Creamed Sweetbreads

Found this recipe and thought it looked interesting.  Sweetbreads are the thymus (or pancreas) of  a calf or lamb, or sometimes made from beef or pork.  If you serve this, but do not want to call it sweetbread, another culinary name would be "ris de veau" or "ris d'agneau"

1 lb sweetbreads
3 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
¼ lb blanched almonds
1 can mushrooms

Soak sweetbreads in cold water for 1 hour. Parboil with slice of lemon for 20 minutes. Plunge in cold water, cut into cube, add hard-boiled eggs chopped, ¼ pound almonds, 1 can mushrooms drained. Mix with a well seasoned cream sauce and serve on toast or patty shells. 4 servings

Barbecue Brisket

 

Simple ingredients and directions.  It just takes awhile for it to cook.  The hardest thing you have to do is wait.  Enjoy!

This can be made using a brisket or round roast. It is also good with or without the BBQ sauce or by reducing the BBQ sauce. Also good for the slow cooker. 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Garlic powder
Season Salt
1/2 bottle Worcestershire sauce
1/2 bottle Liquid Smoke

DIRECTION:

Trim the fat from the brisket or roast. Sprinkle with garlic powder and seasoned salt. On a small roast pour about ½ bottle of Worcestershire sauce and ½ bottle of liquid smoke. Roll in foil and leave over night. Next morning, put in a 200 degree oven for 6-8 hours or until tender. The last hour, pour on a bottle of BBQ sauce. Could be put in a slow cooker all day on low.

Oxtails

There was a time when you could go to a grocery store and oxtails were cheap because no one wanted them. Then a lot more people discovered that they were really good when seasoned correctly. Now when I go to buy oxtails, I buy one pack at a time, because of cost, and then freeze until I have enough to cook a pot. I cook them once I have gotten 3-4 packs of them so that there is enough. Enjoy!

3 ½ – 4 lbs oxtails
¾ cup chopped onion
1 tbs salt
½ tsp pepper (I like to use a little peppercorns to taste too. Careful these can make it hot)
1 tbs chopped parsley
1 cup diced potatoes
1 tbs garlic
¼ cup Kitchen Bouquet *
¼ – ½ tbs basil
Some people like to add celery and carrots.  I prefer mine without.

*I like to substitute Worcestershire sauce (to taste) for the Kitchen Bouquet, just because I like the flavor it adds to the meat. You can probably do a mix of both, seasoning to your taste preference.

Wash oxtails and put them in water. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook several hours, until done. Stir every once in a while so that all the flavors are mixed well.

When cooking on top of the stove, I use enough water to cover well and a little more, because this will cook down. When I cook in the slow cooker, I use a little less water, just enough to cover oxtails. The less water you have to add during cooking, the more flavor will be retained in the oxtails.

Oven Beef Burgundy

I always head for this dish when visiting my favorite buffet. I love this stuff. I think the Burgundy makes the meat really tender and of course it has that extra little kick that only the “secret sauce” can give it. Delish!

2 lbs beef cubed (stew meat or chuck)
1 tbs Kitchen Bouquet
¼ cup cream of rice
4 carrots sliced
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 cup sliced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsps. salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp thyme
1 cup Burgundy or dry red wine
1 can (6 oz) mushroom crowns and broth

 

Trim excess fat from meat and cut into 1 ½ inch cubes. Place in a 2 ½ qt casserole and toss gently with Kitchen Bouquet, coating meat on all sides. Mix in Cream of Rice. Add carrots and remaining ingredients. Mix gently. Cover and bake at 325F until meat and vegetables are tender, about 2 ½ hours. Stir meat every 30 minutes. Serve with potatoes, rice or buttered noodles.

Oven Baked Porcupines (Meatballs)

A great recipe if you want to make something easy and special to carry out. I think if you make ahead the ground beef mixture, it would probably freeze well.

A side of homemade pintos and collards (or greens of choice) would give this meal a “college education” as grandma used to say. Enjoy!

Mix:

1 lb. Ground beef
½ cup raw rice
½ cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. celery salt
1/8 tsp. garlic salt

Make into balls and put in a 8x8x2 inch baking dish

Mix:

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce, 1 cup water and 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.

Pour over meatballs and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Chicken Breasts Elaine

Simple recipe. Simple ingredients.  Great Dish!  Makes 4 servings

4 large chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup dry white wine

Wash chicken, pat dry, salt and pepper to taste.  Place in baking dish, skin side up.  Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Melt margarine in a small saucepan.  Add marmalade and heat until bubbling.  Remove from heat and add wine.

Pour sauce over chicken breast.  Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake about 45 minutes or until tender and well-browned.  Baste chicken twice during baking. 

Good company dish.  Serve with yellow rice and steamed broccoli as sides.

Beef-Wine Casserole

Another recipe with “The Secret Sauce”, that is easy to make, has a gourmet taste and perfect for the Fall-Winter season. This is one of those dishes that you make a double batch, and freeze one for later.

1 lb lean stewing beef
½ cup red wine
1 can beef bouillon
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced

¼ cup flour
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

 

Combine beef, wine, bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic and onion in a small greased casserole. Mix the flour and bread crumbs and stir into the beef mixture. Bake covered for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Makes 4 servings.

Beef Beer Balls

Nice appetizer or party finger food.  There are  not a lot of fillers in this recipe, i.e. bread crumbs, crackers, eggs, or flour.  The flavor comes from the seasonings!  You only have to use 1 pound of beef per batch. 

Oh yeah...this has beer.  Something about cooking with the "secret sauce(s)" that just adds that extra Pop to a recipe!!  Yum Yum.

1 pound ground beef
1/4 -1 tsp.. ground cloves, depending upon taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Accent seasoning
1/2 cup catsup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces of beer

Mix ground beef, ground cloves, salt, pepper and Accent.  Form into small balls about the size of walnuts.  Brown well.  Mix catsup, Worcestershire sauce and beer in separate pan.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Drain fat from meatballs, add sauce.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours (could also be transferred to crock pot at this time).  Serve on toothpicks.

Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin season is here!! Good old chili to make once you've gutted the pumpkin and need to utilize the insides.

1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp. Salad oil
16 ounces of pumpkin (you can use the canned)
1 pkg. Chili seasoning mix
1tbs. onion flakes
2 (16 oz) can tomatoes
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1 (16oz) can peas
1 (15 ½ or 16 oz) can kidney beans

Cook beef in salad oil until browned, stirring with a fork to break meat into small pieces. Add pumpkin, seasoning mix, onion flakes, salt and pepper. Blend well and simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas and kidney beans. Heat through. Makes 6-8 servings.