It's been a while since we've had a good down home, Southern style meal. So, there's no better time to prepare such a meal than on a cozy, Sunday afternoon! Therefore the inspiration for today's meal, braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato yams, and fried chicken.
Everything was yummy and I was very impressed by the braised collards. I've never prepared them that way before, but it turned out to be very tasty and much less time consuming. Here's the recipe.
Braised Collard Greens
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds collard greens, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped
4 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup minced sweet onions
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. When water boils, add greens and cook until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
4. Add greens and turn to coat well.
5. Add broth - it should cover greens and let cook until broth is reduced and greens are very tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Tonight's dinner was all about ease and speed! So, with that in mind, the menu was hamburger steak with onion gravy, buttered rice, and stemmed broccoli.
Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
salt, pepper, onion powder to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into 4 balls, and flatten into patties.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in the oil until patties are nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.
3. Saute the onions in the remaining oil until they reach a translucent color.
4. Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in flour with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom as you stir.
5. Gradually mix in the beef broth. Season with salt. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens.
6. Turn heat to low, return patties to the gravy, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Wow, I have really neglected updating this blog! I feel so bad because there really is no excuse, but the fact of the matter is, I just haven't been doing as much cooking. =(
With it just being the two of us and with the hubby not having much of an appetite a lot of the time, I just don't have the motivation to cook for just me. Thus the reason for such a long break in updates.
So, this is just an update post on the last few dishes I've made. I'll have to update this post with the recipes a little later, so check back soon!Pork Chops, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Sweet Potato Yams
Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Peas
Beef Tips and Gravy over Rice
