New Recipe

I had a wonderful day yesterday. I only got up once during the night to pee; I slept until 9am; I found some great deals on cute baby clothes and Christmas decorations; I baked 2 dozen banana muffins (1 dozen for here, 1 dozen for Matt to take to work); I did laundry; I did dishes; and, I tried a new recipe.

I pulled this recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine, which is odd since I don't particularly care for her. I don't mind her, but I'm not a fan, per se. Anyway, it had so many yummy things: dough, meat, potatoes, horseradish... how does a pregnant girl deny that??

Horseradish Beef Strudel

I have been trying to make it for a month or two, but the planets never aligned and it just sat on top of the recipe list. But tonight was the night- and it was so yummy!! Matt actually said, "This is my favorite thing you've made". A definite keeper (both Matt and the recipe).

Some notes on the recipe:

• This makes LOTS of food... the picture doesn't communicate this well- it can easily be halved for me and Matt (which is great, considering how randomly expensive puff pastry sheets are).
• Compiling/prepping all of the ingredients to go into the pastry is super easy. The most tedious part of it is rolling out the puff pastry sheet to a larger size on a floured piece of parchment paper. Make sure to flour somewhat liberally. I also marked the parchment paper so that I could roll the pastry sheet to the right size and it worked well.
• I didn't do a formal side dish tonight (I had been on my feet all day and just couldn't bring myself to do one more thing), but I did serve it with grapes, celery, and carrots. Because the dish is so heavy, I think a great, green salad would go wonderfully as a side. Be sure to salt and pepper, as noted in the recipe. The recipe has a great flavor, but Matt and I love love love horseradish, so we spread it on as we ate, too.

Happy cooking!

Hello Paula Deen, Beef Stew Much??

Beef stew was one of those foods I avoided from age 5-18... my mom tried to make it a few times but my brother was super picky it wasn't worth the fight. And, for what it's worth, I knew that no matter how many foods I rejected, I would never be as picky as Tommy so I kinda flew under the radar on these things and ate whatever I wanted for the most part.

Anyway, now I like it and when I went to ask my mom for the recipe a few months ago she said, "Oh- I don't make a good Beef Stew". Really? I hope someone besides a 7-year-old boy who insists on eating cereal, cheese pizza, and peas and an opportunistic 5-year-old girl told her it wasn't good... Either way, I wasn't getting any from the family, recipe file (and I don't think such a file exists...).

Enter Paula Deen and her Old Time Beef Stew. It got 5/5 stars based on 381 reviews on Food Network and there was non of her typical Ms. Deen butter: how does one say no? I read the reviews and decided to add a bit of beef broth and red potatoes. I purchased all organic ingredients, including 2 pounds of organic, grass fed, locally grown beef from Whole Foods (my wallet is still crying). I was super excited.

But here's the problem : Amy doesn't know how to brown beef. Obviously, I cook it until it's some sort of brown. But, does that mean just brown on all sides? Cooked through? How long should it take? As I have the equivalent of this month's rent worth of beef cooking in the Le Crueset, I am frantically posting on yahoo's answer board... "how do I brown stew meat?". Here is what I know now...

1. Browning meat is done to seal in the flavor and prevent the meat from getting tough;

2. Stew meat should be browned, but not cooked all of the way through; and

3. One should not over-crowd the pan during browning process, as this will actually steam the meat instead of browning the meat.

Well, I went for the triple crown and botched all three of these things. My meat was tough; my meat was cooked all the way through; and my pan was super-crowded steaming the meat. Go big or go home? I suppose...

And by no means was that the end of it... apparently, I am inept at how to simmer for 1 1/2 hours on our new cook-top. I could not find "simmer" to save my life. It was either "boil" or "warm". I finally got around to adding the carrots, celery, and potatoes. I added THREE extra cups of beef broth to compensate for the potatoes (and besides, the liquid level was super low in the pot". It took 20 minutes longer to cook than anticipated because of the additions, and even though I added extra cornstarch to thicken the "gravy" as Ms. Deen calls it, it still was pretty watery.

So, we ended up with a soup that had a great flavor, but I would not give it a 5/5- obviously I messed up something (or perhaps everything). The hunks of meat and potato were HUGE and they did not fit in with the watery base.

The good thing?? We have 2 nights worth of left-overs to get through in the near future. Lucky us :)

Zucchini Plan

Yesterday, with 16 zucchini/summer squash on my kitchen counter, I made a plan. How about zucchini soup?? I could cook it up now, freeze it, and then pull it out of the freezer this fall/winter. I hit the computer and found this recipe:

Creamy Zucchini Soup

I tasted it and it's GREAT. I did not do the herb thing on top because:

a) I despise the taste of parsley;

b) I'm freezing the soup; and

c) I buy herbs very cautiously (except cilantro, which is the King of Herbs)... If I can't use up all of it, I try to find a way around it.

