meat wrapping

not a recipe but it fits in with the dinner I am cooking today.

I am cooking some bone in country style ribs that I packaged on 1/18/2010.  They got "lost" on our freezer.  I have our meats seperated with boxes in the freezer.  Apparently these ribs slipped to the bottom of the box during a rotation and I missed them.  I stuck them in the fridge a couple days ago to defrost and I opened them up today. They are as red as the day I packaged them.  I wholeheartedly believe that this is because of the way I package our meat for the freezer.  Pork is not supposed to still be good after a year in the freezer.  Ground beef is only supposed to be good for 3-4 months according to charts I have seen.  I have ground beef that is over 6 months in the feezer that we are using now that is just as fresh as the day I packaged it.  So I am resharing my meat wrapping tutorial from my other blog.

meat wrapping tutorial

At the bottom of this page is a freezer length chart

diet soda cake

Diet Soda Cake

1 box of cake mix (any flavor)
10 oz. diet soda
2 egg whites, lightly whipped

Combine cake mix and diet soda. Add egg whites and blend with beater according to package directions. Pour into sprayed cake pan or muffin tin and bake according to cake box directions. Watch times!  May bake quicker

funnel cake

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• oil, for frying
• powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

1. Beat egg, milk, and vanilla together in a separate bowl.
2. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients beating until smooth. (may need to add more milk)
3. Fill 8" skillet with 1 inch oil and heat to 375 degrees.
4. Cover funnel hole with finger and fill with about 1/4 cup of batter.
5. Hold funnel over skillet and remove finger moving funnel around to form patterns with the batter.
6. Fry until golden brown, about 1 or 2 minutes.
7. Turn over with tongs and continue frying another minute or two or until both sides are brown.
8. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
9. Serve hot.

Pineapple upside down cake (request)

1 yellow cake mix

1 can pineapple rings
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup or so of butter

Melt butter and pour into bottom of a cake pan.  Sprinkle on brown sugar.  Lay pineapple rings on top of the brown sugar. Make cake according to directions on box except add pineapple juice from the can instead of water.  I use 1/4 cup less liquid than what the recipe calls for because I use applesauce instead of oil.  Pour batter over pineapple and bake according to directions on box.

Let cake cool for 5-10 minutes and invert onto a plate or platter.

Peanut butter fudge

1/2 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8x8 inch dish. Chill until firm and cut into squares.

oreo cookie balls

1 package oreos
1 8 oz package cream cheese
almond bark

1. Crush the entire package of oreo cookies in your blender until it resembles course crumbs. Do not grind cookies to a fine consistency, you still want a crunch in the finished product.
2. Once all cookies are crushed. Place in a medium sized bowl and combine room temperature cream cheese with this. After cream cheese is combined, melt almond bark in microwave. I recommended stirring almond bark in between heatings. This will cause it not to curdle.
3. Lay wax paper on cookie sheet. Coat hands with powdered sugar, roll oreo mixture into balls to desired size. Insert a toothpick into the top of oreo ball and dip oreo ball into almond bark. Drain off any excess and place on wax paper. Allow to dry for about 20-30 minutes. Almond bark will form a candy coating on the outside.

swiss steak

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 to 2 lb. round steak, cut in serving portions
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 can tomato soup or a can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 c. water (if using tomato soup)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Combine flour, salt, and pepper; using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, pound mixture into steak. Brown steak in butter with chopped onion. Add tomato soup, water, vinegar; transfer to crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.