Crock Pot Lasagna

Kurt doesn't like lasagna, but loved this!

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1(28ounce)can tomato sauce
1(6ounce)can tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 ounces cottage cheese(we like 2%)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano.
3. Cook long enough to get it warm.
4. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses.
6. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Tri Tip Steak

Ingredients:
1 2.5-pound tri-tip steak (I use skirt, flank or london broil; listed in order of preference)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Spice Rub
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons fennel seeds (I didn't use these as we don't usually like the flavor)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt

In a pan over very low heat combine all fresh spices and toast until fragrant. Remove from pan to cool. In a spice grinder combine all the ingredients for the rub. Mix until a well blended powder. Place the roast on a cutting board and rub both sides of the meat with the spice mixture. Wrap in plastic and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Rub meat with EVOO. Place the roast on the center of the grill and cook 15 minutes on one side, then flip it and cook for another 10 minutes, to medium-rare.
Remove from the grill and allow to rest covered with foil for 10 minutes before carving.
serve chimichurri on the side.

Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves garlic, whole
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
2 shallots, whole
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
In a food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Allow to sit in the fridge.

Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients1/2 pound fresh baby asparagus, break at natural breaking point
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
A few twists freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest plus a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

ROSEMARY CHICKEN (aka lemon butt)

Ingredients:3 to 3 1/2-pound chicken
2 lemons, quartered
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons picked thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Butcher's twine

Instructions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse and dry the chicken. Season cavity liberally with half the salt and pepper, reserving the remaining half to season the outside. Stuff the cavity with rosemary, thyme, and lemons, squeezing the lemons as you put them in. Truss the bird tightly to keep the breasts from drying out. Add salt and pepper over the surface. Heat a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, over low heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken, breast side up.
Transfer to oven and for 18 minutes per pound. For a 3 1/2-pound chicken, one hour is perfect. Do not open oven or baste chicken during roasting. If the chicken is cooked properly, when pierced with a knife in the thigh, the juice will run clear, not pink. Remove from the pan and cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Slush

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 (16 oz.) can grapefruit
1 (16 oz.) can pineapple

Make a syrup of the water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes and cool. Add pineapple and grapefruit. Set in freezer and stir occasionally. When frozen spoon some in glass and add Sprite or 7-up or Lemon Soda.

Schmorkohl

For Christmas Nancy gave us a cookbook of some family recipes...thought I'd share some of the famous Keyser dishes

(Schmor=to stew, kohl=cabbage)

1 head red cabbage
About 2 Tbs sugar (or to taste)
About 1 tsp salt
About 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 Tbs bacon fat (or more)

Shred red cabbage finely and add about 2" of water in pan. Cook until crispy-tender and pour off water. Add remaining ingredients. Thicken with a little cornstarch dissolved in water.

French Dip

This was so good! It was also good as leftovers or frozen for another meal. And it is super easy!

3 to 4 pound boneless beef roast

1 envelope French Dip Mix (Au Jus)

Worcestershire Sauce

Place roast in roasting pan on a piece of heavy freezer aluminum foil large enough to wrap meat in. Douse roast generously with Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with salt. Seal meat very air tight in heavy foil. Bake in 350 oven for 4 to 5 house on middle rack. Remove from oven. Allow to sit 20 minutes before slicking or shredding. Save meat juices and place saucepan and add seasoning packet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer according to package directions. Serve on warm sandwich rolls with bowls of juice for dipping.

I didn't have any juices from the roast because I didn't wrap it well enough so I just made the Au Jus according to the package.

Chickadee Wings

Wings
Chicken wings cut into sections (throw third piece away) (recipe is for two people and calls for 8 drumettes or 4 wings, I increase the amount of wings to how may people are eating, the dipping sauce is good for more than 2 people.)
1/3 cup flour Salt and Pepper
2 TBS butter 2TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS Honey

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then coat each piece with the flour, shaking off any excess. In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Drizzle the chicken with 1 TBS honey, lower the heat to medium-low and cook, shaking the pan frequently to prevent the honey from burning, for 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to plates and serve with the dips and celery sticks.

Dipping Sauces:
1/4 cup honey 2 TBS mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup honey and the mustard.
In another small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and half of the blue cheese; mash with a fork until nearly smooth, then fold in the remaining blue cheese.

Tuna Bow Ties

We used Chicken instead of Tuna

8 oz bow tie pasta
1 (10.5 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 (120z) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (we used Colby jack)
6 slices American cheese
1 can tuna, drained
1 cup frozen peas

Cook pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the shortest time recommended on the package. Mix together soup, milk and onion. Break American cheese into small pieces. Stir in cheese, tuna, peas and bowties. Place in greased baking dish. Top with buttered bread or cracker crumbs. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 deg.