Welcome to My Kitchen

What to fix for dinner? To paraphrase a saying circulating in social media recently, I didn’t realize that being an adult meant wondering what to fix for dinner for the rest of my life would be the most challenging question. Throw picky eaters, sudden schedule changes and forgetting to thaw meat into the mix and you may end up with lukewarm takeout or heating a frozen pizza.

More home-cooked meals may have been on your New Years’ resolution list. You have scanned the internet for recipe ideas. All you need now is to follow through. Planning ahead, a well-stocked pantry and morning meal prep steps can help. A selection of family favorites with flexible options is essential.

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes, a recipe I recently tried, was easy to prepare and ready to serve in 30 minutes. I found the recipe on the website, dinner, then Dessert. The recipe can be doubled for a crowd. The mixture could be spooned over mashed potatoes or rice to serve.

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, coarsely diced

1 small sweet green pepper, coarsely diced

8 ounces brown mushrooms, minced

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup beef broth

8 ounces Provolone cheese slices, chopped

6 brioche hamburger buns

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Flatten the ground beef into a single large patty about 3/4 inch thick and add to the heated skillet. Brown until a deep brown crust appears. Turn and repeat on the second side.

Reduce heat to medium and break ground beef into bite-size pieces. Continue cooking for a few minutes until meat is done, then remove to a bowl or plate.

Add butter to the skillet along with the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stir and cook another 2 minutes. Return meat to the skillet.

Mix broth with cornstarch in a small cup and go into the meat mixture with the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until mixture slightly thickens, 3-5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the provolone cheese. Serve on toasted buns. Yield six servings.

Note: a well-drained can of mushroom stems and pieces may be substituted for fresh, or you can leave them out. Substitute any cheese you have on hand. Also, preparing vegetables as part of your morning routine will speed up meal preparation later.

The good intentions of adding winter vegetables to meals often run afoul of the meals-in-a-hurry situations we may find ourselves. Morning preparation for later or next day cooking can come to the rescue.

Herb Roasted Butternut Squash is a delicious alternative to the usual sweet glazed squash recipes. The dish can be assembled a day ahead or baked right away. The work of peeling a squash can be reduced by par-baking the whole squash, which works for all winter squash varieties.

To par-bake a squash, preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Place whole squash on oven rack and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. The squash skin will be easier to cut through to scoop out the seeds and remove the peel.

Herb Roasted Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Garlic Herb Seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim both ends of the squash. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Then cut each half into 1/2-inch slices. Remove skin from each piece. Place slices in a large bowl and toss gently with the olive oil and herb seasoning.

Grease or spray cooking spray on a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Arrange squash in two rows, overlapping slices. Spoon the remaining oil and herb mixture from the bowl over the slices. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until squash is tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: check our Facebook page, Welcome to My Kitchen, for a photo of the squash arranged in the pan.

Charlene Kagele shared the recipe for the Mini Sweet Pepper Poppers she brought to a recent potluck gathering. These are milder versions of poppers. Charlene made them without the optional addition of meat, but either way, these would be a tasty addition to a bowl game buffet.

Mini Sweet Pepper Poppers

1 pound mini sweet peppers

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 tsp lime zest

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 cup grated, sharp cheddar cheese

Optional: 1 cup of cooked sausage, chorizo, or ground beef

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside.

Wash and drain peppers well. Slice off the stem end of each pepper. Use a butter knife to twist ribs and seeds from inside the pepper carefully, or as Charlene did, slice them in half and remove them.

Combine the remaining ingredients, including meat if using, until well blended. Generously spoon mixture into each pepper or pepper half and place on a prepared baking pan.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove to a platter to serve—yield: 12 servings.

What new recipes have you recently tried? Davenport, Harrington and surrounding area Record-Times readers, I would love to include recipes from you folks in this column. Share your favorite recipes by sending them to Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Doing some early spring cleaning, now is the time to seed the tattered cloth items into the rag bag. Keep some of the larger pieces for frost covers when late frosts in the spring can damage young plants. Old T-shirts are perfect for this.