Roast Beast Who Hash - Lazy Cooker

Earlier this month was Dr. Seuss' birthday! And since I love celebrating things, I wanted to find food & activities super fitting to perfectly celebrate!

Especially that dinner thing! I couldn't find any specific Who Hash recipes...but there were some trying to pass off spoonable cornbread or another beef hash recipe...but it just wasn't cutting it! So...I had to do what I've been scaring myself with lately: creating a recipe.

That's right! I decided to make a Grinch-based dinner. Since it is difficult for us to do ham much anymore (my daughter won't eat pork due to pig trauma from a science teacher...grrrrrr), Green Eggs & Ham was not really an option this year. So I created Roast Beast Who Hash!

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Roast Beast Who Hash (lazy cooker)

2 lb (apprx) beef rump roast

4 C diced bell pepper – variety (fresh or frozen)

½ C diced yellow/sweet onion (or a variety), diced

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 envelope ranch seasoning mix

1 lb (apprx) quartered or diced potatoes (I used baby potatoes in red, gold & purple; you can add a small sweet potato cut into 1 inch pieces, too)

3 T Worchestershire sauce

¼ C water, stock/broth, or cider

6-8 oz frozen shredded hash browns (about ½ bag)

Coat lazy cooker insert with cooking spray. Brown beef slightly & place into the lazy cooker.

Add the peppers, onion & quartered/diced potatoes onto the beef.

Sprinkle in contents of the onion soup mix & ranch seasoning envelopes.

Pour in liquid of choice plus the worchestershire.

Cover with the lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

1 hour before serving, add in the frozen hashbrowns.

Stir & make sure beef is piecey or in chunks. Serve.

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Hubby really liked it!!! The kids are always as hard sell on something new, but may do it again anyway. Because I love my lazy cooker, and I love color...and totally Dr. Seuss.

And to keep it even Seussier, I added a fried green egg on top! If you do the dish...you can just add a regular fried egg. It was a delicious addition!

Roast Beast Who Hash with Fried Green Egg 

Now I have an idea for Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration next year for food. But I thought about it way too late this year! I brought it up to the family, and the kids seem delighted to try it, and hubby seems entertained by the thought. I will share it when we give it a test run. So watch for that one in the future...

ENJOY!

Apple Irish Cream Cake

For St. Paddy's day, recently, I wanted to find an Irish dessert. 

Getting  mint anything just wasn't cutting it! So...I researched... 

Then I came across an idea for apple cake. But I didn't have much chance to actually go get the ingredients. However...I discovered that I could cheat making one with a spice cake mix & apple pie filling! Guess what! I had both!! Woo Hoo! So I found a recipe involving both ingredients & adapted a more authentic-like, Irish-inspired apple spice cake!

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APPLE IRISH CREAM CAKE

(cheater cake using cake mix & pie filling)

1 box spice cake mix
1 can apple pie filling
6 T butter + 2 extra, softened
2/3 C sour cream
1/2 C Irish cream creamer (I used Bailey's non-alcoholic coffee creamer)
3 T buttermilk + 1 tsp extra
3 eggs
1 apple, cored & thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith with it's tartness)
1/4 C brown sugar
2 T apple pie spice
1 tsp honey or agave
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Empty contents of the spice cake mix, apple pie filling, 6 T butter, sour cream, Irish cream coffee creamer, 3 T buttermilk, and eggs into a medium size bowl. Hand mix until all contents are well blended & is completely moistened.

In a small bowl, put in the leftover butter, buttermilk, plus the vanilla & almond extracts (if using), brown sugar, apple pie spice, honey or agave, and the lemon juice. Mix well together & then add in the thin apple slices & coat. Take your rings off & use your hands to work the apples throughout the mixture.

Grease or spray bundt cake pan (I sprayed mine with Baker's Joy). Use about half of the apple slices & arrange them in a circle at the bottom of the pan. This will end up being the top, so think about how the top of your cake will look when arranging the apple slices. Once the slices are arranged how you would like them, spoon in the cake batter evenly around the pan. Now that the batter is in the pan, covering the arranged apple slices, use the other half of the apple slices to arrange for the underside of the cake by carefully setting the slices on top of the batter (like in the picture, above).

Once the cake pan & batter are both fully prepared, place in the oven. It will need to bake about an hour, depending on the oven. Check it at 45-50 minutes; it could take up to about an hour & 15 minutes. Keep doing the knife or toothpick test to make sure it's done.

When it is time to pull the cake out of the oven, let cake set in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. After that time, and some cooling has taken place, carefully turn the cake out onto a cake plate or cooling rack.

This cake is best served warm...and should be very, very moist! Slice & enjoy!

I'm sure you could add in actual Bailey's, too. Still would be yummy!

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If you want to do a caramel or whiskey glaze for the top, you can...but there is no need for it! I left it as is...

And my family has fallen in love with this apple cake!! I will be making it again. And beyond just St. Patrick's Day!