I do plan on serving this with bread... maybe a garlic-rubbed charred bread (ala Rachel Ray). This recipe took up 8 of the zucchinis. Only 8 to go! My freezer is already full of shredded zucchini from past co-op weeks... we'll be enjoying lots of zucchini bread throughout the fall :) But, I'm sure I'll end up shredding more. Luckily, Matt likes to eat zucchini raw so I keep slicing it and sending it to work with him.

Peach Pie

We've been getting peaches weekly in our co-op pick-up, so I finally decided to make a pie a few weeks ago! To date, I have made 2 of these pies and they've both been a big hit. The best part is: the recipe is so simple.

Peach Pie Recipe

No, I didn't make my own pie crust (gasp!) but I think I will for the next one. I've heard that they're much easier than they sound. Oh- and peeling peaches is very simple with a potato peeler. I read lots of articles that said to blanche them and then peel them. I found no need to do that.

Summer Squash

Matt and I are about 6 weeks into our farm co-op program and we are slowly getting the hang of everything... for the first few weeks we were overwhelmed with large amounts of random produce. We get our deliveries on Wednesdays, so I'll explain more then.



Last week, we received some summer squash, aka: zuchinni. It looks like a cucumber but when you hold it, you can tell it's not as dense. Having never even purchased a zuchinni before, I didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it. Luckily, our co-op has a recipe site:

Golden Earthworm Recipes



Here is the recipe I used last night for our summer squash and Matt LOVED it. While I was preparing it, I was bit neverous... oil spattered everywhere and I was convinced I had somehow messed up this seemingly easy recipe. But, apparently it worked! Matt said he has several dishes like this before and this one was done perfectly.

Zucchini with Garlic and Dried Crushed Red Pepper



Enjoy!

Baking Day

Today is baking day!!  Tomorrow we are going to Disney World, and I thought we'd bring along some homemade treats for snacks and breakfasts.  It's more economical and healthier... and I get a good excuse to spend a day in the kitchen :)  Here's what we're making today:

Sour Cream Banana Bread (2 loaves)

Apple Bread (2 loaves)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Right now the banana bread is in the oven and I'm going and I'm going to do some laundry.

Banana Bread with Sour Cream

I used to use an amazing recipe for Banana Bread... it called for coconut and raisins, and it was so moist; I would literally eat an entire loaf in one sitting.  However, Matt didn't like the recipe so I've spent the better part of the last three years finding one that he loves.  Apparently, this recipe is the one:

Banana Bread with Sour Cream

Matt told me several times that this recipe was a keeper... I thought the recipe was very good- the sour cream adds a bit of tartness, but I still miss my raisin/coconut recipe!

Dinner Party Review

Matt and I hosted our first dinner party in our new home last night! Some friends from church have included us in their tradition of rotating dinner each week. One couple hosts/cooks the main course, one brings a salad, one brings a dessert, and one couple is "off" and doesn't bring anything. We feel so, so blessed to have met these friends; we just laugh for hours when we're with them :)

Anyway, here is what I made:

Barefoot Contessa Turkey Meatloaf: Yes, I'm still on my BC kick... I was really excited about this dish! The online reviews for her recipe are all great and it was a good size for our group. I hadn't had meatloaf since my mom made it when I was about 5, but it was really good and very moist! Even though it takes 5 lbs of turkey, it feeds 8 well. I might up the ketchup on top to 1 cup next time. Oh, and you need a really, really large bowl to mix everything in before shaping it into a loaf :)

Glazed Carrots: I made these once before but couldn't remember them. Turns out that they aren't that memorable! They were a decent side dish, but I'm looking for new recipes...

Green Beans with Shallots: I decided to try this Food Network recipe and it was pretty good. I still like my almond, lemon, and butter green beans better, but I will make these again.

I also learned something about tea kettles... if you fill them above the "max fill" line, they over flow... who knew!?

Enchiladas

Matt and I have a new favorite enchilada recipe, but I'm nervous to share it. It's delicious and simple, but it's about as Mexican as Taco Bell. But still, who am I withhold this yumminess?

http://www.bigoven.com/167211-Creamy-Chicken-Enchiladas-recipe.html

Depending on where you live, your experience of finding green enchilada sauce will remind you of Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail. Long Island happens to be one of these places. It took me weeks to find a can. It was hiding in an all-organic store. 15oz cost me $4.49. (You will need about 25oz). Yes, you can make your own. If you have or know of a good recipe, let me know... I'm trying this one next week:
http://www.recipezaar.com/El-Charro-Cafe-Green-Enchilada-Sauce-55478

Coconut Cookies

I had a hankering for coconut the other night... lucky for me, I found some in the pantry and made these. They were SO good!! The recipe says it makes 3 dozen, but unless you make miniature cookies, I don't see that happening... I got about 15 cookies out of this.

Chewy Coconut Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut.
3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto an un greased cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.

What-Did-I-Make Wednesday

When I first starting cooking (really cooking meals for Matt and I), I always searched for the easiest recipe. And, I was thrilled if it actually was an all-inclusive meal... I could not handle more than one thing at a time! Yes, there were many nights of burned dishes and choice words... But, I'd always throw together a mixed green salad for the illusion of working hard in the kitchen:)

One of my favorite newbie resources was used Real Simple's "Fake It- Don't Make It" recipes. While I've moved-on from these, one recipe has stuck around our home. It's the Shepherd's Pie. It's a warm, hearty meal and perfect for a day like today when we have a foot of snow on the ground. And, since we have tons of potatoes just hanging around, I've decided to make it tonight.

