Bacon Pancakes

Pedro did it again...he sent me an email with 10 amazing idea's. This was one of them and my family loves these pancakes.  

 My husband thinks the size is perfect, he said they weren't all doughy like most pancakes.   The bacon just made the pancakes so delicious!  I will definitely make these again.

  

This is a self explanatory recipe.  Just make your favorite pancake recipe and pour it over the cooked

bacon.  In the recipe Pedro sent me they put the pancake mix on the griddle first and then put the bacon on top.  Then they added a little extra pancake mix on top of the bacon to cover it.  They were longer and skinnier and better looking but I am sure they taste the same and this is easier.

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Papa's Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

   INGREDIENTS:

2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste

1 or 2 package[s] of dried porcini mushrooms

5 cups of warm water

2 cups red wine

2 medium yellow onions diced fairly small

5 or 6 good size cloves of garlic

½ to ¾ of a bell pepper – green is best, red OK – diced same size as the onion

½ bunch of Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. mixed Italian seasonings

2 Tbs. dried basil (or ½ cup fresh chopped fine)

1 Tbs. dried oregano (or ¼ cut fresh chopped fine)

¼ tsp black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

Salt as needed (there is quite a bit in the tomato paste)

Ground beef –use 1 – 1.5 lbs if you are not adding meatballs/sausage, about ¾ to 1 lb. if you are.

5 or 6 Italian sausages if desired

Preparation:

      Place tomato paste, 3 cups of the water and the wine in the pot and stir it up to dissolve the paste. Add all the dry ingredients except salt. Add the chopped parsley too. Put garlic through a press or dice it finely and add to pot.  Use the olive oil and saute the onions and bell peppers.

      Soak the mushrooms in the other cup of water until soft, then chop them up a little and add them and the water to the pot. 

      Saute the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet until translucent. It’s O.K. to brown them slightly, but not too much, because they get bitter. Add the bell pepper to the onions after the onions have sauteed for a couple of minutes. 

      Add onion/pepper mix to pot and brown the ground beef in the skillet breaking it up as it cooks. The beef should be browned, not just cooked through. Add to pot with a slotted spoon so you do not get excess grease in the sauce. 

      Brown the meatballs in the same skillet. Get them pretty brown, as that will add flavor to the sauce. Add to sauce. 

      Cut sausage in half, so not too long, and brown them in same skillet. Add to sauce.

      Drain fat from skillet and deglaze with a little water or wine – add to sauce. 

The sauce should simmer over as low a heat as you can make it and still get it to simmer. It should simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. Check it periodically to make sure it is not too thick – add water if necessary. 

MEATBALLS:

Ingredients: 

1 lb.  lean ground beef
1 lb.  ground pork
1 lb.  ground Italian Sausage
1 small yellow onion chopped fine
1 Tbs. mixed Italian seasoning
1/8 to ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
2 lg eggs
1/4 grated parmesan
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 Cup Panko or cracker crumbs (more if needed)

Preparation:     

      Mix everything but the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Use your hands. If you are squeamish, use latex gloves, but you will not get it mixed up right with a spoon. After the mixture is uniform add breadcrumbs and mix with your hands adding more until consistency is OK for rolling into balls. Make balls about 1½ inch's in diameter, again using your hands.  I brown the meatballs in a frying pan and finish them in the oven.  I usually cook them for 20 minutes on 350.  If you cook the meatballs all the way on the stove top don't finish them in the oven.  I just usually cook a lot of meatballs and this speeds things up.  Cut a meatball in half to see if it is cooked.

This is one time baking and cooking at the same time saved me. 
I would have forgot the meatballs in the oven...if I wasn't making cupcakes.  Unfortunately I overcooked the meatballs when they where sitting in the oven while it preheated for the cupcakes.  They were very dry but tasted good when I put them in the spaghetti sauce.

 I had to buy the Italian spice, Basil and Oregano.  I tried to use Pesto and skip those ingredients and it didn't work.   I will put a tablespoon of Pesto in my meatball mixture if I happen to have some in the refrigerator.
 

Beef Stew Shepherd's Pie

Recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

What happen was I printed out two recipes, one for Shepherd's Pie and one for Crockpot Beef.  Well, I for some reason thought the Shepherd's Pie had chuck roast not ground hamburger.  So, when I got home from the grocery store and read the recipe, I thought what the heck~ I will just use Chuck Roast, it sounds good. 

I knew the beef mixture was running and would probably be soupy but I thought it would still taste good. 

I was right it was delicious, everyone loved it! 

Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes:
2 pounds russet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter I used 1/2 cup of "I can't believe this isn't butter."
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the filling and pie:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 pound ground lamb  I used 2 pounds chuck roast
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used 1/2 cup of flour
1 Brown Gravy Packet ( I added this)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas, thawed
I used 1 12oz. bag of steamfish vegetables   
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I added this)
Sweet paprika for dusting
Directions
To make the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
Place the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the cream and butter and stir until butter has melted. Return potatoes to the pot and mash until smooth, incorporating the cream and butter as you go. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

To make the pie: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the filling: Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in ketchup, broth and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well. Continue to simmer gently over medium-low heat until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and stir until combined. Season filling with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up. (Good luck with that!) Smooth the potatoes with a spatula as best you can. Dot the potatoes with bits of butter and dust with paprika.
Place skillet on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the potatoes have browned. Remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.