Taco Cornbread Bake

Inspiration:
Adventures in my Freezer
adapted due to ingredients I had available


Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
  
• 1/2 c. water
  
• 1 can black beans, drained
  
• 1 cup pureed salsa
  
• 1 batch corn bread batter (see below)
• 2 fresh jalapenos, sliced thinly
  
• 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Cornbread Batter:

• 1 cup corn meal
  
• 1 cup flour
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brown meat; drain. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Pour into 8x12 baking dish.
   
3. Prepare corn bread batter:
   Mix dry ingredients, add milk egg and oil, mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients.
4. Spread over meat. Top with jalapeños if desired. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Top corn bread with cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes.

Notes: This is a great meal for a weeknight. It's easy, filling, and good.


Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Endives and Ham with Gruyére

Inspiration:
Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (from about 1/3 loaf ciabatta or sourdough bread, crusts removed)
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 Belgian endives, cored if desired
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces smoked ham, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated Gruyére cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for dish.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Toss breadcrumbs with oil on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread into a single layer. Bake, stirring once, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack.
2. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Arrange endives in dish, and sprinkle with sugar, rolling to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with parchment, then foil, and bake until tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
3. Cut ham into 4-inch long strips, 1/4 inch wide. Scatter on top of endives, and sprinkle with thyme. Pour stock into dish, and sprinkle Gruyére on top. Top with breadcrumbs, and dot with butter.
   
4. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and filling is bubbling, 18 to 22 minutes Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes:
Belgians eat endives au jambon in winter much as we do apple pie in fall. Although most Americans tend to think of endive as a snappy, tart salad green, baking mellows it, making it play nicely with other soothing flavors such as ham and Gruyére.

The texture of coarsely ground crumbs made from a chewy loaf is best for this dish, although store-bought breadcrumbs may be substituted. To make your own, pulse bread in a food processor or grate it on the largest holes of a box grater. To remove an endive's core, insert a paring knife at its base and cut around the core until it can be popped out.


My Notes: I really enjoyed this! The flavors combined to make a rich, hearty dish without being heavy. I made the recipe through step 3 the night before, so it was easy to just bake it the next evening.

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Broccoli Cheese Bake

Inspiration:
Broccoli from our CSA and this recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh broccoli
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 5/8 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add flour; cook until bubbly. Stir in onion and gradually add milk, stirring well. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and eggs; mix well. Combine mixture with broccoli and transfer to a small casserole dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Notes: Definitely not the healthiest broccoli recipe, but it's pretty tasty!

Liz's Rating: 8/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10 ("Is this quiche?")

Kohlrabi Ham Bake

Inspiration:
Kohlrabi from our CSA and a modified version of this recipe from the blog Simply Recipes, originally from Russian, German, & Polish Food & Cooking.
Ingredients:

• 1.5 Tbsp butter
• 2 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces thick ham, diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• Pinch of mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the diced kohlrabi and gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Beat the egg yolk, and whisk in the heavy cream, flour, mace, salt and pepper until well combined.
3. Place half of the cooked kohlrabi on the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish. Layer on the diced ham and parsley. Top with the remaining kohlrabi. Pour the sauce ingredients over the kohlrabi and ham.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

Notes:
Yummy. I would make this recipe again if we get more kohlrabi from our CSA. It's pretty rich, so I suggest serving it with a green salad.

Tim's Rating: 9/10
("Tastes like Scalloped Potatoes and Ham to me. I like it.")
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Chicken Hotdish

Inspiration: Tim's love for the "hotdish" made me choose this recipe from allrecipes.com, and Tim loved it.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
  
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed (optional)
  

Instructions:

1. Brown chicken in oil over medium heat and place in a 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
3. Combine mushroom soup, onion soup mix, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill weed and pour over chicken.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour, or until chicken is tender and sauce is brown.

Notes: I omitted the lemon juice and dill as I didn't have any on hand. Next time I will add them.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10
Liz's Rating: 6/10

Chicken and Broccoli Hotdish

Inspiration:
Cindy, my mother-in-law!

Ingredients:

• 1/4-1/3 lbs. ham
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 jars Heinz chicken gravy
• 5 or 6 pieces of bread, crumbed.
  
• Fresh broccoli
• 1 bag shredded mozzarella
  
• Croutons
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9x13 pan.
3. Put uncooked broccoli on bottom.
4. Cover with ham and chicken breasts.
5. Add breadcrumbs.
6. Mix two jars of gravy with can of soup; pour over mixture in pan.
7. Cover with mozzarella cheese and croutons.
   
8. Bake 30-40 minutes, uncovered.
   

Tim's Rating: ?/10