Shan's Corner

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

2012-01-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

My kids love corn dogs, especially the mini ones, but making them at home is a pain and not all that easy... also not terribly healthy (ok, these aren't either, but they're healthiER). This recipe is easy, you have a little more control over what's in them and kids LOVE them. They're also cheap enough to make it into my budget recipe list at a whopping 73 cents per serving! These make a fun appetizer or party snack for kids too.

1 package of turkey hot dogs, cut in quarters (you only need 6) - $2.99
2 packages jiffy corn bread mix - $1.00
2 eggs - $0.30
2/3 cup 1% milk - $0.10

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray two 12 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix corn bread mix according to package directions. Place 1 hot dog piece in each muffin cup and fill with about 1 Tbs of muffin mix.

Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with favorite dips (ketchup, honey mustard, cheese sauce, etc). Makes 6 servings of 4 muffins each. I usually serve these with some baked beans or cowboy beans.

Total cost: $4.39 alone or a little over $6 with the baked beans

Dawn's Crockpot Mexican Chili

2012-01-05T21:04:00.000-05:00

As a single parent I understand all too well how difficult it can be to stay within your grocery budget and still manage to feed your family a decent meal each night. Over the years I've found little tips and tricks that not only save me money, but also time. From now on, along with my normal posts, I'm going to start featuring some money/time saving recipes, and I've asked a few of my friends to share their ideas with me as well.

This week's recipe comes from my good friend Dawn, she and I go back a long way... but I'm not telling how long :) Dawn is a busy mother of 3 who works along side her husband in their tattoo business. She shared this super easy crockpot recipe with me that I got to try tonight... it's good stuff and my kids loved it.

1 package of stew beef (got a large package on sale at Sam's for around $10 and split it in 2, so $5 for this portion of the recipe, it was about 1.25 lbs)
1 large can of beans (I used 2 smaller cans, 1 chili beans, 1 red beans - total cost $1.90)
1 can stewed tomatoes (didn't have those, so I used rotel chili fixins - on sale $0.88)
1 jar salsa, any kind ( about $2)

Lightly coat the meat in flour and brown in butter or oil in a skillet. Place in crockpot and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low around 4-5 hours (I ended up letting mine cook about 8 hours because I was at work, so I just added the beans for the last 30 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper at the end, depending on the salsa you use you may or may not need additional seasoning. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Total work time: about 10 minutes
Total cost: $9.78 for about 5 servings or around $1.96 per serving. Can't beat that!!

Thanks so much for the recipe Dawn!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

2011-11-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, I don't really bake. It's not that I can't, it's just that I don't like to.... I know, I'm weird. I love the way baking makes the house smell, and I love the end results, I'm just not a very patient person... so being precise when measuring things doesn't rank very high on my list of fun. My husband was the baker in our house, he loved making breads, cakes, cookies... you name it. I was completely spoiled for 16 years, I reaped all the rewards of baking without having to earn it. Needless to say, my kids forgot that I COULD bake, and recently my 8 year old told someone that I must not be very good at making cookies because I never do. Challenge accepted kiddo!

These are an old favorite of mine, I started making these in high school and used to make them frequently when my son was little. One of the reasons I like making these is that they're simple... a few ingredients and very little work yield a wonderful cookie that's fun and tastes like a lot more effort went into them than really did. My 8 year old was too busy eating these today to have room for her words :)

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for coating
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl, mix butter with a hand mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add confectioners sugar and continue beating until well combined. Mix in vanilla and salt. Stir in flour and cinnamon with a spoon until a dough forms (no longer crumbly). Cover bowl and refrigerate dough 15-20 minutes.

Shape dough into 1" balls and bake at 350º for 12-15 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Allow to cool. Roll in confectioners sugar to coat. Makes 2 dozen.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Spinach Soup

2011-11-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

This soup is the perfect autumn dish... it's hearty, a little sweet... a little spicy and just overall "cozy". The original recipe is by Emeril, but as always I had to add my own little touches.

This is definitely not a quick soup to make, unless you roast the squash before hand, but it's not by any means difficult or too time consuming in the hands on department.

2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, cut in half and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped onions
12 oz smoked sausage, diced
2 cups fresh corn kernels (frozen is ok)
1 Tbs brown sugar
Cajun seasoning to taste
10 oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pkg long grain and wild rice, prepared per package directions

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Drizzle the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast, covered with foil for 2 hours or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Spoon squash from skins. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute the onions, fresh corn and sausage until onions are soft. Add in squash puree, and remaining 4 cups of a chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in brown sugar, cajun seasoning, spinach and half and half, simmer an additional 10 minutes. Add rice and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serves 10.

Zucchini Casserole

2011-11-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

I have a go to zucchini casserole dish for potlucks and family dinners... you know the one... with the cream of mushroom soup, stuffing mix and cheese. I have a bad habit of not looking for another recipe for something if I have one I'm already happy with, and I admit this sometimes keeps me from finding something new. This weekend I decided to get out of my rut and try a new recipe, and luckily I was pleasantly surprised with the results. This casserole turns out to be a bit like a quiche, and it's REALLY good. It's also pretty versatile, you can change up the seasonings, the cheese and even the topping.... I think next time I might even horrify my children by throwing in a few mushrooms :)

2 lb. zucchini, sliced
4 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 lb grated sharp cheddar
1/2 lb grated 4 cheese Mexican blend
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Dash pepper
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. flour
French fried onion rings (canned)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sliced zucchini in boiling water 5minutes. Drain well, blotting excess water with a paper towel if needed. (You can also steam them in the microwave).

Beat eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, baking powder and flour together. Add zucchini to pot, mix. Place in buttered 2 quart casserole. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle onions on top and continue cooking another 10-15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Oven Roasted Tri-Tip

2011-11-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

My kids love steak, but lately any kind of decent cut of steak is way out of the price range to feed a family of five. Have you seen the prices lately? In Florida the average price for strip steak, ribeye, t-bones... around $8.99/lb! Filet? Forget it... $10.99 and up. So, recently when I saw that our local produce and meat market had tri-tip not only in stock, but on sale for $3.99/lb I jumped on it. Tri-tip was, for a very long time, a cut of beef usually found in the western part of the country. For years I heard about this miracle cut of beef, nicely marbled with softer fat, and when cooked right it yields a juicy roast that stays tender. Tri-tip is now starting to make its way across the country so the rest of us can enjoy what used to be California's little secret.

I hear the best way to cook this is on the grill, however my grill is currently out of commission, so I had to settle for roasting it in the oven. There are plenty of ideas for marinades out there if you want to try them, but for this I wanted a more simple, roast-like effect... so I kept the seasoning simple. Tri-tip may come completely trimmed or may have a thin fat cap on one side. You can remove the fat cap, but again, I was looking for the full experience and kept it on for a jucier roast... it's very easy to slice off after cooking.

I have to say, I was so impressed with this cut of beef... I went out and bought 2 more to put in the freezer :) On to the recipe!

2 1/2 - 3lb tri-tip roast

salt and pepper, or other seasonings to taste

The morning before roasting, season the entire roast with your choice of seasonings and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge.

About an hour before cooking, remove the roast from the fridge to bring the temperature up some.

Preheat oven to 450º F. Unwrap roast and place in a roasting pan. When oven is preheated, cook for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, reduce heat to 350º F and cover pan tightly with foil; roast an additional 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook at 350º for 15 more minutes (if your roast is closer to 3 lbs you may want to add another 5 minutes). Remove from the oven, cover again with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Slice meat starting at the pointed ends and serve.

**Note: As you can see from the picture, the center of the roast was a perfect medium rare, however the ends were a solid medium... making this a good "mixed company" roast.

Cauliflower Gratin

2011-10-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again... I'm on the hunt for new Thanksgiving sides to bring to my Mom's. Of course, I still make the traditional sides that have become holiday staples for our family, but I also like to bring one new dish each year. As I said in my previous post, it was a perfect stay inside and cook weekend, so I started with this recipe. The original is from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris, but I changed a few things to suit my taste. I have to say this was one of the best side dishes I've had in a long time... the texture and slight sweetness from the cauliflower is a nice fit with the creamy saltiness of the cheese sauce. The best part... it's really easy to make!

2 heads cauliflower, cut into large florets
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1/3 cup panko
1/3 cup french fried onions

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add cauliflower and cook for about 3 minutes. Cauliflower should be just starting to get tender, but not cooked all the way through. Drain, and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 Tbs butter over medium heat. Whisk flour into melted butter and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two. Slowly add milk and half and half, whisking constantly until smooth. Heat to a simmer, continuing to stir the whole time, mixture should thicken slightly. Mix in onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg and pepper and reduce heat to low. Stir in cheeses a little at time until smooth.

Put drained cauliflower into a 9x13" baking dish and pour cheese sauce over, stirring to coat. Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes.

Place french fried onions in a ziploc bag and crush into small crumbs. Add panko and remaining 2 Tbs melted butter. Close bag and shake well to coat all crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the cauliflower and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until topping is browned and crisp.

Serves 6-8 as a side.

Pork Medallions in Dijon Cream Sauce

2011-10-09T20:07:00.000-04:00

It's been raining here non-stop the whole weekend. For a lot of people a rainy weekend is a bad thing, but for me it was a chance to slow down and do some cooking! It was nice to get back in the kitchen, and I'm looking forward to sharing more recipes here now that the weather is starting to cool down a bit.

1 whole pork tenderloin, cut into medallions and slightly flattened
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
salt, garlic salt, onion salt and pepper
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup of dry white wine (or chicken stock)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs country style/whole grain Dijon mustard
1 Tbs honey

Cut each tenderloin (there are usually 2 per package) into 4 -5 medallions, flattening each piece slightly with your fingers. Season both sides to taste with salt, garlic salt, onion salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil and butter in large frying pan over medium high heat, until butter foams. Add in pork medallions and brown on each side, about 3 minutes each. Remove pork and set aside.

Lower heat to medium. To the same pan add chopped shallots and saute until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and stir in mustard until well mixed. Add in remaining ingredients and simmer 3-5 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add pork back to the pan, cover and simmer until pork is cooked through.

Serves 6.

Perfect French Toast

2011-09-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

I have a love/hate relationship with French toast, it's one of those things I love if it's made right, but hate if it's not (and it's usually not). I admit that for most of my life I've been guilty of not having a clue how to make a good French toast, mine always came out too soggy. Sure I could do a good job if I went to the bakery and bought some fancy, expensive challah or brioche, but those types of breads almost triple the cost of what should be an inexpensive breakfast. I gave up on French toast for a while, but then I found "the trick"... using inexpensive Texas toast style bread and drying it in the oven before dipping it in the batter. This recipe will get you a French toast that's got a nice crispness on the outside and is soft but not soggy on the inside. The batter makes exactly enough for 10 pieces of toast.

10 slices of Texas toast style bread, or other thick cut sandwich bread
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs melted butter
dash of salt
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
butter for frying and serving
powdered sugar and maple syrup for serving

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Place bread slices on a rack placed over a sheet pan. Bake 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove bread and reduce oven to 200ºF.

Preheat electric griddle to 350º or large frying pan over med-low heat.

Mix together milk through vanilla, whisking until thoroughly combined in a 13x9" glass dish. Lay each slice of toast in the batter for a few seconds, repeat on the other side for each slice and then set aside.

