Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

It’s rainy day……..Thank goodness I got all my shopping done before the rain came. I love to grocery shop! I know a lot of people do not, but it is like an adventure to me. I also am frequently inspired while there. For a small town, our local grocery stores have a nice variety, and a nice supply of Organic items, that I have been inspired to buy.

Tim and I love pork tenderloin, so I was thinking about something with noodles……hearty, with a bit of a kick. So, thanks to the folks at Cooking Light I found just the right recipe. I did change it just a bit, but I’ve got to give credit, as I would never have thought to use pork tenderloin for a Hungarian Goulash.

I remember Goulash as a child was, browned hamburger, tomato sauce, and noodles. One secret ingredient that my Mom always added was brown sugar, it made it slightly sweet. My brother and I loved it like that,and to this day, if I make the hamburger kind I always add the brown sugar. I did not add it to this recipe, but………..maybe next time.

So it was a an easy dish to make, without a long simmer time, since pork tenderloin is a very tender cut of meat. The recipe has chiles that add the heat that Tim likes so well, and smoked paprika that gives it an oaky, smokey flavor…………… all in a nice tomato base.

This is one of those dishes that gets better the next day…………so I’m glad there was some left!

Hungarian Goulash Collage

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Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: Hungarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • Non Stick Cooking spray
  • 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
  • 1 bacon slice, finely chopped
  • 1 3/4 cups water, divided
  • 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juice
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 3/4 cup beer
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 3 Hungarian wax chiles, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • Chopped parsley (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place garlic in a small bowl; mash with the back of a spoon to form a paste. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, caraway seeds, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
  2. Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and pork in a medium bowl; toss. Add pork to pan; sauté 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-high; return pan to heat. Add onion and bacon; sauté 7 minutes or until bacon is done, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic mixture; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups water, tomato, paprika, and beer; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in red pepper and chiles; simmer 15 minutes. Add pork to pan; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir flour mixture and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt into pork mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  4. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine noodles and butter in a medium bowl, stirring until butter melts. Place 1 cup noodles in each of 4 shallow bowls; top with 1 cup pork mixture. Top each serving with about 2 teaspoons sour cream. Garnish with parsley, if desired

Notes

Adapted from Cooking Light.

Keywords: pork tenderloin, onion, carrots, bacon, chiles, paprika, beer, main dish, egg noodles

 

Asparagus Ham Lasagna

Asparagus Ham Lasagna

Asparagus Ham Lasagna 1

Easter Sunday………Families, faith, and of course food! Every Easter, all the Aunts, Uncles, and cousins would squeeze into my Grandma’s tiny little house for a huge Easter feast at the center of which was my Grandma’s ham. It was always huge, you know so she could send some home with everyone. She saved margarine and cool whip tubs all year so she could send left over holiday food home.

Back then the take home was for ham sandwiches or scalloped potatoes and ham. So in tribute to the left over ham……..Asparagus Ham Lasagna.When you buy a ham,buy a bone-in ham. You can use the left over ham for sandwiches, scalloped potatoes and ham, or Asparagus Ham Lasagna! The bone makes a nice pot of October Beans Southern Style

Since spring and Easter go hand and hand, and asparagus is associated with spring, and Easter is associated with ham………not sure where I was going with that but…..the combination of asparagus, ham, and swiss cheese is delicious!!! Adding pasta is like icing on a cake. 

The nice thing about lasagna is that you can make it and bake it, you can make it and bake it the next day, or you can make it and freeze it for a meal when you don’t know what to fix.

Add some crusty bread and a nice green salad and its a feast that is sure to please.

Asparagus Ham Lasagna Collage

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Asparagus Ham Lasagna

Asparagus Ham Lasagna

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Springtime Lasagna


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
  • 1/2 package no cook lasagna noodles
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 4 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 1/2 cups swiss cheese shredded
  • 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound sliced ham, thin slices ( I used left over from a spiral cut ham)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees .
  2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of swiss cheese and half of the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.
  3.  Spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce in a baking dish. Layer 3 noodles on the sauce and top with 3/4 cup cheese sauce. Place half the ham and asparagus on top and 1/3 of the remaining swiss over the sauce. Repeat the layering process three more times. Top with the remaining noodles, cheese sauce, swiss and nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Keywords: asparagus, ham, lasagna, bake, dinner, no cook lasagna noodles

 

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

I am not usually a fan of a cookie bar………until I made these Caramel Cookie Dough Bars. All I can say is yum!!!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Shortbread is one of my favorite tastes, a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and little bit crispy……just an all around tasty treat. Every year for Christmas,once we reached a certain age,my Grandma would buy us a tin of shortbread cookies and wrap them in a dish towel. I loved those tins and the cookies.To this day shortbread always reminds me of my Grandma.

Since this is a layered bar I guess I will need to speak of each layer. Shortbread……check!

Caramel…..it can make anything taste great. Now, I have made homemade caramel many times, but I discovered a little secret…….Dulce de Leche. It’s caramel, in a can, already to go! It’s in the same section as the sweetened condensed milk at the grocery store. If I can save a step,and it tastes great, I say why not! But feel free to make your own for this recipe.

Cookie Dough……I have never made cookie dough without eggs before and since you do not bake these bars, except for the shortbread layer, you need an egg free cookie dough. This one is really good and you don’t have to worry about getting sick from eating it.

Chocolate Ganache…….what can I say about dark chocolate and cream that hasn’t already been said……….it’s a slice of heaven.

Combine all these layers and you get a sinfully rich and delicious bar. Speaking of which, I think there are two still left…………yeah!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars Collage

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Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes set time
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • For Shortbread:
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For Caramel:
  • 1 can dulce de leche (by the sweetened condensed milk)
  • For Cookie Dough:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • For Chocolate Ganache:
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides.

To make the shortbread, beat butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in flour and salt and mix on low until just combined. Press the dough into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
  2. For the caramel layer: Spread caramel evenly over the shortbread crust. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
  3. To prepare cookie dough, beat butter and sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough on top of caramel layer using a spatula to smooth dough into an even layer. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
  4. Chocolate Ganache Layer: Place 1 cup chocolate chips and heavy cream in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Remove from microwave and add remaining chocolate chips and vanilla and stir until smooth and silky. Pour the ganache over the cookie dough layer and chill until set, about 30 minutes.
  5. To remove bars from pan, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out the entire block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2-inch squares. Refrigerated in an airtight container, bars will keep for up to 3 days.

Keywords: chocolate, cookie dough, dessert bar, bake

This recipe was adapted from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/cookie-dough-billionaire-bars