Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 11/28/23 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 11/28/23

Cabbage Rolls

Tangy cabbage rolls stuffed with beef, pork and rice

These tangy cabbage rolls are a great winter dinner.

Cabbage Rolls

Step 1: Sauce

To a pot placed over medium heat, add:

1 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 tsp garlic, minced

Sauté for 2 minutes. Then stir in:

1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup apple, grated

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until needed.

Step 2: Cabbage Leaves

To a large pot, add:

1 qt water

Heat to boiling, then add:

1 head cabbage, triangular stem removed

Steam for 5 minutes, or until leaves are malleable. Carefully peel all of the leaves, keeping them intact as much as possible. Set aside.

Step 3: Filling

To a mixing bowl, add:

1/2 lb ground beef (uncooked)

1/2 lb pork sausage (uncooked)

2 Tbsp onion, minced

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup rice (cooked)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sauce prepared in Step 1

Use hands to mix well.

Step 4: Cabbage Rolls

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spritz a 13”x9” baking dish with non-stick spray

Select a cabbage leaf
Add a spoonful* of filling
Fold or roll to contain the filling
Place in baking dish
Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and filling

Pour sauce (Step 1) over prepared cabbage rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350F for 75 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: 8 servings
*Cabbage heads come in various sizes, so ration the filling accordingly
This recipe freezes well. Prepare completely, including covering with aluminum foil, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from freezer, remove plastic wrap and bake at 350F for 2 hours.

Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 1/10/23 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 1/10/23

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

Wrap strips of bacon around a pork tenderloin and oven roast to perfection

Pork tenderloin looks fancy and can be prepared by even the least experienced chef. Simply roast it for a delicious addition to any dinner.

This recipe doubles the pork through wrapping strips of bacon around the loin and then oven roasting. The bacon drippings will help tenderize the loin and keep it from drying out during roasting - not to mention the phenomenal flavor enhancement.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

Step 1: Prep Tenderloin

Preheat oven to 400F

Place one sheet of aluminum foil, about 15” long, on a sheet pan. Using:

12 oz bacon

Create a bacon bed by placing strips of bacon horizontally across tinfoil-covered sheet pan.

Tip: place the strips close enough together that they almost overlap on the long sides

Select:

1 (~2 lb) boneless pork tenderloin

Place in the center of the prepared bacon bed. Season all over with:

Garlic salt

Selecting one piece of bacon at a time and rotating between left and right, create a “braided” design over the top of the pork loin:

Bring up the end of the slice of bacon and wrap around the pork loin at a slight angle
Next, select the bacon end from the opposite side and wrap over the loin, also covering the end of the first strip
Repeat, rotating between the two sides, with remaining bacon strips to create the appearance of a braid down the center of the pork loin (see recipe photo)
Secure the end of the final strip with a wooden toothpick if needed

Step 2: Roast Tenderloin

Lightly cover the prepared pork loin with aluminum foil, transfer to the preheated oven:

Roast the loin at 400F for 15 minutes
Remove aluminum foil (retain for later), return loin to oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is 145F
Remove from oven and cover with the retained foil
Rest for 10 minutes then slice to serve

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: 4-8 servings
Note: any size of tenderloin can be used in this recipe, just be sure to adjust cooking time so that the tenderloin is cooked to 145F
- Plan ~20 minutes per pound when cooking a pork tenderloin
For additional flavor, marinade pork loin for ~8 hours in a mixture of garlic and soy sauce prior to wrapping in bacon
Or give the loin a good rubdown with salt and refrigerate for ~8 hours before roasting

Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 10/25/22 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 10/25/22

Bacon Wrapped Hotdog

Bacon + Hotdog. Say no more.

If you want to eat the most delicious hot dog anywhere, take a trip to NYC’s East Village and visit Crif Dogs. Try one of their signature dogs - the Chihuahua. Each hot dog is wrapped in bacon. Bacon! And deep fry it to exceptional crispness. Placed on a soft bun with slices of fresh avocado and a smear of sour cream. Don’t forget a side of tots.

Crif Dogs was one of many adventures that solidified our friendship.

Bacon Wrapped Hotdog

In an electric fryer (or a deep pot on the stove), heat:

2” - 3” oil (canola recommended)

Exact amount dependent on volume of cooking vessel
Heat to 350F to 375F

While oil heats, prepare 8 hotdogs.

Select:

1 hot dog

1 strip of bacon

Starting on one end of the hot dog, wrap the hotdog in a spiral pattern to cover the hot dog. Tuck the bacon ends under the parallel wrap so that it will stay together during deep frying.

Repeat with remaining hot dogs and bacon.