When griddle or pan is heated, spread just enough butter to coat the surface and add toast slices, don't crowd them. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely browned. The heat should be low enough so the toast doesn't brown before this time, otherwise the middle won't cook through. Flip the toast slices and continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes or until browned. Place toast in the warm oven until all pieces are cooked.

Serve with butter, maple syrup and powdered sugar.

Roasted Root Vegetable Gratin

2010-11-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

This is another dish that came up in my search for new Thanksgiving sides. I think this one fits quite nicely into what I consider traditional New England Fall cooking, with a tiny bit of a modern twist (I doubt my mother or grandmother ever got their hands on a wedge of aged Asiago). This recipe is pure comfort, a little sweet from the carmelization of the vegetables, a little salty, a little creamy with a slight sharpness from the Asiago... just perfect.

I will admit that this was my first experience with parsnips. I'm not really sure why I'd never had them before, both of my parents claim to have liked them, and they were certainly a readily available local ingredient in New England. My best guess would be that I have to blame my younger brother for never having tried them before.... as a child he absolutely refused to eat any vegetable unless it was orange or yellow, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and corn were about the only veggies he would eat without an hour's worth of dinner table drama. I remember him dropping green vegetables under the table for the dog, and then trying to reason with my parents that if the dog wouldn't eat it there must be something wrong with it. Amazingly, he'll eat almost anything now.

Ok, back to the point... if you're a fan of root veggies, this is a MUST try, and it will definitely be on my Thanksgiving day menu :)

1 small butternut squash (about 2-1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium parsnips (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tube(18 ounces) heat-and-serve polenta
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Toss squash, parsnips, red pepper and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place vegetables in a large roasting pan and roast at 375°F for 45 minutes, stirring twice.
3. Coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Slice polenta into 12 slices, each about 1/2-inch thick. Fit slices into the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Spoon vegetables over polenta slices. Drizzle with half-and-half and sprinkle with cheese. Scatter thyme over top.
5. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving

Baked Creamy Orzo and Spinach

2010-11-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

I've been on the hunt for Thanksgiving side recipes for a while now, this one isn't quite what you'd call traditional, but it meets a few criteria: it's easy and fairly quick, it's very good (kind of like a gourmet florentine mac and cheese) and it makes a lot! The kids and I both loved this... it has a nice contrast of textures, from the velvety softness of the orzo to the creaminess of the cheese and cream to the crunchiness of the onions. Definitely a keeper for the recipe files!

1 tablespoon salt
1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
two 10 ounce packages frozen spinach
2 garlic cloves
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup canned chicken broth
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
a few handfuls french fried onions

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the salt and orzo and boil 4
minutes. Add the
spinach and cook 5 minutes more or until the orzo is al dente.
Drain the mixture
in a sieve and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt and
add put it in a
large bowl. Add the cream, broth, cheese, pepper, nutmeg, orzo
and spinach and combine
well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly and beginning to brown a bit. Sprinkle french fried onions over the top for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Baked Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-07T19:19:00.000-05:00

My Mom makes the best homemade cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, seriously, people rave about it. For some reason I always thought it was some long involved process that I would never have the patience for... something similar to making preserves and canning them (I know... not that hard, but just can't bring myself to do it!).

Last Thanksgiving was my first shot at hosting the day as my Mom had to work. Granted I didn't have a houseful of people coming (that would be done at my Mom's the next day), but I wanted to make a good show of it... and as my children informed me, it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without homemade cranberry sauce. Believe me, I considered buying a few cans of the whole berry stuff and faking it, even thought about begging my Mom to make a little extra for me. Then I put on my big girl pants and Googled it.... really?? that's IT? You're kidding. ---- Nope. This is really all there is to it. My Mom got a good chuckle out of me thinking it was some big secret project she did every year too... so maybe you can make someone think this is your big secret project this year. Enjoy! :)

1 (12- ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup brandy
pinch of cinnamon

Combine the cranberries, sugars, and cinnamon in a 2 qt backing dish and cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350º. Remove the cover and stir to make sure there's no undissolved sugar. Return to the oven, uncovered and bake for about 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the cranberries are soft and sauce has thickened to a syrupy consistency. Remove from the oven and stir in brandy. Allow to cool and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight before serving.

Potato Leek Soup

2010-09-29T21:21:00.000-04:00

It's officially Fall, and if you know me, you know that I've kicked into soup mode... even if the Fall temperatures haven't quite hit FL yet. We've had a rainy, gloomy week and I've been sick... all good enough reasons for me to make this, a quick, creamy, warming soup that happens to be my son's favorite. You really can pull this off in about 45 minutes, so it's definitely feasible for a weeknight... just serve with a tossed salad and some garlic bread or rolls.

A little background on how I came up with this recipe: A few years ago I took my son and his best friend to Epcot for my son's 17th birthday. Toward the end of the day, the kids wanted one more ride on Soarin', but being MUCH older than they are, I just wanted to sit for a bit before the drive home. While they hit the fast pass line I wandered over to Sunshine Seasons (the counter service restaurant in The Land pavilion) and found that one of the soups of the day was potato leek. I ordered and sat down with this HUGE bowl of perfection... much much more than I expected from a counter service place. The flavors were perfectly combined, yet still defined... it was creamy, but still a bit chunky to make it heartier than the potato leek soups I'd had before that were blended to death. I found myself taking note of each flavor I could place... the brightness of thyme, the subtle bite of just the right amount of black pepper, slight sweetness of carrot, and a depth of flavor from chicken stock and cream sherry. When I got home I checked all of my Disney cookbooks and online resources, but could only find the recipe from The Rose and Crown... which is good, but a bit more mild in flavor. I started working on my own recipe and after several tries came up with this one. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
3 leeks, chopped and washed well
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 finely minced shallot
4 cups chicken stock
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup cream sherry
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
1 Tbs dried parsley
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Gruyere cheese for garnish (optional)

Saute leeks, celery, carrot, onion, garlic and shallot in butter and olive oil over medium low heat until vegetable are very tender. Add chicken stock, sherry and potatoes; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. Mash potatoes with potato masher; add thyme, Tony Chachere's and parsley. Simmer a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree soup with hand blender and add heavy cream. Taste and season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Boeuf Bourguignon

2010-09-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

I've cooked from a good number of cookbooks over the years, some recipes were quick and easy, others not so much. In general, I'm not intimidated by long ingredient lists or involved preparations... so I'm not really sure what it was about Julia Child's cookbook that had me a little nervous. Maybe my fear of this book was brought on by Julia's reputation, after all she really was the first celebrity chef, or at least the first one I'd ever heard of, or maybe it was the many accounts I'd read of other people making a disaster of her recipes. Regardless of what it was that kept me away from trying this recipe for so long, it was all unfounded. There's nothing in this recipe that requires a great deal of skill, it is a little involved if you follow it to the letter (which I did as much as possible), but my total hands on time for this was about 2 hours, maybe a bit more and the result is out of this world! There are probably a few things you can shortcut, however I'm glad I took the time to do it right the first time... every step in this recipe has a defining purpose in how it all comes together and the overall flavor. Be brave, give this a try!

One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 white onions, small
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).

Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.
Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.
Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.
Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.
Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.
Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

Chicken and Vegetables Over Couscous

2010-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Couscous is my new "thing". I'd really never had it before until about 2 years ago when it came with my meal at Restaurant Marrakesh in Epcot... to be honest, that was my first experience with Moroccan/Middle Eastern food... but I was pretty much hooked from that point on. I really love the flavors, the mix of sweet, savory and pungent that seems to be the base for many of the dishes, as well as how the blank slate that is couscous ties it all together. I admit, this one is not exactly traditional, but I was craving couscous and had enough on hand to drum up something close to chicken and couscous dishes I've had elsewhere.... and pretty darn good as well. I suppose this recipe could be considered on the lighter/healthier side as well... definitely something I need to do more of.

Fair warning, this recipe makes a lot of food, the kids and I ate it for 2 days and I still had a little left to take for lunch.

2 boxes Near East Garlic & Olive Oil flavored Couscous (5.8 oz each)
4 boneless chicken breast halves, cubed into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed, remaining stalk cut in thirds
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
handful golden raisins

Marinade for Chicken

1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs olive oil

Mix together all marinade ingredients, then toss with chicken to coat. Marinate chicken 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of a large heavy pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and marinade and cook, stirring occasionally until meat is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add onions and zucchini to the pan and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, asparagus, white wine and chicken stock. Continue to cook, stirring, until vegetables are desired tenderness. Add the chicken back to the pan and also add the raisins and warm through.

Prepare couscous according to package directions, serve chicken and vegetables over couscous.

Serves 8 with leftovers.

Homemade Chicken Soup

2010-03-24T20:35:00.005-04:00

Early Spring seems to be the time my kids get colds. They survive the winter without so much as a sniffle, but bring on the change in the weather and excess pollen... and BAM, we have sick children in this house.

When I was a kid, if you got a cold you were almost guaranteed to be having chicken soup for dinner, and my parents didn't mess around... Campbell's was not an option. If you were sick, you were getting the real deal, a whole chicken, onions, celery, garlic and herbs simmered until cooked through, the meat removed and the bones returned to the pot until a rich stock was created. The aroma coming from the kitchen could cut through the worst stuffy nose and begin to comfort you long before it was ready to eat. To this day I still crave this soup when I need some comfort, but now I have to make it myself, and I gladly do so. My kids have picked up on just how comforting this soup is and without fail will ask for it when they don't feel well.

This is another one of those recipes I was taught to make by eyeballing ingredients, and it's very forgiving... so you can't really mess it up by adding more of this or less of that... it's just done to your taste. I'm just going to give you the basics, and let you take it from there.

1 whole fryer chicken, about 4 lbs
water to cover the chicken
4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 large onions, quartered
3 large carrots, cut in large chunks
2 celery stalks, with leaves, cut in large pieces
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup white whine
1 lb baby carrots, cut in half inch pieces
1/2 bag frozen green beans
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen corn
16 oz bag medium egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Remove giblets from chicken cavity an rinse chicken. Place chicken, onions, garlic, celery, carrot chunks, wine, thyme and bay leaf in large stock pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Remove chicken from pot and remove as much meat as possible, chopping into bite size pieces, cover meat and set aside in refrigerator until ready to use. Return chicken carcass to pot with white wine, and continue to simmer until stock is reduced and becomes a nice golden color, about 1 more hour. Strain stock through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

Return strained stock to pan and add baby carrots, simmer for 5 minutes. Add in egg noodles and continue to cook 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and seasoning to taste, let simmer until vegetables are tender but still retain some of their color and noodles are cooked through. Add reserved chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper, allow to stand covered for 20 minutes and serve.

Corn Chowder

2010-03-24T19:45:00.004-04:00

One thing I'm always on the lookout for is a recipe that's inexpensive, quick, makes enough for leftovers. and still tastes GOOD as leftovers. These types of recipes seem to be difficult for me to find for a few reasons, mostly because with 4 kids in the house, a recipe has to make a lot for there to be leftovers (which can cut into the inexpensive requirement) but also because I'm not too crazy about the way a lot of foods taste reheated. Soups, however, fit the bill nicely, and I tend to make them year round (central a/c is wonderful if you're a soup lover in the middle of the FL summer!).

Corn Chowder is a recipe I grew up on, it's a bit of a New England staple I suppose, great on a cold night or even on cooler summer nights when the local corn harvest is readily available. My Mom made this frequently, probably for many of the reasons I do, and I've never grown tired of it. There are a lot of "fancier" recipes out there for corn chowder, but to me this simple version stands up to all of them and is still my favorite.

