Crock Pot Sunday Gravy Recipe (Spaghetti Sauce with Braised Meats)

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The Sunday meal was and is a very important meal for many Italian-Americans.  Historically, Sunday was often the only day of rest for hard working Italian immigrants.  As such, Sunday was often a time to gather with family and friends to enjoy a feast. 

Contrary to their country of origin, Italians immigrants were often amazed at the wide availability of affordable meats in the U.S.  It was typical for many Italians on Sundays to braise several different types of meat in a tomato based sauce.  After simmering the meat for several hours in the sauce, the meat would be removed and served as one course.  Pasta would be tossed with the remaining sauce and topped with Parmesan Cheese for a second course.  Other usual accompaniments to the Sunday dinner would be bread and a vegetable. 

Since this meal is cooked in a crock pot, it is great for parties.  You can start it in the morning and have it finish as your guests arrive.  All you will have to do is cook the pasta. 

Sunday Gravy:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

Approx. 1 lb Italian sausage*

Approx. 1.5 lbs veal or beef stew*

Approx. 2 lbs baby back ribs cut into 2 rib portions*

1 large white onion diced

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup of white wine

1 teaspoon of "Better Than Bullion" beef base

3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tablespoon of fennel powder**

2 (28 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes (I prefer Dei Fratelli or Tutto Rosso).

Directions

(1) Brown the meat in small batches in the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large pot. When browned on all sides remove the meat to your slow cooker. 

(2) Add the onions and garlic to the same pot you browned the meat in (if the pot is a little dry at this point - add another tablespoon or so of olive oil) Saute the onions 6-8 minutes until they are soft.  Stir up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the onions cook.  

(3) Add the white wine and beef bouillon base to the onions and stir well. Deglaze the pan by scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

(4) Add the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and cook / stir for 1-2 minutes. 

(5) Add everything to the slow cooker. Add all the spices, stir and cook approx. 5 hours on high.  Sunday Gravy is traditionally cooked in a pot on the stove for several hours.  However, I prefer to sometimes make it in a slow cooker.  That way you can cook it for a long period of time without fear of it burning.  With the slow cooker - just occasionally give it a stir and your good.  Sometimes, if I feel the sauce is too runny I will run the slow cooker for an hour or so with the top off to let the steam escape.

Tips:
(1) The oil spatters from browning meat can be hazardous!  I highly recommend using a splatter guard when you are browning your meats. 

(1) When I make this for just a few people - I will use it for several meals.  The first night, we will eat the braised meat with bread, cheese and a vegetable.  At the end of the meal, I will shread / slice whatever meat is left over and put it back in the sauce for pasta the next night.  After the second meal, any remaining sauce can be frozen for future use.
(2) *The types of meat included in this recipe are just a suggestion and they can vary depending on your preferences and what you have on hand.  Common meats included in a Sunday Gravy also include pork italian sausage, pork chops, meatballs, and bracciole.  My favorite is the ribs and the stew meat.
(3) ** Fennel Powder (in my opinion) is a key ingredient in making a red sauce smell and taste great.  Fennel Powder is not widely available, but fennel seed is.  I make my own by buying fennel seed and grinding it for a few minutes in my Magic Bullet Blender and then pouring it (via folded over paper towel) back into its original container.
(4) I save time by chopping my onions and garlic in my Cuisinart Mini Prep.
(5) If you want to add meatballs after browning, you may consider adding them for just the last 1.5 hours of cooking.  Meatballs cooked for the full time have a tendency to become soft and break up.

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Lazy Eggs - How to Cook Scrambled and Poached Eggs in Your Microwave

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Recently, I was discussing cooking eggs with a group of friends.  I "admitted" that on busy days, I often cook eggs in my microwave.  I was surprised the people I was talking to had no idea you could cook eggs in a microwave.   So, if your in that group....this ones for you.

