Crockpot baked beans

I was raised on great homemade baked beans. My mom cooked them in a pot in the over and they were delicious. I used her recipe to create my version which is a set and forget it way to make baked beans you can be proud of and people will rave about. 

What you need:
16 oz Navy Pea Beans
1 package salt pork
1 large or two small onions
1/3 cup molasses
salt and pepper to taste

#bakedbeans

Soak you dried beans overnight. I soak them right in the crockpot. Empty the water and replace it with fresh. Chop the onion and add to beans, cut the salt pork into pieces, size is irrelevant. Add the molasses and salt and pepper, cover with water. Stir and then turn the crock pot on high. 

After 4 hours I lowered the heat to low and cooked for another 4 hours. I served this with crusty semolina bread and it was delicious. It was husband approved!!

Crockpot lasagna

Time is something that no one has a lot of and finding easy meals that cook without a lot of attention is something all of us can appreciate. Who doesn't love lasagna? It is, however, work-intensive. This recipe is the easiest one I have ever come up with and it tastes delicious. 

What you will need:
1 jar spaghetti sauce
16 oz. ricotta
8 oz mozzarella
1 12 oz jar roasted peppers
1 egg
1 pack no-boil lasagna noodles
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 lb Italian sausage

Remove the Italian sausage from its casing and fry. Drain the roasted peppers and add to the sausage. 

Place the ricotta cheese in a bowl and beat in the one egg and the 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Place some sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Put a layer of lasagna noodles, spread several large scoops of ricotta on the noodles, top with some sausage and peppers, and more sauce. Add a handful of mozzarella. 

Repeat for as many layers as you have noodles for. You will be breaking some noodles to fit them in the pan. The top layer is sauce and mozzarella.

Put the crockpot on high and cook for 4-6 hours. If you are going to be gone longer, put it on low or medium for a longer cook. This may not be your nonnas lasagna but for busy working women this is a delicious family-friendly meal that makes sense. 

Serve with a salad and some garlic bread and enjoy the rave reviews.  

For other suggestions of what to serve with lasagna check this blog. 

Side dishes to serve with lasagna. 

Other crockpot dinner ideas

Tortilla soup

Pork and apples

Crockpot beef stroganoff

 

It's chili weather

It has been chili weather around here lately. When it gets chilly, nothing warms the soul like a steaming bowl of slightly spicy chili. 

I have been thinking about making chili for a few days so I finally decided to see what I had in the house that could go into the crockpot. I had two cans of chili flavored zesty tomatoes, chili con carne spice from Penzey, hamburger, and no kidney beans. I dug around and came up with a can of butter beans. 

I fried the hamburger and placed it in the crockpot along with the two cans of tomatoes and the beans. I chopped up a small onion and added it to the pot. I didn't have more than a teaspoon of the chili con carne spice and it didn't seem spicy enough. I added some sea salt seasoned with garlic and black pepper and added some smoked jalapeno powder and red pepper flakes. 

I cooked it on high for two hours and then when I went to bed I put it on low. I woke up to a delicious smell in the morning. It was a very tasty result. 

Recipe:
1.5 ground beef
2 cans zesty chili spiced tomatoes
1 can butter beans
1 small onion
garlic, pepper. salt, smokey jalapeno powder and red pepper flakes
chili con carne spice

Cook it slow and low and enjoy. 

Stumpknockers On the River Dunnellon, Florida

We have passed by the restaurant many times before we actually decided to give it a try on a Friday during Lent 2015. We knew that it would be a good place to get fish on a Friday and it is not too far from our house, about a 10-minute drive. Who could resist the name, Stumpknockers? 

On our first visit, the weather was conducive to dine out in the open. We did return for a second visit and it was rainy s we had to dine undercover but wee still chose outside, they do offer indoor dining. 

The location is a big part of the attraction, they are right on the Withlacoochee River. You can take a river cruise right from their backyard so if that is something that appeals to you, check out their website and plan your visit accordingly. 

The setting is very pretty and the restaurant is rustic and very popular. Once you taste the food, you will understand why it is so popular. 

