dinner

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

April 24, 2012

I love my slow cooker. It has been there to pull me out of some tough weeks when I don’t have the time to cook but don’t want to get take out. I realized that I was neglecting it this year so I pulled out the Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes 2 and went right to a recipe I had bookmarked for a while now. I was always drawn to it because it was affordable, quick, and flavorful… sign me up!

I really enjoyed this slow cooker meal. I know I’ll make it again because it was so flavorful and was so simple. I made some changes to the recipe to suit out palate and what we had on hand. For example, since we always have carrots around I used fresh instead of the frozen as specified. My advice for the recipe to come out well is use low-sodium beef broth and to not cook it for too long. The broth concentrates so it would be way too salty if you use regular broth. Because of my schedule I actually had to cook it for 10 hours. I wish I could simply tell work I need to leave early to manage me slow cooker… imagine! ha! The rice was a bit gummy/mushy at the bottom. It didn’t ruin the meal at all but just something I noticed comparing the rice at the top verse the rice at the bottom.

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds stew meat, cut into small pieces
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced (2 80z packages)
4 carrots, cleaned and sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds
1 box (6 oz) of wild rice blend
2 14 oz cans of low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Process

In a small bowl combine the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Mix together well and set aside.
In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, combine all of the ingredients together.
Set slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
Mix halfway through, if the mixtures looks like it is drying out or too soft in areas.
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Chicken

April 13, 2012

You know when you have one of those moments of “well, like, duh!” because something you never considered before made perfect sense. Why didn’t I think of that moment. Well, that happened to me when I was hopping around on Julie of The Little Kitchen and I saw in her sidebar a recipe for ‘Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker‘. I kept going “that makes sense! Why haven’t I thought of this? It has to be so good! I have to make it!!”

This was one of the juiciest chickens I have ever had (other was beer can chicken- OMG!). It was so moist, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Any rub on the chicken would work, even just salt and pepper with some lemons in the mix. This is more about technique, not about the ingredients. Don’t want sweet potatoes- fine… just throw some fingerlings in there. I think the biggest thing to consider is how long to cook it. I would not do this on a week day since I am away from home for 10 hours. This would just fall apart too much then. I suggest this on a nice weekend when you want to relax and do nothing or if you have errands up to your eyeballs and you have no time to cook and just have dinner (almost) appear in front of you.

Slow Cooker ‘Roast’ Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 onions
2 large sweet potatoes
4-5 carrots
3 1/2 -4 1/2 pound whole roasting/frying chicken
Preferred seasoning blend

Process

Remove giblets bag from chicken to discard and rinse entirely. Pat chicken dry completely with paper towels.
Cut all vegetables in large pieces, such as carrots in 2″ long pieces, and the onion in 8 large wedges.
Rub the chicken with your selected rub to completely coat it.
Place onions, carrots and sweet potatoes inside the slow cooker to create a layer on the bottom. Then put chicken on top of the vegetables.
Set slow cooker for 6 hours. Check the internal temperature of the leg, if it is 160 degrees F then it is done. If you used a chicken with a pop up thermometer then remove the chicken when it has popped.
If you crock pot is broiler safe (consult your product information) then put the entire crock pot into the oven for 4-5 minutes. If your crock pot is not broiler safe then carefully remove the chicken and place on a glass baking dish or a large baking sheet. Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes prior to cutting.

Quinoa and Brussels Sprouts Salad

March 29, 2012

Quinoa and Brussels Sprouts Salad is the perfect side for grilled hot dogs, steak, or chicken. It’s flavorful and pairs well with everything. Yum!

Post from 3/29/12, Pictures Updated 10/8/18

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I am going to be one of those people who argue the amazingness that is the brussels sprout. It can be raw in a slaw or cooked and eaten by the bowl full. You can saute it, bake it, or roast it. I don’t remember if I grew up hating them (mom?), but I can tel you now that I love them. I really think that if you hated them growing up you should give them a try again. You rock if you already love Brussels sprouts as much as me.

