Stroganoff and Lasagna

So, we've been trying a lot of new things from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and love it. We recently made the Crockpot Curried Chicken, the Vegetable Lasagna with Mushrooms and Spinach, and the Beef Stroganoff. The Lasagna and Stroganoff were faboulous and the crockpot chicken (my first crockpot recipe) was pretty good as well. The Stroganoff calls for Filet Mignon, which was a little pricey, but it only calls for a little, so it's not that bad and it was DELICIOUS! A far cry from the very heavy, ground-beef Stroganoff I remember growing up. I've been looking for a long time for a good lasagna recipe, and we loved this one--it calls for fresh basil and the tomato sauce that they have you make is quite tasty. We froze half of it after baking as well and it reheated perfectly---I didn't notice any texture differences. Anyway, if anyone doesn't have that cookbook and would like the recipes, I'm happy to post, but wanted to let you know that they were successes.

Paella

We had a few friends over the other night to make a Paella! We, also, had bunuellos and a platter with crusty bread, fig jam, dates and manchego cheese to keep with our Spanish theme. The Paella was from the "Best International foods" cookbook--the one you should all have. We made it with Chorizo, Shrimp, and chicken and it was lovely. We decided to skip the mussels since they were expensive and a little chewy for our taste. The crust turned out beautifully in the oven. A nice dish and not too complicated to make.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

MMmmmmmmm! Just made these tonight from the Martha Stewart Cookie book and they're awesome! Not too banana-y, but nice and tender from the addition of the bananas, and with a little whole wheat flour too. They're fabulous! Enjoy :)

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 oz. semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped into 1/4 inch chunks (or semisweet chips)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Whisk together both flours, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

2. Put butter and both sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate, and nuts.

3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined w/ parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 min. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 min. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temp up to 2 days.

"Naughty Shelf" Ice Cream

Okay, so I think I finally have ice cream dialed in. I say that because I made up a recipe for coffee (mocha) ice cream last week and it turned out perfect ... or at least close to perfect.

Here 'tis, though I think it works well for just about any flavor. That's the good news: once you get the base right, it's easy to innovate.

whisk together:

1 cup sugar

pinch salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp instant capuccino (that stuff rocks!)

2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp corn starch

whisk in:

2 cups low fat milk (I used 1%)

two egg yolks

Heat it on the stove top til it starts to simmer, whisking it constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it simmers, turn down the heat and cook it for a couple of minutes (continuing to whisk) until it thickens up a bit. If you dip a wooden spoon in it, you should be able to draw a clean line through it with a finger.

Off the heat, add:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vodka

Chill it over night, and then freeze it in an ice cream freezer based on whatever instructions you'd normally follow. The vodka is optional. In theory, the alcohol prevents ice crystals from forming and gives a creamier consistency, but I've seen mixed results. It seems to help, though not much. I include it here because this successful recipe used it, but you can easily omit it without compromising the final product. I think the secret to this recipe is two-fold: (1) not heating the cream, but adding it off heat, and (2) using two emulsifiers: cornstarch AND egg yolks. I've seen lots of recipes that use one or the other, though the egg varieties typically use a LOT of eggs. Using both has yielded ice cream with some truly extraordinary consistencies: dense and smooth--the way ice cream is meant to be.

Using this same base, I've made really nice cinammon ice cream. A chocolate variation (same basic ingredients though with 8 tsp of cocoa powder and no instant capuccino) is getting getting ready for the freezer as I type this. I DO NOT recommend using chocolate ice cream recipes that call for the addition of melted chocolate, regardless of quality. It really messes with the consistency. So, I'm going with Haagen Daz and trying straight cocoa powder.

Congo Bars

CONGO BARS

Despite their name, Congo bars have nothing at all to do with Africa. In fact, they are little more than blondies enriched with coconut -- an ingredient
that was exotic in years past perhaps but is far from it these days. We tried adding both sweetened, flaked coconut and unsweetened, shredded coconut
to our blondies, and tasters unanimously preferred the unsweetened. Sweetened coconut did little but make the bars overly sweet and unpleasantly
chewy. We were able to extract a bit more flavor from the unsweetened coconut by toasting it golden brown before adding it to the blondie dough. If
you have trouble locating unsweetened shredded coconut, try a natural food store or an Asian market. Keep a close eye on the coconut when toasting as
it can burn quickly.

