Morel & Asparagus Frittata

If you've been reading here for a while now, you must remember my love of morel mushrooms. I've enjoyed the spring time hunts for this mushroom as far back as I can remember. Thankfully, every where I have lived, morels grow. There have been years where I just didn't make it out to get any. And, when we lived in the Twin Cities, you had to fight to get to the spots before the bazillion other morel hunters got there. In certain stores you are able to buy them, but they cost more than a pretty penny!

This year our weather is not ideal for morels. They are growing, and we are finding them, but they definitely are not as plentiful as other years. I still have enough though, especially since Truckin' Man does not enjoy them with me. 

As soon as my friend Anne, from A Salad For All Seasons, had posted her recipe for Herbed Ricotta, Spring Pea & Mushroom Frittata, I knew I would have to twist her recipe to fit what we were picking fresh on the farm, and this would be what I would make when my parents came over for Mother's Day.

This was my first time ever making a frittata. It was so delicious and easy to prepare! 

A perfect way to enjoy what's in season.

Morel & Asparagus Frittata

8 eggs (farm fresh if you can)

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

8 ounces fresh asparagus, cut into 1" - 2" pieces

8 ounces fresh morel mushroom, cut in half lengthwise

3 Tbsp shallots, diced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper

Additional chives for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In medium bowl, whisk eggs and half and half. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. In separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, chives, and salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat 10 inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Heat olive oil and butter. Add shallots, stirring often until softened.  Add mushrooms, saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus, saute another 5 minutes until all liquid is evaporated from mushrooms and asparagus is crisp-tender. 

Add egg mixture to skillet, and lower heat to medium. Spoon 6 dollops of the seasoned ricotta evenly around the frittata.  Cook without stirring for about 5 minutes. Once edges of frittata are set, transfer skillet to oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes until center is set.

Garnish with additional chives.

Enjoy:)

Adapted from: A Salad For All Seasons

Sharing this at:
Throwback Thursday
Weekend Potluck
Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Cheese Curd Stuffed Beef 'n Brat Burger

Wisconsin is where I call home. I was born in North Carolina, then spent my childhood in Iowa, the next twenty some years in Minnesota, and here I am now. Someday, sooner than later, I hope we spend part of the year in a warmer location. Until then, I am happy to be a Wisconsin girl.

Having spent so many years in Iowa, and Minnesota, both locations near Wisconsin, life isn't much different here. Except for the cheese. I have never in my life seen the dairy selection that this state offers. It's kind of become a thing for me to check out cheese selections in stores when we travel, just to see what they have. It amazed me to find two of my favorite Wisconsin cheese brands, Carr Valley and Sartori, when we were in South Carolina last year.

And cheese curds? It's not so much where to go to get them, they are everywhere. It's a matter of white or yellow. And how fresh do you want them. I love the options. I love the accessibility. Basically, I just love cheese. Don't you? I guess the cheese produced here is why Wisconsin is said to produce more milk than any other state. It's known as the Dairy Capital of the United States. And.... anyone from Wisconsin knows that Happy Cows really are from Wisconsin!

So to celebrate Wisconsin, I have a Cheese Curd Stuffed Beef 'n Brat Burger. You know Bratwurst is big in Wisconsin too...After all, we host the World's Largest Bratwurst Festival!

Cheese Curd Stuffed Beef 'n Brat Burger
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
1 pound bratwurst
Fresh Cheese Curds
Salt
Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil
6 large buns
Bacon (optional, but encouraged)
Lettuce/Tomato/Other favorite burger toppings

Set beef and bratwurst out for 15 minutes to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In mixing bowl, removing casing from bratwurst and add to ground beef. Divide meat into 6 equal portions. Then cut each portion in half, and shape each half into a thin patty. Place 1-2 cheese curds in the center of one patty, then top with other half. Pinch the edges together so that the burger is completely sealed into one patty. Season both sides of burger with salt and pepper.

(Make Beer Cheese Sauce - Recipe below)

Heat cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet) over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil to skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of your pan. Add burgers to skillet. Cook for 3 minutes, and then flip the burgers, cooking for another 3 minutes. Once burger has been cooked on both sides, transfer skillet to preheated oven. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until internal temp of 160 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Place burgers on buns and top with Beer Cheese Sauce, bacon, and your favorite toppings.

