Mock Chop Suey

 

I got this recipe via Jennifer Brockman of A Country Life.  You can view her original recipe here. It sounded really good to me when she was making it in a recent video, and I thought I'd try it out on my family.  I happened to have all the ingredients including the chow mein noodles on hand.  

She mentioned in the video that the recipe was well over 60 years old.  I am pretty sure I've had it before, made as she shared it.  She'd found the recipe in an old collaborative cookbook, one of those sold by churches or women's clubs.

The recipe I'm sharing below is based on the one Jennifer shared but I'm adding in my variations and I'm including one ingredient that I didn't use, but Katie and I both felt it would be a great addition.  The dish definitely needed the added texture.

All in all, this is a good recipe, uses pretty much basic pantry ingredients and isn't cost prohibitive to make.  

Mock Chop Suey

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby Bellas)

1 cup grated carrot (just something I had already on hand, so no harm in adding it right?)

1.5 cups chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 can drained, diced water chestnuts (You really need this crunch in this dish so try to add it.  I didn't have it but next time I make this I will.)

1 cup water

1 tsp. powdered beef broth

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup uncooked white rice

salt and pepper to taste

Chow Mein Noodles

Brown ground beef, then add in the onions, celery, mushrooms, carrot, and garlic.  I considered adding in some shredded broccoli stalks as well.  I'm a big proponent of adding in all the extra vegetables I can to these sorts of dishes.

Once the meat is browned and the vegetables are soft add in the water, broth powder, soy sauce, soups, rice, and basic measures of salt and pepper. I used a little less salt and a good 1/2 tsp of pepper.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.  

Pour into a baking dish.  Jennifer filled a 9 X 13 pan.  I used two 9-inch square pans and divided equally among the two pans. 

Cover pan.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Remove cover, top with chow mein noodles and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I opted to bake one pan now and put the other pan into the freezer to have as a future entree. I labeled with cooking time and temp for future use.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

 

I'm always interested in trying a spin on a familiar taste profile that is a little less expensive to make.  Six years ago, Bess made an absolutely awesome Mongolian Beef that used boneless Chuck Roast.  It was made in the slow cooker, and it was wonderful.  We asked to put it on a repeating cycle while she and Sam lived here.  Back then, boneless chuck roasts were an inexpensive meat to have on hand.  Nowadays though it's pricey as can be.  In fact, I am seeing more of the English cut or Arm roasts on sale than Chuck Roasts and those are still rather pricey for my taste.  

In the meantime, I was interested when I saw a video of Mandy from Mandy in the Making preparing a version of Mongolian Beef that used ground meat.  She made a couple of suggestions about serving and it sounded interesting, so we tried it.  It was a little lackluster in my opinion.

But I couldn't quite let go of the idea.  I knew that one of her suggestions I hadn't followed and that was to double the sauce ingredients.   Then I came across another blogger's recipe which also sounded good.  I decided to try it again and this time add the touches I'd felt were missing the first time around.  Only I couldn't find the second blogger's recipe when I went to look for it.  So, I grabbed another recipe from a Bing search that came from the website, 12tomatoes.com.  I tweaked a few things based on what I had on hand, then I added all the toppings I'd felt were missing before.

The result was terrific.  It was so good that dibs got called right away on the leftovers a few days later when we were doing a clear out the fridge night.

I used thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles because it's what I had on hand.  I think the broader flatter noodle really would work best with this recipe to give the sauce more surface to cling to.

I used raw grated carrot, fresh lime wedges, chili garlic sauce, green and pickled onions on our bowls of noodles.  That was what I had on hand.  I think you could pickle shredded carrots or have sliced fresh radishes and that would be very nice on top as well.   I know that John would love this dish with slices of fresh cucumber surrounding the plate.  

I served with steamed broccoli but thought after that if I could manage a crisp tender broccoli, it would be good, tossed right in with the sauce and noodles.   Cooked diced baby bella mushrooms in with the beef would be a nice way to extend the meat if you had additional company.  

I think this would make a great rice bowl as well.

Mongolian Beef Noodles

8 ounces Fettuccini noodles

1 pound ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 4 tsps. of minced garlic)

1/4-inch slice ginger root, grated 

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tbsps. honey

1.5 tsps. sesame oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 c. loosely packed brown sugar

1/4 c. Hoisin sauce, I often don't have this and leave it out

1/4 c. Beef Broth

2 tbsps. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

For garnishing:   raw grated carrot

                              Pickled red onion

                              Diced Green onion tops

                              Lime wedges

                              Chili Garlic sauce

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Salt well.  Add fettuccini and cook according to package directions.

