Baked Vs Fried Lumpia

Good evening my busy bees!

Today I decided I was going to make a mega batch of lumpia (eggrolls).

Now, if you have read this blog, gone out to supper with me, or met me at all, you KNOW that I have no problem with fried foods :).

However, after I had to DRAIN THE OIL from each roll of the first batch of lumpia, I decided to try baking them instead (and prayed they would work well!)

I made the lumpia and then coated liberally with oil by spraying some and brushing on others (to see which worked better :) ). Why did I coat them with oil? Because I still wanted that crunchy, crispy, nummy crust. I just did not want to have to wring out the rolls. :) So they only got the oil they needed to make the wrapper crisp, without having oil soak into the filling.

The verdict? I actually prefer the baked ones. The crust is a little more chewy, BUT you can actually taste the filling (as a lot of grease tends to overpower more delicate flavors). I am freezing both (because I ended up with 56 lumpia total!), and will see what reheating method works better and which type stands up to freezing and reheating :)

Stay tuned for the results! :)

Pasta Sauce

Good Morning!

Here is a pasta sauce that I use based off of a recipe I found online called “'Baby’s Got Sauce' Italian Sauce". I tweaked it a bit. I hope you like it!

1 Batch--------------------------------------------2 batches-------------------------------4 Batches

Olive Oil----------------------------------------same----------------------------------same

1 large onion-----------------------------------2 onions------------------------------4 onions

7-8 cloves garlic, crushed---------------------14-16 cloves--------------------------28-32 cloves

Italian Sausage-6-8 links or 1 lb ground—12-16 links or 2 lbs-------------------24-32 links or 4 lbs

1 can Tomato paste----------------------------2 cans tomato paste-----------------4 cans tomato paste

2-28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes--------4-28 oz cans--------------------------8-28 oz cans

1-28 oz can Crushed or diced Tomatoes----2 cans ---------------------------------4 cans

2-4 3.5 oz jars of baby food carrots-----------4-8 jars------------------------------8-16 jars

Fresh Basil diced fine--------------------------same---------------------------------same

Fresh Oregano diced fine----------------------same---------------------------------same

Fresh Thyme diced fine------------------------same---------------------------------same

5 Bay Leaves ------------------------------------10 bay leaves-----------------------20 bay leaves

Port or sweet red wine (optional but REALLY adds to the flavor)

Salt

Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper (about a tablespoon)

A large, deep pot

Optional:

Capers

Olives

Red Bell Pepper

Zuccini

Put 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in pot to brown sausage. Remove from pot and set aside. Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of pot 1/8-1/4 inch and bring back to hot temperature. Saute onions in pot until they become translucent. Lightly salt and pepper onions.

Add crushed garlic, can of tomato paste. Cook on medium high for a few minutes to mellow flavor of tomato paste. Watch carefully to prevent burning, especially of garlic.

Add whole peeled tomatoes.* Add diced/crushed tomatoes**.

Add herbs***

Add sausage back in.

Add baby food carrots. Carrots give the sauce a wonderful light bit of sweetness. You can mince whole carrots, but I found that baby food carrots are exceptional in the recipe, and much easier to use.

Continue to taste every twenty minutes to gauge flavor of sauce to see if salt or pepper is necessary. If you like spicy sauce, add crushed red peppers.

Optional: Port or sweet red wine (merlot, etc). Port gives and incredible depth and compliment of flavor to the meat and tomatoes. In fact, we often put a splash of port in everything from soup to chili. It truly just ties all the flavors together in such a perfect way, giving a depth and richness. A few Tablespoons should do, but you can taste and see if more is needed.

*These need to be crushed either in the pot or in the can. I find it much easier to crush/chop them in the can. OR you can use already diced tomatoes in the larger cans.

**I like to use fire roasted tomatoes or other flavored tomatoes.

***I often use dried herbs. I would start with 1 Tbls and see how strong they taste. You can also get tubes of herbs in the fresh produce section, which are very convenient.

The longer this cooks, the better it tastes. I generally make this first for my freezer meal days and let it simmer all day long until I assemble lasagne at the end of the day :) It also freezes well by itself for spaghetti sauce.

Precooking Meats!

Hello my beautiful, wonderful bees!

Meat is generally the "hardest" part of a meal. You have to defrost it somehow, remember to take it out, it takes longer to cook than the veg, makes more clean up, and generally (to me!) seems a bit of a hassle sometimes. :)

However, precooked meat is a wonder of modern science :). It is quick, easy, economical.

Precooking meat, even if you do not do whole freezer meals, is one of the BEST ways to ensure you put a supper on the table.