Beer Cheese Sauce  (Source: Farm Flavor)

7 oz medium cheddar cheese
2 tsp corn starch
1 garlic clove
1 cup beer (Should be a Wisconsin beer!)
2 tsp. brown mustard

Preheat skillet over medium heat.  Grate cheddar cheese, then toss with cornstarch in small bowl. Rub garlic clove on inside of skillet. Add beer to skillet; bring to boil. Add half of cheese mixture, stir until melted.  Add remaining cheese, stirring until melted. Bring to boil. Once boiling, add mustard and stir until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat to low until your burgers are ready, stirring occasionally.

Sharing this at:
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck
Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Throwback Thursday
FoodieFriDIY

Turkey Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash

We love squash. Somehow though, we have never had butternut squash. I think I had it once many years ago and didn't care for it, so I have just stayed away from it. With all the amazing butternut recipes going around online, I knew that I had to give it a fair shot, and try it.

To give it a fair shake, we decided to try it in chili, and it was wonderful! The flavor really reminded us of pumpkin, but it has a slightly firmer texture so can hold up well as an addition in chili.

Turkey Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash

4-5 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (See note below)
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp plus 2 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Red Gold Tomatoes
2 cups water
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 t. oregano
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large baking pan, toss squash with one tablespoon of olive oil, and one teaspoon salt. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. When done, set aside.

Meanwhile, heat one teaspoon olive oil in large skillet. Add ground turkey, chopped red and yellow onions, and one teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until turkey is completely cooked. Drain turkey and set aside.  Meanwhile, add one teaspoon oil to skillet. Add peppers to pan, saute until tender. Remove from heat.

In dutch oven, or large pot, add half of the roasted squash, tomatoes, and water. With immersion blender, puree until smooth. Set over medium heat, and add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add cooked ground turkey, and sauteed peppers.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add black beans, and remaining squash. Let simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.  Taste to adjust seasoning as needed.

***Note: I cut half  the cubes bigger that were to be pureed, about 1". The other half of the cubes, that would stay whole in the chili, I cut smaller, about 1/2".

Enjoy!

Sharing this at:
Treasure Box Tuesday
In and Out of the Kitchen
You're Gonna Love it 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Rustic Italian Chicken and a Giveaway!

The awesome folks over at Red Gold Tomatoes sent some tomato products for me to try, and I have to honestly say I love them all. I am really fussy about tomatoes and have been pleased with everything I have tried. Even better, Truckin' Man has liked everything too!

 We tried out the Rustic Italian Chicken recipe. I had to make one change to the recipe. We can not buy boneless skinless chicken thighs in our little local stores. So, I bought regular chicken thighs, and removed the skins myself. I do NOT debone chicken, so I cooked the thighs with the bone in, and it turned out beautifully!  Delicious recipe, and amazing moist flavorful chicken. Try it, I bet you will love it too!

Right now, Red Gold is working to help us all out in the kitchen and make things easy with Slow Cookers!  They have some delicious recipes for us to try, AND...  they are giving away 44 custom Red Gold branded slow cookers beginning September 17 on their Facebook page!  2 winners will be chosen every day through October 8th, so you need to sign up for this ASAP!

Another great thing that Red Gold is doing is providing an apron for one of you!! To enter for a chance to win this apron, tell me what Red Gold Crock Pot recipe you would most like to try!  

Click here to see the recipes.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with your email address the recipe you most liked. If you prefer, you can email me for your recipe choice at  bigrigsnlilcookies@gmail.com   Open to U.S. residents only.

Deadline:  Wednesday, October 8th 11:59 pm CST
Winner: I will randomly choose a winner and announce it at the top of this post. The winner will also be notified via email; if the winner does not respond within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.
Congrats to Stacie G!

Disclaimer: Red Gold provided me with tomatoes and an apron for participating in the 

"2-a-Day Crock-Pot Giveaway", but all opinions are my own.

Rustic Italian Chicken
12 chicken thighs, skinless
2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1 - 14.5 ounce can Red Gold Diced Tomatoes
2 - 15 ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
3 cups pasta
Parmesan Cheese, grated (optional)

Spray Slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker, and top with remaining ingredients, except pasta.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Enjoy :)

Sharing this at:
Weekend Potluck 
Foodie Friends Friday

Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburger Macaroni

 One of the great things about the blogging world is all the fantastic people that you meet. Some you really connect with and love their style of living, cooking, gardening, and start following their blogs.  Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen is one of those blogs. Bobbi is an amazing cook, and she will inspire you to eat better and cook with real ingredients!

