Melody Elizabeth's Baptism

It was a very busy day yesterday and even though the company left early, I was exhausted.  We put on a movie, Monument's Men, and I watched the first few moments and promptly fell asleep. I awoke in time to see the ending.  Then we watched Once Upon a Time and I went to bed.

All of this synopsis to explain why I did not share this video with you yesterday instead of this morning.

Unfortunately, Frank was sitting right next to me as he took the video so you are stuck with my chatter throughout.  Sorry about that.  It was a very joyful occasion and we all came back to the house afterwards for a great celebration.  I will post more about that and additional still photos when we get them from our friend, Lainie, who was our photographer for the day.

The Weekly Menu and a Snapshot of the Coming Week

I am spending today getting everything ready for Melody's Christening tomorrow.  The Italian Sausage is roasted with the vegetables, placed in the crock of my slow cooker and placed in the fridge to be reheated tomorrow.  The meatballs, I cheated and used premade from GFS, are placed in the Marinara Sauce in another crock and will go on in the morning as well.

When having a party, I like to make things that can be done the day before so that there is no mess and fuss on the day of the party.  Pasta is always a great choice because it can be dressed so many different ways and almost everyone likes pasta.  In this case, I am serving Penne Pasta that is lightly dressed in Marinara to prevent it from clumping.  There will be additional sauce, both plain and with meatballs that people can add to the pasta and there will be the Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions that I am sharing with you today.

Roasted Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions for a crowd

4 lbs. Italian Sausages

4 Sweet Peppers, I used one of each color, seeded, cored and sliced

1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced.

Place Italian Sausages in a large roasting pan.  Cover with vegetables and roast at 400* for 1-1 1/2 hrs., stirring occasionally so that all the sausages get a chance to brown.  It is ready to serve or you can cut the Sausages into thirds and place in a slow cooker topped with the roasted vegetables. Discard all the liquids.  Refrigerate and reheat in slow cooker before serving.  Print Recipe

* Note...you can make this recipe for 2-200, simply adjust the amounts.

The rest of the week is just typical for around here.  The only thing on the schedule different than normal is taking the Turkeys in for processing and then taking in the chickens Kim and Kurt have raised in when we pick up the turkeys.

I am listing my weekly menu, don't forget to stop by each day for photos and recipes.  You may also want to join us at MPM for tons of great menu ideas.

Soup Saturday

13 Bean Soup with Ham

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Sunday 

See the menu for the Christening Party here

Meatless Monday

Leftover Pasta Marinara from Sunday

Try it Tuesday

Osso Bucco Swedish Meatballs

Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Squash Corn

Wednesday

Cheeseburger Pie

Salad

Thursday

Chicken Tamales

Spanish Rice  Refried Beans

Friday

Shrimp Parmesan (moved over from last week)

National Bundt Cake Day....

Yes, There really is such a thing as National Bundt Cake Day.  I did a google search and this is what I found.  It is of course, sponsored by Nordic Ware.  You can go to their website and find all kinds of delicious recipes.

I did not use one of their recipes for today but I am sure that I will be going back to that site quite often as I search for recipes for #Bundtbakers.  Today I am posting up with a fellow member of #Bundtbakers at her facebook site, I Love Bundt Cakes.  Beatriz invited me to this event way back in October and I promptly forgot about it but luckily she sent out a reminder a couple of days ago and I had a free couple of hours in the morning, since I skipped the gym.

What better way to start the day when you have skipped the gym than baking up a cake to undo everything you work for at the gym anyway LOL.  Seriously, I thought this was a great time to bake this cake, wrap it well and place it in the freezer for the holidays.  It only takes a moment to throw together and freezes very well. The only problem is that I am unable to show you the inside of the cake but it is a yellow cake with tiny little dots of chocolate throughout and will be lovely to grace your holiday table.  Pillsbury's recipe suggested you buy a can of premade frosting to melt and pour over the cake as a glaze.  I have included my easy peasy chocolate glaze recipe.

I took a shot before removing it from the pan so that you can see all the chocolately goodness baked inside.

Invert onto a cooling rack set over a piece of parchment paper to catch drips from the glaze.

I make the glaze right in a measuring cup so that I can pour it right onto the cake.

The glaze will harden as the cake cools completely.

It is ready to serve or, as in this case, be frozen.

Remove from freezer and bring to room temperature to serve.