6-8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 Tbs butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans creamed corn (or 2 packages frozen)
1 bag frozen corn (not creamed)
4-5 large potatoes, cubed and boiled in salted water til tender
2 cups half and half
whole milk
1/2 tsp onion salt
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions (optional)

In a large, heavy pan (I use a 6 qt) cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, and crumble when cool. Set aside.

Drain off some bacon grease, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium if you cooked the bacon at a higher temp, and add butter. When butter is melted add chopped onions and cook until soft. Add frozen corn and saute until heated through. Add in creamed corn and potatoes, mix well. Stir in half and half, sugar, crumbled bacon (reserving some for garnish if you like) and onion salt, stirring until heated through. Add milk to desired consistency (this should be a bit on the thin side) and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through but do not allow to boil. Let stand covered for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes (this allows the flavors to develop a bit more). Garnish with green onions and remaining bacon when serving if desired.

Pan Roasted Sea Bass

2009-10-24T20:02:00.003-04:00

The kids wanted pizza the other night, which was fine, but I was definitely craving something a little more.. uhh.. not pizza. So I stopped by my favorite fish market to see what they had on hand. Sea bass... yeah, that was definitely better than pizza! I picked up a half pound of the sea bass and some steamers and was happily on my way to a nice grown up dinner.

As you can see from the picture, sea bass filets are very thick, so if you're used to cooking thinner filets, this can pose some interesting challenges. One of the best ways I've found to conquer this challenge, and also create a wonderful flavor and texture is by pan roasting it. Pan roasting will create a beautiful crust on the fish (or any thick cut of meat) and leave the inside moist and tender. Trust me, you gotta try this!

skinless sea bass filets, cut into about 4 oz pieces
canola oil (or another oil with a high smoke point)
desired seasonings (try to avoid herbs, they'll burn.. salt and pepper will do more than you think here)
oven proof skillet

Preheat the oven to 450ºF about 10 minutes before you start.

Heat the canola oil in the oven proof skillet until it's very hot, almost to the smoke point (the oil will seem to shimmer).

Season the fish with salt and pepper, cajun seasoning is also good. Place in hot skillet and let it sear (don't crowd the pan, make sure the pan is large enough to accomodate the fish without the pieces touching, if the pieces don't have enough space, you won't be able to get a sear). Don't try to turn the fish too soon or it will stick to the pan and you won't get that nice crust. This should take about 3 minutes or so. Turn the fish with a flexible spatula and allow to begin searing on the other side about 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place in preheated oven. Cook fish until it flakes easily with a fork (the 8oz filet I had took about 12 minutes).

Serve with your favorite sauce (lemon butter, white wine reduction, etc).

Easy Cheese Soup

2009-10-24T19:15:00.004-04:00

If you're a parent, you more than likely run ito the same problem I do on some weeknights... you either forgot to defrost what you had planned to make, or you just have so much going on that you never even thought about what to make for dinner. That's where this soup comes in. I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, none of the ingredients require long defrost times or cooking times and because you can prepare several of the ingredients at once, this comes together fairly quickly (around 30 minutes total). Of course there are other advantages to this as well, like it makes a good amount of soup (no cooking the next night!) and it's very kid friendly, even with the veggies... let's face it... there's very little you can't get kids to eat if there's enough cheese involved :) So, in the spirit of supporting busy, absent-minded parents of picky kids everywhere... I give you my Easy Cheese Soup.

10-12 slices bacon
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
14 oz bag frozen broccoli
1 Tbs canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz block of velveeta
2-2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
10 oz can creamed corn
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on it. Lay the bacon slices on the cooling rack and bake for 15-20 minutes until the bacon reaches the desired doneness.* When bacon is done, chop. (you can also take the easy way out and use the pre-cooked bacon)

Cook cubed potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender.

Prepare broccoli according to package directions. (note: these 3 steps can be done simultaneously).

When the potatoes are done, drain into a collander and rinse the pan lightly to remove any starch stuck to the pan. Return the pan to the burner over medium heat. Add canola oil and onions and saute until onions are tender and transluscent.

Cut the Velveeta into chunks and add to the pan with the onions. Add just enough chicken broth to aid in the melting (about a cup), stir occasionally. When Velveeta is melted, add the creamed corn, chopped bacon, potatoes and broccoli and another 1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth to get the soup to the consistnecy you like. Heat through and serve.

*This is a great way to make large amounts of bacon with very little effort or mess. For thick sliced bacon, add another 5-10 minutes.

Classic Meatloaf

2009-10-04T13:26:00.002-04:00

It's comfort food season! Football is on, Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations are all over the place, and the weather is finally settling down a little bit down here in Hades... I mean Florida (well, by settling down, I mean we had a few evenings that went below 70º, it's not much, but it's the best a New England girl can hope for until at least Novemeber down here). This is the time of year that I like to really kick in my New England roots. I break out the autumn scented candles, and I cook real comfort food meals on Sundays... with the football game on in the background, it's the closest to home I can get... and I'll take it :)

Today's meal is meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. I know, I have said in the past that I don't really care for "classic" meatloaf, but I have finally accomplished the mission of finding a recipe that the kids like, but that I also can eat. Not only, can I eat this one, I actually LIKE it... amazing, I know (I still draw the line at meatloaf sandwiches though... no thanks). Now if I could only make it look nice... and as you can see from the picture, I have yet to accomplish that part of the mission, but hey... I'm ok with it.

This recipe is from the 50's Primetime Cafe at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

2 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
4 eggs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced green peppers
1/4 cup diced red peppers
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
Cracked black pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste
½ cup Meatloaf Glaze (recipe below)

Dice peppers and onions and set aside for later use. Combine meats and seasonings. Add vegetables. Mold meat mixture into a loaf on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350º F oven for 1 hour (internal temp 155º).

Brush meatloaf with meatloaf glaze. Bake another 10 minutes. Let meatloaf set 10 minutes, cut loaf and serve.

For the glaze:

½ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
½ Tsp worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients until mixture is smooth.

Quiche

2009-09-13T14:21:00.002-04:00

I love quiche. It's one of the most versatile dishes out there. You can literally put almost anything in a quiche, whatever you're in the mood for goes. Not to mention the endless combinations of different cheeses. It's also excellent (possibly even better) leftover, and is an easy thing to pack for lunch at work.

These are two that I make pretty frequently. The kids like the one with the bacon better, which works for me, because I get to take the spinach mushroom one for lunch :) I usually make 2 quiches at a time, which easily serves 6 with leftovers. This can also be a very budget conscious meal, depending on the type of cheese you use, you could easily make 2 quiches for around $10.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

1 deep dish pie shell, frozen
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
10 oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 oz white mushrooms, sliced
4 oz grated gruyere cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Saute mushrooms and onions in a small amount of olive oil, until soft. Drain on paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Beat together eggs and cream, mix in the remaining ingredients and pour into frozen pie shell.

Bake on a baking sheet at 350º for 40-50 minutes.

Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

1 deep dish pie shell, frozen
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
12 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
(optional - 4 oz can of chopped green chiles)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Saute onions in a little bit of olive oil until soft. Drain on paper towels.

Beat together eggs and cream. Mix in remeaining ingredients and pour into pie shell.

Bake on baking sheet at 350º for 40-50 minutes.

Bangers and Mash

2009-09-07T21:19:00.005-04:00

Bangers and Mash, the comfort food of all comfort foods. Seriously, this stuff will make you want to curl up near a crackling fire and watch old Dr. Who episodes. Ok, you can skip the Dr. Who marathon if you must... but really... why would you want to?? After all this is a staple meal in British and Irish cooking, so one must get into the feel of the meal :) Ok, sorry for the rhyming.

Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to have not only a small Bristish import store nearby, but also a small specialty food store with an excellent butcher who makes his own English bangers. For those not in the know, English bangers are a mild pork sausage, often with a hint of onion and garlic. They're most commonly served as shown above, with a rich onion gravy, over creamy, wonderful mashed potatoes. If you can't find English bangers, Johnsonville sells a nice Irish garlic sausage that works well... or if you're in a total bind, you can use raw bratwurst.

Bangers and Mash

1.5 lbs English bangers or other mild pork sausage links
1 Tbs canola oil

2 large onions, sliced thin
1 Tbs canola oil
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs flour
2/3 cup red wine (I like merlot or cabernet sauvignon for this)
2 cups beef stock
1/2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbs Aus Jus gravy mix
Mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Coat sausages in canola oil, and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake sauasages for 12 minutes, turn and continue cooking another 12 minutes (alternately you can brown these in a frying pan).

While the sausages cook, add remaining oil and butter to a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally until onions begin to carmelize, about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the onions, cook and stir constantly for about 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour. Pour in red wine slowly, stirring to incorporate, then add the beef broth, mustard, seasonings and gravy mix. Stir briskly to mix all ingredients well. Allow to come to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally until mixture thickens to a slightly thin gravy. Add cooked sausages, cover and simmer another 5 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings.

To serve, place 2 sausages over mashed potatoes and spoon over gravy and onions to taste.

Baked Salmon

2009-09-07T19:58:00.006-04:00

Ok Mr. Peabody, fire up the wayback machine! (extra points for anyone who can tell me what that references).

Salmon wasn't a fish I was familiar with until I was probably in my early 20's. I grew up in the 70's, in a small New England town, there just wasn't a lot of crossover food from other areas... ethnic aisle in the grocery store?? Huh, what do you mean ethnic? The only ethnic food around came from a few small grocers who specialized in Portuguese, Greek or Italian food (the 3 major ethnic populations in the area back then), and you had to go to the "city" to get that. And, even though salmon isn't considered to be associated with any particular ethnic group, it certainly wasn't a New England fish. I imagine Maine lobster didn't make too many appearance on the northwest coast of the US back in those days either. Ok, I'm rambling (isn't that the first sign of getting old??).

Regardless of all of the above, salmon didn't make it's way into my life until I moved to Florida in the early 90's. I remember my mother making it for dinner one night and I instantly fell in love with the moist, flaky texture, and the rich flavor that seemed to be able to handle even the strongest flavor enhancements without losing it's character. Yes, salmon and I had a definite future together.

***Flash Forward***

This is now my go to fish. It's wonderful baked, broiled, fried, in salads, and it even holds its own on the grill. The big kicker, though, is that my kids love it... and it's actually GOOD for them (shh... no telling!). Anyway, here's my favorite way to prepare it, this works well on the grill as well... just set the fish on a piece of foil with the sides and ends rolled up so the "sauce" doesn't drip into the fire.

1 salmon filet (for the 5 of us I buy a 1.5lb filet)
1/4 soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
salt, onion salt, garlic salt, black pepper
butter

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly rinse the salmon filet to remove any scales from the flesh of the fish and then place in a ziploc bag.

Mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice and white wine, pour half into the ziploc bag with the salmon. Let this marinate for 20 minutes.

Place salmon filet in a glass baking dish with the marinade from the bag. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is almost done. Pour the remaining marinade over the fish and dot the top with pats of butter (for 1.5 lbs I use about 3 Tbs of butter). Continue baking until the fish flakes easily with a fork in the center of the thickest part of the filet (usually another 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the piece of fish is).

To serve, cut the salmon into serving size pieces and spoon a little of the pan juices over the fish.

