Spring Ahead

Recipe Book - Author's Picture

I will be spending some of my time updating and catching up on posting my knife collection onto the blog. Speaking of the Spring season, two things come to mind. First, at least in Texas, snakes will start to become active. Yes, I've seen snakes out and about in March.

Second, in March, the hummingbirds (at least in Texas) will start to return, and they will want to be treated to your feeder's sugary, good water. It's time to get the feeders out (unless you leave them up year-round) and it's time to clean them. Then, it's time to make what the birds want: a sugar and water mixture. Here's how to make it:

Hummingbird Food

• 4 parts water (4 cups)
• 1 part sugar (1 cup)
• Mix until the sugar is dissolved.

It is not necessary to boil the water or add food coloring to it. Adding dye is generally not recommended. No evidence suggests that it is safe.

Note: Hummingbirds (in Texas, anyway) generally begin to return in March. They start to leave near the end of September.

Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas - Author's Picture

Chicken enchiladas are easy to make, and they make a good meal for the family.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chicken breast meat, chopped in cubes and fried until it's done.
• 3/4 cup of chopped onion. I use yellow onions.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• 1 can of sliced black olives (optional).
• 1 15-ounce can of red enchilada sauce, divided.
• 3 ounces of cream cheese, cut into small cubes.
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin.
• 2 cups of grated Mexican blend cheese, divided. They sell this at your local Walmart.
• 8 (or more) flour tortillas. I usually end up using 10-11.

Directions:

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until it is tender. Add cooked chicken, 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and cumin. Cook and stir until the cream cheese is melted.  Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese and then remove from heat.

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, placing an equal portion onto each. Roll the enchiladas up tightly and place them seam side down in a 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top the tortillas with the remaining sauce and grated cheese.

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are heated through.

Note: Two cups of diced chicken are equal to about one pound of uncooked meat.

Amish Poor Man's Steak

Steak Fajitas - Author's Picture

Tonight we didn't purchase groceries, as we normally do. Instead, the kids went to buy their own stuff. We'll go, probably, tomorrow. We'll have to buy ours and Mom's.

Oh, today I received (via UPS) a Star Wars retro two-pack. It's a bounty hunter set, featuring a 70s-80s Boba Fett remake and a Bossk figure. Pictures will be added at a later date.

The picture shows steak fajitas that I cooked a couple of days ago. This time, instead of using pre-cooked meat, I used eye-of-round steak that I grilled and seasoned myself. Everyone said that it was far better with the home-cooked steak.

Tonight, I cooked my version of a recipe that I first saw on a Facebook reel. The young woman who posted said that she called it, "Amish poor man's steak." She said that it was considered to be a treat, and was very popular as a dish at church. Since then, I've discovered that Google will reveal several variants of the recipe. Here's my version:

Ingredients

• One pound of hamburger meat
• Two cans of cream of mushroom soup
• One medium-sized onion, sliced
• Sliced or shredded mild cheddar cheese (or any kind of cheese that your family prefers)

Directions

• Form the hamburger into patties and cook them however you're accustomed to cooking them. I used a George Foreman grill.
• Sauté the onions.
• Top the cooked patties with the onions.
• Top the cooked patties with the cream of mushroom soup.
• Add cheese to cover each patty.
• Cook on 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Enjoy.

Creamed Beef Military Style

AI - Generated Image

We were on some (army) mission in the 1980s. It was a CWO2, a Master Sergeant, a Sergeant E5, and yours truly, a low-ranked E4. I don't remember what we were doing, but we stopped at a field kitchen at the crack of dawn. I was always a sausage or bacon man, but the kitchen hadn't been set up for very long and no sausage or bacon was available. One of the cooks I was familiar with convinced me to try something he called "creamed beef." I had seen it in the mess hall but never tried it. When I did finally try it, it was delicious. It tasted similar to the dish I've posted below. I've also heard that this dish is called, "SoS," meaning "$#i! on the shingles." I don't know if that's true or not. 

