Peggy's Paparito's

  Paparito's

A few years back I had the pleasure of meeting and making friends with a lovely lady named Peggy.   She was a transplanted Texan, and loved all things Tex-Mex.    She gave me the following recipe.  

This is a really great go-to quick breakfast, leisurely Sunday breakfast or light meal.   And the best part, you can adjust the heat level to your own liking.    We like it on the hot side in our house, so I use hot sausage for this, or just doctor up some sage sausage with some cayenne pepper and pepper flakes.   

Pan with potatoes, green chiles, sausage and onions.

 

Scrambled Eggs

Filling

Wrapped and ready to eat

Peggy’s Paparito’s

Stir fried potatoes with skins  ( I do about 6 small red potatoes for the two of us)

Scrambled eggs  1-2 per person

Grated long horn or Colby Jack Cheese cheese

1/2- 1 Onion

Chorizo sausage or sage sausage, fried and crumbled   ( I use Wainwrights Hot Sausage) or just doctor some Sage Sausage with some red pepper or cayenne.  giggle.

Diced green chiles and diced green pepper

Add a diced jalapeno or two if you like a little more heat. (and you know me, I do).

Mix above ingredients together and roll in a flour tortilla, burrito style.  

1 can green Chile sauce (I like Herdez brand) 

Serve with warmed Green Chile sauce poured over and a sprinkle of cheese.   Place under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese if you like. 

 

How easy is that?   I like to put the onions and jalapeno's in the pan with the potatoes, it adds a nice little nuance or level of flavor.   But you can vary this however you like to your taste.   And the best part, you can freeze the leftovers and have a head-start on your next breakfast.

"Rouladen"

Some years ago my DH was listening to a radio show and the hosts were talking about this dish that they loved.  And I was requested to make it.   So I did, even though my brain kept telling me that the list of ingredients was weird.  And I really didn't see how they could come together and taste good.  I mean really, dill pickles, bacon, mustard, flank steak?
On a hamburger, ok, but inside?

I was wrong, big time wrong.   I made it and it was totally awesome.   Served with some lovely mashed potatoes, corn and well, all I can say is, we finished it off in short order.   That dish is now part of my repertoire, and gets made every so often when I can find a good flank steak on sale.  

If you've been paying attention to beef prices lately, you know what I mean.  The prices, well, let me put it like this, we're eating less beef these days.   Chicken is our new best friend. 

Just kidding, beef and pork are in the running as well.  Sheesh!

To start with, you need a flank steak.   Get your pickles, bacon and mustard ready, you need them handy.

And some butchers twine if you have it or I just use a heavy duty cotton thread, I cut a long piece and double it.   (trust me, you don't want to be trying to cut the thread when you're rolling the flank steak up). Unroll the steak if it's rolled up or folded and flatten it out with your hands.

You did wash your hands first, right?   OK, and this does get messy, so if you need to put gloves on, go ahead, I'll wait.    Ready?

Spread the mustard on the inside of the flank steak,

You could write your name with the mustard here, if it isn't too long a name.

Pastry brushes are fun to play with, giggle.

then line it with the dill pickle slices,

I know I showed Vlasic pickles at first, but they were all rind, so I switched to Mt. Olive pickles.

you don't need to go all the way to the edges with the pickles.   Then on top of the pickles, place some bacon slices,

it all depends on how big your flank steak is.   Then, and this is the fun part, you get to roll it up.    And you'll want to roll it lengthwise, so that the long meat fibers can be cut when you slice it.   

Notice the string under the steak on the left side?

See the toothpicks, it's a good idea to take them out when the Rouladen is done.  They don't taste good.

When you've wrestled the meat together tie it off.    You could also use some toothpicks to close it if you like, I've used both in the past.   And did again.    Toothpicks are not cheating, you want the insides of the flank steak to stay inside. 

Then brown it a little on both sides before placing in an oven proof dish.

Do they make oblong fry pans?  Just wondering?

Deglaze your fry pan with some water, no point in wasting any of that delicious fond.   Add enough water to come half way up the roll.

