Tuscan Chicken Stew

I didn't do very well this week with sticking to my planned menu.  I got lazy mid week and just grabbed something in the pantry to eat - like Mac N Cheese.

Tonight though, I decided to make Tuscan Chicken Stew - which was a selected recipe for this week.  I had, apparently, not shopped well enough last Sunday and was missing some ingredients. So I punted. Though I don't think my "changes" were all that significant to the overall flavor of the stew.

It's from a cookbook I bought a life time ago called "How To Boil Water". There used to be a show on the Food Network called the same thing and this was their cookbook.  The recipes in this cookbook are broken down so even a 5 YO could figure them out.  They're simple, tried and true recipes that do not disappoint.

Tuscan Chicken Stew
Recipe from How to Boil Water
Serves 4

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
• 1 can cannellini beans (15.5oz), drained and rinsed
• 8 bone in skinless chicken thighs (I didn't have chicken so I used some beef stew meat I had)
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 large sprig rosemary or 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (I didn't have the rosemary so I went for the Italian seasoning).
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1/2 c dry red wine
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (14oz can) - I used Fire roasted tomatoes...yum.
• 3/4 c chicken broth
• 1 head escarole or 4 cups baby spinach (yah not a fan of cooked escarole or spinach so I opted out of this ingredient. I did have a nice spinach salad to go along side it though.)
• 1/2 c freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Chop the onion, smash or mince the garlic and drain/rinse the beans. Set aside

Heat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken down with paper towels. Add the oil to the Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add chicken skin side down, and brown, in batches if necessary, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. (I browned the beef in my version to get the yummy dark bits on the bottom of the pan for later.)

Reduce the heat to medium, add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and seasoning.  Cook, stirring until onions are slightly soft. Add tomato paste and cook until brick red, about 1 minute.

Add wine and deglaze the pan. Let it reduce until it's about a syrup consistency. Add beans, tomatoes, and chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a boil.  Nestle the chicken pieces back into the pan and any juices as well. Cook for 20 more minutes.

Trim the escarole and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. (If you're using spinach there's no need to do this.) Wash the escarole or spinach and drain. Add greens to the stew, cooking only until wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in shallow bowls.

Hearty Beef and Barley Stew

Once in a while I am taken back by a recipe...mostly because I planned ahead to make it but didn't read the recipe before. This was one of those recipes.

Turned out this was what I like to call a "round two" meal. Meaning you're using leftover meat or something to make another dish.  Had I read the recipe I would have known I needed to make a pot roast before making this stew. 

Regardless I made the stew. I adjusted it to be what I had purchased and left out all the parts about leftovers.  I've put the recipe how it appears in the cookbook and have also added the pot roast recipe this one builds from.  You'll see my notes here and there with my adjustments.

This was also the first time I've ever used barley. That was interesting. My first attempt I didn't pay attention and all the water evaporated and I had some burned barley. Luckily I had enough to make another batch.

Hearty Beef and Barley Stew
Serves 2

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms, re hydrated in 1/2 c water, then minced, re hydrating liquid strained and reserved. [Jenn note: I'm not a fan of porcini mushrooms so I used regular old button mushrooms]
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme
• 2 1/4 c water [Jenn Note: I used just 2 cups of water and 2 cups beef broth because I didn't have the pot roast sauce.]
• 1 c pot roast sauce (see pot roast recipe below) [Jenn note: didn't use this see note above.]
• 3/4 c pot roast garnish (see pot roast recipe below)[Jenn note: didn't use this since the garnish wasn't that interesting to me.]
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 c instant barley (instant barley is also called quick barley)
• 10 oz cooked pot roast (see pot roast recipe below) [Jenn note: used 1 lb stew meat.]
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Combine oil, mushrooms, tomato paste and thyme in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the reserved porcini liquid, water, pot roast sauce, pot roast garnish, carrots and barley. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the carrots and barley are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the pot roast and cook until heated through. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Jenn's way:
I browned my meat first. Set it aside and then followed the mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste, and thyme from above. I deglazed with a cup of wine (the pot roast recipe calls for wine so I figured I'd add that flavor in). Once that had reduced, I put the meat back in and my beef broth and water. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes give or take.

I also couldn't find quick barley so had to cook my barley separately. I added it once it was cooked.