If you have precooked sausage, a can of tomatoes, and boil some rice, you have a meal on the supper in the amount of time it takes to cook the rice! (sausage and tomatoes over rice)

If you have precooked chicken, a jar of alfredo sauce, a bag of broccoli or peas, and some dried pasta, you have a meal on the table in the time it takes to boil the noodles! (pasta alfredo with chicken and veg)

If you have precooked seasoned beef, some taco shells, and fixings, you have tacos in a flash.

Here are more:

Precooked chicken+cans of chicken broth+chopped frozen veg+noodles=chicken noodle soup

Precooked sausage (or slab bacon)+eggs=almost instant breakfast (or breakfast for supper)

Precooked steak or chicken strips+teryaki sauce+veggies+rice=stir fry

Precooked steak strips+veg+tortillas=fajitas

Precooked sausage+cheese+jarred sauce+veg+bread or crust=pizza

If you find that you end up going out for supper or getting junk for supper, may I suggest strongly that the first freezer stuff you do is precook some meat? ANY meat you have in the house will do: chicken, sausage, ground beef, roast, ground turkey, ground pork, etc. Then look at the list above and make a note of those or any other recipes that you have that might go with the meat you cooked. NOW you have almost instant supper for less time than it takes to run to the burger place, and with almost no effort! :)


So, how to precook meat? This is what I do....
I take the defrosted sausage/beef/chicken/whatever, season it if it needs it, and put it in a pyrex baking dish. I cover it tightly with tin foil and bake it at 350 until it is done. Depending on the meat and amount, it could take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more (a whole chicken will take longer than a lb of ground beef).

CHECK WITH MEAT THERMOMETER! When the internal temps reach the proper amount (I shoot for 170 in just about everything, but check), then take out of the oven. Cut chicken up if necessary, turn the sausage or meat to cool, etc. Cool for 15 minutes or so (do not leave out very long, you need to get it to safe food temp--below 40 degrees or above 140--within 2 hours).

At this point, if you have planned ahead, you can make some freezer meals (such as using the sausage in the lasagne). However, if you are not ready to do that, just put the meat in the freezer for a quick grab :).

To freeze, it is best to spread it on a thin layer on a pan and freeze, then put in baggies. However, I often just put straight into baggies but in thin enough layer for me to break off what I need.

If you get ready for this a day or so ahead, consider buying LARGE (like turkey size) disposable aluminum pans for cooking the meat in--it makes clean up at the end of the day a breeze! Keep putting meat in the oven, cooling a batch, freezing a batch. Soon you will have a ton of meat at the ready for those evenings where you do not feel like cooking, or you are short on time.

In the mornings, I make breakfast for Wonder Bee. I am SO tickled because I have this down to a science, so let me share :):

1) I turn on the small burner on hi and put a very small saute pan (8 inches across?) on it to heat up
2) I grab a very small handful of frozen sausage or about 4-5 pieces of chunked slab bacon and put it on the plate I am going to serve his breakfast on.
3) I put that plate in the micro for 30 seconds.
4) When it is done nuking, the pan is hot, so I then dump the meat in a little tiny saute pan
5) I brown it for a minute or two, then slide the meat back on the plate that I nuked it on.
6) I squirt the pan with about 3 squirts of olive oil, then put in two egg beaters (sometimes I get the flavored kinds) and scramble those.
7) I then put them on the plate too. Add a couple of shakes of black pepper, and voila!

In truly less than, say, 4 minutes, I have cooked a hearty, protein-y breakfast for Wonder Bee. He is happy, I seem to be both organized AND a dedicated cook (ha ha!), and we both start out the day content. :)

Lasagne

Good Morning my beautiful bees! I have a new recipe for you! This is an oldie but a goodie that I make.

Now, I am going to give you this recipe which calls for jarred sauces, etc. BUT I am also going to talk about how I freeze beef and make sauce. You just do WHATEVER is more likely to get the meals into the freezer! If you have a jarred sauce you like, USE IT! Don't worry about making a sauce from scratch :).

I like to make this on the same day I cook off a lot of sausage and or ground beef. I take the defrosted sausage/beef (it comes with the pork and beef I order from a local farm) and put it in a pyrex baking dish, cover it tightly with tin foil, and bake it at 350 until it is done. I use some of that in my lasagne recipe, and the rest I put in the freezer (to freeze, it is best to spread it on a thin layer on a pan and freeze, then put in baggies. However, I often just put straight into baggies but in thin enough layer for me to break off what I need. I am laz...ahem....expedient that way :) ).

On the day I do this, I generally make pasta sauce as well that is REALLY good. It has a secret ingredient that completely takes the flavor to another level. Well actually TWO secret ingredients. :D

So since I already have the sausage made, and already have the sauce made, it is nothing at all to assemble the lasagnes. I do not cook the noodles first. I just use the regular lasagne noodles dry. I do not bake the lasagnes then, just assemble and put in the freezer. When I reheat, I do so in the microwave and the cheese on top still browns. GREAT GREAT freezer meal!