My dish was a little big for this guy, (too small a fry pan, and too big a roasting pan, hmmm

Cover and let it cook for at least two hours in a 325 deg. oven.    (I let mine cook a little long yesterday, but it was still really good).   If you can, turn the flank steak roll at least twice during the cooking process, this keeps it from drying out.   A flank steak doesn't have much fat, well it shouldn't have much fat.   You do have the bacon on the inside, but that's on the inside.  I take the cover off the last 20 minutes or so.   Just cause I like it browned a little more.   

Please ignore the messy stove top, I did. 

After it's cooked, take out and let it rest while you make gravy.    Make a slurry of water and flour and add to the liquid in the pan.   Taste at this point, you'll probably need to add some water, and if you add the water the potatoes cooked in, this helps to add just a little more texture and flavour to the sauce.    Taste it to make sure.   I find that the gravy is pretty darn intense, and have never added salt. 
Slice the Rouladen, and serve with some lovely home made mashed potatoes and that great gravy. 

See the pickles and bacon inside, they are so good.

Recipe:
1 Flank Steak
2 tablespoons Mustard
5-7 slices of Dill Pickles
4 slices Bacon
String and toothpicks to tie it up with.
Water and flour slurry to make gravy

Pepper if you like, but you don't need salt.  The pickles and bacon have enough in them. 

How simple is that, and you've got all the how to's in pictures above. 

Meatballs in Grape/Chili Sauce

You ever go to a party where nearly everyone brings the same dish? Or at least it was a variation of the same dish.     Well, I did  that yesterday.   I was going to be busy all day so I thought I would make something simple and easy to bring with us.    And it had been a long, long time since I'd had Meatballs in Grape Jelly/Chili Sauce, and even longer since I'd seen them brought to a potluck or covered dish affair.   So the light bulb went off in my brain, and TA DA!, I decided to make some.   

You probably know the recipe by heart, a jar of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly, mix them together and pour over meatballs, let them cook for a couple of hours in the crockpot or in the oven and serve.   They're good, right?   I think they are, in fact I have trouble stopping eating them.    sigh.   I also like those little Smoky sausages in sauce, and couldn't make up my mind which one to make so I combined them.   Some days I just have trouble making a decision.    I'd sampled a couple or three of the meatballs and sausages before leaving the house with them, and I thought they were so good.  Couldn't wait to get to the party and share my dish. 

Got to the party and go to put down my dish and what do I see?   Three other versions of the dish I brought.   I started to laugh, it tickled my funny bone.   And as I said to the hostess, great minds think alike.   She'd prepared some meatballs in BBQ sauce, another guest had made some in Sweet and Sour sauce (she even had some pineapple she'd grown herself in there), and a third guest had meatballs in a Cranberry/Chili sauce.     So we had our choice of meatballs in sauce.   I sampled all of them, in the interests of learning more about food.   There were some other offerings of course, but I thought the meatballs were the star of the day, giggle.   Next time I make this dish, I'm definitely going with some Cranberry/Chili sauce.   In fact yesterday I'd toyed with taking some of my Boozy Cranberry Sauce out of the freezer and adding it to my sauce, but had desisted at the last minute. 
If you're interested in the how-to's, here it is.

Place a package or two of meatballs in an oven proof dish, add some of those little smoky sausages, and set aside.   If you make your own meatballs, more power to you.   I ended up in a major time crunch yesterday, so was very happy to have some of the frozen commercial meatballs in the freezer, that I could use.   And personally, I like them.  They make great meatball subs as well.  Sorry, this post is about the other way I use meatballs.    So to continue...

Heat some Grape Jelly (I used a 32 oz. jar) and some Chile Sauce (I used two 12 oz bottles) together and whisk the jelly into the chile sauce as the jelly melts.   Side note here.   If you can find HFCS free anything, use it.   I couldn't find it in my little town, so I used good old Welch's grape jelly.  

Grape Jelly and Chile Sauce

Pour baby, pour...