French Style Pot Roast Recipe
Serves 2

1 boneless chuck eye roast, pulled apart into 2 pieces, trimmed (about 3.5 to 4 lbs)

• Salt and pepper
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped medium
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 T flour
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 2/3 c low sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 c low sodium beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 1/2 inch thick

Garnish

• 2 c frozen pearl onions
• 1/2 c water
• 3 T butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 oz white mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved
• 1 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 300 F. Pat the roast dry and season with salt and pepper. Tie kitchen twine around each piece of meat so it won't fall apart. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the meat on all sides, reduce heat if pot starts to scorch.

Remove meat and set aside.

Pour off all the fat left in the pot, add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. About 10 minutes.  Stir in the onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until softened 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme, cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Slowly whisk in the wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. It should reduce to about 2 1/2 cups of liquid.

Stir in the broths and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Nestle the meat back in, along with any accumulated juices, and return to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven.  cook for 2 hours, flipping the meat halfway through cooking.

Stir in the carrots and continue to cook in the oven, covered until the meat is tender for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, flipping the meat once.

For the garnish: meanwhile combine the frozen pearl onions, water, butter, sugar and salt in a 12 inch nonstick skillet.  Cover and cook over medium high heat stirring often until onions are fully thawed and tender, about 10 minutes.  Uncover, and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are dark brown and well glazed, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the meat to a carving board and tent loosely with foil. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and set aside. Using a wide spoon, skim off any fat that rises to the surface of the sauce.  Bring to a simmer over med-high heat and cook until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove twine from meat, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4 inch slices and transfer to a serving platter. Stir the carrots and garnish into the sauce and rewarm over medium heat. Spoon the sauce and vegetables over the meat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Phew! That's a lot of work.

Grilled Beef and Vegetable Kebabs

Kebabs are standard grill fare.  And are one of my favorite things to make with beef and chicken.  When I have a marinade recipe, I'll often cube the meat and marinade it that way. More meat surface gets the marinade, then I put them on skewers and grill. Yum.

This recipe was super, SUPER easy and flavorful. The marinade is a very common marinade and is used a lot in grilling recipes.

I adjusted the vegetables of this recipe since I'm not a fan of bell peppers. I used zucchini instead. Just as colorful and just as tasty - in my opinion.

Grilled Beef and Vegetable Kebabs

Serves 2

• 1/3 c olive oil
• 1/4 c soy sauce (I use low sodium soy sauce for cooking. It allows me to control the sodium.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lb steak tips, poked all over with a fork and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks (I used zucchini here)
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 5 ounces white mushrooms, stemmed

Mix oil, soy, garlic and pepper together in a large microwave safe bowl. Measure 1/4 c of the soy sauce mixture and transfer to a large zip loc bag.  Add steak tips to the marinade, turn to coat.  Marinade steak tips in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Add bell pepper, onion and mushrooms to the bowl with the remaining marinade and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

Microwave the vegetables on high until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent at the edges, 3-5 minutes, stirring half way through.  Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl (be careful of steam) and set aside until the meat is finished marinating.

Jenn Note: Needless to say I did not cook my vegetables in a microwave.  I did marinate them, but I didn't want to precook them and I just grilled them with the meat. Turned out fine.

Thread the meat and vegetables onto skewers, starting and ending with meat.  It makes about 4 12 inch skewers. Grill to your desired doneness.

Chicken Vesuvio

I debate every time I come across a recipe I didn't particularly like as to whether I should or shouldn't post it. And almost every time I decide to post it in case one of my few readers will like it.

This was one of those recipes. It was good, but not great! At least to me.

Chicken Vesuvio
Serves 2

• 1/4 c flour
• 2 (6-8oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tsp olive oil
• 12 oz red potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh oregano, or 1/4tsp dried
• 1 tsp minced rosemary, or 1/4 tsp dried
• 1 c low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 1/2 c frozen peas, thawed
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, 6-8 minutes, flipping the breasts halfway through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Wipe out the skillet with a wad of paper towels. Heat the remaining 2 tsp in skillet until shimmering. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, oregano, rosemary and 1/8 tsp salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth and wine, scraping the bottom of the pan of the little brown bits. Nestle the chicken along with any accumulated juice, into the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken registers 160 to 165, 12 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken half way through.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm.  Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is thickened slightly, 5-7 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the platter with the chicken. Off heat, stir in the peas, butter and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve.

Tortellini with Peas and Prosciutto

Every year, the Thursday before the Breast Cancer 3 day, I do a "carb loading" dinner for my team.  Truth be told, I "carb load" all year for them. As a former walker changed into Walker Stalker, I need my energy.

