 1 slice of precooked bacon.

Place the chicken in a 9x9x2 inch casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam, or whatever cooking spray you use.  Sprinkle the chicken with pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  I usually don't measure this, but just sprinkle it on lightly.  Top with the sour cream mixture.

Cook for 40-50 minutes until it is bubbly and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve over pasta.  I always make peas as a vegetable.  The peas go really well with the chicken and the sauce.

Enjoy~

And there you have it...a chicken (and beef and pork) recipe good enough for company!  This recipe is always on the list of things to make when my husband returns from deployments!

Amish Breakfast Casserole

I found this recipe for Amish Breakfast Casserole on allrecipes.com.  I made some changes to the recipe, but overall, it was pretty good, I would make it again, but with more changes.  The recipe calls for 1 pound of bacon and I only used 1/2 pound of center cut bacon.  I also used 3 c. of shredded 2% Cheddar cheese instead of Cheddar and Swiss.

Amish Breakfast Casserole (from allrecipes.com, submitted by Beth Notaro)
1 lb sliced bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 eggs, slightly beaten
4 c. frozen hash brown potatoes (shredded potatoes)
2 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1/2 c. cottage cheese (I used 1%)
1-1/4 c. Swiss cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp.  Drain.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Stir in bacon mixture.  Transfer to a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.  Bake uncovered at 350* 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

My review:  I thought this was a little bland.  Next time I would add 1/2 t. powdered mustard, 1/2 t. black pepper, and a dash of Cayenne pepper.  I'd also add a chopped green pepper, and 2-3 sliced green onions (in addition to the chopped onion.)  I think diced ham would go well in this, as well as the Swiss cheese it originally called for.  The texture was good, I didn't think it needed any more eggs or cream as some of the reviewers suggested on allrecipes.com.  The cottage cheese made the casserole moist.  I also needed to cook the casserole for 50 minutes instead of the 35-40 minutes in the original recipe. 

Let me know what you think of this!

Happy cooking and enjoy~