Rice Krispies Sushi Treats

2009-06-28T15:58:00.003-04:00

The California Grill, on the top floor of Disney's Contemporary resort, used to have this really fun dessert for kids... it was rice krispie treats wrapped in fruit rolls with a gummy worm or swedish fish center. Sushi for dessert! I haven't been to the California Grill in a while, so I'm not sure if these are still on the menu or not... but luckily for me, or my kids anyway, I have the recipe!

These are really fun and easy to make, though a little sticky... ok a LOT sticky (I found that rubbing softened margarine on my hands helped a great deal here), but still no harder than making rice krispie treats in general. I didn't have the gummy worms or swedish fish, so I used regular old fruit snacks for the centers.

Rice Krispies Sushi Treats

8 chewy fruit rolls
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (10- ounce) package miniature marshmallows
6 cups crisp rice cereal
16 worm-shaped chewy candies or 24 fish-shaped chewy candies

Method:

Unroll fruit rolls, and place, with plastic sheet down, on cutting board (trust me you want to unroll all of them first, as the cereal mixture cools it becomes harder to work with).

Melt butter or margarine in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add marshmallows, stirring until melted; remove from heat. Stir in rice cereal until blended.

Spread about 1/2 cup cereal mixture quickly over each fruit roll, leaving a inch border on 1 long side. Arrange 2 worm-shaped candies or 3 fish-shaped candies lengthwise down center of cereal mixture.

Roll up, starting at side without border. Press to seal securely. Repeat procedure with remaining fruit rolls, cereal mixture,and candies.

Cut each roll into 4 or 5 slices.

Cap'n Crunch Chicken Nuggets

2009-06-28T15:19:00.003-04:00

I've always loved the combination of sweet and savory, so when I saw a recipe for Cap'n Crunch chicken I was intrigued. I mean, really... who doesn't like Cap'n Crunch or chicken nuggets? It sounded like a winner to me!

I found the original recipe here and tried them as-is the first time. The kids loved them, but I thought they needed a little more savory to compliment the sweet, so I tweaked them a bit.

These are great for dinner (especially if you have picky kids), or even as an appetizer at a party. I've heard of people baking these as well, though I haven't tried that myself yet, I imagine you could easily spray the coated nuggets with cooking spray or an olive oil mist and bake on a cookie sheet with good results.

Cap'n Crunch Chicken Nuggets

2 cups Cap'n Crunch Cereal
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup beer (or soda water if you prefer not to use beer)
canola or peanut oil for frying

Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy dutch oven or electric fryer to 350º.

Place cereals in a gallon size ziploc bag, press out the air and seal. Crush cereals using a rolling pin or mallot (this is excellent stress relief and/or something fun for the kids to do) until you have fine crumbs. Add in flour and seasonings, shake bag well to mix.

In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, then add beer and buttermilk.

Trim chicken breasts of all fat and cut into nugget size pieces. Dip each piece in egg mixture, then place in bag with cereal and shake to coat well. Fry in hot oil,6-8 pieces at a time, 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Serve with honey mustard or green onion honey dip (see below).

Green Onion Honey Dip

1 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbs honey (start with one and add to taste)
3 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (or less, to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Ultimate Scalloped Potatoes

2009-04-19T12:30:00.002-04:00

Potatoes, butter, garlic, cheese, heavy cream... is there ANYTHING better? This is one of those dishes I treat myself to only once in a while. Not only is it a little time consuming (although not TOO bad if you have a halfway decent mandolin), it's also full of fat and calories, which I guess is why it's SOOO good.

Last week I picked up a spiral sliced ham on sale for easter, but ended up making leg of lamb instead. I saved the ham for today and couldn't think of a better side dish to go with it, besides, I already had the fontina and gruyere cheeses in the fridge needing to be used up.

Ultimate Scalloped Potatoes

1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbs butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8" thick rounds
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese
1 Tbs flour
4 green onions chopped (white and green parts, optional)
salt to taste

Saute garlic and shallots in butter in medium saucepan for 1 minute. Add cream, milk and black pepper, heath through but do not boil.

Mix grated cheeses and flour in medium bowl, until cheese is well coated.

Layer half of potatoes in lightly buttered 2 qt shallow casserole dish. Pour half of cream mixture over potatoes, sprinkle with salt, half of the cheeses and half of the chopped green onion. Repeat layers.

Bake in 350º oven 60 to 70 minutes until top is a deep brown and potatoes are tender.

Note: A Mandolin comes in very handy for this type of dish. If you don't have one, you can certainly use a sharp knife, but you can pick up an inexpensive mandolin for around $20 that will do the trick, there's no need to have the fancy $100 versions.

Asparagus Crab Pasta Salad

2009-04-19T10:49:00.004-04:00

This is my go to dish for pot lucks and picnics, and I'm constantly being asked for the recipe. The problem is that I don't really have a recipe. However, I promised a friend I would make an attempt to explain how to make it, and to be honest it's VERY easy, so I'm going to give it a shot.

16 oz box tri-color rotini pasta, cooked
1/2 lb imitation crab, chopped (you can use real crab if you prefer)
1 lb asparagus spears, trimmed and steamed til tender-crisp, then chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Old Bay seasoning
onion salt
garlic salt
pepper

Mix together mayonnaise and seasonings in a large bowl (use the Old Bay, salts and pepper to taste, but make it slightly stronger than you think it should be as the seasonings will be much milder once the other ingredients are mixed in).

Mix in remaining ingredients and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Empanadas

2009-04-19T10:16:00.004-04:00

There are dozens of versions of empanadas out there, and really, the possibilities are endless as far as what you can put in them. Traditional fillings include picadillo, chicken, potatoes, spinach and even fruit, all depending on the region from which they come. My favorite is the cuban empanada, filled with picadillo. You can normally find the "discos", or empanada wrappers in the frozen section with other latin american foods.

These are also a great budget friendly meal, as the recipe uses many ingredients you probably already have around.

Cuban Empanadas

10 emapanada wrappers, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
Canola oil for frying
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cumin
8 oz tomato sauce
1 Tbs ketchup
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped green olives with pimento

Brown ground beef with onions, peppers and garlic in a large saute pan. Drain. Add remaining ingredients (except oil and wrappers), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture has thickened. Remove bay leaf and allow to cool slightly.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy pot to 350ºF.

Lay one empanada wrapper on a plate or cutting board and place about 2 Tbs of picadillo in the center. Fold the empanada wrapper in half over the filling and press edges tightly closed with times of a fork, turn the empanada over and repeat pressing with fork on the other side. Repeat for remaining wrappers.

Carefully drop one or two empanadas in the hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes, turning once, until golden grown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Serves 5 (2 empanadas per person)

Note: You can probably do 15-20 empanadas with this amount of ground beef, and depending on appetites in your house you may want to go ahead and make the extras. Just keep in mind that they don't reheat all that well, they tend to get soggy. Leftover picadillo can also be served over rice the next day.

Posting Should Resume Shortly

2009-03-11T19:45:00.002-04:00

I received a few emails recently wondering if I had dropped off the face of the earth. To be 100% honest, I had no idea anyone actually even read this thing other than a few friends and some family. So thank you for letting me know I was missed :)

To answer the question, I'm still here. I haven't been cooking much over the past few months due to the sudden loss of my husband back in January. I've actually picked up the bad habit of making frozen foods and picking up take out..cooking has seemed like a chore lately, which is very odd for me.

I've resolved to get my butt back in gear and again find the comfort cooking has always given me. Hopefully over the next few weeks you'll see some new recipes here. I'm considering switching gears a little, but I'll let you know more about that once I decide what direction to go in.

Again, thank you for the kind notes, and even just the "hey, where the heck are you's?".

Bacon, Shallot and Garlic Green Beans

2009-01-03T10:44:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty lucky. I don't have any trouble getting my kids to eat vegetables, in fact most of the time they'll clean the vegetables off their plates and pick at the meat. Yes, my kids are strange... but in a good way :)

This recipe is a favorite around here and gets made anytime there's leftover bacon (yes, Susan, I said LEFTOVER BACON). Granted, this is not how you want to cook green beans all the time, but it's great for a special occasion... they're easy enough to throw together while you have a roast in the oven and they look and taste impressive.

Bacon, Shallot and Garlic Green Beans

2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 Tbs reserved bacon drippings
2 Tbs butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Heat reserved bacon drippings and butter in a large saute pan on med-low heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute 1 minute, until fragrant. Add green beans, stirring to coat in butter mixture. Cover and cook about 8 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add in chopped bacon and cook, stirring, another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bacon Cream Cheese Rolls

2009-01-02T21:13:00.003-05:00

Twice a year we have a munchie night, where we don't really have dinner, we just eat junk food. The kids, of course, love this... heck they LIVE for it. They love it so much that they no longer look forward to New Year's Eve for any other reason than that it's munchie night.

To give you an idea of how bad this tradition is for you, this year's menu included bacon and cheese sliders, deep fried chicken wings, baked brie with raspberry preserves, gruyere and fontina fondue, and then these little heart attacks: the bacon cream cheese rolls.

Ok, I know... these are SO 70's, but believe me... they're incredibly addictive. If you've never made these, you really should... at least once.

Bacon Cream Cheese Rolls

1 lb of bacon
8-12 slices Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread
3 oz cream cheese
toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut bacon in half lengthwise.

Remove crusts from bread slices and cut each slice into thirds.

Cut cream cheese into small pieces, about 1/2 tsp each.

Lay out bacon slices and place one piece of the bread on each slice, then top with a piece of cream cheese.

Roll each slice and secure with toothpick. Place on cookie sheet about so that the rolls don't touch each other.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, turn and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes until bacon is browned and cooked through.

Sweet Potato and Scallion Latkes

2008-12-18T20:18:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, but this time of year is a busy one in our family... so my time is a little more limited than usual. Expect an onslaught of posts after the new year though.

Let me preface this recipe by saying that, in early November, I got to do something awesome. I not only got to meet my favorite chef, Cat Cora, I also got to spend a little time talking with her and her family, watch her prepare one of the recipes from her latest cookbook (Cooking From the Hip), AND sample the food too! As if anything could be better than that, we got to do all of this at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival in Walt Disney World. How all of this came about is a bit of a long story, but let me just say that Ms. Cora is a truly wonderful person who went FAR out of her way for a couple of her fans.

Anyway, I was given a copy of Cooking From the Hip during our visit, and promptly began reading it when we got home. This is one of the many wonderful recipes from the book. I highly recommend the book, the recipes are fun, classy and delicious!

1 pound sweet potatoes, grated (about 2 medium)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup, plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
3 Tbs chopped fresh chives or scallions for garnish
(Cat also recommends creme fraiche and smoked trout as garnishes)

Grate sweet potatoes using the large holes of a box grater or food processor blade.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and scallions and mix until the potatoes are well coated.

Heat 3-4 Tbs of the oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Spoon 1 Tbs of the potato mixture into the oil and flatten with a spatula to about 3 inches in diameter. Repeat, adding 2 to 4 more latkes and more oil as needed, but don't crowd the pan. Give yourself room to flip them without breaking any. Reduce heat to medium and cook until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer lateks to a paper towel lined plate to drain and then keep warm in a 300º oven. Add more oil to the pan as needed in between batches.

To serve, sprinkle with chives or scallions, or top with a spoonful or creme fraiche and a chunk of smoked trout.