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Sausage Meatball Subs

April 10, 2011

I’m all about the best of both worlds thing when it comes to food. I love the combination of things and how that enhances the meal from donut muffins, Oreo chocolate chip cookies, to this. The combination of a meatball and sausage sub satusfies my love of meatball subs, while getting spice and flavor from sausage.

When I was younger, I never was a huge fan of Italian sausage (get your mind out of the gutter!). I didn’t think that Sweet Italian sausage had much flavor, and while I liked the spice from Hot Italian Sausage I could not get past all that damn fennel seed. I have slowly come around to it. Mainly because I typically have it grilled or cooked in beer, loaded up with peppers and onions with spicy mustard.

While you can use Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, I really suggest using the Hot variety because it will be able to stand up against the plain ground beef. If you happen to like sweet sausage you might want to make it 1 pound to be even with the ground beef. The only thing I suggest adding to the meat mixture is a grated onion, to add some flavor and moisture. Anything else, besides salt and pepper, would compete with the seasoned sausage.

Sausage Meatball Subs

makes 4 subs

1 pound of ground beef (80/20)

3/4 pound of Italian Sausage (I suggest Hot)

1 small white onion, grated

4 small sub rolls or 2 large loaves, halved

8 slices of provolone cheese

generous drizzle of olive oil

2 cups of marinara sauce

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Preheat oven to 400, drizzle bread with olive oil and toast bread until light brown, add cheese for last remaining few minutes to melt.

While the bread is toasting, remove Sausage from casing to prep it for being incorporated into the ground beef.

In a large bowl, combine a grated onion, beef, and sausage.

Roll 20 meatballs out.

Cook meatballs in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Evenly roll and brown on all sides while cooking.

Once meatballs are all evenly browned and almost done, add in 2 cups of marinara sauce. This will heat up the marinara and finish off the meatballs while they simmer in the sauce.

Assemble the sub with 5 meatballs each and enjoy!

Pasta with Sauteed Spinach and a Yolk on Top

January 15, 2011

A simple pasta dish that combines the bright fresh flavors of spinach with the richness of a runny yolk, topped with toasted breadcrumbs for the perfect bite!

post from 1/15/11, pictures updated 11/4/16

I have a big thing for eggs.

I love them in just about every way they are prepared. They make a base or even addition to a meal. I often have breakfast for dinner.

My friend makes the best yellow rice with pigeon peas and whenever she shares it with me, I top my plate of rice off with fried egg(s) and a lot of hot sauce. I love egg drop soup. Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwiches give me life. I could go on and on…

One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is in pasta.

I have seen simple versions carbonara with raw eggs on top which just look so gorgeous. So I gave it a try and I have been hooked on it since.

While pasta with carbonara sauce is great, I find that the way I like it best is with spinach and eggs. I sure do love my bacon but I love freshly sauteed spinach with pasta. Plus, this makes this a lighter dish.

But when you have an egg yolk sitting on top of a bed pasta things entirely transform. You gently pierce this egg yolk, allowing it to slip its way through the fine strands of pasta. The egg yolk graciously coats the hot pasta changing it from a simple pasta with spinach to a really good, simple dinner.

I tend to make this when I am eating dinner solo since it is a quick and cheap dish to whip up. Pasta is a great dish when you want to make something quick, but you should make is extra beautiful and the egg on top does that. Trust me.

Now, eating raw eggs should be done with care as there always is a risk of eating meat and eggs that are not fully cooked. I tend to prefer my burgers medium-rare so I am unphased with topping off my pasta with a raw egg since I always approach this with care. I use really fresh eggs from brands I trust and respect. But, even then using pasteurized eggs is the best approach.

Give this a try and you’ll be asking for seconds in no time!