How to Cook Scrambled Eggs in a Microwave:
(1) Spray a microwave safe bowl with non-stick spray
(2) Crack 2 to 4 eggs in the bowl and scramble them.  Add salt and pepper if desired.
(3) Microwave the eggs until they start cooking (becoming a solid) around the edges.  This will vary depending on the strength of your microwave.  In my microwave - this takes a little over a minute
(4) stop and stir the eggs
(5) continue cooking the eggs for 20 seconds and then stopping and stirring the eggs until they are fully cooked.  The key with microwaved eggs is to fully cook them, but not to overcook them.  This is a fine line that occurs very quickly, but you will get the hang of it after a few times.  

Once you get the hang of microwaving scrambled eggs, you can move on to the more difficult and potentially explosive microwave poached egg. 

How to Poach an Egg in the Microwave:

(1) In a small glass bowl add 1/8 teaspoon white vinager, 1/3 cup water, 1 cracked egg and salt and pepper. 

(2) AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP:  Take a fork and pierce the egg yolk.  Pierce it all the way through and give it a little jiggle. You don't want to scramble it, but you need to give it a good piercing so it doesn't explode.

(3) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

(4) Place in microwave and cook until desired doneness.  This will depend on the strength of your microwave.  In my microwave it is 52 seconds.  If your egg explodes, you either didn't pierce the yoke or you cooked the egg a few seconds too long.  Thankfully, the plastic wrap usually contains any explosion.

(5) remove the egg from the bowl and serve.  

Copywrite 2011 christineiscooking.com  This is an original recipe.  You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site.  You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

How to Roast Garlic Like a Fancy Restaurant

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 Have you ever eaten in an upscale restaurant - the kind where they bring out whole cloves of roasted garlic with fresh baked bread? Deeeeelicious!

Roasted garlic is incredible tasting. Garlic, when it is roasted tastes almost nothing like raw garlic. Roasting garlic brings out its sweetness and a buttery flavor.  Roasted garlic is a wonderful replacement for spreading butter on bread (this is good whether it is mixed with olive oil and salt or without).  It can also be used in dressing, marinades, mashed potatoes and makes excellent garlic bread.  Roasting garlic is incredibly easy and the end product keeps well in the refrigerator for a long time.

Directions for Roasting Garlic:
(1) Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees.
(2) Remove approximately the top 15% of the garlic bulb; exposing the garlic cloves.

(3) Peel off the outer layers of a garlic "skin." Leave just enough of the garlic skin to keep the cloves intact.
(4) Spray the garlic bulb on all sides generously with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.
(5) Wrap the bulb in a small amount of aluminum foil.
(6) Bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until the cloves are soft. I turn the garlic half way through cooking to ensure even cooking, but this is not required.
(7) Allow the garlic to completely cool while it is still wrapped up. Unwrap the garlic and gently remove the cloves with a butter knife.

Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com  This is an original recipe.  You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site.  You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) Meatballs

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My kids hate spinach, but they unknowingly eat a lot of it.  What?  Yes!  In their meatballs!!  We are a meatball lovin' family.  We like them in spaghetti, on sub sandwiches, over polenta etc. etc. etc.  I cook up batches of about 100 at a time for my freezer.  I always have them on hand for a quick dinner or a batch of spaghetti. I have seen kids who normally don't like meat and who would never even think of eating spinach gobble these up. And for adults, these are low-carb, lean and low-calorie.

This recipe makes up about 100 meatballs, but you can half it easily.

Ingredients:

4 pounds ground beef (You can substitute all ground turkey for a lower fat recipe).
2 pounds of ground turkey

20 ounces frozen spinach (thaw and squeeze all the liquid out of it).

2 cups finely grated Parmesan

4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

4 eggs

4 teaspoons dried basil

4 teaspoons dried parsley
4 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning

4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I prefer Panko type)

Directions:

(1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

(2) In a very large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, spinach, cheese, eggs, spices and bread crumbs. Using clean hands, mix all then ingredients together well. 