Many thanks again to Cat Cora, Ashley and the staff at Disney for an awesome day!

Eggplant Parmesan

2008-11-22T10:54:00.004-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, it's not that I hate it or anything, I just tend to not go out of my way to make or eat it. Eggplant parmesan, however, is a different story, if it's made right, I'm there! I'm not going to lie to you though, making it right is a pain in the behind. If you're up to a little work though, this is a dish that's well worth it.

2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
4 eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup milk
all purpose flour
Italian breadcrumbs
oil for frying
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
spaghetti sauce (use homemade if you can)

Preheat oven to 350º. Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep frying pan to 350º.

Coat each slice of eggplant in flour, then dip in egg mixture and finally coat in breadcrumbs. Allow slices to sit for 10 minutes or so to set coating. Fry slices 4 or 5 at a time until golden brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes total. Remove eggplant to wire wrack set over paper towels.

Coat the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Then layer in eggplant slices, 1/3 of the parmesan, some more sauce and 1/3 of the mozarella. Repeat layers 2 more times ending with Mozzarella. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes or until casserole is hot all the way through and cheese is slightly browned on top.

Nana's Enchiladas

2008-11-22T09:34:00.004-05:00

When I make chili I always have a ton of leftovers, which is great on the budget, but I do get a little tired of it after the second day. So, what I normally do is freeze whatever is left over after the second day and save it for this recipe. Granted, this isn't the most authentic recipe for enchiladas, but it's yummy and easy on the wallet.

Leftover chili (at least 4 cups)
2 15 oz cans enchilada sauce (hot or mild)
18-20 6" corn tortillas
2 large onions, chopped
oil for frying
3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

Mix together the leftover chili and enchilada sauce. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, saute chopped onions in about 2 Tbs oil until soft. Set aside.

In a small frying pan heat 1/4" of oil over medium-high heat. Fry each tortilla about 10 seconds, just until soft, don't let them get crisp. Remove to paper towels.

Spread about 1 cup of the chili mixture in the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish.

Place a few Tbs of cheese and onion in each tortilla and roll, place seam side down in baking dish, packing them together tightly.

Top enchiladas with any remaining onions and pour remainder of chili mixture over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

2008-10-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

A few years ago, back when we actually had the time and money to go out to dinner, Erich ordered Honey Walnut Shrimp at our favorite Chinese place. It was SO good, deep fried shrimp with a light crispy coating and toasted walnuts drizzled in a creamy, sweet sauce. I made a mental note that I needed to learn how to make it, and... I just got around to that last week. It came out really well, the saltiness of the shrimp and mild onion flavor from the green onions contrast nicely with the sweetness of the sauce and walnuts. This is a great recipe to make if you have kids who like seafood.... and mine do. I doubled this recipe and there was NOTHING left.

1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch of salt

Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add the walnuts and saute for 1 minute. Sprinkle brown sugar and salt over nuts and stir to coat. Continue cooking 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

2/3 cup rice flour (if you can't find rice flour, cornstarch will work)
3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbs rice vinegar
3 green onions, chopped
oil for frying

Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy skillet or electric skillet to 350ºF. Mix beaten egg, rice flour and salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Toss shrimp in batter mixture and deep fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Mix together mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk and rice vinegar.

To serve, place shrimp on a plate, sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with the sauce. Top with green onions to taste.

Chicken Chow Mein

2008-10-11T20:16:00.006-04:00

With the economy being what it is, prices being so high on everything and only having one income due to a crummy job market, I've been trying to stretch our food budget a little more than usual. Part of that has been going back to old standby recipes, and part of it has been finding recipes that use items I always have on hand. If the recipe makes enough for 6 people to eat for 2 meals... even better!

This one came about while I was browsing for chicken recipes. I knew I had only 4 breast halves in the freezer, meaning that in order to stretch that for 6 people, it would have to be a casserole or stir fry. I came across a recipe for Chicken Chow Mein. Now, I don't know about you, but this was a dish my mother made in the 70's... and granted, as a kid I liked it, but the majority of it came from a can. The last time I had tried the version from a can, it wasn't quite what I remembered. But I was willing to give it another shot... on my terms. This began my search for a REAL recipe for Chow Mein. I found quite a few, took my favorite parts of each one and came up with this. Not only did it stretch those 4 chicken breast halves to feed all 6 of us, it also made enough for leftovers for Monday... BONUS! I also had most of the ingredients on hand already, the only purchase I made for this was the bamboo shoots, beans sprouts and cabbage... which cost all of $2.40.

4 large chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs), cut in bite size pieces
3 Tbs canola or vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 ribs of celery, sliced
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
12 oz package sliced mushrooms
2 handfuls fresh bean sprouts
1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced
1 cup chicken stock or broth
7 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs oyster sauce
1/2 cup rice wine
3 Tbs honey (I prefer honey, but you can use sugar)
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs cornstarch
6 green onions, white and green parts chopped
cooked rice
crispy chow mein noodles

Heat oil in large frying pan over med-high heat. Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper, then brown in hot oil. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add celery and onions to the pan, and saute 2 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bean sprouts and cabbage. Continue cooking 2 more minutes or until vegetables just start to cook down.

Mix together chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine and honey in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch until smooth, then add to the broth mixture, mixing well. Add sauce mixture to the pan, stirring almost constantly until sauce begins to thicken.

Return chicken to the pan, add green onions and heat through. Serve over rice and top with chow mein noodles.

Grilled Shrimp

2008-09-21T09:58:00.005-04:00

Grilled shrimp, it can be great or just ok, and sometimes even really bad. For a long time we stayed away from making shrimp on the grill because it usually came out very dry and tough, then I found an article on brining shrimp before grilling, and we decided to give it one more shot. Not only did our shrimp come out great that time, it comes out great EVERY time. The shrimp takes on an entirely different texture, almost like lobster, it's, for lack of a better word, awesome.

There is one other little trick, leave the shell on. To make this easier, we buy EZ-Peel shrimp, the shell is slit down the back and the shrimp has been deveined already. If you absolutely can't stand the thought of leaving the shell on, go ahead and remove it, but it will result in slightly drier shrimp.

The Brine

1 qt water
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cajun seasoning (optional)
ice
1 lb large shrimp, shells on

Stir the salt, sugar and seasoning into the water in a large bowl until both dissolve. If you're using fresh shrimp add about 2 cups of ice. If you're using frozen shrimp just add them straight to the brine (they'll thaw in the brine by the time you're ready to cook). Cover the bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes on the counter, or up to 2 hours in the fridge.

The Marinade

This part is really all up to you, as long as you add a little oil to your marinade, anything goes here. This is just the way we like to do it.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
blackening seasoning and hot sauce to taste

Whisk all together, Drain the brine from the shrimp and rinse lightly, drain again and toss in marinade. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

The Shrimp

Skewer the shrimp on metal or soaked bamboo skewers. Cook over a hot fire for 2-4 minutes per side (depending on the size of your shrimp).

This recipe doubles very easily, and you may want to go ahead and double it... the leftovers are wonderful in a salad or just to take for lunch the next day.

Fish Tacos

2008-09-12T20:43:00.003-04:00

When I first heard of fish tacos, I was on a business trip in Southern California. I have to admit, my first thought was... ewww, GROSS! Then, I happened to walk by the entrance to a restaurant that specialized in fish tacos... the wonderful smells coming from inside were enough to persuade me to try one and I was hooked. Unfortunately, at the time, fish tacos hadn't quite made their way to my small town in Florida, so I had to learn to make them myself. I also had a lot of convincing to do as far as my family was concerned, but they're brave souls and fairly accustomed to my experimenting... so now they're hooked too.

Fair warning, I think there are about 5 million calories in one of these... just so you know :)

1 lb fresh mahi mahi (you can really use just about any fish you like though)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
12 oz bottle of good beer
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Mexican cream sauce (recipe follows)
salsa or pico de gallo
2 cups shredded cabbage
crispy taco shells or soft flour tortillas
oil or shortening for deep frying

Preheat enough oil to cover fish in an electric frying pan or deep fryer, to 375ºF.

Cut mahi mahi into 1/2 inch cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, adobo, cayenne and enough beer to make the batter slightly thinner than pancake batter.

Dip fish pieces in batter, then drop into hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan (I usually do about 10 pieces at a time). Fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes, and then drain on paper towels.

When fish pieces have cooled slightly, fill taco shells or tortillas with a few pieces of the fish, some cream sauce, salsa and shredded cabbage.

Mexican Cream Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 tsp adobo seasoning
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano
juice of 1/2 lime

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour before using.

This sauce is also excellent with regular tacos.

Artichoke Toasts

2008-09-12T20:17:00.003-04:00

When my family gets together there tends to be massive amounts of food involved. Whether it's a mid-afternoon birthday gathering for one of the kids, a get-together for a visiting family member or friend, or just the typical holiday activities throughout the year.. we ALWAYS have a ton of food. In order to keep things interesting, I'm always on the lookout for really great appetizers that I can either bring fully prepared, or at least do most of the prep work ahead of time and throw together quickly in my Mom's kitchen. This is one of those recipes. I originally got the idea from an episode of $40 a Day with Rachel Ray, but have put my own twist on things to make the prep more simple and less time consuming, and also to suit my taste a bit more.

1 thin French Baguette (about 1 1/2" in diameter)
olive oil
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Thai chili garlic paste
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp honey
1 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper (the jarred ones work fine)

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Slice baguette into 1/2" thick rounds and lay out on a baking sheet. Brush tops of bread slices with olive oil and bake until lightly toasted (about 7 minutes).

Mix together the mayonnaise, chili garlic paste, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, honey, cheese, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Coarsely chop artichoke hearts and mix with chopped red pepper in a small bowl.

When the baguette rounds are toasted, spread a generous amount of the mayo mixture onto each one and then top with the artichoke pepper mixture. Serve immediately.

Everything but the assembly of these can be done ahead of time. If I make it the day before and have to refrigerate the ingredients, I usually warm the assembled toasts in the oven for a few minutes so they aren't ice cold.

Shan's Guinness Chili

2008-09-09T19:56:00.005-04:00

Is there anything that starts the fall off better than the beginning of football season? Personally, I crank up the a/c, light some autumn-y smelling candles and start cooking on the first Sunday of football season. Ok, I know.. I'm weird... but hey, we poor New Englanders stuck down here in FL have to do some crazy things to get our fix of autumn :)

Chili is definitely a personal taste sort of dish. Some prefer the Texas version, some the Cincinnati version, so and and so forth. This one has beans and tomato, so it's definitely not a Texas style, I guess it's kind of a New England Irish girl's take on it (blasphemy, I KNOW!), but I promise, it's REALLY good and worth the work. Another advantage, it's always even better as leftovers and makes a great sauce for onion and cheese enchiladas (coming soon!).

2 slices bacon
2 - 3 lbs coarse ground chuck (chili grind)
3 medium onions, chopped
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 - 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs ground coriander
1 Tbs beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
2 tsp dried cilantro (or 2 Tbs fresh, chopped)
3 Tbs chili powder
3 Tbs ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp sweet paprika
15 oz can chili ready tomatoes, undrained
12 oz bottle Guinness Extra Stout
14.5 oz can beef broth
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes with puree
2 tsp sugar
kosher salt to taste
1 large can pinto beans, drained
1 small can dark red kidney beans, drained

Render bacon over medium heat in a large dutch oven until almost crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and discard or save for another use. Add ground beef, onions, garlic and jalapenos, cook stirring often until beef is browned and onions have begun to soften. Add minced chipotles through paprika and stir well to combine. Add all remaining ingredients except beans and simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until desired thickness is reached (if you like very thick chili you may want to add some tomato paste). Add beans and cook an additional 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, green onions and shredded cheese if desired.