Pasta with Sauteed Spinach and a Yolk on Top

Make 6 servings

Ingredients

1 Pound of spaghetti pasta
1/4 Cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 Pound of baby spinach
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Cup seasoned bread crumbs
6 eggs yolks
grated Parmesan cheese

Process

Cook pasta until it is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in garlic and crushed red pepper flake. Heat until garlic is golden and perfumes the air.
Add in spinach, salt, and pepper, and remove from heat. The heat from the pan will wilt the spinach down enough.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup water.
Add the water, pasta water, and 2 Tablespoons butter to the spinach, place back on heat for a minute.
While the pasta is finishing, in another skillet over medium heat, combine the breadcrumbs and remaining butter. Mix well while toasting the breadcrumbs.
Divide pasta into 6 bowls. Sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs.
Separate the yolks from the whites for all eggs. Place 1 egg yolk onto each serving and then top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

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40 Cloves of Garlic Roasted Chicken

April 19, 2010

I have always wanted to make chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. The idea of using that much garlic had me so interested, like the time price ordered Garlic soup and it was AMAZING! I had seen several recipes for chicken with 40 cloves are garlic but to be honest they seemed like more work than what I wanted to deal with, like chopping up a chicken, dredging it, boiling the garlic, etc. So I opted for creating an easy version by using a whole chicken and roasting it along with the garlic. So this is my reworked version, simple, easy, and delightfully garlicy!

This recipe is more like a complete meal. I think it is essential to cook potatoes, maybe other root vegetables also, with the chicken. The potatoes take on the flavor from the chicken, wine, and, of course, the garlic. So just add a side vegetable or a salad and your meal is complete.

40 Cloves of Garlic Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 pounds

40 cloves of garlic

1 pound of small potatoes, such as fingerling

1/2 cup white wine

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375.

Rinse and clean chicken. Dry chicken- very important! (A dry chicken equals a crispy skin) Put chicken into a pan and season with salt and pepper. Lift up the skin of the chicken and place several small cloves of garlic between skin and breast.

Clean and cut, if necessary, the potatoes. Combine potatoes and remaining garlic in a bowl to lightly dress with oil and season with salt and pepper.

distribute potatoes and garlic around chicken.

After chicken has been cooking for 30 minutes, toss potatoes and garlic, preventing burning. Add wine to pan.

Cook chicken until it is done, approximately another 45 minutes. You can use a pop up or a manual thermometer test chicken’s doneness. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving to serve. When slicing keep skin intact to show the softened garlic layered between the chicken breast and skin.

Enjoy, and feel free to finish off the wine you opened for the chicken!

Sweet Pea and Mint Soup

April 16, 2010

This Sweet Pea and Mint Soup is a soup that welcomes Spring with open arms. It’s vibrant green hue is on par with the rich, fresh flavors in this vegetable soup.

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Post originally from 4/16/10, Pictures updated 2/8/19

Spring has sprung!!!! I love the freshness of spring. I love the new beginnings of it all. It is hard not to feel happy in spring with everything waking up from a long winter. Maybe you don’t love it, if you have allergies, but I love everything in bloom. It just makes me happy.

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Ready for Spring-Edamame Salad

March 30, 2010

Spring is confused in Boston. For one thing it is just about constantly raining. I’m ready for the rain to stop so I can get out in the yard and fix everything that the rain screwed up and prepare things for planting. But instead we have a sunny day in the 70’s, then it drops to the 50’s and is cloudy, then rains for 3 more day and just when you think you can’t take it anymore is snows, but before you drink yourself stupid it’s back in the 70’s 2 days later. That’s New England for you.

Well hoping to get things going in the right direction I made an edamame salad with dinner recently. Price and I live off salads like this in the summer. We mainly eat Horiatiki Salata throughout the summer but this might need to be added into the rotation. We used a 10oz package from Trader Joes, which was very convenient. I’d imagine that the frozen kind would work too, but I would let it thaw naturally or let cool before adding everything else.

The dressing is done to taste. Adjust the quantities to taste. For example I love lemon and lime juice, which might be too much for someone else. The point is to have a starting point to create something that you will enjoy.