Lasagne

1 Batch 2 batches 4 batches

12 lasagne noodles----------------------------24 lasagne noodles--------------------- 48 noodles (two boxes)

15 oz ricotta cheese----------------------------30 oz ricotta cheese--------------------60 oz ricotta cheese

1 box frozen chopped spinach----------------2 boxes spinach------------------------4 boxes spinach

2 beaten eggs----------------------------------4 beaten eggs---------------------------8 beaten eggs

1 ½ tsp garlic powder-------------------------3 tsp garlic powder--------------------6 tsp garlic powder

1 jar marinara sauce --------------------------2 jars marinara sauce-----------------4 jars marinara sauce

3 cups shredded mozz ------------------------6 cups shredded mozz---------------12 cups shredded mozz

Salt and pepper to taste------------------------same -----------------------------------same

Optional:

1 lb Italian sausage or beef (cooked) -------2 lbs Italian sausage or beef--------4 lbs Italian sausage or beef

1 jar alfredo sauce---------------------------- 2 jars alfredo sauce -----------------4 jars alfredo sauce

½ cup parm cheese --------------------------1 cup parm cheese ------------------2 cups parm cheese

Thaw and well drain spinach. In a bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce in a disposable 13x9 dish*. Layer with 3 lasagne pieces**, ½ cup sauce, half of the ricotta, ½ cup mozzarella. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, then cheese****. Wrap and place in freezer. On baking day, preheat oven to 375 and bake until inner middle is thoroughly cooked. These can also be microwaved and turn out just as good.

*Note: I make these in 8x8 disposable pans, so each batch actually makes almost two batches.

**Note: It is not necessary to cook the noodles first as long as you are sure that the sauce layers cover the noodles. The noodles will soften and cook as they absorb liquid from the sauce.

***Note: you can mix the sausage into the sauce, or use it as its own layer after the first layer of noodles and sauce. Then add the sausage, then the cheese over it.

****Note: if you are going to add the alfredo sauce, place on top of sauce on top of last noodles. Same with the parmesan. END WITH MOZZARELLA CHEESE!

*****Note: you can also use mexican cheese, or mixes of cheese if you want slightly different flavors.

Cabbage Pockets

Another guest post from my aunt! It's a riff on the Cabbage Rolls recipe that she sent. In this one, she puts the mixture in bread.

Cabbage Pockets by Mick Millershaski
Brown 1 1/2-2 # burger in chopped onion, pepper and garlic.
Dice cabbage in about 1/2 " squares. (not too big, not too small)
Add hot sauce (tobasco) if you want. Put cabbage on top of mix to steam. About 20-30 minute, covered.
Mix together.
Thaw 2 or 3 loaves frozen bread (to rise) break into ball size pieces, roll out. Fill with mixture.
Bake according to directions. Freeze great!
ps, I cheated the other day since it was just the 2 of us here, so used crescent rolls! Still were great!

German Cabbage Rolls

Another guest post from my aunt Micki (I told you she was gracious to send me recipes!). This is getting in touch with our German heritage--Kohlrouladen.

Cabbage Rolls by Mick Millershaski
Brown 1 1/2 - 2# burger in chopped onion, pepper and garlic.
Cook 1-2 c white rice (DO NOT USE INSTANT!)
Mix together and add to taste: Soy Sauce, worchestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic, chopped (diced) pepper
Boil cabbage leaves, wrap in burger mix. Pour 1 can tomato juice on top and cook uncovered for 1 hr at 350.
The mix is great without the cabbage, freezes well. If you are feeling lazy and don't want to make into "rolls" just cut cabbage into chunks and put on side of pan

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

Another guest post from my aunt Mick!

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches by Mick Millershaski
5-6 c cooked chicken, shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup (can use cream of celery)
garlic powder and pepper to taste
1 sleeve Town House crackers, smashed
Mix together. Cook in crock pot till heated thru, can also be done in oven, but if I make a lot, the crock pot is easier
Freezes well
Serve on buns, is great with veggies and dip

Chicken Enchiladas

Another guest poster! This one is my aunt who VERY graciously sent me several freezer recipes that she has used. Thank you so much Mick!

Chicken Enchiladas by Mick Millershaski
corn tortillas
5-6 c cooked chicken, shredded
16 oz green chili enchilada sauce
3 c grated cheddar cheese
1 can chopped black olives
2 cans cream of chicken soup
small onion, diced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
Mix together and spoon into corn tortillas.
Bake 350 30 min
The mix freezes well, just thaw and put into tortillas for a quick dinner