This recipe, as is, uses ground beef, but sometimes I use shredded beef as well. Making the shredded beef is easy enough, just season a boneless chuck roast with chili powder, salt and pepper and brown on both sides in a dutch oven. When both sides are browned add 1 bottle of Guinness stout and enough beef stock to cover. Cover and place in a 300º oven and just let it cook for 2-3 hours until the meat comes apart easily with a fork. To use the shredded beef, skip the ground beef instructions and add the beef in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Lamb Stew

2008-08-23T21:11:00.007-04:00

Yes, I know it's August... and yes I realize I live in FL and I even know that it seems pretty weird for me to making lamb stew in August, but I did it anyway. Actually it worked out rather well as it was the perfect, comforting dish to eat through that nasty Tropical Storm Fay. It was windy and rainy and there was more water out there than I can even begin to tell you. Because I work for a 24 hour technical support call center I had to go to work in all that nastiness, and I came home rather soaked 2 days in a row... so this cold weather comfort food was more than welcome this week.

This isn't quite the most traditional Irish lamb stew out there (I use white wine in it), but it will certainly warm you up once the days start getting cooler. At first glance this may seem like a rather expensive recipe, but it costs me around $25 to make (check your local discount club like Sam's, BJ's or Costco for the lamb, it's usually MUCH cheaper there, I normally manage to pick up boneless lamb roasts for about $16) and feeds my hungry family of 6 for 2 days... AND it's one of those dishes that's even better the second day, so it won't seem like sloppy leftovers (ok, hopefully I'm done with the run-on sentences for now)! I like to make this on a Sunday and save the leftovers for a busy night when I need something quick.

1/2 lb thickly sliced bacon, diced
3-4 pounds boneless lamb leg, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef or lamb stock
2 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 cups baby carrots
3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups frozen green beans
1 can peas, drained

Saute bacon in large dutch oven until crisp, reserve fat in the pan and set bacon aside.

Put lamb, salt, pepper and flour in large mixing bowl and toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat. Add onions and garlic and continue to cook a few more minutes until onions begin to soften. Add wine, stock, water, sugar, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender.

Add bacon pieces, carrots and potatoes and continue simmering, covered, about 20 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the green beans and peas just before the carrots and potatoes are done. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pastrami Wower

2008-08-11T18:44:00.006-04:00

This is my entry for Snackshots #6

Ok, ok I know the title is hokey... but my kids came up with the name and I thought I'd humor them by actually using it.

This is probably my all time favorite sandwich. I was never a big fan of pastrami sandwiches when I was younger, mostly because the only way I'd ever seen or tried them was on rye bread with mustard... this was the way my Dad ate them. My husband, however DOES like pastrami and we occasionally had it in the house. I was really hungry for a sandwich one day and out of desperation decided to give pastrami another shot, but this time on MY terms. My husband, also being a pastrami with mustard kinda guy, was a little skeptical of my creation... until he tried it. Now I get asked to make these all the time, and to be honest... I don't mind :)

6 fresh kaiser rolls or 4 good sub rolls
1 1/2 lbs shaved pastrami
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 medium vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
provolone cheese slices, 1 or 2 per sandwich
Shan's "special" sauce (recipe to follow)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Saute onions in olive oil over low heat until soft and lightly browned. Meanwhile, split the rolls and place cut side down on a hot buttered griddle to toast. When rolls are light toasted remove from the griddle and place the bottom halves on a large cookie sheet. Spread each of the cut sides of the rolls with special sauce. Equally divide shaved pastrami on the roll bottoms and top with sauteed onions and cheese. Place roll tops on the cookie sheet next to the sandwiches (don't top them yet) and place in the oven until the cheese melts, about 1-2 minutes. Top melted cheese with tomato slices and roll top.

Special Sauce

1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp Thai chili garlic sauce
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion salt
2 tsp grated parmesan/romano blend cheese

Mix all together and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using.

My version of Carnitas

2008-08-10T19:01:00.008-04:00

Carnitas are probably my favorite Mexican dish. I'm a little hesitant to order it at restaurants though, as it seems to be difficult to find a Mexican restaurant that makes them fresh. Half the time I end up with over cooked, charred bits of pork that would break teeth and other times the pork tastes as if it's been cooked the day before in old grease and then reheated. So, awhile back I set out to find a recipe I could make at home that I actually liked, after a few combinations and tweaks, this is what I came up with.

2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, quartered
4-5 lbs boneless country style pork ribs
1 jar Goya sofrito
4 cups chicken stock
1 Tbs dried cilantro
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbs hot sauce

Heat olive oil in a large, high sided, heavy skillet, or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add quartered onions and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add boneless ribs, sofrito, chicken stock, spice and hot sauce. Stir all together, cover and simmer for 3 hours or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cut the following into large chunks (seeds removed), place in a large roasting pan and coat ligtly with olive oil:

2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
4 poblano peppers
2 medium onions

Roast vegetables until they start to brown slightly, about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and empty vegetables into a large bowl. Allow to cool slightly. With a knife and fork, cut vegetables into smaller chunks; set aside.

In the same roasting pan, add 1/4 cup of lard or shortening and place the pan back in the 450º oven until fat melts and is hot. Add pork to the hot fat and cook 5 minutes, stir and cook 5 minutes more, until edges of pork and slightly browned and crisp.

Serve with refried beans, roasted onions and peppers, and pico de gallo (my favorite is from The Pioneer Woman). Sometimes I serve this on warm flour tortillas like you would find in the restaurants, sometimes I like it by itself. Feel free to top it with guacamole, sour cream, cheese... whatever you like.

Chicken Marsala

2008-08-10T17:58:00.004-04:00

I love this recipe. It tastes like it took all day to make, but it's easy enough to throw together for a quick weeknight meal.

1 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2" thickness
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter
8oz package of fresh mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock

In a shallow dish combine flour and salt and pepper to taste.

Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet and melt over medium high heat.

Dredge chicken in flour and brown on both sides in hot oil/butter mixture. Set chicken aside and keep warm. Add mushrooms to pan and saute until soft. Add wine and scrape up any brown bits in the pan, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Add chicken stock and bring back to a simmer. Return chicken to pan, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.

Spaghetti Sauce

2008-08-10T14:09:00.003-04:00

I never had jarred spaghetti sauce when I was a kid. In fact my Dad is somewhat famous in our (rather large) family for his sauce, and my Mom made a pretty darn good version of it too. When I moved out on my own and had to resort to jarred sauces, I was not a happy camper. Eventually I talked my Mom into showing me how to make the "real stuff", and with a few tips from my Dad I was on my way! It does take some work, but the recipe makes a LOT of sauce and freezes very well. We usually eat this for a day or two and then I freeze the rest in quart size ziploc freezer bags for later.

I'm going to warn everyone now, my measurements for this are approximate, so if something looks too much or too little for your taste, just use the amount you prefer. This is one of those recipes that really turns out well in many variations, so don't be afraid to make it your own!

Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3-4 Tbs minced garlic
4 6oz cans tomato paste
1 can Campbell's condensed beef broth
28 oz can Progresso tomato puree
28 oz can Progresso crushed tomatoes
1 bottle of red wine (I like Merlot)
2/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsely, chopped (or a few Tbs dried)
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (or a few Tbs dried)
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs accent (optional, don't use if you're sensitive to MSG)
3 Tbs dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion salt
black pepper to taste
2 tsp sugar
2 handfuls grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
few dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 lb beef soup bones
1 package sweet Italian sausage, links cut into 2-3" pieces

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a 5-6 quart heavy saucepan. Saute onions, peppers and garlic over medium low heat until onions are transluscent. Add tomato paste and beef broth, stirring to mix well. Add tomato puree, crushed tomatoes and wine (yes, the WHOLE bottle, stir all together. Stir in remaining ingredients and allow to simmer covered over low heat for 3 to 4 hours being sure to stir well every 20 to 30 minutes. You can adjust seasonings to taste after 2 hours (give the flavors time to develop). When done, remove the bones and discard, set the sausage pieces aside to serve with your meal.

Shepherd's Pie

2008-08-10T13:26:00.003-04:00

I think shepherd's pie is probably one of the ultimate comfort foods. I actually have two versions that I make, one that's a bit more involved and expensive (I'll show you that one soon), and this more traditional, budget friendly version. This is a great dish to make on a Sunday and have for leftovers on a busy weeknight, I think it actually tastes better after a day or two.

You can use any mashed potato recipe you like for this, but for mine I put in a lot of shredded sharp cheddar, half and half and REAL butter. It's worth it, give it a try :) Also, I use a mix of ground beef and lamb, but you can use one or the other.

3-4 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 - 3/4 lb ground lamb
1 clove garlic, minced
4 green onions (white & green parts), sliced
3-4 tablespoons flour
onion salt and garlic salt to taste
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can green peas, drained
mashed potatoes
grated sharp cheddar

Make mashed potatoes the way you normally would, add about 1 cup of the cheese to it, mixing well; keep warm.

In a large skillet, saute the onions and carrots in a little olive or vegetable oil until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the ground lamb and beef and cook until browned. Drain off most of the grease, leaving a little in the pan. Add the flour and continue cooking over medium heat for 2 minutes to cook the flour. Stir in wine, stock, tomato paste and seasonings until well mixed. Add green onions and peas, contiue cooking until mixture thickens to a consistency you like. Pour into a 13x9" glass baking dish, top evenly with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes, or until potatoes begin to brown slightly around the edges. Top with additional cheese for the last 5 minutes of cooking time if desired (or sprinkle with paprika before baking).

Oven Fried Chicken

2008-07-24T18:44:00.004-04:00

I LOVE fried chicken. When I think of making fried chicken though, I almost always come up with a number of reasons not to make it. For starters, it's time consuming and makes a huge mess of the kitchen, then there's that pesky nutrition thing... fried chicken is just plain bad for you. So, it was time to come up with an alternative.

I've always looked at oven fried chicken recipes a little suspiciously, to me they just never looked they would work well or the recipe used bread crumbs, which... well , just reminds me a bit of shake n bake. This week, however, I decided to try one of the recipes I had set aside a while back and give it a shot. Not only was it healthier than fried chicken, it tastes really good and was a whole lot easier and less messy. I was actually very surprised with how well this recipe turned out, it was crispy, flavorful and the coating stayed on! This will now be making regular appearances in our monthly menus as it's quite affordable on top of everything else... WIN WIN WIN!

1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 heaping Tbs whole grain Dijon mustard
1-2 Tbs your favorite hot sauce
12 chicken legs (you can remove the skin to make it healthier, but I left it on)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
cajun seasoning to taste
2 tsp paprika
olive oil cooking spray

Combine buttermilk, mustard and hot sauce in a gallon size zipper top bag, add chicken legs and allow to marinate 2 to 4 hours (you can even let this go overnight if you want).

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a baking rack large enough to hold all of the chicken pieces on it. Spray the rack with olive oil spray.

Mix flour and seasonings in a medium bowl. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess, and coat in flour. Place on prepared rack. Spray chicken pieces with olive oil spray, turn and spray the other sides. Place in oven and bake 40 minutes, turn and continue baking another 15-20 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through.