Edamame Salad

serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

10 oz of shelled edamame
8 oz of grape tomatoes, halved
half of an orange pepper, diced
1 small red ion, diced
2 oz of feta

Dressing:

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2-4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Process

In a large bowl, combine the chopped ingredients with the shelled edamame. Crumble the feta block into the vegetables.
In a bowl, make the dressing by wisking the mustard and garlic with the vinegar and juice. Once the solids are completely incorporated add the oil.
Gently mix together the salad with the dressing, and salt & pepper to taste.

Everyday Tabouli

February 24, 2010

When I was younger I did not like tabouli but I believe it was because I was a bit sensitive to the strong taste of parsley and mint. But… I now love falafel, hummus, tahini sauce, and tabouli. Which is exactly why I go to Fafafel King at lunch or Rami’s for dinner. Since I’m trying to save some extra money (and calories by having it portion controled) I have been getting a prepared meal from Trader Joe’s called “Mideast Feast”. For $5 it is okay, not great, but okay. Well yesterday’s lunch was AWFUL. the hummus was bland and too smooth, the tabouli was all parsley and not salted at all, and the falafel was extra dry. Woes me. So half my lunch went directly into the trash.

I decided that I would make falafel, hummus, and tabouli from scratch to make a good dinner and learn how to make all of those things. Well, the tabouli and roasted red pepper hummus were successful but the baked falafel falls into the category of better luck next time. There was nothing wrong with the recipe or the fact that I baked it instead of frying the pieces. The mishap came down to the fact that I don’t own a food processor so I substituted with my Magic Bullet. This has worked in the past but not for the falafel. Let my failure teach you!

Well the tabouli came out really well. I made it last night, purposefully allowing the flavors to meld together for a full day. Tabouli is really simple to put together. While the cracked wheat is absorbing the water cut all the veggies and herbs to toss together later. The hardest part is all the mincing, ooo really hard. I like tabouli, and most other things, with a lot of lemon so I used 2 lemons for my batch.

Tabouli

adapted from Food Network

2 cups water

2 cups fine cracked wheat

1 large bunch of cup fresh parsley leaves, minced

1 medium red onion, minced

3 tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

1 large english cucumber, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 2 lemons, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine the cracked wheat and water. Set aside 20 minutes, or until the wheat has absorbed the water.

Once the water has been absorbed, add in parsley, onion, tomatoes, and cucumber toss together.

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste.

Porcupine Meatballs

September 25, 2009

I had a craving for porcupine meatballs on Wednesday night. Luckily, my dad wrote down this recipe along with other family ones a few years ago that I turn to every now and then. There are only 6 ingredients, including water, so I went to the grocery store on my way home from class and grabbed the 3 that I needed.

Porcupine Meatballs is a simple meal made of meatball filled with rice- making it spiky- and served with gravy over noodles. Simply put it’s an inexpensive meal and easy to make. Plus there is a good chance you already have most of the ingredients in your cabinets like me. You can do this with beef but we try to keep it lean so we use turkey. If you use beef then adjust the gravy and rice-a-roni to match the beef flavor. This is so comforting because it is warm and filling- a real autumn/winter food. I made large meatballs to get cooking faster (too tired after a 3 hour class) but you really should make smaller meatballs. This allows the meatballs to cook faster and the rice cooks better when they are smaller.

Porcupine Meatballs

1 lb of ground turkey

1 box of rice-a-roni (I used chicken flavor)

1 egg

2 cups of water

1 lb of wide egg noodles

1 family size jar of turkey gravy

Start water on high heat to cook egg noodles until al dente.

Combine the ground turkey, rice-a-roni (including seasoning packet), and egg. Form into small meatballs (1 1/2 dia).

Brown meatballs in a skillet with oil. (You can drain off oil/fat, if you prefer). If the skillet gets too busy with the meatballs you can remove some to get enough room to brown all of them. Once all meatballs are browned, reduce heat to med/low and add 2 cups of water. Cook for 20 minutes. If the water begins to reduce too much, add a bit. When the meatballs have i a few minutes left add in the gravy.

Serve the meatballs with the egg noodles. Enjoy 🙂