Spaetzle with creamy leeks sauce and Veggies

I didn't know what I wanted to cook for dinner, so I looked and looked and then got out the Better Homes and Garden Cook book and flipped through until I was inspired.  That's how my cooking brain works most of the time.  I look at what I have and then the light bulb goes off.

I don't recall eating Spaetzle even though I grew up in a heavily German part of Minnesota.  But it sounded neat.

I am going to cheat here with what I used and did.

Here is a simple recipe of spaetzle from Allrecipes.com


Now I mixed it all up, had my water going and this is where I figured out my mistake.  I did not have a large enough holed strainer.  I looked it up later and found there are tools made just to make spaetzle.  So as I was forcing to much no avail, the dough would not drop through.  I ended up just ozzing out the stuff from the bowl with my spoon.  It was still tasty.  I crushed up some Hard Tack (very dry crackers) and tossed them together.

The Leek cream sauce - I cooked leeks and butter for a long time on low until they were soft.  Then I added milk and corn starch.  A little S&P and let it thicken up.

The veggies were just cooked simple with little seasoning.

In the end, tasty & Filling.  I doubt I will make spaetzle again, but I would like to try somebody's else's!

Crepes stuff with Chard & Potato and Mushroom & cheese sauce

I open the door, look inside, close the door.  Turn and face the cabinets, I don't open them, I know whats inside.  I am waiting for a spark.  I open the fridge again, look around, close the door.  Nothing, no spark.  Then, (ding) it hits me, Dinner Crepe.  I haven't had crepes since France.
This turned out so much better than I had expected.  I like that when that happens!  We had swiss chard, and potatoes, and I have been craving pancakes.  Quick search online gave me the inspiration and away we go.
A mixture of Chard, potatoes, parsnips, and cheese stuffed inside savory crepes and topped with a mushroom cheese sauce.  oh em Gee!

Chard & Potato Stuffed Crepes with Cheesy Mushroom cream sauce.

What I used - Stuffing:

• Potatoes, parsnips - shredded and blanched
• leeks, chard stems, celery, mushrooms - diced
• Swiss Chard - sliced into strips
• Cheddar cheese - shredded
• Chili flakes, oregano, S&P, cumin

How I put it together - Stuffing:
All but Chard leaves and cheese into pan and cooked until almost soft, 10 min ish.  Added a little water for steam and then the chard leaves.  cook again until the leaves wilted.  Then I added the cheese turned the heat to almost off, and covered.

What I used - Cream sauce:

• Cream of Mushroom soup (yep, you knew I would have to use that at some point)
• milk
• S&P
• Cheese

How I put it together - Cream Sauce:
Into a pot, goes the soup, just enough milk to loosen, just to a creamy / gravy like smoothness.  Once mixed, added cheese and heated up until melted and creamy.
What I used - Crepes:

• Flour, white whole wheat flour, corn meal (I am almost out of all three of these.  Had about 3/4 cup of FlourS and filled in with 1/4 cup of corn meal.
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• TBS of olive oil
• salt

How I put it together - Crepes:
Beat all items in a bowl.  Then heated up the good old cast iron pan to medium high, oiled it, and 2 oz pours of batter and spread it around the pan.

flipped over once bottom was done, just enough to color the top lightly.
Stored the done crepes in a very very low oven to keep warm.

The Aftermath
Stuffed with the warm mixture and drizzled with the cheese sauce (not covered).  It was eaten very quickly at the dinner table, a good sign that it was yummy.  You should try something like this.  And then tell me about it.

It is Not Chipped Beef on Toast. More like V. O. S.

Do you remember Chipped Beef on Toast.  Some of us called it Shit on a Shingle (S.O.S). I haven't had it in years, and I think I want it again. But I made the vegetable version today for supper.  It was easy, under 30 min total time. With the toast and the white -cheese sauce it worked pretty well.






What I used: Veggie Mix
The veggie tub arrived yesterday so I have my hands full of fresh stuff.
Potatos
Carrots
Celery
Parsnips
Mushrooms
Red Chili pepper
Olive Oil, S & P, herbs (basil, oregano) Cumin
How I put it together: Veggie Mix
Chopped it all up and put it all in my pan with about 1 cup water and 1 cup veg-stock, covered and let steam until the tators were soft.  About 15 ish minutes.
What I used: White Cheese sauce
1 cup Milk
1 (+.5ish) tablespoon corn starch
very tiny diced onion, not too much either
splash of Soy sauce
a few table spoons of cheese diced small.
S & P
How I put it together: White Cheese sauce
All items into pan over medium high heat and whisked until thick.
How I put it together: V. O. S.
The toast got cut into quarters, placed on the plate in a 'U' shape.  The veggie mix went in the middle, and the sauce was drizzled liberally around the edges.