Check electric fryer, when desired heat is reached, add 4 wrapped hotdogs. Fry for ~4 minutes so the bacon is crisp.

Remove cooked hotdogs from fryer and pat dry, set aside. Repeat with remaining hotdogs.

Prepare:

1 bun

Spread lightly with:

Sour Cream

Add:

2-3 avocado slices

Fried bacon-wrapped hotdog

Serve immediately.

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: 8 servings
Baking instructions: wrap hotdogs and place prepared hotdogs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, turn hotdogs and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 6/14/22 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 6/14/22

Sausage Patty Sandwich

Creamy egg scramble, crisp sausage patty and delicious bread come together for this tasty breakfast sandwich

Breakfast or breakfast for dinner, these egg & sausage sandwiches will fit any part of any day.

Plan ahead and prepare the selected bread and the sausage patties up to one day in advance. Be sure to toast the bread if you select this option for maximum deliciousness.

Sausage Patty Sandwich

Step 1: the Bread

Make one of the following bread/biscuit recipes:

Quick Homemade Hamburger Buns (recipe time about 1 hour)
Husband Catching Biscuits (recipe time about 20 minutes)
French Bread (recipe time about 2.5 hours)
or just use your favorite bakery specialty

While your bread is baking . . .

Step 2: Sausage patties

Either use pre-formed sausage patties or convert a breakfast sausage roll into perfect disks

Heat a skillet over medium heat

Place the patties in the hot skillet, arranging in a single layer (divide into batches if needed)
Cook until browned (5-6 minutes), flip and continue cooking until the patty is cooked through (3-4 minutes)
Remove fully cooked patties from skillet, placing on a paper-towel lined plate, set aside

Step 3: Egg scramble

Preheat skillet over medium heat (cast iron recommended)

To a large mixing bowl, add:

Eggs

Note: generally plan one egg per serving

Whisk with a fork until nicely blended. Set aside.

Butter the hot skillet with:

1 - 2 tsp butter

Using a knife or heat-proof spatula, spread the melting butter over the full cooking surface of the hot skillet.

Pour in the whisked eggs. Sprinkle lightly with:

Salt

Pepper

Don’t touch the eggs until the edge barely begins to set.

Here’s how to form a delicate egg scramble patty: Use a heat-proof spatula to gently push the section of eggs that has set to the side, allowing more of the un-cooked egg to flow across the surface of the hot skillet. Repeat until the egg doesn’t run into the void from pushing aside the set eggs.

Flip the egg patty. remove the skillet from heat. Top with:

Cheese, shredded

Step 4: Assemble

Slice the bread/bun/biscuit in half (optional: toast)
Top one half with egg scramble
Add a sausage patty
Top with the other half of bread/bun/biscuit

Serve hot.

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: variable
It really is best if the bread/bun/biscuit is toasted
This method for cooking the eggs creates a beautifully fluffy egg, cooked through but not overcooked

Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 6/7/22 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 6/7/22

HOW TO: Perfect Sausage Patties

Prep & cook perfect sausage patties

HOW TO: Perfect Sausage Patties

Perfect Slices

Select your favorite brand & flavor:
1 - 16 oz pkg Pork Sausage Roll
- Must not be frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight for perfect texture
- Should be refrigerator temperature for precise slicing
Remove plastic packaging, keeping the roll intact
- Use a sharp knife to slice the full length of the plastic sleeve and cut the plastic ends to remove the metal ring, then peal back the plastic
Use a sharp knife and mark where it will be sliced
- For 1 oz slices, mark half (2), half each (4), then half again (8) and a final half (16)
- 10 slices is much easier, allowing for patties that are about 1.5 oz
Use non-flavored dental floss (or a length of thread) to cut at the marks into individual slices
- Slide the floss under the tube of sausage
- At each mark: bring the two ends up over the top, cross, and pull tightly together, slicing through the sausage and creating a perfect disk

Pan Fry

Heat a skillet over medium heat
Place the patties in the hot skillet, arranging in a single layer (divide into batches if needed)
Cook until browned (5-6 minutes), flip and continue cooking until the patty is cooked through (3-4 minutes)
Remove fully cooked patties from skillet, placing on a paper-towel lined plate
Transfer patties a serving platter

Brenda’s tips:

Serving size: 16 - 1 oz patties
These patties are ideal for homemade egg & sausage sandwiches

Window to B’s kitchen . . .

Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 4/22/21 Brenda Drake + Chelsea Kasen 4/22/21

Baked Classic Meatballs

These meatballs are best served with Brenda’s Marinara Sauce over spaghetti.