This year I chose to make Tortellini with Peas and Prosciutto. Its simple and delicious. Just like I like it.

Tortellini with Peas and Prosciutto

Serves 4

• 1 lb meat filled tortellini (I couldn't find any meat filled so I used 3 cheese)
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 4 oz prosciutto or pancetta, finely chopped (I used pancetta for this recipe because it's what I had on hand. You could even use bacon if that's what you have on hand.)
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1 c Frozen peas
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook as the label directs.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and prosciutto and cook until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Ladle in about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and simmer until reduced by about half, 3-4 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.

About 2 minutes before the tortellini are done add the peas to the boiling water and cook until just tender. Drain the tortellini and peas and add to the skillet, tossing to coat with the sauce. Stir in the parsley and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Baked Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

I've been very lax at getting recipes up on this site. So pardon me while I get caught up.

The Not Quite Newlyweds had child #2, Baby B.  I offered to bring them dinner and meet Baby B and they hopped on that offer. 

I wanted to make something Baby B's big brother would eat and was simple, but scrumptious. Lasagna came to mind. I have a few recipes, some take almost all day, and I wanted to try a new one. I rummaged through my recipes and found this one. It was quite tasty and super easy.

I'm not a fan of ricotta cheese so this was the perfect lasagna for me.

Baked Lasagna with béchamel Sauce
Serves 8-10

bolognas sauce (I used my favorite Bolognese sauce that you can find here. I had made some over the weekend so I had some left over for the lasagna.)

• 12-16 fresh egg lasagna sheets or dried lasagna (I can never find fresh lasagna sheets so I used the no cook sheets that are now available).
• 1 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 T butter

For the béchamel sauce:

• 3 c milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp nutmeg (the recipe actually calls for mace blades. I had no idea what those were, but Google helped me determine they are part of the nutmeg plant.  I couldn't find mace blades so went for just nutmeg.)
• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c flour
• salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the Bolognese sauce per that recipe. Butter a large lasagna pan. 

To make the béchamel sauce:
Gently heat the milk with the bay leave and nutmeg in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a medium heave based saucepan. Add the flour and mix well with a wire whisk. Cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the bay leaf from the milk. Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture and whisk constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it thicken. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lasagna prep:
Depending on the type of noodles you use, you may need to cook your pasta. I used no-cook noodles so I hopped right into putting the lasagna together.

To assemble:
Spread a large spoonful of Bolognese to bottom of the pan. Spread it evenly.  You may need a second spoon full depending on the size of pan you're using. You're looking for a nice even layer of sauce for the first noodles to rest on.

Arrange a layer of pasta, overlaying the edges.
Spoon over the béchamel sauce over the layer of noodles. Evenly spread the sauce.
Spoon over Bolognese; evenly spread the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Repeat that another layer or two, depending, again, on the size of your dish. END with Bolognese and Parmesan on the top of the lasagna.

Bake at 400for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it's bubbly. Put it on a cookie sheet though, learn from my mistakes.  Take it out and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Sit back and enjoy.

Smokey Indoor Ribs

On my other blog I wrote a post about my dad being the master of BBQ ribs. We used to joke that the rib recipe was my dowry.  At least I think we were joking.

Anyhow, I thought I'd try my hand at ribs for the September Sunday dinner. Boy am I glad I did.

These ribs are FANTASTIC!  Incredibly flavorful, sticky and tender. It does take about 3 hours to make, but low and slow is the answer for these babies.

So don't be afraid. Go out, buy some pork ribs and have yourself a feast.

Photo by Cook's Country

Smokey Indoor Ribs
Recipe from Cook's Country Oct/Nov 2011
Serves 4-6

Ribs braising mixture:

• 2T instant espresso powder
• 2T liquid smoke (I used the hickory flavor)
• 1T salt
• 2 racks (about 2.5 to 3 lbs) pork spareribs

BBQ Sauce:

• 1T vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 1T smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 c cider vinegar
• 3/4 c dark corn syrup
• 3/4 c ketchup
• 1/2 c molasses
• 2T brown mustard
• 1T hot sauce
• 1T instant espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

For the ribs braising liquid:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300F.  Bring 3 cups water, and ingredients for the ribs braising mixture to a boil in a saucepan. Pour mixture into large roasting pan. Place ribs,meat side down, in liquid. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

For BBQ Sauce:
Meanwhile, make the BBQ sauce. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt to taste.  Cook until softened, about 5minutes.  Add paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the remaining ingredients for BBQ sauce EXCEPT liquid smoke. Let it come to a simmer. Let it simmer and reduce down for about 50 to 60 minutes. The mixture should be thick and sticky.