Al decided to try the catfish which is what they are best known for, it is one of their specialties. It comes with coleslaw, which is served ahead of the meal, corn on the cob, French fries and hushpuppies in addition to the catfish. It was the first time that Al had ever tried catfish and he was pleased with his meal. It was generous in proportion. 

I ordered the shrimp. I opted for a baked potato and fresh veggies with my hushpuppies. I really loved it, as you can see, my shrimp were large and the garlic butter was delicious. 

We finished up by sharing a piece of delicious Key Lime pie. It was very good. The whole

meal was very good, good enough to get us to return. 

On my second visit, I had the scallops and they were just

as good as I expected. 

If you are going to be in our neck of the Florida woods, I highly recommend Stumpknocker On the River and if you are going, please give us a call and we will meet you there!! 

Everything You Need to Know About Crepes

I grew up on crepes. I never knew there was any other kind of pancake. My mom never made traditional American style pancakes. Her crepes created a love for crepes that has never diminished.

When we travel to Canada or to France, we always indulge ourselves. Crepes are one of the most popular French foods. While these are not the only quintessentially French food, the simple crepe is so versatile that it demands a certain amount of attention. The origin of the crepe is most often thought to be from the French province of Brittany in the northwestern region of the country. It is not uncommon to find creperies where the servers are dressed in traditional Breton garb.



Basically, there are two different types of crepes: sweet and savory. While the filling is important, it is the crepe itself that makes the difference between the two types.

The savory crepe is often referred to as a galette, created with buckwheat flour. In France, it is referred to as ble noir or farine a Sarasin. It is believed that this buckwheat was brought back from the Middle East by the Crusaders, and it adapted well to the soil and weather conditions of Brittany. It makes a heartier crepe which is the perfect base for whatever you would like to fill it with. It also has a different texture, since there is no gluten in buckwheat flour.

In Brittany, the traditional filling is ham and eggs. According to legend, the crepe was the first fast food, and entrepreneurs as early as the 15th century would sell their savory cakes to the happy locals at markets. The color of a buckwheat crepe is not as light as the sweet crepe; it is a nut-like color and has a somewhat nutty taste as well. It is not unusual for creperies to mix wheat flour in as well to get a lighter crepe.

It has the heartiness of the galette, which, according to the same legend, led to the development of the sweet crepe. After eating a hearty savory crepe, diners were looking for a little something to finish their meal, enter the dessert crepe. Sweet crepes are made with wheat flour and because of the gluten, have a lighter texture that lends itself well to being a dessert.

A sweet crepe can be as simple as just a crepe and butter with a little sugar or maple syrup or may include the addition of just about any fruit or liquor. Chocolate is not uncommon as a filling either. Crepes Suzette is what many people think of when they think of a dessert crepe but this is just one of many, many options. I personally prefer fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.

Crepes: 50 Savory and Sweet Recipes will provide you with some great recipes to use at home. Or you can always pick up the crepe mix from Stonewall Kitchen. Crepes are a perfect base for a great meal. Experiment, make them at home or find a favorite creperie. They can be simple, complex, extravagant or budget friendly; it’s all a matter of what you choose for your filling.

Taggarts Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant Canton, Ohio

For over 90 years, residents and tourists alike have flocked to this former bike shop to enjoy homemade ice cream specialties and delicious food. The current owner, Ernie Schott, has not changed the recipes that made the restaurant so famous. He has, however, added a second location in Magnolia and added the historic Kennedy’s Barbecue to his restaurant holdings. Taggarts is a real family-run operation, with Ernie, his wife Patti, their children and their children’s spouses all involved in keeping the restaurants running seamlessly.

We stopped in for a late lunch and had a chance to talk to Ernie about what made him leave his former employment and get into the restaurant business. We also had a chance to sample some very tasty food. The first thing we noticed was that, since this is located in a highly populated area, there is not a parking lot. It really is not an issue; there is plenty of on-street parking, and since the restaurant is on a corner, the side street is a good option. You can dine in or out — the choice is yours — at the counter, a table or a booth.