Chocolate Chip Cake
adapted from Pillsbury

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg, cream cheese, softened (I use Neufchatel Cheese)
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. milk
6 oz. miniature chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350*.  Prepare your bundt pan by spraying with baking spray.
In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.  Mix in vanilla.  Add dry ingredients except for chocolate chips and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips and milk.  Spread into the prepared pan.  Mixture will be very thick.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter and drizzling with glaze.  Print Recipe

Chocolate Glaze

3/4 c. chocolate chips
3 T. butter, chopped up
1 T. White corn syrup
1/2 t. vanilla

Place chocolate chips and butter into a 2 c. glass measuring cup.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 15 seconds if needed until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.  Stir in the corn syrup and vanilla.  Pour from measuring cup directly onto the cake.  Print Recipe

I was inspired by National Bundt Cake Day.  Share what inspired you this week at Inspiration Monday.

Ace in the Hole Chile and Corn Bread Dinner

It is time, once again, for Cook the Books.  This is a very cool club in which you are assigned a book to read and then you create a meal that is inspired by the book.  You share this recipe with all the other members of the group.  It is great fun seeing how others are inspired by the same book you just finished reading.

This month's selection was That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx and our host this month is Simona of Briciole.  I would like to say I loved this book...it had all the elements of a book I would love.  It was historical fiction, it dealt with  a matter dear to my heart...opposing factory farms and it took place in a small town filled with tons of quirky and interesting characters.  So what is not to like??  I don't know...The book did not grab hold of me.  Parts of it did but not enough to make the book call for me to pick it up when I had some down time.

The book's lead character , Bob Dollar, is a young man who was dropped onto his gay uncle's doorstep by his parents who promised they would be back but never came through on that promise. This, of course, damaged him as he waited day after day for his parents to return for him.  He is now a young adult looking for a job and finds one with a company that is hoping to buy up land to turn into factory hog farms in the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle.  Bob Dollar is young and naive and has no idea what life is all about but as he meets the colorful characters who live in the little town of Woolybucket he starts to understand a little bit more.

One thing I can say about this book is that there was no shortage of food ideas.  The entire story was filled with food references.  Any food that you can imagine was served in this book.  In fact, a huge part of the story took place in the "Old Dog", a buffet style restaurant with different local specialties served every night.  The Old Dog often serve Chile, as it is spelled in the book.  They often also ate game meat, including venison, and being down south corn bread was a staple.  All of these things helped me to choose the recipes I am sharing with you today.

For this month's recipe I chose Venison Chile with a side of Corn Bread.  I hope you enjoy it.

Venison is much leaner than beef so when browning I use a T. of olive oil.

I heat the olive oil, add the venison, jalapeno, onion and garlic. 

Cook it all together.  You will not need to drain it.

The olive oil will be absorbed into the rest of the ingredients.

Add your tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and seasonings.

Turn to low and simmer for an hour to allow flavors to meld.

While the chile simmers, mix the batter for the cornbread and bake.

The cornbread is the perfect accompaniment for the chile.

I like to garnish my chile with cheese and sour cream.

Ace in the Hole Venison Chile

1 lb. ground venison

1 T. extra virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 qt. tomatoes with their juice

1 large can tomato sauce

3 (15 oz) cans beans of your choice, drained and rinsed ( I used 1 can of 3 bean mix, 1 can kidney beans and 1 can black beans)

3 t. chili powder

few shakes of  hot pepper sauce, to taste

Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Sour Cream

Heat oil in a dutch oven over med high heat.  Add venison, season with salt and pepper to taste and add onion, jalapeno and garlic.  Cook and stir until venison is browned and vegetables are tender and fragrant.  Add remaining ingredients. Stir together and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook until chile thickens and flavors meld together.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.  Print Recipe

Corn Bread

adapted from Bob' s Red Mill

1 T. butter

1 c. corn meal

1 c. flour

4 T. butter, melted

1 T. sugar

1 T. baking powder

pinch salt

1 egg

1 c. milk

Melt 1 T. butter over med high heat in a cast iron skillet.  Whisk together remaining ingredients until just blended.  Pour into the cast iron skillet and then place skillet into an oven, preheated to 425* for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and starting to brown a bit on top.  Print Recipe

I am sharing this post at Small Victories Sunday. 

And Wednesday Whatsits.

 Stop by and see us!!

Planning the Christening

Melody Elizabeth is being christened on Sunday.  The sacrament will take place at our parish using the Holy Cross Site.  Holy Cross is a beautiful, historic church.  I am not sure how many baptisms will be taking place on Sunday.  The parents and God-parents had a meeting tonight but I couldn't keep Little Miss tonight because I had choir practice.

I spent the day today at the hospital.  I had taken my friend, Karen, to have surgery to remove her gall bladder so I had a lot of free time on my hands.  I put it to good use preparing a couple of  blog posts that will be coming up soon and working on the menu for the party that will be held at our house following the Christening on Sunday.  I thought I would share it with you today.