Pour over the meatballs and sausages and cover.   Place in a 350 deg. oven for about an hour.   Then uncover and cook an additional hour or so, or until the sauce has reduced a little and the meatballs are starting to like the sauce that has caramelized a little on them.  (as I said I was in a time crunch yesterday so I put them into a 400 deg. oven for about 30 minutes, then took some of the sauce out and put the meatballs back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so and it did hurry up the cooking process).    Serve with a slotted spoon or dip them out onto a serving platter and stick a bunch of toothpicks in them to serve.  

Slightly out of focus shot of the caramelized meatballs. 

Now please pardon, but there were a few meatballs left from yesterday and they're calling me...  

Bologna Cake for Superbowl

 

I saw this on Foodgawker a few months ago.    I thought it would be the most fun thing to make and bring to a potluck.   And I've made it a few times since the first time I made it over a year ago.   giggle

Every-time I carry this into a gathering, I get comments on the 'cute' little cake I have in my hand, and when I say what it is, there is stunned disbelief.    But it tickles everyone's funny bone, and the next thing I know people are cutting into and eating it, and laughing at the whimsical 'cake'.    I have so much fun with the comments and the fun people have eating the 'cake'. 

Cast of Characters

First couple of layers

Using my offset spatula (Christmas present used for first time)

Ready to go to the party

Another look for the cake

Sliced and ready to be eaten

I'll say it again, this has to be one of the most fun appetizers I've ever made, to make and to eat.

Bologna Cake

Oscar Mayer Bologna, 12 oz package
1 1/2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
1/2 package of dry Ranch dressing
1 8oz can Aerosol Cheese, Sharp Cheddar
Cilantro Leaves for decorating.
Buttery Crackers for putting it on.   (All I had on hand was Flipsides Pretzel Crackers, they worked)

I used the whole package of ranch dressing to 2 packages of cream cheese (what you don't use on the cake is great on crackers the next day.)  Can you tell I like Cream Cheese?
Just spread the cream cheese, about a tablespoon or so, on each layer of bologna and continue till you've used up the whole package. I think it is important here to have the bologna in as uniform slices as possible, it makes for a very nice presentation.    Then 'frost' the cake with more of the cream cheese and decorate with the aerosol cheese, (it comes with a handy star tip).     Decorate it with some greens, I've used Cilantro, Celery Leaves and Parsley.  What ever you have on hand.   Have fun. 

A guest at the party suggested using some pesto as part of the decorations, another thought some green chopped olives would complement it.   I think this is just one of those things you can have fun with.     And thanks again to Las Vegas Food Adventures for posting this.

Senior's Lunch

I've mentioned before that I volunteer in the kitchen at the local seniors center to help cook lunch once a week.   And it's fun.   I get to meet more of the locals, feel as if I am helping out with one of my skills, and just plain makes me feel good.   And I learn so much from my fellow cooks.
I thought you might like to see what we've come up with the past couple of weeks for lunch.   And I have to say, our lunches are good.    They're taste approved by myself, as well as my fellow cooks.   In other words, we'd eat the food we prepare, in fact we do.  
Last week we served Tilapia, fried and baked.   As well as some French Fries, Coleslaw, Corn Chowder with Potatoes (vegetarian), Baked Beans and Hush Puppies. 

Baked Beans

Corn and Potato Chowder

Baked Tilapia

Fried Tilapia

Here's the signboard with the menu.

This week we made some chicken, marinated it and then grilled it off.

We also served Lima Beans, slow cooked with a nice big ol' Ham Bone,

Lima Beans and Ham

some Cabbage cooked with Bacon,

Cabbage cooked bacon

a Mock Ham salad,

Tuna Salad in front with the Mock Ham salad in the back.

Tuna Salad and a

Tilapia Salad

Tilapia Salad. 
Cornbread and hot fresh Biscuits were also served.   And I can't forget the dessert.   For some people that's the best part.

We do eat good here, but I think the best part is the volunteers.   They make it possible.   I'd personally like to adopt a couple of them, since they do such a great job of serving the food, and cleaning up.   This really is a joint effort.