French Onion Meatloaf

2008-07-22T02:42:00.005-04:00

Ok, no picture this time. I apologize, but no matter how much I tried, I just could not make meatloaf look pretty. I swear, I DID try, but my lack of photography skill and meatloaf's lack of looking attractive wore me out.... and the kids were getting hungry. So... no picture.

Ok, FINE... if you insist on a picture, here's one of my lovely 2 year old princess patiently waiting for me to serve her dinner.

Happy now? Good. Let's continue.

It's has been brought to my attention that, while I'm posting some good recipes, I haven't really broached the subject of how I manage to feed my larger than normal family on a budget. Well, I plan.. A LOT, and part of that planning is to include meals that I can make on my less busy days that can carry over well to another day where time may be a bit more crunched, either as leftovers or a new concoction that includes the leftovers. This French onion meatloaf is an excellent example.

Let me first start by saying that as an adult I haven't been a big fan of meatloaf in general. It's not that I dislike it, or won't eat it, it's just one of those meals that I hated to see come to the table even when I was a kid. It's boring, dry and oh so 60's/70's "what were we thinking when we ate that stuff?". My husband and children, on the other hand, decided to mutiny one day and insist that I make the "stuff", so I had to find a compromise. I searched, and I experimented, and each time I came up short of what either side of the war was looking for. One day I found this recipe. It was so different I had to try it. It's now been my go to recipe for a number of years (so many that I can't remember where I got the original recipe). This makes a large loaf (2lbs), so miracle of miracles... it's a meal I can actually use as leftovers. It reheats well and makes one heck of a meatloaf sandwich too (according to my husband, I personally draw the line at cold meatloaf sandwiches... sorry.)

Give this one a try, you won't be sorry... it's moist, savory and flavorful, and it works just as well with mashed potatoes and peas as your Mom's meatloaf... maybe even better.

French Onion Meatloaf

1 lb hamburger
1 lb pork sausage (any kind you like)
1 medium onion, diced and sauteed until just cooked through
1 sleeve saltine crackers crushed (may add more if it seems too moist)
1 8 oz container of French onion chip dip
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together and form into loaf. Bake at 350ºF for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center reaches 150ºF.

* You can also make this into 2 smaller loaves and freeze.

Baked Rice Pudding

2008-07-06T21:03:00.005-04:00

Rice pudding is normally something I make when the weather gets cooler, but to be honest, the weather rarely gets all that cool in Florida. If there's an advantage to the weather always being warm or hot, it's that there's central air conditioning that works VERY well. Things that many people wouldn't dream of cooking in the summer come out of my kitchen in the middle of July all the time. If I'm craving one of my comfort foods and it's 98ºF outside... it's ok! It's only 70ºF inside and I can cook whatever I want :)

1 1/4 cups cooked rice
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
seeds from 1 soaked vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 325º.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and then pour into an 8x8" baking dish. Place the smaller dish inside a 9x13" baking dish and place on center rack in the oven. Pour cups of water into the larger pan to create a water bath. Bake 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, stir pudding and then continue baking 20 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with homemade whipped cream and another sprinkle of cinnamon.

Garlic Romano Roasted Potatoes

2008-07-06T20:33:00.005-04:00

Potatoes are part of many of our meals in this house. My family loves them in almost every way, shape and form. New potatoes, red potatoes, Yukon golds and russets may end up in potato salad, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, twice baked stuffed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, potato casserole... you get the idea :) And, no matter how many potatoes I cook, I rarely have any leftover for dinner the next night, if they aren't consumed with the meal I made them for, my son WILL finish them as a snack the next day. I can't really complain that my family loves potatoes so much either, they're inexpensive, versatile and easy to prepare.

This is one of our favorites. It's simple and delicious and really bad for you, but... but...YUM!

2 lbs small white new potatoes (you can use the small red ones too if you like)
3 Tbs olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, to taste
2-3 Tbs fresh, flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425º.

Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Cut potatoes in half, or in quarters if they're bigger that about 1 1/2" in diameter, and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat well. Place potatoes cut side up on prepared baking sheet and bake at 425º for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes cut side down and bake another 10 minutes. Check potatoes after 10 minutes, if they're still not tender enough turn them cut side up again and continue cooking another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Melt butter in a small saute pan over low heat. Add garlic and cook just a few minutes, until garlic is mellowed and butter is infused with flavor. Place potatoes in serving dish, pour butter mixture over them, add chopped parsley and grated cheese ; toss to coat well.

ALWAYS make more of these than you think you need... they go fast! :)

Lamb Skewers

2008-07-06T20:07:00.003-04:00

Today was my last day of vacation, so I wanted to do a few things. First, I wanted to relax, and second, I wanted to make a nice meal that wouldn't take a whole lot of work, preferably something for the grill. I had a boneless leg of lamb in the freezer that I'd been drooling over for a week, so lamb skewers it was!

This was our first try at this recipe, and we really enjoyed it. The only thing we may do different next time is to tone down the marinade a bit. I actually like the slight gamey taste that lamb has, and this marinade overpowers it just a bit too much for me. I think next time we'll go with a simpler garlic and white wine marinade.

5 lbs boneless lamb, cut in 1" pieces
6 Tbs Dijon mustard
4 Tbs white wine vinegar
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dry rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
assorted vegetables, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc

Mix together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, sage, oregano and garlic. Add marinade to cubed lamb in a large ziploc bag or bowl. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.

Alternate marinated lamb and vegetables on stainless steel skewers, or wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 1 hour. Grill over medium high heat about 6 minutes per side for medium doneness.

Clams Casino

2008-07-06T19:46:00.003-04:00

One of the advantages of growing up on the New England coast was the seafood. In the summer clams were a staple. Whether it was my grandmother's clam chowder at a family picnic or steamers on a night when my parents just felt like eating outside... we ate a LOT of clams back then.

Now that I live in Florida, I can still get some of those New England clams, but it comes at a slightly steeper price these days, so I tend to reserve the clam consumption for days like the 4th of July. On Thursday I stopped by the best seafood market in town (best because they fly clams and lobster in daily from New England) and picked up some beautiful steamers and chowder clams, as well as some Florida little necks. On Friday, we had a clam feast... Rhode Island style chowder, steamers with drawn butter and... these wonderful little things. This is my father's recipe for clams casino.

1/2 stick butter
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 doz small hard shell clams (like little necks)
Italian style bread crumbs (optional)
8 slices of bacon, partially cooked and cut into 1" pieces

Preheat broiler.

Melt butter over low heat in a small pan. Add chopped peppers, onions and garlic and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, just until vegetables are tender crisp. Set aside to cool.

Pour about 1/2" of kosher salt on a baking pan large enough to hold all the clams. Shuck fresh clams over a large bowl to catch the liquid. Discard top half of the shell and place bottom half with the clam onto the salt (this will keep the clams straight, and keep them from spilling the butter). Spoon a little of the butter and vegetable mixture into each clam shell and top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and partially cooked bacon.

Place clams under broiler, about 6 inches from the heat and broil about 4 minutes, or just until the bacon crisps up. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cuban Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce

2008-06-30T10:31:00.006-04:00

I'm from New England and really consider that to be home, but in reality I've lived in FL longer than anywhere else (over 17 years now). When I first moved here I'll admit to being less than impressed with the food offerings, but then I was 19 and just being stubborn. I've really never been a picky eater, my father was a chef and my mother an excellent cook, so if there's any pickiness to my taste, it's just for quality ingredients and well prepared foods. I slowly warmed to the local cuisine and discovered Cuban food... that was it... I fell in love.

Before anyone comments that churrasco and chimichurri are not Cuban in origin, let me just say that I am aware of that. It's Argentinian or Brazilian, depending on the type of churrasco we're talking about, but the Cubans happen to have a very good version of it also, and that's what I have here today. The 2 main differences are in the marinade for the meat and the fact that the Cuban version of chimichurri contains cilantro as opposed to the traditional flat leaf parsley. I actually like to use a combination of both parsley and cilantro, but you can use either one.

And yes, those are roasted potatoes again, not very traditional, but we love them :)

Marinate 3 to 6 lbs of skirt or plate steak in the following for 8 to 24 hours:

10 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour orange juice*
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mash the garlic and salt into a paste using mortar and pestle or on a cutting board with the side of a knife. Stir in the juice, oil,onion and oregano.

*You can find bottled sour orange juice, or naranja agria, in the latin section of most grocery stores, but if not just use equal parts fresh lime and orange juice.

Remove the steaks and marinade from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to grill them. Grill over a VERY hot fire for about 4 minutes per side for medium rare (recommended doneness for this meat). The fire should be hot enough that you can't hold your hand over it for more than a few seconds, this will allow you to get a nice char on the meat.

Remove from the grill and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Slice thinly on a diagonal across the grain and serve with chimichurri sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce

3-6 cloves garlic (to taste)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
juice of one lime
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1-2 Tbs chopped jalapeños (I use the jarred ones)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Put everything except the oil in a blender and pulse until you have a thick mixture. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the olive oil, you don't want to do this in the blender, it will emulsify. Taste and add more salt, pepper, vinegar and lime juice as desired.

Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing

2008-06-22T18:15:00.006-04:00

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that are new and different. When I saw a recipe for this salad I copied it and set it aside to try later. Later turned out to be several years, but it was definitely worth it! The first time I tried it was last weekend to bring to my company picnic, and I was sorry I didn't keep it home! A few people have asked me for the recipe, and it made a perfect side dish for the ribs we had for dinner tonight... so here it is. Enjoy!

3 pounds small red or white creamer potatoes,washed and cut in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped, crisp bacon (I cheated and used pre-cooked)
2 cups chopped green onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons country style or whole grain Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet with olive oil.

Place cut potatoes in a large bowl and add olive oil, pepper, creole seasoning and salt. Toss gently with your hands until potatoes are evenly coated. Pour onto cookie sheet and place in preheated oven.

After 15 minutes turn the potatoes and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Potatoes should be golden brown and cooked through. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix mustard, mayonnaise, honey and vinegar. Add onions, garlic, bacon and potatoes, mixing well to coat. Mix in chopped parsley last and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Prime Rib with Roasted Potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings

2008-06-21T18:53:00.008-04:00

I love my Mom. Have I mentioned that before? Last week she stopped by and gave me a rib roast... yep, just gave it to me. How can you not love her? This is a fairly small one, but in this case that was perfect since we were missing a kid tonight (another thing I love my Mom for... sleepovers at HER house!). I'll include the cooking times for larger roasts as well though.

When buying prime rib, a good rule of thumb is to figure on about 1 rib per two people. If possible have the butcher cut the bone off the bottom and tie it back on. You should ALWAYS cook prime rib with the bone. If you can't get the bone cut off it's no big deal, it's fairly easy to cut off after cooking.

Ok, so let's start with the roast and potatoes. I started with a 4 1/2 lb 2 bone roast, about 25 or so small white creamer potatoes, 4 medium onions, a little olive oil and salt and pepper. The roast should be close to room temp, so be sure to take it out of the fridge around 2 hours before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Lightly brush the roast with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. You can also use any herbs you like. Wash and scrub the potatoes and coat lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Peel the onions, cut in half and light coat these with olive oil as well. Place the roast bone side down in a large roasting pan and scatter the potatoes and onions around it.