When it's reduced, stir in the liquid smoke. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Reserve 1/2 cup sauce for serving.

Remove ribs from the roasting pan and transfer, meat side up, to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; discard braising liquid.

Brush both sides of ribs with sauce. Bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush meat side with BBQ sauce every 30 minutes.

When done, pull from the oven and let stand for 30 minutes. Brush them one last time with reserve BBQ sauce. (or do what I did, I cut them after they sat for 30  minutes, and then brushed them with the BBQ sauce.)

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I have no idea how long I've had this recipe. (I really need to start dating them when I add them to my treasure chest of recipes.)  Beef and Broccoli is one of my favorite dishes to order when I'm at a Chinese restaurant. All too often, though, they use MSG to help the flavor along.  Trying to avoid MSG, I avoid this dish.

Then I discovered the little packets of Beef and Broccoli sauce that you can buy in the grocery store. Just add water and soy sauce and you're good to go.  Turns out those packets are a bit too salty for me (and I use low sodium soy sauce).

So I've been on the hunt for a good, easy and tasty been and broccoli.

This recipe was all of the above. Easy, flavorful and had a nice balance of flavors in it. I only made one small modification and that was I didn't put my broccoli in until very last because I like crisp broccoli not soggy, gross, not quite green broccoli. BLECH!

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Courtesy of  - I have no idea where I got this recipe
Serves 6

• 1/2 c soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 lbs top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium heads of broccoli
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry (I tend to pat my beef dry before stir frying since moisture will cause it to boil at times). Cook for about 2 minutes and transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining oil, add onion and stir fry for 5 minutes. Cut broccoli into florets and add to skillet with 1/2 c water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. (I didn't add the water and simmer. I just skipped this step because I knew the sauce I'd be adding would cook the broccoli enough.)

Return beef to skillet and add soy sauce mixture; add ginger. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

If you've been keeping up on this blog, you know two things, 1) I'm no fan of green peppers and 2) I'm no fan of dark meat.

Because of fact #2 I modified this recipe to be Teriyaki Chicken Breasts Kebabs.  I like the kebab idea when chicken is being marinated.  The cubed chicken allows more parts of the chicken meat to touch the marinade or in this case the teriyaki sauce. (I spilled some of the teriyaki sauce on the cookbook and even as I sit here I can smell it and my mouth is watering.)

I love teriyaki. I especially love a thick, rich teriyaki sauce. THIS recipe is just that. A thick, flavorful, and easy recipe for teriyake.  I've put the recipe as it appears in the cookbook below and have added my "flair" to it.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Recipe from Tyler Florence
Serves 6

Teriyaki Sauce:

• 1 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 c grapefruit juice
• 1/4 c hoisin sauce
• 1/4 c ketchup
• 1/4 c rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 c light brown sugar
• 2 fresh red chiles, halved (Jenn note: When I do this again I'll use red pepper flakes. I didn't get too much heat from the red pepper I used.)
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife

Chicken Wings:

• 2 dozen chicken wings, about 31/4 pounds, rinsed and patted dry (Jenn Note: I used 2 chicken breasts cubed and skewered).
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish (Jenn Note: didn't bother with this)
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish (Jenn Note: didn't bother with this)

Prepare the teriyaki sauce by combining the soy sauce, grapefruit juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, chiles, garlic, and ginger in a pot. Bring to a slow boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F.  (Jenn Note: OR if you're going to BBQ them, like I did, start your grill up)

Season the chicken wings generously with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken wings in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the skin gets crispy. With tongs, dip the wings in the teriyaki sauce and return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to glaze. An impressive presentation is to serve these chicken wings family style; arrange them on a large platter, pour the remaining sauce over them and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Don't forget the wet naps!

Quick Coq au Vin

This was a Rachael Ray 30  minute meal that I've had on my list for, gosh, almost 7 years.  It got plucked out of the snifter and made.

It was very flavorful and super easy to make.  If you like Coq au Vin but don't want to wait hours for it to cook, try this recipe. It does not disappoint.