(3) Roll meat into balls a tad bigger then golf balls (these shrink upon cooking).  Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone liner (i.e. Silpat).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn the meatballs over.  Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through.   

Let the meatballs cool and then freeze the extra as shown here: http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/07/freezer-burn-saving-your-food-without.html

To use: remove the amount of cooked meatballs from the freezer that you need a few hours ahead of time to thaw.  In a pinch, you can just defrost them in the microwave straight from the freezer, but be careful not to overheat them. 

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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Indoor Smores Recipe (perfect for a camp-IN)

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My family love to camp.  But, sometimes its just too hot and buggy for a camp out.  However, the weather is always just fine for a CAMP-IN!  I have a small two person tent perfect for inside the house.  We make popcorn and as a special treat; we make Indoor Smores.

Indoor Smores Directions:

(1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees                                                

(2) On a cookie sheet lay out graham crackers broken in half (use as many as the number of smores you need)

(3) Top each graham cracker with Hersey's Chocolate

(4) Top chocolate with 1 marshmellow (do not put the top graham cracker on yet)

(5) Bake until the marshmallows are golden brown (approx. 4 minutes)

(6) Remove from the oven and top each smore with an additional graham cracker.

Lets talk about cooking!

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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a link back to the original recipe on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

How to Freeze Lemon Juice for Recipes

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I often make recipes that call for lemon juice, but lemons are something most people don't always have around.  Your choices then are to run to the store...again....or keep bottled "lemon juice" in your house.

Typical bottled "100% lemon juice" includes several things besides lemon juice; such as the preservatives Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite and Sodium Sulfite. I am not sure what these exactly are, but as a rule I try not to eat a lot of things my kids can't pronounce. To maintain convenience, I started making my own lemon cubes.

I own a small inexpensive electric citrus juicer. I think I paid $10 for it at a big box store 7 years ago.  When lemons go on sale, I buy a dozen or so and juice them.  I fill up ice cube trays up with the juice and freeze.  Once the lemon juice is frozen into cubes, transfer the cubes into a freezer bag and they keep forever!  These are great when you need lemon juice for a recipe or to flavor your water.  Just pull out what you need and you have 100% fresh lemon juice with no preservatives or chemicals.  If you need to measure it - either let it that at room temp or defrost it a few seconds in the microwave.

This is the same juicer I have had for many many years and I love it!


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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com This is an original article. You may repost this recipe and its directions only by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Carrabba's Chicken Bryan Copycat Recipe

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There are many different copycat variations of Chicken Bryan that is served at Carrabba's Restaurant.  When we don't have time to get to Carrabba's, this is my version I make at home and the one I prefer. 

This recipe makes 4 pieces of chicken. In my opinion, given the richness of the dish, one piece of chicken per person is enough for a serving.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
olive oil & salt and pepper
1 log of goat cheese

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup of minced fresh garlic (this may seem like a lot, but you barely taste it in the sauce). 
1 stick of salted butter 

1/2 cup of Savignon Blanc (i.e. dry white wine)

1/8 cup of fresh lemon juice
a dash of pepper (approx 1/8th teaspoon)

1/4 cup of drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I pack these in the measuring cup).

1/8 cup of chopped fresh basil (you can substitute 1/4 tablespoon of dried basil if you don't have fresh)

Directions:

Sauce:

(1) Melt 1/2 stick of the butter over medium-low heat (I use #3 on the stove).  Saute the onion and garlic in the melted butter until soft for approx 5 minutes.

(2) Add the wine and lemon juice, simmer 15 minutes over medium-low heat to reduce.

(3) Add the remaining 1/2 stick of butter.  Do this a small amount at a time until it melts and mixes in with the sauce.  Stir the sauce very gently when incorporating the butter so it does not "break."
(4) Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil and heat through until warm.
(5) Remove the sauce to a bowl to sit.