Brown ground beef.  Add garlic and cook for a moment or two.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and water.  Remove pan from heat, stir in the slurry and then return to heat stirring the whole while.

Serve beef over noodles and top as you like.

July 1, 2024 update:  I recently used ground chicken in this recipe and it worked beautifully.  I was blessed to find packages marked down for about $1/pound.  I like ground chicken far better than I do ground turkey.  It's less grainy and takes on the flavors in this dish very well  

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook Pie Crust Recipe

 

I just tried a new pie crust recipe today and I have to say that this might be 'the one' for me from here on.  It turned out really nicely though I skipped one step and failed to take note of another which I'll share below so you will be informed, but this really turned out just lovely.  It was light, golden and flaky.  I used it to top Chicken Pot Pie today.  I'm curious to see how this works as the bottom of a pie in future.

The recipe is unusual in that they call for both shortening and butter.  I've seen recipes that called for one or the other but never both.  In going back later to the front of the chapter on Pie & Tarts, I found this explanation:  The single most important factor in the quest for tender pastry is the fat.  Butter gives a dough rich flavor, crispness and color; vegetable shortening makes it flaky.   We use butter and shortening to give piecrust the best qualities of each.  To keep fat in the dough chilled and firm, use ice water to bring the ingredients together.  And be sure both the butter and the shortening are well chilled. (I failed to chill my shortening).  The pieces of fat should hold their shape.  The kitchen should be cool, too.  If you must make pie on a hot day, chill the flour.

I have to laugh over that last line, ' if you must make pie on a hot day...'.  It's almost like a warning against even trying isn't it?  My second thought was that it would be ideal to have pastry pre-made and chilled in the fridge or keep a few disks in the freezer to take out and thaw to use.  You'd naturally want to thaw it in the fridge to insure it stayed properly cool on those hot days.

Pastry Dough for 1-Crust Pie

Chilling pie dough before baking helps it retain its shape.

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces.

2 tablespoons shortening (remember this too should be cold)

3-5 tablespoons ice water

In large bowl whisk flour and salt.    With a pastry blender (two knives or a fork) cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly after each addition, until dough is just moist enough to hold together.

Shape into a dish; wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to rolling out.)

On lightly floured surface, roll into a 12-inch round.  

Refrigerate or freeze until firm.  Fill and bake as directed in your pie recipe.  Makes one 9-inch crust.

My notes:  I didn't read that the shortening should be chilled.  It was fairly cool in my kitchen today, so the shortening was fairly firm anyway.

I use my KitchenAid mixer and the paddle to cut in the shortening and stop immediately when there are no big lumps, and the crumbs look coarse.

I've always struggled with knowing just how much water to add to get pastry to the right consistency.  I did add the water in one tablespoon increments.  Today it took 4.5 and I literally stopped the very moment the dough started to come together in one ball.  It will still be slightly crumbly, but will hold together once you start forming it into a disc.

Kidney Bean Salad

 

I found this cookbook a few years ago in a thrift store.  The price was low and the words in the title appealed to me for the most obvious reasons.  I love good food and I like cooking budget food.  You can still find this cookbook online.  The publication date is 1971. 

This particular recipe sounded odd, but I was making a complete menu right from the pages of the book.  I'm happy to say that this salad tasted really good!  Yes, these are unusual ingredients to combine to make a salad but there you are.

Kidney Bean Bowl

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained (I rinsed, too)

1/2 cup sliced celery

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup diced, unpeeled apple

1/3 cup diced process American Cheese

(I used cheddar from Aldi)

Lettuce

Combine beans, celery, onions, salt, pepper, mayonnaise.  Cover and chill.  Stir in apple and cheese before serving.  Serve in lettuce lined bowls.   Serves 8. 

Applesauce Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

In the autumn, I almost always am drawn to the warmth of dark spices: cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon have such lovely deep flavors and because they seldom are used in combination in too many recipes, they tease the tastebuds.   We might use some of these spices individually, but it's in combination they really come into their own, playing one off the other as they do.

I don't know why I only make Applesauce Cake in the autumn.  I could argue it's because of the spice profile in the recipe but the truth is this cake makes a wonderful snack cake for any time of the year.  You can leave it unfrosted and simply dust it with powdered sugar.  You can frost it in a variety of ways.  The frosting the recipe recommends is really not much more than a glaze despite the quantity of sugar in it.  A thick rich homemade caramel frosting might be substituted or the broiled frosting I have published here would do equally well.  But the Browned Butter is delicate and just right in my opinion for that touch of sweet topping with being overbearing and smothering the flavors of the cake.