Quick Coq au Vin
Recipe from Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals
Serves 4 to 6

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch fresh thyme leaves
• 3-4 T. tomato paste

Cut the chicken into large pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper to taste. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan.

Add mushrooms, garlic, and onions to pan. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red wine and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken broth and stir to combine. Return chicken to the pan and stir to combine. Sprinkle thyme over the chicken mixture.

Bring to a boil. Stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve over hot egg noodles.

Trailer Trash Pot Roast

My dad's favorite meal is pot roast. He, and mom, can make a mean pot roast. Me, not so much.  I'm not sure how I can dry out a pot roast, but I have been quite successful at that.

THIS recipe however, was simple, delicious and my pot roast wasn't dry at all. 

I found this recipe off my new favorite food blog: Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy.  I just love the name and love all the recipes she's posted out there. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Cajun Fettuccine

So I had the Landlords over on Friday night to celebrate our one year since we all went on the Alaska cruise. You'd think I'd do something like salmon, but instead I had this fantastic recipe I had made once before in my mind. This one. Only I didn't realize that was the name of it and made the recipe below instead.  BIG DIFFERENCE.

This recipe wasn't as flavorful at all. In fact, lacked a great deal in flavor. I'm bummed that I got confused because I think the Landlords and Blueberry would have really liked the other one.

I made one almost pizza ordering mistake. The recipe calls to add an egg yolk to the heavy cream and chicken broth. I added the whole egg on accident. When I added that mixture to the hot pan, I had scrambled eggs. I'm sure it would have tasted fine, but it looked gross.  I dumped, well strained, the whole thing. Cleaned off the sausage and started all over again.

On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being AWESOME. This was a one.

Cajun Fettuccine
Serves 6

• 3/4 lb fettuccine
• 3/4 lb kielbasa, sliced (I used linguisa sausage instead)
• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
• 1/4 c sherry
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1/3 c chicken broth
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1/3 c Parmesan, grated
• 1 T unsalted butter
• Sliced scallions

Cook fettuccine according to package directions; drain.

Sauté kielbasa in oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until brown. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cayenne; cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze with sherry and simmer until nearly evaporated.  Whisk cream, broth and yolk together. Add it to the pan along with pasta and peas. Bring to a simmer, stir in the Parmesan, and cook until thick.

Finish with butter and scallions.

Holy Crap These are Amazing Cookies

I'm not sure how I stumbled on to this blog, but I'm so glad I did. Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy is it's name. It's an awesome cooking site.  Anyhow, these cookies were one of her recipes and I decided to make them for a dinner party I had on Friday night. Turns out these are AMAZING cookies. Amazingly delicious, and amazingly easy.

Make them. You won't regret it.

The only change to the recipe I made was I didn't drizzle with chocolate. I had some chocolate issues that weren't good, so I decided to pass on that action.

Photo by Sticky, Gooey,
Creamy, Chewy

Holy Crap These are Amazing Cookies
Recipe from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

• 1 c sugar
• 1 c corn syrup
• 1 jar (18 oz ounce) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (I like creamy.)
• 6 c corn flakes
• 3 ounces good quality chocolate of your choice (I used Scharffen Berger Semisweet 62%.)

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil.

Remove from heat and stir in the whole jar of peanut butter. Mix well.

Add corn flakes to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over corn flakes and mix well, taking care to coat all of the corn flakes.

With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out and form into 1-2 inch balls, depending on your preference, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.

When cooled, eat these cookies with reckless abandon. Be careful, though. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt!

Hungarian Style Shepherd's Pie

Every once in awhile a super easy and super delicious recipe falls across my desk. THIS is one of those recipes.  A great complex depth of flavor in the gravy of the beef mixture. It had me almost licking the plate it was that good. 

I didn't use parsnips in this recipe either. I didn't have them on my grocery list, so just went with mashed potatoes.

The recipe says it serves 4 - but I think it could easily serve 6 if you had other sides.

If you do nothing else in your life...make. this. recipe.

Hungarian Style Shepherd's Pie
Recipe from Rachael Ray
Serves 4

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 pounds top sirloin or sirloin tips cut into bite-size pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour, for dredging
• 1/4 c  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion or 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 to 3 medium carrot, small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• About 1/4 cup sweet paprika (I used about 3 T and it was a good amount)
• 1/2 T caraway seeds, half a palmful
• A couple sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves picked and chopped or about 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/4 c  tomato paste
• 3 c  beef stock
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed or sliced 1-inch thick
• 2 to 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 T butter
• 2/3 to 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• A handful fresh dill, parsley or chives, finely chopped

Char the bell pepper over an open burner flame or under the broiler with the oven door slightly cracked for the steam to escape until black, turning frequently. Place the charred pepper in a bowl until cool enough to handle, then peel the pepper, chop, and reserve.