When Bobbi shared her Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburger Macaroni, I was so excited.  I always loved hamburger helper type meals. The boxed helpers of whatever kind, where I would add the fresh meat, veg or dairy, and end up with a good meal. Then, I started learning about really "cooking", and what was in those boxes. It didn't take long for me to quit buying them completely. In my own weird way I have always missed them. But, Bobbi had a recipe for that kind of meal I was missing, yet it had "Real" ingredients!  AND, it had Swiss Cheese! I  LOVE Swiss Cheese!

This is a fantastic recipe, and a now a "go to" recipe for us. The only change I made from Bobbi's recipe was that I added pea's, because I love them so much. Don't like pea's? Skip 'em!  

Just pass up the boxed stuff and try this recipe! You won't be sorry!!

Mushroom & Swiss Cheeseburger Macaroni (Adapted from: Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
8 ounces elbow macaroni
3 cups beef broth
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1 cup peas, frozen.
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

Over medium heat, heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add onion, and saute until turn golden.  Add sliced mushrooms and cook for five minutes. Once mushrooms have sauteed, add the garlic, and cook for one minute.  Push mushrooms mixture to side of skillet, and add ground beef.  Break beef into pieces as it cooks with spoon.  Stir the mushrooms in with beef.  When beef is cooked through, add  macaroni, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Just before macaroni has reached al dente, add pea's. Stir to combine.

While macaroni is cooking, heat milk in microwave for one minute, just until warmed. Set aside. 

In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour, stirring continuously. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir. Add warmed milk, continuing stirring until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat, and add half cup of cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Repeat, adding cheese half cup at a time until all cheese is melted into sauce.  Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture.  Add more salt or pepper, to taste.

Enjoy :)

Sharing this at:
Weekend Potluck 
 Treasure Box Tuesday

Fall Harvest Roast with Whiskey Peach Sauce

Crops are coming off the fields now. That means that Truckin' Man is busier than ever, and he is also around the farmstead more than ever. That in turn means lots more cookin' for me! When he is on the road truckin' I typically just have leftovers. Maybe some stir fried noodles, sometimes even just a bowl of cereal... Not meals in Truckin' Mans eyes! So, for now I have to keep the "Real" meals flowing on a regular basis.

This Fall Harvest Roast is absolutely the most warming and filling fall meal. Served with some mashed potatoes, you can't go wrong. This meal leaves everyone satisfied, warmed up and ready for whatever needs tending to next!

Fall Harvest Roast with Whiskey Peach Sauce 

3 lb pork roast
Salt and Pepper
1 TBSP Olive Oil
4 apples, peeled and sliced
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1"-2" chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup Whiskey Peach Sauce (Can substitute peach butter or apple butter)


Trim any excess fat from roast. Season roast with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sear roast on all sides, until browned.

In bottom of crock pot add apples, carrots, garlic, and apple cider.  Place roast in crock pot, on top of apples. 

In small bowl, combine brown sugar, thyme dry mustard, cinnamon, and Peach Whiskey Sauce. Mix until combined. Spread mixture over roast.  Cook, covered, on low for 7-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Adapted From: Our Little Coop

Sharing this at:
Weekend Potluck

Baked Ham Balls

Many many years ago, I was a horribly fussy eater. I didn't even like meatballs. How could I not like meatballs? Well, I had a deep fear of my mom trying to sneak mushrooms, or God forbid... cream of mushroom soup into anything I would eat. It was absolutely forbidden for any mushroom fragment to touch my food. If anything was suspicious, I would do a full dissection on it until I knew for a fact that they were not trying to pull one over on me!

But, when Mom would make her Baked Ham Balls, it was my absolute favorite! There were no mushrooms to worry about in this dish! She made these on special occasions, or when there was company coming. It makes a big batch, so I was always extra excited because I knew that we always had leftovers! I did downsize this recipe, or we would have enough meatballs to last us until we have a 6 month summer! These are such a lovely variation to a traditional meatball. A special treat for guests, or just to treat yourself!

