Beefy Mushroom Rice

Yesterday Jack needed to take a side dish to work for a lunch they were having. I decided to make him a rice dish. I used about a pound of porcini mushrooms, one red onion, 10 jalapeno peppers, and half a cup of celery all finely chopped. After cooking them in 3 sticks of butter they were added to about the cooked rice. I used Jasmine rice because of the wonderful smell while it is cooking. I did about 4 cups of uncooked rice. After that was done and the veggies were added I made about 2 cups of beef gravy and added to it to make it a beefy mushroom taste. It was a little overpowering with mushroom so I made 4 more cups of rice and mixed them together. It was perfect. Now tonight when I get home I will make some beef broth and throw my half of the rice in and have beefy mushroom rice soup for dinner. I think I’m about mushroomed out for a while. I  have probably used about 10 pounds in the last 2 months. Bon Appétit!

Grilled Rueben Sandwihces

Wednesday night was Grilled Rueben Sandwiches. I used deli corned beef, Swiss cheese and Libby’s sauerkraut.  I’m partial to Vlasic polish sauerkraut but that’s not readily available in Missouri so I settle for Libby’s. After buttering one side of the bread and placing it in the pan I added a layer of Swiss cheese followed by corned beef then sauerkraut then another layer of Swiss cheese and the top piece of bread. Browned on both sides and served. Excellent. I have been wanting those for a week now. I used one of my favorite rye breads, Wonder Beefsteak Hearty Rye. Its best for sandwiches wehre as the Beefsteadk is best for rye toast.

Bon Appétit!

Barbecued Chicken Breast with Green Bean Caserole

Last night was barbecued chicken breasts with green bean casserole. I used boneless skinless so it would be healthier and cut them into smaller pieces so they would cook faster. After they were almost done I put my homemade barbecue sauce on them and let them cook for another 10 – 15 minutes. I used French Style green beans with the last of my homemade mushroom sauce. Topped it with the French Fried Onions and baked it at 350 for half an hour. The sauce was a little more runny than normal the beans had too much frost in them and I hadn’t realized that at the time. I learned for next time if there is frost rinse them in hot water first to get rid of it.  I was too tired or I would have realized that last night.

Bon Appétit!

Pasta Bake

Last night I made a pasta bake. I used a quart and a half of my home made tomatoes along with a pint of Italian Pasta Sauce. I browned a pound of ground chuck and spiced it with with basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and garlic. After browning  I added fresh green onions and mushrooms. When those were cooked I added the tomatoes and a pint of Italian Pasta Sauce. After that simmered for about an hour I made a package of macaroni and grated my cheese. I put the macaroni in the baking dish then some of the cheese on top of it. The sauce was the layered on top of that and then added more cheese for a topping.  Wish I would have had mozzarella it would have been better but I didn’t so I used the four cheese mix that I had along with pepper jack. It was respectable. Tomorrow I will have leftovers of that with garlic toast. Tonight is going to be onion coated chicken with chicken fried rice. Bon Appétit!

Becoming the Cast Iron Cauldron

As a young teen Cousin Sandi and I always enjoyed watching the cooking shows together on weekends, especially Julia Child. She was fabulous. The cooking shows of today can't compare to her back in the mid to late 60s. Fortunately I have a first edition of her original cookbook which I will treasure always.  I was also able to come up with a first edition of her second book this past week on Amazon which I was never able to find before, so I look forward to getting that in the next couple weeks to see whats in it. I also was able to find a Le Cordon Bleu text book today to go with the different editions of the Culinary Institute textbooks I got a few years ago. Sandi  and I also enjoyed Yan Can Cook for Oriental foods and The Frugal Gourmet for the obscure, and Justin Wilson for good old down home Louisisna cajun foods. Now in the present days Emeril is good and a lot of fun to watch. I used to like David Rosengarten but I have no clue what happened to him, his show has been gone for a long time now. I have always enjoyed cooking and collecting cookbooks. At present my "pantry" has become my cookbook room. I have managed to collect over 500 cookbooks. Anything from the old to the new. Some talk about rationed foods and what to use as a substitute when you can't get the specific item you want. I hope to be able to update this every week when I'm at the cafe drinking coffee or sitting at McDonalds drinking iced tea. I enjoy the experimental foods as well as the tried and true. I hope to be able to share some new recipes with you as well as my old time favorites.
For what ever reason I decided to name my kitchen the Cast Iron Cauldron.  I use a witch stirring her "brew" in a cauldron as my kitchen symbol. I hope you find something you like here. 
As Julia Child would say,  
"Bon Appétit!"

Mushroom Soup / Sauce

The soup is the same as the sauce. I use it for both and it is suitable for both. Be sure to check the expiration date of your heavy whipping cream, this will let you know how long you should be able to use the sauce. If it is dated far enough ahead it should be fine in the fridge for at least a week if not a little longer,  provided its covered so it doesn’t absorb other flavors. I use a half pound of baby portabellas, a pound of criminis, and two pounds of just the regular whites. I prefer to use the bulk ones as opposed to the packaged ones when possible, depending which look the best. I do not use the stems and I peel the skins off. Slice thinly and set aside till they are all sliced. Sautee them in butter until tender. (I usually use 6 sticks) stir constantly flipping and moving them so they all cook evenly. There is no need to brown them so you can cook them all at the same time. When done add 1 quart of heavy whipping cream and heat thoroughly. When bubbling in the middle thicken with a mixture of cold water and cornstarch. Add slowly while stirring constantly so it doesn’t lump. Serve as soup or use as a sauce. Today’s soup can become tomorrows sauce.

Bon Appétit!

Chicken Cacciatore

This was Sunday’s dinner. I cut up the chicken breasts and 1 red onion then sautéed them in butter until almost done. At that point I added a cup of good red wine and allowed that to simmer for half hour to 45 minutes stirring when needed. While that was simmering I made my Cacciatore sauce and added it to the chicken. Change over to a baking dish for the oven and keep bake at 300 until ready to serve. I served over buttered noodles, rice would also be appropriate if you prefer it over noodles.

Bon Appétit!