1 cup pecans (or walnuts), toasted and chopped coarse
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate chips (1 cup) or chopped bar, or 3 ounces each white chocolate and semisweet chocolate
chips

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on larged rimmed baking sheet and bake until
deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to cutting board to cool; chop coarsely and set aside. Toast coconut on same
rimmed baking sheet, stirring 2 to 3 times, until light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.

2. While nuts and coconut toast, cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking
pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into width of
baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Spray
foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. 3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber
spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate, coconut, and nuts and turn batter
into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.

5. Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.
Remove bars from pan by lifting foil overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Cowboy Salsa

Hi guys --

Here's a tasty recipe I picked up from some friends. It's great eaten all by itself with a giant soup spoon, on fajitas, taco salad, or with chips. I've used garbanzo beans and kidney beans as substitutes -- I'm pretty sure it would work with most legumes.

drain and rinse the following:
1 can black eyed peas
1 can black beans
1 can shoepeg corn

mostly drain:
1 can Ro-Tel tomotoes (or any other tomatoes w/ chilies), I use "medium" heat
(or, of course, 1-2 diced fresh tomatoes and a few T green chilies or a grated jalapeno)

add:
large handful chopped cilantro
1 1/2 t salt (more or less to taste)
1 whole avocado, in small cubes

That's it. Enjoy!

Flank Steak Marinades

Flank Steak Marinades

Mediterranean Marinade:

Smash 4 garlic cloves with the leaves of 4 rosemary sprigs,
1 tsp salt, and plenty of pepper. Mix in 5 tablepoons extra-virgin olive oil,
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar, and 1 tsp sugar

Latin Marinade:

Smash 4 garlic cloves with 2-3 tablespoons fresh oregano, 1 tsp salt,
and plenty of pepper. Mix in 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 c lime juice (from 4 limes)
and 1 tsp sugar

Marinate steak in resealable bag, refrigerated, for four to 24 hours. Flip the bag occasionally.

Preheat grill, broiler, or stove-top grill pan to high. Cook steak, flipping once, to desires doneness (preferably medium-rare); total cooking time ranges from six to 10 minutes, with an average of four minutes per side. Let meat rest for about four minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices. Each pound of meat serves about 4 people with sides.

We haven't tried the Mediterranean marinade, but the Latin one was fabulous! Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Dressing:
1 lemon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Salad:
¼ c sliced almonds, toasted
8 ounces (1 ½ c) strawberries, hulled and quartered
½ medium cucumber, sliced and cut in half
¼ small red onion, sliced into thin wedges (1/4 cup)
1 pacakge (6 ounces) baby spinach

1. Zest lemon to measure ½ tsp zest. Juice lemon to measure 2 tablespoons juice. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For salad, spread almonds in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven; cool almonds.

3. Meanwhile, hull strawberries and cut strawberries into quarters.

4. Slice cucumbers and toss with remaining salad ingredients.

I had this at a Pampered Chef party. The dressing is awesome, so I thought I'd post it. Enjoy!

Chicken Saltimbocca

Tried this chicken marsala recipe today out of the New Best Recipe family cookbook. Great dish, and quite a bit easier than the chicken marsala recipe we posted earlier. The trick is finding good proscuitto. We used the stuff from Costco, which is a bit of a splurge ($12 for 12 oz; the recipe uses 4-6 oz.) Also helps to have huge fresh sage leaves from the garden, which we have in abundance.

Won't repost the recipe, since I assume you all own that cookbook. We varied the recipe a bit by adding fried mushrooms and a little more fresh sage right to the reduction right at the end. The chicken plus proscuitto plus sage is da bomb, though. Make sure it browns well, which makes the proscuitto and sage a bit crispy. Yum.

