Double Decker Grilled Cheese & Green Bay Booyah

Booyah is a chicken and vegetable stew that was created in Green Bay. It is supposed to be made to feed a crowd, but i'm only feeding 4 so i'm making a smaller version. Traditionally its cooked outside for a long period of time. This is an indoor modified version, but with traditional ingredients.

Grilled cheese ingredients:

12 pieces garlic cheddar bread

4 slices sharp cheddar

4 slices medium cheddar

4 slices swiss

4 slices colby jack

butter

Make It:

Heat an iron skillet over medium high heat. Butter one side of 8 pieces of bread. Place one piece of bread butter side down in skillet, place one slice sharp cheddar on bread and one slice colby jack on sharp cheddar slice. Place one piece of unbuttered bread on the colby jack, then put one slice medium cheddar on bread and one slice swiss on medium cheddar, place a piece of buttered bread on top of that, butter side up. Cook until cheese on the bottom starts to melt, then flip and cook until all cheese is melted and bread is browned, you may need to lower the heat depending on your pan, if the bread is getting to dark. Enjoy!

Booyah Ingredients:

1 pound chicken thighs, skin off, left whole

1/2 pound stew meat

2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

5 cups chicken broth

5 cups beef broth

1 can stewed tomatoes

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 cup green beans, chopped

1 pound red potatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

juice of one lemon

Make It:

Put chicken and beef, bay leaves and broths and salt and pepper in a large pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer for an hour. Uncover and add vegetables, lemon juice, soy sauce and salt and pepper if it needs it. Bring back up to a boil, stirring occasionally, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Abundant Harvest Box and Farmers Market

In the box this week I got a head of cabbage, a head of escarole, 3 beets, butternut squash, fennel, broccoli, carrots, popcorn, apples, oranges, mandarin oranges, bell peppers, and marjoram. From the farmers market I picked up red onion, mushrooms, green beans, lemons, and a loaf of cheddar garlic bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. The weather is changing and we are getting new things. At the time our bodies our fighting off colds and flus we get citrus loaded with vitamin c. I don't have a recipe to use the lemons this week so i'm going to freeze the juice to save for when I need it. Beets and fennel are new so keep your eye out for the new recipes.

Red Lasagna

I have entered this recipe into Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Kevin at Closet Cooking, so check it out next friday December 11th.

I know this recipe looks complicated but once you do it, it is pretty easy, just time consuming!

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

28oz. tomato sauce or jar spaghetti sauce

1 large or 2 small green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

2 hot italian sausage

18 oz. ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan

3 cups shredded mozzarella

2 teas. finely chopped garlic

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 bunch italian parsley

1 egg

salt & pepper

1 cup water

Make It:

Heat a large pot over medium, add ground beef, stir and cook until browned. Add italian sausage, squeezing it out of casing and breaking it up with a spoon. Stir and cook until browned, drain off fat. Add bell pepper and onion to pot, cook and stir until softened. Pour tomato sauce into pot, stir to combine. Add a 1/4 of the italian parsley bunch, leave whole. Bring to a boil, stir, lower heat and cover. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Chop 7 of the basil leaves and the rest of the italian parsley. In a large bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, chopped basil and parsley, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, taste, if you need more seasoning add it. In a separate bowl lightly beat egg. Pour egg into cheese mixture and stir to combine, cover and place in refrigerator( this step can be done the day before if you like). Chop 3 remaining basil leaves. Uncover sauce, remove italian parsley and stir in basil, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn off heat under sauce and add one cup water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish ladle in 1/5 of your sauce, should be enough to cover the bottom of the dish, then layer 3 noodles(press noodles in sauce a little) then spread 1/4 cheese mixture over noodles, then sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan, then ladle on 1/5 of sauce. Repeat this step 3 more times. On top layer pour on rest of sauce, and sprinkle on rest of mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil(I spray the side of my foil that will be on the cheese with cooking spray) bake for 1 hour, check and if cheese on top is mostly melted remove cover and bake another 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Menu for December 7th - December 13th

Monday- The football game is Baltimore at Green Bay so i'm making Double decker grilled cheese sandwiches and Green Bay Booyah

Tuesday- Jessica's Birthday Dinner

Wednesday- Spaghetti & Meatballs, fennel and carrot saute

Thursday- New york steak, rice pilaf, beets and red onion with feta

Friday- Chicken stir fry over noodles

Saturday- 4 bean chili, cornbread muffins

Sunday- Oven roasted chicken breasts with carrots, butternut squash, onion, and red potatoes with sauce

Shells and Cheese

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shell noodles, cooked

4 oz velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

milk to thin

Make It:

Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add velveeta. Stir until melted, stir in cheddar and stir until melted. Stir in enough milk to get a saucy consistency. Pour noodles into sauce, stir to combine. Enjoy!

Rosemary Flank Steak

Ingredients:

1 flank steak

2 stems fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon garlic

Make It:

Preheat broiler on high. Place flank steak on a cookie sheet, place rosemary stems on top, and brush steak and rosemary with vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under broiler for 10-12 minutes for medium rare. Take out of broiler and let steak rest. In a saucepan over medium heat melt butter and garlic, whisk in flour. Add beef broth and whisk until thickened. Add rosemary stems to saucepan and allow to cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Slice meat against the grain to serve. Serve with a drizzle of sauce. Enjoy!

Honey Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1 shallot, diced

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon butter

salt to taste

Make it:

Boil or steam sweet potatoes until tender. Heat a skillet over medium low heat, add a spray of pam and shallots to pan. Allow shallots to cook over low heat until soft. Add butter to pan, once it is melted add sweet potatoes, toss to combine. Add honey and salt and stir to combine. Enjoy!