Baked Ham Balls

Meatballs

1 lb. ground ham

1 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb ground beef

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1 cup milk 

Sauce

1 can tomato soup

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1/3 cup vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pan with foil (I needed two pans).  In large mixing bowl, combine ham, pork, beef, cracker crumbs, eggs, and half of the milk. Add remainder of milk, slowly, only as needed. You don't want so much milk that you can't roll the mixture into balls.  When all ingredients are combined, roll into balls using about 1/3 cup per meatball. Place meatballs in pan.

In medium bowl, combine soup, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar. Whisk until mixed well. Pour sauce over meatballs.  Bake for one hour, basting after 30 minutes, and again 15 minutes later.

Enjoy!!

Sharing this recipe at:

Simple Supper Tuesday 

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Meal Plan Monday

Weekend Potluck

Baked Ham Loaf

I love that I promised you all a series of posts out of Mary Swanson's Big Hearted Cookbook. It was an intro to the fund raiser and sharing a little bit with you about the lady whose memory these funds are being raised for, and about my friends training efforts for the bike ride. But you know what else, what a great way this has been to get me to try new recipes! It's really been fun.

The days are counting down. . . . . . We have one week left before the bake sale and raffle start. I am so excited! We have a great line up of bloggers who are donating to the bake sale. You will be excited too!

The days are also counting down for when my friend, Stacey, leaves for Utah to go on her bike ride. She is still training hard, but the weather is not cooperating or being her friend. Several of their last training bike rides have been cancelled due to snow. The pictures she has sent me of these recent snow falls have been completely uncalled for in April! They have made me really appreciate the fact that I do not live in Minnesota any longer!

On to today's recipe! This is a Baked Ham Loaf. In the cookbook, right below the recipe title, are parentheses (A Church Lady Favorite). I am not sure if this has a specific family meaning to it, but I know that Mary was very active with her church, so in my mind, this was a favorite for her to make for her family and friends to enjoy after Sunday church!

Baked Ham Loaf
1 lb. ground ham
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground beef
2 c. whole wheat flake cereal (I used Wheaties), crushed
2 eggs
3 T. peanut butter
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 c. vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine ground ham, ground pork, and ground beef.  Add your peanut butter to a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds, just to soften it a little bit.  Mix the cereal, eggs, peanut butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the meat mixture.  Mix until all ingredients are combined. Shape into a loaf, and place in a roasting pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and vinegar. Stir well.  Baste loaf with sauce. Bake loaf in preheated oven for 1 hour. Baste the loaf every 15 - 20 minutes with more of the sauce.

Enjoy :)

Sharing this recipe at:

Chow Mein Casserole

Hot Dish or Casserole? What are they called in your house? I have lived in several different area's of the midwest, and had to learn to change with the region on what the dish is that I am baking. In Iowa, it was always "Casserole". After moving to Minnesota, I had to switch to talking about baking a "Hot Dish". Here in Wisconsin, both terms are used.  Some people believe that it has to do with the region and what the religion of the area is, meaning Catholic or other. When getting ready to post this recipe, I did a little research on this topic. On Wikipedia, their research found that a "Hotdish" is a variety of baked casserole, that in the end is mixed with a "canned soup". What do you called your baked dishes?? 

Now that I have all that out of the way... (I got on a little research tangent there just because I typed "Casserole" in the title of the post)... I have been so busy lately, and not feeling the greatest, so I have been counting on some of my quick and easy recipes. Some times you just don't have the energy to be in the kitchen. This recipe is like that for me. Brown the meat while the rice is cooking, throw it together, bake, done.  You are ready for dinner!

Chow Mein Casserole

1 lb. ground pork ( ground chicken also works well)
1 6 oz. bag Chow Mein noodles (divided)
1 c. cashews (add more if you are like me and LOVE cashews)
1 pkt Chow Mein seasoning
1 28 oz can Chow Mein vegetables
2 c. cooked white rice

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare rice.  Brown meat, drain.  Prepare seasoning, following directions on packet.  Add meat and vegetables to seasoning mixture.  Bring to boil, and cook for 10 minutes.  

In small roasting pan, layer as follows: Meat Mixture, 3/4 bag of noodles, rice, and cashews.  Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and mix ingredients thoroughly.  Serve with soy sauce, and reserved Chow Mein noodles. 

Sharing this recipe at:
Weekend Potluck