Hi-Speed Asparagus

If you like stir fried asparagus--the smoky, roasted kind Janet likes to make--we've discovered a way to shorten the process from 10-12 minutes to about 5. Wash and dry the asparagus, then put it in a glass bowl, pop it in the microwave uncovered and set the microwave to cook "fresh vegetable" "less done." (Those are the settings on our microwave, you may have to adapt to yours.) From there, pop it into a hot, lightly oiled pan and finish it. Salt and pepper to taste. Takes just a few minutes in the pan to basically sear the outside of the asparagus (the microwave takes care of the inside), and voila! Please note: one can screw this up by overcooking the asparagus in the microwave, which we did recently when Nate, Jeni, and the kids were over for dinner. That time, however, we covered the asparagus with plastic wrap and did not remove the wrap as soon as the microwave finished up.

steak fajitas and cilantro dressing

Hi all --

This is our latest favorite company dinner because it feeds a *lot* of people w/out too much meat. We got the steak so-easy-it's-not-really-a-recipe from "New Best Recipes: International" Incidentally, their tomato salsa recipe is also tasty and practically fool-proof. Let me know if you'd like it.

Flank Steak
for half a flank steak:
pat completely dry
put steak on preheated grill at med / med-high heat
drizzle 1-2 T lime juice over entire surface
sprinkle generously w/ salt and pepper
grill 5 ish minutes, flip, and repeat on other side
let stand at least 5 min before slicing very thin

Chicken Tenders
marinate 6-8 tenders in 2-3 T balsamic vinegar and 3 T McCormick Taco Seasoning
grill 3-4 min/side

Cilantro Dressing
1/2 c cilantro
3 T lime
3 T almonds
3 T water
1 jalapeno, no seeds or membranes
1 clove garlic
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
process above in cuisinart til smooth, then add 2 T sour cream

Black Beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 T lime juice or red wine vinegar

to-taste amounts of the following:

minced garlic or garlic powder

minced onion or onion powder

cumin

ground coriander

plenty of cilantro

Can also add 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, or corn, or whatever you have in the pantry. Serve cold as a salsa or warm w/ fajitas

Cilantro Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked rice

1 teaspoon butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro


In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.


Serve the above with those scrumptious Tortillaland tortillas from Costco we can't get here in PA, salsa or pico de gallo of your choice, black beans, cheese, Cholula (not optional!), and sour cream. You won't be able to close your tortilla, but you'll enjoy every scrumptious bite :)

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

This is by far my favorite way to do strawberry shortcake these days. The biscuits are tender and tasty and I like them far better than angel food cake or any other alternative. They're quick and easy as well--a simple drop biscuit. Enjoy!


1 ½ cups flour
¼ c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1/3 c cold butter
1 egg slightly beaten
½ c sour cream
2 T milk


3 T sugar
Strawberries

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Lightly great baking sheet. Combine flour, ¼ c sugar, bp, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter. Combine egg, sour cream and milk in small bowl and add to flour mixture stirring w/ fork until just moistened.

Drop dough into 8 mounds onto prepared sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on rack.

Combine 4 cups of strawberries with sugar. Top biscuits with berries and cream .

Roasted Portobello Caprese Salad

From Martha Stewart Living
Makes 4 servings
We made this a while back and are making it again tonight. Super tasty vegetarian option. We really enjoyed it!

8 portobello mushroom caps
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 medium tomatoes, sliced 3/4 inch thick (8 slices total)
1 bunch fresh basil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/2 inch thick (4 slices total)
4 cups arugula
Toasted bread, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet; coat with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Roast, shaking sheet occasionally, for 20 minutes. Flip mushrooms and garlic to recoat with oil. Add tomatoes; flip to coat in oil, sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and tomatoes are soft, 20 minutes more.

Rub softened garlic onto mushrooms. Place 1 mushroom on each of 4 plates, and top each with some basil. Stack another mushroom and 1 mozzarella slice onto each. Layer more basil, 1 tomato slice, more basil, then another tomato onto each. Divide arugula among plates, and drizzle with pan juices. Serve with bread if desired.