Meanwhile, pat the meat dry and season liberally with salt and pepper, dredge in flour. Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the meat and brown on both sides. Remove the browned meat to a plate and add the remaining olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, paprika, caraway, marjoram and cook to soften 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and stir 1 minute. Stir in the beef stock and Worcestershire and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and slide the meat and peppers into the pot. Cook 30 minutes, until beef is just tender.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and parsnips until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pot and mash with salt, pepper, butter, sour cream, egg, and herb of choice.

Place the goulash into a casserole dish and top with potatoes. Cool the dish completely and store for make-ahead meal.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Reheat and bake until heated through and potatoes are brown on top, 45 to 60 minutes. If you do not make this dish as a make ahead meal then brown potatoes under hot broiler on the middle rack of the oven 5 to 7 minutes until golden at edges.

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies

I'm not a person who has a sweet tooth, mostly. I'm more the carb, bread, cheese, deep fried craver.  Once in a great while though I like to make cookies.  I only make them when I can take them somewhere otherwise I'll have two or three the first day and be done with them.  I had an occasion to make some cookies this week and opted for these Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies.

Interesting cookies. Flavor wise, they're delicious.  Texture wise they were odd.  The photo shows the cookies more flat which makes them more crunchy type of cookie, which I love. My cookies turned out a bit more puffier and had a consistency of meringue. Which is fine, just not what I was expecting. Still they're good cookies and quick and easy to make.

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies
Makes 3 dozen

• 1 c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c butter
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 c chocolate chips
• 1/2 c chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift dry ingredients into a small bowl; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture on low speed. Once combined add the chocolate chips and half the hazelnuts.

Drop tsp size balls of the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each with a fork or your hand and top with remaining hazelnuts and press lightly into the surface.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Japanese Beef Stew

I know. I know. Stew in August? Seems odd, I know. But the snifter of recipes spoke and the beef stew is what it said. Besides its been chillier than normal the last couple of days.

This stew was interesting to me. I'm used to stews being savory and this stew was sweet.  It's called Nikujaga in Japanese and is a classic home-cooked winter dish for the Japanese.  It consists of meat and potatoes in a sweetened soy based broth.  Strangely delicious.

Japanese Beef Stew
Serves 6

• 2 lb boneless beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and halved
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped on a bias
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 oz dried shitake mushrooms, rinsed (I don't like shitakes so I used button mushrooms)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c sake or dry white wine
• 1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 T mirin or rice wine
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 c minced scallions (which I forgot)

Combine everything but the scallions in a slow cooker.  Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or low heat 7-8 hours. I cooked it on slow heat to make sure the meat was nice and tender.

To serve, use a fork and pull the meat and potatoes into bite size pieces. Skim the fat off the broth (which I didn't have a lot). Garnish with scallions.

Super easy and quite good.

Beer Marinated Skirt Steak

I've never actually used beer to marinate anything. I've used beer in stews and soups and such, but never to marinate.  I saw this recipe on Mexican Made Easy and thought it would be a fun, out of the box, marinade for me.

I chose to marinate the flat iron steak for a good portion of the day. The store didn't have skirt steaks, so flat iron or flank is a good substitute.  I followed this recipe to the T and boy was it worth it.

The beer flavor really came through from the marinade. The orange in the marinade left just a hint of the citrus flavor. Enough for you to realize there was something else in the marinade. 

The Pantry Goat was over to help me sample this dinner and agreed, the meat was fantastic.

Super easy and delicious. What more could you want?

Beer Marinated Skirt Steak
Recipe from Mexican Made Easy, Food Network
Serves 4

• 1 orange, thinly sliced with peel
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, halved and smashed
• 2 1/2 pounds Skirt steak
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup light colored beer (preferably lager style)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce

In a wide, shallow glass baking dish, scatter half of the orange slices, half of the onion slices and half of the garlic pieces on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the steak all over with salt and pepper and put in the dish on top of the orange and onion slices. Scatter the remaining orange, onion and garlic over the steak and pour in the beer and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare a barbeque on medium-high heat or preheat a broiler. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Serve as desired.

