Author: Elizabeth

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7344257

George Stephanopoulos’ Sunday Sauce with a Greek twist:

Ingredients
# 3 medium sweet onions
# 3 carrots
# 3 celery stalks
# 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
# 4 strips thick bacon
# 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
# 1/2 pound ground pork
# 1/2 pound ground veal
# 1 large can plum tomatoes
# 1 cinnamon stick
# 3 ounces milk
# 3 tablespoons olive oil
# Salt and pepper
#
Cooking Directions

Chop vegetables and bacon.

Brown bacon until crisp. Add oil and brown garlic. Then add onions. Saute slowly over medium heat (10-15 minutes). Add carrots and celery. Saute another 5-10 minutes.

Brown meat in separate pan, seasoned with salt and pepper. Then fold into vegetables for another 5-10 minutes. Crush tomatoes by hand over meat and vegetables. When whole mixture is bubbling add milk and cinammon stick.

Stir, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for an additional 1-3 hours.

Serve with any kind of pasta. Flavor improves if you refrigerate overnight.

My husband flew to Montreal this morning and he’ll be gone until Thursday night.  When he’s not home, I cook things that the kids and I like but he doesn’t, so that’s reflected in this week’s menu. Here’s what I’m planning to make:

Monday: Cola Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday: Easy Shepherd’s Pie with peas and corn

Wednesday: Chicken pot pies with tossed salad (I buy frozen pot pies from Aldi)

Thursday: Chili with corn muffins

Friday: Pizza

Saturday:  Sandwich night

Sunday: Roast chicken, baked potatoes, corn

Here’s some links I want to share with MomCooks readers – 15 WEEKS of meal plans from Living Locurto (!), and a free printable meal planner & grocery list from The Project Girl.  Both blogs are packed with other freebies too!

Thanks to Jimmy Dean, I’ve got some tips for saving time in the kitchen and some holiday entertaining shortcuts from Lifestyle Expert Sissy Biggers to share with MomCooks readers!

Holiday Entertaining Tips

With the holidays comes the busiest cooking days of the year and the best hosts are those who are able to settle in on the couch and enjoy the quality time with their family. Below are some food prep and holiday entertaining shortcuts from Lifestyle Expert Sissy Biggers to ensure people spend less time slaving over the oven and more time with the people who mean the most.

1. Don’t be afraid to delegate!

– A good guest asks, “What can I do to help?!” Take them up on it! Whether its stuffed mushrooms, or apple pie, ask your friends and family to bring their favorite side dish or to prepare a recipe from their favorite food magazine.

2. Maximize trips to the supermarket by selecting key ingredients and holiday staples that can be used in multiple recipes.

– The same Jimmy Dean Sausage that adds traditional flavor to your stuffing can also be crumbled and stuffed into whole mushrooms for an easy hot appetizer that will keep your guest satisfied.

3. Save time by choosing recipes and side dishes that break down the process with DO-AHEAD steps that can be completed days in advance.

– Blanch green vegetables a day ahead and shock in an ice bath (to stop the cooking) and drain.

– Prepare the sausage topping for a Mushroom Bruschetta appetizer two days in advance, refrigerate and then heat before serving

4. Be sure your linens are table-ready well before the holiday and flatware is matching and polished

– NOW is the time to check your stash of cloth napkins and table coverings to be sure they are not crumpled or stained from last year’s festivities. Keep an eye out for discounted linens and choose a color scheme to compliment what you have on hand.

Holiday Recipes from Jimmy Dean

Click these links to get recipes for an appetizer, breakfast dish, and side dish all using Jimmy Dean sausage!

Sausage Cheese Balls

6 Layer Breakfast Casserole

Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Maple Sausage Corn Bread Pudding

Indulge your sweet tooth while baking holiday treats with less guilt! Use canola oil in recipes that call for oil or solid fat in baked goods such as breads, loaves and muffins, says Shirley Corriher, author of the “Bake-Wise” cookbook and winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence. “Canola oil not only makes baked goods healthier, it makes them moister and more tender,” Corriher says. “I use canola oil in almost all of my muffin and cake recipes. “Oil makes cakes more tender by preventing gluten formation in the flour,” she explains. “Oil does this better than solid fats. I prefer canola oil because of its healthy fats, light texture and mild flavor.”

Canola oil has the least amount of saturated fat of any common cooking oil and is free of trans fat and cholesterol. When substituting canola oil for other oils or melted solid fat, you will reduce the saturated fat content of baked goods. You will also reduce the total amount of fat by up to 25 percent and eliminate trans fat and cholesterol when using canola oil instead of butter or shortening/lard. Use this chart to convert your recipes

Solid Fat (Melted) to Canola Oil Conversion Chart

1 cup Solid Fat = 3⁄4 cup Canola Oil
3⁄4 cup SF = 2⁄3 cup CO
1⁄2 cup SF = 1⁄3 cup CO
1⁄4 cup SF = 3 Tbsp CO

For a variety of holiday and anytime-of-year recipes, go to www.canolainfo.org. Each week in November and December, a new holiday recipe will be featured on this web site. To kick off the season, here’s a delicious holiday dessert that’s easy to make and likely to impress your guests.

So Light, So Easy Pumpkin Cake

INGREDIENTS:

18.25-oz. box white cake mix
11⁄4 cups water
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 cup canned pureed
pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
Canola oil cooking spray
Fat-free whipped topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.

2. Combine all ingredients except oil spray and whipped topping, in large bowl. Using electric mixer, mix per directions on cake package. Coat 13×9-inch nonstick cake pan with cooking spray and spoon batter evenly into pan. Bake 25-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Place pan on wire rack and cool completely.

3. When serving, spoon 1 tablespoon of whipped topping on each slice. May freeze leftover cake up to one month.

Yield: 20 servings.

For more recipes, go to the CanolaInfo web site at www.canolainfo.org.