Chicken Marsala

We tried this recipe from Epicurious.com today. Prep time was long, but the result was excellent. Similar to the traditional pork tenderloin recipe we all know and love, though the sauce--if possible--is even better. Be sure the chicken is browned well, and that you use either low sodium or no sodium chicken broth. (Also, though this likely goes without saying, under no circumstances should you ever use "House" or any other brand "cooking wine" in a reduction--except possibly, to add flavor at the very end when you have no other options--as it will concentrate the salt until it's unpalatable or nearly so. We say that from long and sad experience.) I'm sure you could use this sauce and the pork tenderloin just fine. I like the addition of sage and lemon.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 and 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes.

Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer.

Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Lazy Taco Soup

My hands-down easiest meal. Not the healthiest ever, but not too shabby. My kids devour it, too, which is a rare find.

1 can each of the following: (You can either dump entire can or drain and rinse. If you drain and rinse, you'll need to add water or stock)

corn
hominy
kidney beans
black beans
diced tomatoes
tomato soup (or diced tomatoes, blended til smooth)

1 pkg taco seasoning (or less, to taste), approx 2 Tbs

Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, cilantro, sour cream, etc!

Lisa's Pear, Peacan and Feta Salad

Lisa’s Pear, Pecan, and Feta salad

dressing (huge recipe -- I usually halve it):
1/2 c red onion
1 c sugar
2 t dijon mustard
1 t salt
2/3 c vinegar
2 c canola oil
blend the above in blender, then add:
2 T poppy seeds

Serve with candied pecans, sliced pears, and crumbled feta over mixed greens.

Tim's Gyoza

Hey Tim --

Hope you don't mind that I'm reposting this here from the family blog. I keep forgetting to try these, and since one of the 2 reasons we're having a hard time letting go of our Costco membership (the closest here is an hour away) is the potstickers, I figure now's the time. Here's a recipe for Gyoza. If you have any updates, let us know!

"Started with a little ground pork and added a generous amount of fresh ginger, garlic, a little soy sauce and sesame oil, thin shredded cabbage (though not too much), diced green onion, one raw egg, a dash of celery salt, a dash of powdered onion, salt, and pepper. I don’t think you can overseason those babies. (Too much salt, maybe, but not too much garlic or ginger.) I used the square eggroll wrappers and cut them crosswise, then used a round glass to cut circles roughly 3 inches in diameter. Need to be careful not to overstuff them. Cook them the traditional Japanese way: well browned on both sides in oil, then add water and steam for about 5 minutes. Serve with a sauce of 2 tbl. soy, 1 tbl. rice wine vinegar, and 1 tsp. sesame oil. Even our picky eaters gobbled them up."

Candied Pecans

If you've ever had the Sahalie Snacks at Costco, the candied pecans are da bomb. I tried replicating them the other day for a salad and it worked fine.

Heat a little butter and olive oil (I typically shoot for about a tablespoon of each); toss in maybe a cup of halved or chopped pecans. Once the nuts have heated through (a couple of minutes), add a few tablespoons of brown sugar until it goes syrupy (bubbles a bit), a pinch or two of sea salt, cracked black pepper (to taste), and last, as it comes off the heat, some orange or lemon zest. Once it cools down to room temperature, it should harden up. Makes a great snack or mix in for a salad.

Pumpkin Muffins

My friend made these for me after I had James. They are the *best ever* starving nursing mother midnight snack. I was craving them the other day and thought I'd post them here for all to enjoy.

Leanne's Pumpkin Muffins

4 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 cups Oil
14 Oz Can pumpkin Puree (I used a 15 ouncer...no big deal though)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (I used 7 grain cereal)
1/4 cup oat bran (I used wheat bran)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 raisins (craisins are good too)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats for topping (I didn't make the topping)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In a small bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until well mixed
-In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients, except rolled oats for topping
-Make a well in the middle of dry ingredients
-Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients, stir to moisten
-Fill 24 greased or paper-lined muffin cups to the top. Sprinkle with rolled oats
-Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Yield: 24 large muffins

Variations:

-1/2 cup rolled oats may be substituted for the 1/4 cup wheat germ and the 1/4 cup oat bran
-1/2 cup applesauce may be substituted for 1/2 cup of the oil
-1 cup of all-purpose flour may be substituted for 1 cup of whole-wheat flour