I have kept the menu very simple.  I will prepare do all my shopping tomorrow, set up the basement and prepare all the food on Saturday so that on Sunday I will only need to reheat the dishes and put them on the buffet.  I am anxious to see the cake that I ordered.  This same picture of Melody will be on the cake.

I think I will just stew a bit.....

So, for my Try it Tuesday meal I found this recipe in Cuisine at Home, Issue #48.  The name of the recipe is Pappardelle with Chicken, Mushrooms and Wine.  That is quite the name but what it boils down to is a Rustic Chicken Stew so that is what I am naming it!!

This was my very last chicken in the freezer.  The chickens go to the processor next Tuesday so you won't see any more chicken recipes on this site for a week.  I have invited my brother, Dick and his wife, Jackie, to join us for dinner.  I always love spending time with them.

I knew it was going to be a delicious dish.

These are the ingredients.

Mouth-watering.

Sear the mushrooms i butter over high heat.

Then turn the heat to low and allow all the moisture to cook away.

Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter and olive oil in the same pan and brown your chicken pieces.

Once browned, remove to a plate and set aside.

Saute your bacon in the same pan.

Add your onion, fennel and garlic.

Continue to saute until tender.

Deglaze pan with wine, stirring to get all the brown bits stuck to the pan.

Add the sage and return the mushrooms and juices to the pan.

Nestle the chicken pieces among the vegetables.

Cover and place in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove from oven and let rest while you prepare the noodles per package directions

Place noodles in a serving bowl and top with chicken and sauce.

Rustic Chicken Stew

adapted from Cuisine at Home, #48

1 lb. whole white mushrooms, quartered

4 T. Butter, divided

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces or 1 package of chicken pieces containing 8 pieces.

1/2 c. flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. olive oil

6 strips bacon, diced

1 med. red onion, diced

1 fennel bulb, sliced

3 t. garlic, minced

1/2 c, dry red wine

1 T. fresh sage or 1 t. dry sage leaves

2 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1 lb. Pappardelle Noodles, cooked per package directions.

Melt 2 T. butter in large saute pan over med high heat.  Add mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Saute until mushrooms soften and start to give off liquid.  Turn heat down to med. and cook until liquid evaporates.  Remove mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

Place flour, salt and pepper into a plastic bag.  Put in chicken pieces and shake to coat.  Melt the remaining 2 T. of butter with the olive oil in the same saute pan over med high heat.  Add the chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, and brown on both sides.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, over med high heat, add the bacon and cook until it starts to brown.  Add the onion and fennel.  Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.  Add the garlic and cook a few minutes longer.  Turn the heat to high and add the red wine.  Cook and stir to loosen any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Remove from heat, add sage and mushrooms along with any juices they have released.  Stir to combine.  

Nestle the chicken pieces in with the vegetables.  Cover and place in an oven, preheated to 350* for one hour.  Remove from oven, drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar, recover and let set for a few minutes while you prepare the noodles per package directions.  Place noodles in the bottom of a pasta bowl and top with Chicken Stew.  Print Recipe

Sharing this recipe at Wednesday Whatsits and Thrifty Thursday

One year ago--Those who Serve and Perhaps I was Reading

To our Veterans...You are Honored and Appreciated.

I posted this last year on Veteran's Day and I am sharing it once again because there is nothing more to say except Thank You to all of those who have protected us, are protecting us and will protect us.


Today is Veteran's Day, a day set aside to honor all who have served and are currently serving to assure that we all can sleep soundly each night knowing that we live in a safe, secure and free country. I could not be more Thankful.  It takes a special kind of person to dedicate their lives to caring for others.  Many of our veterans continue on after their military service in other occupations that care for others, police officers, firefighters, medics, nurses, doctors, teachers, counselors.  Many remain in the service and it becomes their career and way of life.  And then some, unfortunately, return to us damaged.  This damage can be physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. We owe these Veteran's the care and support they need to get themselves whole again and to provide for them and their families until such a time as they are healed.  That is not just our governments responsibility, it is also ours.  Our payment to them for the sacrifice they made for us.  It is a small thing.  It is something we all need to do. 

I am proud that I come from a family of people who have chosen to serve their country.  My Pops, Frank, Frank's brother, Dan, my brothers, Larry and Gary, Frank's father, many cousins and uncles and most recently our son, Chuck, who is currently serving in the US Navy.

My Pops, Louis F. Dubrul, US Army.  WWII Vet.

Frank's Dad, Anthony J. Klik, US Navy. WWII Vet.

Frank A. Klik, US Navy.  Viet Nam Vet.

Chuck at his graduation from the Great Lakes Navel Academy.

Charles L. Moore, US Navy.

Above he is with me and Frank.

Below his Dad and I are with him.

God Bless our Veterans, today and every day.