Chuckwagons and Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

 

Here is a picture of the finish "product"!

 

Today, I made "Chuckwagons". It is essentially a meat, cheese and biscuit cinnamon roll. I have no idea the history of this recipe except that it's been made in my family "forever"! So if you have any history on this dish, let me know! I grew up eating these and the best part of Chuckwagons is that they freeze well; I mean, very well!!!

 

So I made a quad batch and whatever we don't eat for dinner tonight I will freeze for when the new baby comes! It's so easy to pull out a bag, throw them in the microwave (or if you're like me and do not own one, the oven!) to reheat and eat!

 

Yay for homemade "fast" food!!!

 

My son renamed them "Truck Tires". He keeps correcting me when I call them Chuckwagons! Adorable!!!!

 

Here is the recipe for Chuckwagons or Truck Tires:

 

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil or softened butter

3/4 cup milk

1 pound cheddar cheese

1 pound ground beef, venison, bison, or other ground meat of choice

 

Mix biscuit ingredients together, will be semi-soft. Roll out dough in 1/8inch rectangle (just like cinnamon rolls!) on a floured surface. Pat down ground beef on biscuit rectangle. Sprinkle cheese over meat, reserving some to sprinkle on each roll after cooking. Put on greased pan about 1/2" apart. Cook at 350F for 20-30 minutes. After pulling out of the oven, sprinkle remaining cheese on top of each Chuckwagon. Serve when melted or let cool and save for later!

 

~My notes on recipe~

I used peanut oil today and it worked just fine. I use regular milk but would like to try out buttermilk next time. I used 3 pounds of cheese for 4 batches today. 2 pounds Medium Cheddar and 1 pound Monterey Jack. I shred my own cheese because already shredded cheese never melts like it should.

 

I also made Chocolate Oatmeal Cake for desert- more on that tomorrow! Also this week I am making another of my family's classics! Pasties!!! They originated in the mines, basically they are a pocket sandwich. We serve them with gravy and ketchup as options. I like them plain sometimes too and a few times I've used bbq sauce and mustard as a side dressing just to try out something different.

 

One of the things I miss about living in the Great Lakes region is the amount of pasty shops where I could buy hot or frozen pasties so I could enjoy the fabulous meal without the work, if I was short on time! Friendly FYI: Pronounced pas-tee with the "a" being short like the word "cat". Pronounce it the other way with the "a" rhyming with "Katie" and you're a sure shootin' tourist!

 

 

So check back for my Pasty making and also for the Chocolate Oatmeal Cake recipe for tomorrow!

 

Happy Cooking!

~KT~