When I asked the waitress what the restaurant’s specialty was, she told me everything is good and that people don’t favor one thing over another. Ernie, however, thought we should taste the homemade soup and he, of course, was right. We tried two kinds, the vegetable and the soup of the day (cabbage) and they were both delicious and obviously homemade. I fell in love with the cabbage and I am ashamed to admit I didn’t share it with my husband; I ate the whole thing myself.

We had burgers for our main course. I had a patty melt, which is always a favorite of mine, and it was a good one. The ground steak patty has both American and Swiss cheese with grilled onions and of course rye bread. It was generous and I couldn’t finish it, especially since there was no way that I was going to deny myself ice cream. I also tried the restaurant’s tangy coleslaw, which was also delicious.

Taggarts serves what can be best described as good old-fashioned comfort food, and it fits right in with the old-fashioned look of the restaurant: original wooden booths, iron ice cream parlor chairs, and a marble countertop. I have to say, prices are old-fashioned as well; you won’t break the bank dining here.

The ice cream is made in-house, which is obvious from just one bite of the fresh peach, which has huge chunks of ripe peach in every bite. Typically they go through 800 to 1,000 pounds of vanilla ice cream a week and 200 pounds of pecans. If you are not visiting during peach season, not to worry — they offer a variety of flavors every day as well as seasonal favorites. Ice cream is made fresh three times a week.



But no visit to Taggarts is complete without a “Bittner.” There are two sizes, so if you don’t think you are up for eating the three-quarters of a pound of ice cream, you can order a smaller version. According to the Taggarts website, “By far, the most famous Taggarts legacy is the Bittner — invented in 1931 and named in honor of a delivery boy. This is a secret mixture of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and pecans from a special supplier in Georgia. The end result is a dessert which has the consistency of a milkshake but is too thick to drink.”

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I dug my spoon into the “Bittner.” Oh my, it was amazing; I could have eaten myself silly on those wonderful pecans. I now understand why people come from everywhere to eat this ice cream. It’s salty, sweet, amazingly delicious and unlike anything else, I have ever had. As good as the food was I have to recommend that at least once; you just come in and eat as big of a “Bittner” as you can squeeze in. It’s worth it.

My love affair with caramelized onions

Caramelized onions add a wonderful depth of flavor to any dish to which they are added.  There is nothing I love more than a patty melt!! They are perfect on top of a freshly grilled hamburger or hotdog but are equally at home on a more sophisticated dish. They have that amazing golden brown color that can add a great touch to many dishes. Learning how to caramelize onions will add a new dimension to your cooking. 

Onions are filled with wonderful natural sugar. When you are very patient and take the time to cook them slowly and allow the sugars to come out, you will end up with a pan filled with the most delicious slightly brown and sweet onions. The best onions to caramelize are yellow or white onions. These are at their peak in the spring and summer when the skins are thin and the onions are at their sweetest.

The first step in preparing caramelized onions is to peel and slice your onions. One type of onions that are a little easier on your eyes is Vidalia onions. These beauties are sweet and not as strong as other varieties of onions. Remove the outer skin of the onion and then slice with a knife producing thin rings. Then slice the rings in half, break apart so that you have all single pieces.

Place your fry pan on the burner at medium heat and add two tablespoons of virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of butter for the flavor. When the butter has melted, add the onions and toss in the oil butter combination to coat all the pieces.

Using a wooden spoon stir briefly, lower the heat to medium-low and place a cover on the pan. Lift the cover every few minutes and using your wooden spoon, stir the onions. Keep an eye out for any sticking or any pieces that seem to darken too fast. If it is too dark lower the heat, if it is sticking, add a little more olive oil.

Continue to check and stir until your onions reach the correct golden color. At this point, you can add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. If you want to add any additional spices at this point you can do so. Total cook time is 15 to 20 minutes.

Depending on what you are planning for dinner tonight, chances are that caramelized onions will fit into your menu. If you are having pizza, they are a wonderful addition and if it is pasta, you can add them easily to your dish. Be creative, you family will love it.