The cake itself is not fussy.  It's a one bowl, dump and mix recipe but the end result is tender and lovely.

Applesauce Cake

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

1 1/2 tsps salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup shortening

Heat oven to 350F.

Put everything into the mixer bowl.  Mix for 30 seconds on low to blend all ingredients and then for 3 minutes on high.

Flour and grease a 9X13 pan.  Pour batter into pan.  Spread gently and evenly.  Bake for 60-65 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for a half hour then spread on frosting. I like to do this while the cake is still warm so if your kitchen is cold, then test the temperature before the half hour is up.  You'll want the cake just warm enough to lay your hand gently upon it and feel the warmth but not so hot it burns you.

Browned Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsps. milk

Over medium heat, melt butter.  Just before the butter is fully melted you will start to see golden flecks.  The moment the last bit melts, turn off the burner and remove entirely if you are using an electric stove.  The butter should be just barely golden in color.  You'll notice the difference in smell the moment it begins to brown, so pay attention with your eyes and your nose!

Mix in sugar, milk and vanilla.  This is not a stiff frosting, but neither is it glaze consistency either.  It should hold its shape but be very soft.  

Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

 

Arroz Con Pollo

I've always referred to this as Spanish Chicken and Rice.  I can't recall where I found the recipe but I'm pretty sure Better Homes & Gardens, either the cookbook or magazine.

My family loved it the first time I made it.  I've now been making it for 25 years now.  I've never tried to make this less expensive.  I always felt it was a good economical meal to begin with because it started with bone in chicken.  I could buy a whole cut chicken for less than $1 a pound back in the day and now I can still purchase a whole one for $1.49/pound which is a fair price.  

I have occasionally used boneless skinless chicken pieces but the bone in pieces is really the best for the dish in my opinion.

I like to use the yellow rice packets you buy at the store.  I've tried several different brands: Zatarain's, Vigo, Mahatma and the one from Aldi.  They are all pretty much the same, so buy what's cheapest/most convenient for you.

The rest of the ingredients are things I typically have on hand in my pantry: onions, pimentos (you can sub in fresh red pepper and a splash of vinegar), green peas, olives or capers.  Besides salt and pepper that's pretty much it.

Arroz con Pollo

2.5 pounds bone in chicken pieces

salt and pepper

smoked paprika (optional)

1 medium onion, diced

5-ounce packet yellow rice mix

Water called for on packet (I like to add a teaspoon of dry chicken bouillon powder)

2-ounce jar of red diced pimento

2-ounces sliced pimento stuffed olives OR capers (about 2 tbsps)

8-ounces frozen green peas (or drained canned peas)

Salt and pepper chicken.  Brown in oil in large frying pan.  Turn to brown other side.  Remove from pan and set aside.  

Add fat to the pan if necessary.  Add chopped onion and cook until translucent.  

Add packet of rice mix and water called for on package.  Here's where I also add in the chicken bouillon powder and stir all well.  Place chicken pieces in rice and water mix.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and cover with a lid.  Cook for amount of time package says on rice.  Mixture may be a little saucy.  Check internal temperature on chicken to insure it's fully cooked.  

Add pimentos, olives or capers and green peas.  Cover and let residual heat warm the last additions through.  

This is delicious on day one and even better as leftovers.

Lena's Russian Cabbage Rolls

Several years ago, I used to read a blog written by a young Eastern European immigrant girl who had married and was living in the U.S.  Her name was Lena, and she was a whiz, absolute whiz, at saving money.  She also happened to be a pretty good cook, as I can attest because I tried several recipes she shared.  

Once I'd tried her recipe for Russian Cabbage Rolls, I knew I'd found my lifelong recipe for that item.  It had all the elements I liked plus the wonderful addition of spices and dried fruit.   

Lena's Russian Cabbage Rolls

1 pound ground beef

1 cup cooked rice (I use uncooked instant and it works out just fine)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cooked cabbage leaves with woody stem part removed (blanching is fine)

2 cups canned tomatoes

4 cups broth (I like to use beef broth)

1/2 cup raisins

Mix ground beef, rice, and seasonings.  Stuff the cabbage leaves and layer in the bottom of a heavy pan.  I use my slow cooker.  Pour over tomatoes, beef broth and add the raisins.  Bring up to a boil, lower to simmer and cook for 1 hour.  In my crockpot, I cooked for 6 hours on low heat.

This is a saucy mixture.  I serve it simply, over a mound of mashed potatoes.   And it's even better the second time you serve it if you happen to have leftovers.