Jenn Note: So in adding this recipe I realized I didn't include the soy sauce in the marinade...that could explain what the beer taste was so prevalent. I'm just sayin'.

Cookie Cupcakes with Raspberry Fluff Frosting

I am a big fan of cupcakes. They're simple, little, delicious, single serving treats.  I make them often for just about any occasion.

Yesterday was Sunday dinner. The 1st Anniversary of the Sunday Dinner tradition. I was going to have a small crowd here so figured a nice simple cupcake would do the trick.

Then I got my Every Day Food Magazine and flipped to discover a cupcake with frosting that has MARSHMALLOW cream.  OMG.  Really? I had to make it.

Super simple recipe, BIG flavor and worth the calories.

Photo by Jenn Wraspir

Cookie Cupcakes with Raspberry Fluff Frosting
Recipe from Everyday Food
Makes 12 - 15

• 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 12 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Oreo's)
• 3T seedless raspberry jam
• 3 cups marshmallow topping
• 1/3 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line 12 standard cupcake muffin cups with paper liners. Melt 2 T butter; let cool.  In a large bowl whisk together: cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Lightly beat the egg and egg yolk. Add the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla and 1/2 c hot water; whisk until smooth.

Spoon 1 T of batter into each lined cupcake. Top each with an Oreo.  Top each with 1T of batter.

Bake until cupcakes are puffed and set, 15 minutes, rotating pan half way through. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat 1 c butter and raspberry jam on medium-high heat until smooth. Add marshmallow topping and confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a quart size zip top bag. With scissors cut a small hole on one corner. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve immediately. 

Sherrie's Most Delicious Salad Ever

My cousin Blueberry often asks what she can bring when I invite her to dinner.  I often tell her nothing.  Though I've gotten better about letting her, and others, bring things to dinner.  Sometime in the last couple of months Blueberry brought this salad.

I almost licked the bowl.

I like salads.  I especially like viddles in my salad.  My salads are about all that can be put in them over the lettuce that's in it.  There's something about the combination of the viddles in this salad that just set my taste buds off on an adventure they don't want to return on. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sherrie's Most Delicious Salad Ever
Serves 6 (if people don't get addicted to it like me)

• romaine lettuce, enough to feed 6 people
• 1 handful red grapes, sliced in half
• 1 handful craisins
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

DRESSING

• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 tsp poppy seeds

CANDIED ALMONDS

• 1/2 c slivered almonds
• 1/4 c sugar

Put 1/2 cup slivered almonds and 1/4 cup sugar into a pan. Cook until sugar is melted and bubbling. Coating the almonds.  Watch them carefully as they can burn really quickly. Pour them on to a piece of parchment paper and let cool (you're essentially making sugared almonds).

Put lettuce, red grapes, craisins and cheese in a bowl.  

Mix the dressing ingredients together and let sit.

Add the sugared almonds.  Dress the salad just before serving.

Pepper Crusted Steak with Worcestershire-Butter Sauce

So many people I know have a hard time pronouncing Worcestershire.  I learned after my visit to England.  Phonetically its: WorsTashur.  Not Wor-Chester-Shire - which is how it was pronounced in my family. To make things simple, I call it "W Sauce.

I heart W sauce. It's got such a distinctive taste and can add that little hint of flavor to just about anything. 

I've had this recipe for about - well a long time. The difficulty for me was actually frying the steak. I'm so used to slamming a steak on the BBQ that actually frying it brings tears to my eyes.  Still, I decided to fry it tonight and have the "little brown bits" for the sauce.

I'll be BBQing it next time. Completely overcooked the steak. Still the sauce and steak were delicious.  My one recommendation, and something I would not skimp on, is use FRESH GROUND PEPPER.  Pepper that's already been ground loses some of it's umph. Take the time to grind some fresh peppercorns and the flavor is quite amazing.

Pepper Crusted Steak with Worcestershire-Butter Sauce
Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated - I think. It might be Cook's Country which is done by Cook's Illustrated.
Serves 4

• 4 strip steaks eight to ten ounces each
• 1 T coarsely ground pepper
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 2 T unsalted butter

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt. Rub one side of each steak with pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steaks peppered side down in skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Add shallot to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme and simmer, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add accumlated steak juices to pan, whisk in butter, and season with salt. Pour sauce over steaks. Serve.