Hope you love it as much as we do!

ENJOY!

Hericot Vert Toss

Earlier in her show's existance, Rachael Ray did an easy & elegant substitute to a green bean casserole. Whether you like her or you don't, it is a much easier & lighter version. It was green beans & sauteed onions. Then, I saw that Green Giant has a frozen vegetable side that is green beans & slivered almonds. Yummmm...almonds are my favorite edible nut. So...I figured I could combine the two ideas...

Then I got thinking: if it's a switch up to green bean casserole, then where are the mushrooms? Not everyone is a mushroom fan, I know. But that cream of mushroom soup is HEAVY, and so are the deep fried onions. So, I figured I could try to sautee some sliced mushrooms, too.

After I'd already planned on trying this, I saw where someone did a dish that was green beans & sliced mushrooms. And, for the first time ever, I heard the term "Hericot Vert" (pronounced 'harry-co vay'). Woo Hoo! Fancy-schmancy!

So, I decided I love that term with this beautiful dish...so...I present to you:

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Hericot Vert Toss

Ingredients:

12 oz green beans, blanched or steamed

1/2 - 1 C sweet onion, largely diced

1/2 - 1 C mushroom, sliced

1/4 C sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 C celery stalk, diced (optional)

vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

* toast the almonds, you can do this in your skillet or in the oven; if in skillet, remove from skillet & set aside

* spray your skillet with the vegetable cooking spray, add in sliced mushrooms, diced onion & optional celery to sautee until tender

* while mushrooms, onion & celery cook, either blanch or steam your green beans

* when all is cooked thru, toss green beans, mushrooms, onions, celery & almonds all together

* Serve & enjoy!

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Notice I didn't use any additional seasonings (i.e. salt, pepper, etc.). You know why? Between the toasted almonds, onion, celery (if you use it) & the fabulous green beans...why mess with it? Seriously! Oh...and...Vegans Rejoice! It's filling, too...if you eat it all at once by yourself. Not that I might know that...or...anything...

Oh, I used steamed green beans this time around.

Just gorgeous!

ENJOY!

Italian Butter Grilled Cheese [Croutons]

The Ides of March happened just recently. I enjoy doing a "Caesar Feast" that includes Chicken Caesar Salad...so I wanted to make my own croutons. And last year, I came up with this:

It turns out that April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day. Interesting, right? Well, I heard some trivia on April 12th that the (grilled) cheese sandwich originated in Rome. I thought about just adding grilled cheese to the Caesar Feast...but then a lightbulb went off!

Grilled Cheese Croutons for the Caesar Salad (or just a different kind of grilled cheese)! Oh yes...this would happen...

I wandered around Pinterest to see if I could find a grilled cheese crouton-type recipe. I found out that the croutons being used for soup were simply cubed up pieces of grilled cheese sandwiches. After that, I started coming across a lot of different grilled cheese recipes for the summertime being pinned. 

So, here you go...I was inspired & this is what I came up with:

ITALIAN BUTTER GRILLED CHEESE [CROUTONS]

1. Set oven to 450 degrees F

2. Mix in a small bowl for Italian butter:

1-2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 palmfuls crushed oregano

1 palmful crushed basil

1 palmful crushed parsley flakes

1 1/2 palmful garlic powder

1 palmful grated parmesan cheese

submerge in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

3. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray & then use day-old/slightly-stale bread.

4. Take a short basting brush & "paint" the Italian butter onto one side of the bread.

5. Place the "butter" side down onto the cooking sheet

6. Place 1 slice of either provolone or mozzarella cheese onto the bread. 

(Sargento has a provolone/mozzarella blend, so that's what I used) 

Only use 1 slice since you do not want croutons to be over cheesy. If you are making just a sandwich, feel free to use 2 slices.

7. Repeat step 4

8. Place on top of cheese with "butter" side up

9. Once the baking sheet has been covered (the Italian butter lasted enough for 16 slices/8 sandwiches, which just fit my baking sheet), place in the oven for 6-8 minutes

10. Pull out of the oven when the sandwiches start to appear golden brown (mine ended up a hair darker on the bottom side after 7 1/2 minutes, but they turned out fine)

11. Begin to cube the sandwiches into 16 pieces. I began with a knife, but found a pizza cutter to be much more efficient

After I cubed my 8 sandwiches, I ended up with 128 grilled cheese croutons. I tossed them in with our Caesar salad for dinner.

Isn't it beautiful? And everything was SO yummy!

These can be done on the griddle or in a skillet, too...especially if you just want the Italian Butter Grilled Cheese sandwich without cubing them.

So delicious!

Pretty, huh? I took either a cherub or sunburst tomato, a small piece of mozzarella cheese, wrapped a basil leaf around them, skewered the combo with a toothpick & then brushed each mini salad with the leftover Italian Butter.

So pretty, so cute...so tasty! And one of my faves!

ENJOY!