I cooked creamed beef for dinner a few days ago and served it over biscuits. The recipe follows.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of flower
• 1/2 of a stick of butter
• 2 cups of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoons of nutmeg

Directions

• Fry the ground beef and the diced onions until done.
• Add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir to be absorbed in meat.
• Add 1/2 stick of butter.
• Add 2 cups of milk, a little at a time while constantly stirring.
• Add salt and pepper to taste; be careful not to overload your dish with salt.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Continue to stir for at least 5 minutes.
• Serve over toast or biscuits.

Steak Fajitas Recipe

Steak Fajitas - Author's Picture

I recently started making steak fajitas at home. At first, I used packaged, seasoned, meat. It wasn't very good, so I used my own steak. The recipe follows:

Ingredients

• Eye of round steak, thin cut. I used two packages which yielded about 14 pieces of steak.

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil

• 3 cups of water

• 1 large green bell pepper

• 1 large yellow onion (or whatever color you prefer)

• 1 package of soft tortilla shells. I use flour shells.

Directions

• Prepare your steak however you'd prefer. I grilled mine with a George Forman grill. I grilled several pieces at a time and cooked each batch for 6 minutes.

• Slice the bell pepper into strips; remove the stem and the seeds.

• Peel and slice the onion.

• Add all ingredients to your favorite skillet. Cook until the water vanishes, and the bell peppers are easy to cut with a plastic spatula.

• Remove from heat, heat up the tortillas, and serve while hot. Prep and cook time took the better part of an hour. This recipe feeds about six people.

How To Make Pizza Dough

Pizza Making - Author's Picture

The secret to making a good homemade pizza lies with the dough. No matter what delicious toppings you have, it's going to be that much better with dough that you make yourself. This basic recipe, with some alteration, can also be used to make homemade bread and fry bread.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of warm water, 105°

• 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil (any kind; doesn't have to be virgin to cook with)

• 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 pack of yeast

Directions

• Pour the warm water into a bowl and then add salt and honey (or sugar). Mix well, then add the pack of yeast. Mix well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.

• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the yeast mixture.

• In a separate bowl, add 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour. Pour your yeast mixture into the flour; stir the dough and then knead.

• You'll need to knead the dough for 5-8 minutes until it is not too wet or too dry. You should end up with a solid ball of dough. You can add more warm water or more flour, as needed.

• Coat a separate bowl with one tablespoon of olive oil. Place the dough in this bowl. Cover the bowl. You can also use olive oil cooking spray to coat the bowl. It's not as messy and you won't get it all over your hands.

• Let the dough rise 1.5-2 hours.

When the dough has risen, grease a pizza pan with olive oil (or olive oil spray), Spread the dough out on the pan, pressing from the center outward. Add your sauce, cheese, and favorite toppings. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cook the pizza for approximately 20 minutes. I always check my pizza after 15 minutes just to be safe. After I see that it's not burning or anything, I cook it an additional five minutes.

Note: When working with the dough, it's helpful to coat your hands in olive oil. This will keep flour/dough from sticking to your hands.

Walking Tacos

Walking Tacos - Author's Picture

Ingredients:

1 pound of hamburger meat, 80/20

1 package of Taco Bell seasoning (your favorite kind will work)

1 sack of Nacho Cheese Doritos

1 - 1.5 cans of Ranch Style Beans

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup of mild cheddar cheese

3/4 cup of water

Recipe:

Fry one pound of hamburger meat until done. Using a colander, drain the grease off of the meat. Return meat to skillet.

Add 3/4 cup of water. Stir in Taco Bell seasoning.

At this point, you can add the desired amount of Ranch Style Beans. You can add a whole can or half a can. You can serve them "on the side" if you'd like.

Leave on the stove until the mixture is heated.

Serve:

Place Doritos in a bowl or your preferred dish.

Add cheese, onions, and beans (unless you already added them in the cooking process).

*If you have a favorite taco sauce or hot seasoning, add it last.