Chicken:

(1) Brush the chicken on both sides with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper.

(2) Grill the chicken on a barbecue until fully cooked

(3) When the chicken breasts are just about done, top each one with goat cheese.  Close the grill top until the cheese warms and softens.
(4) spoon a small amount of the sauce over each piece of chicken and enjoy!

Tips:

(1) I usually "cook once and eat twice" with this recipe and make enough for a second meal.  Once you have all of the ingredients, dishes out etc. its not much more work to cook enough for a second batch. This dish makes great leftovers.
(2) This is a rich tasting dish.  You will want to serve it with side dish that is more on the plain side that will soak up the sauce.  I like to serve it with mashed potatoes or pasta (plain or just very lightly dressed with parmesan cheese) 
(3) If you are making this for dinner guests you can make the sauce up to a day ahead of time. 
(4) I have substituted roasted red peppers for the sun dried tomatoes before.  Its still delicious.

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com
 

Chick Fil A Chicken Nugget Copycat Recipe

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We all love the taste of Chick Fil A Chicken Nuggets.   I have a personal version that I make at home which is my homage to their taste and style.

I have tried other Chick Fil A nugget copycat recipes and was disappointed, so I took the time to create my own.  These are great for a family dinner or to make ahead of time for a party.  This recipe has had rave reviews from kids and adults alike.  We love them!

These nuggets go great with my copycat recipe for Chick Fil A sauce which you can find here: http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/08/copycat-recipe-chick-fil-sauce.html

Nugget Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup of breadcrumbs

5 eggs, beaten

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Canola or Peanut Oil.

Cooking Directions:

(1) In a Deep Fryer heat four inches of oil to 375 degrees
(2) Cut your chicken breast in to small square-ish nugget chunks (I got about 20 nugget chunks for each chicken breast).

(3) Stir together the flour, garlic powder, sugar, pepper, Old Bay, salt and breadcrumbs in a bowl.

(4) Beat the eggs in a separate bowl

(5) Dip the chicken pieces individually into the flour mixture; shake off the excess flour.

(6) Dip the chicken pieces individually into the egg mixture; shake off the excess egg.

(7) With clean dry hands, roll the chicken pieces into the flour mixture (coat until DRY).

(8) Cook the chicken in single layer batches (not touching) in the hot oil until cooked through; golden brown and no longer pink in the center (approx. 5 minutes depending on the size of your nuggets). I spray my fry basket with non-stick spray for each batch to ensure the chicken doesn't stick to it.  

Reheating:
These nuggets reheat nicely for a party.  After cooking, place the nuggets on a cookie sheet to cool.  Cover and refrigerate the nuggets until needed (1 to 3 days). Reheat them on a cookie sheet in a single layer at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Tips:
(1) Cooking time varies greatly given the size and temperature of your chicken and oil.  Cook a few test batches of 1 or 2 nuggets to find the correct cooking time. There is a fine line between fully cooked and overdone with these.  When finding the correct cooking time, also consider if you will be reheating the nuggets later (i.e. cook them a bit less if you  will be doing this).  For safety, the correct temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees.

(2) I have read that the restaurant cooks their nuggets with a pressure cooker.  Most people don't own a pressure cooker, but a deep fryer is a close second for a similar taste and texture.  This is the deep fryer I own and recommend


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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com  This is an original recipe.  You may repost this recipe and its directions only by a direct link back to the article on my site.  You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Copycat Recipe: Chick Fil A Sauce (2 Easy Ingredients)

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We LOVE Chick Fil A sauce on everything.  While Chick Fil A does not publish its sauce recipe, here is an easy 2 ingredient copycat version of the sauce that is quite similar in flavor. It is sooooo good.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Ken's Honey Mustard
2 Tablespoons of Barbecue Sauce

This sauce goes awesome with my copycat version of Chick Fil A chicken nuggets which you can find here http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/08/copycat-recipe-chick-fil-chicken.html

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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com