Place the pan in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to 325ºF and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. After the second 15 minutes the potatoes should be nicely browned and cooked through. Remove them with a slotted spoon and cover to keep warm.

Return the roast to the oven and continue cooking until it reaches about 120º internal temperature for medium rare or 130º for medium. Check the roast with a meat thermometer after about 30 more minutes for a 2 rib roast (total cooking times for other sizes will follow). Once the roast reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the oven and tent with foil for at least 20 minutes. It will continue cooking and reach the correct doneness.

Now, pour most of the drippings out of the roasting pan into a heat proof measuring cup. Increase the oven temperature to 425º. Pour about 1 tsp of the fat into each cup of a 6 cup muffin pan. Place pan in the oven to heat the fat for about 3 minutes. In the meantine, mix 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of whole milk, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp salt and a dash each of garlic and onion powder until smooth. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and quickly pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the hot fat. Return the pan to the oven and cook until the Yorkshire puddings are puffed and golden brown.

If you're feeling really ambitious you can deglaze the roasting pan with a little red wine and use this as a base to make a really nice au jus. Just make a roux with the wine/fat mixture and add beef stock. Cook until it thickens up. You probably won't even need to season it as the pan mixture will contain some salt and pepper from seasoning the roast.

Cooking times (the times include the first 15 minutes at 500º, so keep that in mind. Begin checking the temp of your roast about 30 miunutes before the end cooking time and continue checking every 15 minutes after that. If you have an oven proof meat thermometer you can keep an eye on the temp through the oven window, which will allow the meat to cook faster since you're not opening the oven all the time. Just be sure the thermometer is not touching the bone and is as close to the center of the roast as possible).

2 rib roast (4 - 5 lbs) - 70 minutes
3 rib roast (6 - 7 lbs) - 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours
4 rib roast (9 - 10.5 lbs) - 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours
5 rib roast (11 - 13.5 lbs) - 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours
6 rib roast (14 - 16 lbs) - 3 to 3 1/4 hours

Enjoy!

General Tso's Chicken

2008-06-01T19:09:00.001-04:00

This is one of those dishes that I make when I want to impress company, or when I want a favor from someone I know :) It's also the one meal my husband and kids ask me to make most often. Sure, it's a bit time consuming, but once you get the process down you can really get it done in under an hour. On days when I'm really in the mood to spend the day in kitchen (honest, I have lots of days like that!), I serve this with homemade egg rolls and fried rice. Other days I send hubby over to the take-out place down the street for those sides (hey, as Pioneer Woman would say, I'm just keeping it real here). Fresh steamed broccoli also goes well with this, but in all honesty, you don't have to stick to traditional sides... serve it with some rice-a-roni if you like.

Here's the recipe to serve 6:

3 Tbs cornstarch
3 large eggs
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
oil or shortening for deep frying

Heat oil in deep fryer (I use a deep electric skillet with enough oil to cover the chicken pieces) to 275ºF. If you're using boneless breasts, cut each breast half into 2 or 3 large pieces, pounding the thicker pieces out a bit so all the pieces will cook evenly. You can leave boneless thighs whole.

Whisk the cornstarch and eggs together to make batter. The batter will be very thin, only slightly thicker than the beaten eggs alone. Dip each chicken piece in the batter and place 3 or 4 at a time in oil. I know you may be thinking that I still haven't caught my mistake on the oil temperature, but it wasn't a mistake (come on now, my typing isn't THAT bad!). Let the chicken cook until the coating just turns white and sets slightly, about 1 minute. Remove the chicken pieces to a paper towel lined plate. They should look like this:

This is called velveting the chicken. You can skip this step if you're pressed for time or if you're just feeling lazy that day, but it really does help keep the chicken (especially the breast meat) from getting tough.

Once all the chicken pieces are done, increase the heat to 375ºF (ahh THERE'S the temp you were looking for earlier!). It's going to take that oil a bit to come up to temperature, so while we're waiting let's make the sauce.

3 Tbs cornstarch
3 Tbs sugar
2 1/2 Tbs rice vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 Tbs chile garlic sauce (or to taste)
1 bunch green onions (white and green parts) chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
4-16 small dried red chile peppers(keep whole)
2-3 Tbs honey
2-3 Tbs sweet and sour sauce

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornstarch through chili garlic sauce, mixing well. The sauce will be cloudy.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat about 1 Tbs of oil over medium heat. Saute the dried chiles until the start to blacken. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green onions and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the sauce mixture again, and then add to the pan, stirring constantly. The sauce will start out cloudy:

But as it cooks, it will thicken and become a bit translucent, looking more like the General Tso's sauce you're familiar with:

Once this happens, add the honey and sweet and sour sauce to taste (you can also adjust the heat at this point by adding more chili garlic sauce), turn the heat off and go back to the chicken. Fry the chicken pieces in hot oil until golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes more.

Once all of the chicken is browned, add it to the sauce. Return the pan to medium low heat and simmer the chicken in the sauce about 5 minutes.

Serve each chicken piece with a spoonful of sauce... and if you really want to mess with your kids... some chopsticks :)

Ultimate BLT

2008-05-28T21:55:00.000-04:00

I was browsing some other food blogs this week when I came across a post for a blogger's ultimate BLT. I began thinking, what makes an ULTIMATE BLT? A BLT is such a simple sandwich by pure definition, bacon, lettuce and tomato on bread. Really though, it is the sandwich of sandwiches, a favorite to all (at least I don't personally know anyone who doesn't like a BLT... I mean, really... it has bacon... how can anyone not like something that has BACON??). I looked around the web and found quite a few definitions of the ultimate BLT, some fairly normal and some a little out there (uhh... hold the pears on my sandwich please). I decided that even though I'm normally willing to try the latest and greatest, I would stick to my ultimate, and here it is:

Homemade peasant bread, sliced thick and lightly toasted (recipe to follow)
homemade chili garlic mayonnaise (recipe to follow)
LOTS of bacon (just trust me on this, make more than you think you need)*
fresh, vine ripe tomatoes, sliced
lettuce (any kind you want, I like romaine or iceburg on mine)
chopped jalapeño peppers

Pile on the bacon, lettuce and tomato, and be sure to give both slices of bread a good slathering of the homemade mayo. As my husband says, it may seem impossible, but this simple sandwich tastes even better than it looks.

*If you're like me, have someone else cook the bacon for you. I'm just not capable of cooking bacon, well... I'm CAPABLE... but there's usually not much left when I'm done "cooking". Hubby has much better self control at this task than I do. I'm of the mind that if I have to stand here and be splattered with little droplets of super hot grease, then I should get to enjoy the spoils of my labor IMMEDIATELY. So yeah... I don't cook the bacon in this house.

Peasant Bread

(I also don't bake, the bread machine is my friend).

1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Light or Medium Crust cycle; press Start. For a crispier crust, use the French cycle or turn machine off after first rise and start the cycle over.

Chili Garlic Mayonnaise

This is just SO much better with homemade mayonnaise, but store bought will work in a pinch, or if raw eggs are a problem for you.

1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1 Tbs Chili Garlic Sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all of the above together and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Banana Pie

2008-05-24T13:26:00.000-04:00

I'm not a baker. I actually loathe baking, to me it's boring and far too exact. But, it seemed a shame to have a food blog with no yummy desserts (I don't loathe eating baked goods, trust me!). Luckily, my husband is an excellent baker and truly enjoys it. It's only fair that I share my space with him... so may I present Disney Inn's Peanut Butter and Banana Pie, from the Cooking with Mickey Around Our World cookbook.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup milk
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 Tbs butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup whipped topping, or heavy cream, whipped
1 9-inch graham cracker pie shell
2 small bananas, sliced into 1/8" thick slices

Soak gelatin in cold water. Set aside

In saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold milk. Stir in remaining milk, sugar and butter. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add hot mixture to eggs, stirring well. Return egg mixture to saucepan; cook and stir until thickened (do not boil).

Remove from heat, add gelatin, stiurring until dissolved. Blend in peanut butter. Chill until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half of filling intp ie shell. Add bananas and top with remaining filling. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with chocolate sauce and additional whipped topping.

Lobster Bisque: Heaven in a Bowl

2008-05-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

It's a little ironic that my first post is lobster bisque. There was a time when culinary achievement for me was not burning something in my crockpot, my how things have changed! This really isn't a difficult recipe, but it is a bit involved and time consuming.... keeping that in mind, please know that you will not be sorry with the investment. Ok, let's get started!

Meet my friends Ethel and Fred! They're each about a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half.

We're just going to let them hang out in the sink and say their goodbyes while we bring a large pot of water to a boil. When I say a large pot, I mean LARGE. I used an 18 qt stockpot that was about 2/3 full.

Once the water is boiling, take your friends and just drop 'em in head first. Seriously... just drop 'em in... it's ok... you can do it. Once the water returns to a boil, let them cook about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, fish out your little buddies and let them cook in a strainer in the sink until they're cool enough to work with. This may take a little longer than you think. Keep in mind that when you crack Fred and Ethel apart they'll be full of hot liquid... so if you think they're cool enough, give it another 10 or 15 minutes. While you're waiting, go ahead and cut a few carrots, some celery, garlic and onions into large chunks and throw them into the water in your stockpot. Turn the heat back on to high til it starts boiling again, then turn the heat down and let it begin simmering.

Now it's time to clean the lobsters. To start, separate the claws and tail from the body, just twist them right off.

The easiest way to remove the meat from the tail is to slice down the middle of the underside shell and then just pry it open with your hands. The meat will come right out in one piece.

Now for the claws. The best way I've found to crack lobster claws is to place the blade of a heavy knife on the flatter side of the claw and hit the top of the knife gently with your hand. This makes a crack in the shell and you can then just break it in half. When the claw meat is exposed, go ahead and grab the smaller claw and pull it out, this will remove the cartilage holding the meat in the claw.

Set the meat aside in the fridge until later. If you want you can go ahead and chop it now, but we don't really need to do that until later. Take the bodies and the shells and put them in your stockpot with the veggies you started simmering earlier. Let the stock simmer for at least 2 hours, I usually let mine cook down for around 3 hours. Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. What you'll have when you're done is a wonderful lobster stock that you can use in many seafood dishes. The great thing is that you won't need it all for this recipe, so put the leftover stock in ziploc freezer bags in 2 cup servings and freeze for later use. Just save 1 1/2 cups for this recipe. All of the above can be done a day or two ahead.

Ok, now let's make some bisque!

Start by melting 1/2 cup of butter in a large, heavy sauce pan. Stir in 1 Tbs of sweet paprika and then whisk in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour until smooth. This is what you'll start with:

and this is what you want to end up with:

Keep whisking this over medium low heat for about 3 minutes to cook the flour. Next, get some of this (I usually find it in the soup aisle of the grocery store with the rest of the bouillon):

Measure out 1/4 cup and slowly dilute by pouring in a little of the reserved stock at a time. Trust me, do this slowly or you'll end up with a clumpy mess. Go ahead and mix in 1/4 cup of cream sherry, then slowly whisk the sherry/stock mixture into your roux until well combined.

Next add in 4 cups of whole milk in the same manner, whisking it in slowly.

Heat this mixture through and add in 2 Tbs brandy and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar (start with a 1/4 cup and then add to taste from there). Finish off your bisque with 1/2 cup of heavy cream and your chopped lobster meat. Now comes the hard part... trying not to eat it all before you get it to the table :) Enjoy!