Easy Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, and corn), thawed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Cheddar (optional, but we always add cheese...)
1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes (I never used these, but chose to make my own)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes.
3. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish. Mix the cheese (if using) with the potatoes in a medium bowl.
4. Spread the potatoes over the beef and bake until heated through, 10 minutes.
5. Divide among individual plates.

Great Play-Doh Recipe

I know that play-doh isn't a standard kitchen creation. But, working with kids, you come across a lot of make-your-own-play-doh recipes; and, most of them are poor substitutes for the real thing. However, I made one today that is actually really great- it's smooth and soft and really moist. And, the ingredient list is simple and sweet :)

Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup water

Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and corn starch in a pot.
2. Use hands to make sure all the lumps are broken up.
3. Add water.
4. Heat the pan on the stove over medium heat and stir constantly.
5. As soon as the mixture gathers together (a little over 5 minutes), remove from the heat. When it cools (about 45 minutes), knead it into a smooth play dough.

Note: If you don't stir continually, it will stick and burn (and stink). Also, don't over cook this play dough or it will crumble when used.

What-Did-I-Make Wednesday

Side Note: Well, in the past week my "domesticity" has pretty much revolved around unpacking boxes, sorting, organizing, and putting-away. The bad part is that we're going on 2 1/2 months of this, but the good part is that it's almost done (seriously...)

Whenever I go out of town, I like to leave something for Matt. I used to write him a letter for everyday I was gone (awwww....), until I found that he never opened them, much less read them. So, now I leave food- a much more reasonable gesture. I have completely monopolized the kitchen, so Matt has no idea where anything is (you should see him try to unload the dishwasher). I'm sure he would survive without the meals; and I'm sure he would just head to the closest grocery store and buy 10 Budget Gourmets for $10. Economical, yes. Healthy, not so much.

This weekend, I'm heading to Dallas to see Kim, my amazing college roommate. (I haven't seen her since August and I'm going crazy.) We're going to shop, see friends, celebrate her promotion, etc. Matt, on the other hand, is staying home with Hula, so I'm starting his "leave behind" meals today.

This is what he's slated to get:
Sun dried tomato pasta (in fridge for Friday night and Saturday lunch)
Black Bean Soup (freezer meal)
Tomato Soup (freezer meal)
I am freezing a loaf of french bread (sliced in half) for his soups. The boy will freak without something to dip in his soup.
Hummus with freshly sliced carrots and Naan
Homemade chocolate chip cookies
Homemade strawberry lemon muffins

I will also do a shopping trip right before he goes and get things like bananas, chips/salsa, and Pirate's Booty. Does this sound like a lot of food?? Not for Matt. Matt consumes like a beast.

Long story short: tonight I am making the black bean soup and will post the recipe later.

What-Did-I-Make Wednesday??

It's that time of year- the Stony Brook student athletes are being reviewed for the academic eligibility. This means long, stressful meetings for Matt and the academic advisors. I decided I would cheer them up with some yummy treats! I delivered these goodies today:

Sun Dried Tomato Dip: I admit it; I am addicted to the Barefoot Contessa (thanks, Lil!). I use light/reduced fat ingredients for this dip and by "good mayo", I use Helman's Light and it still turns out great :) I serve with carrots, celery, tortilla chips, and pretzels.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sun-dried-tomato-dip-recipe/index.html

Apple Muffins: I got to use the apples I froze back in the fall!! I felt so domestic pulling the labeled and dated zip-loc from the freezer and taking the appropriate amount. These muffins are really good. I make them in large muffin pans so it looks like they're from a bakery.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Strudel-Muffins/Detail.aspx

New Year's Eve Menu Review

How did I do?? Not too badly! I spent the day leisurely making the meal (in my new apron- thanks, Roomie!!). I baked the cake in the morning and then did the Parmesan croutons around noon. I frosted the cake around 1:30pm and then took a break to clean up the kitchen/house and do my hair :) Then, I blanched the green beans so they'd cook faster and vacuumed the house with our brand-new, special pet-hair vacuum. By this time, Matt came home with a twisted ankle from his run- poor guy! Here is a review of our meal:

Starter:
Parker's Split Pea Soup: This soup was very, very yummy. The recipe says to skim the foam from the top of the soup, but not much acquired through the cooking. It also reminds you to stir frequently so that the veggies won't stick to the bottom- I found this very true in the last 20 minutes of cooking. I pulled the soup off the burner about 5 minutes early, as it was really thickening up. I'll add more chicken stock when I reheat it today.

Parmesan Croutons: There was way too much salt called for in this recipe and not enough Parmesan cheese! I added more cheese as I went but didn't realize how much salt was on them until it was too late. Next time, I will edit the ingredients :) Matt didn't think there was too much salt on the croutons, but I thought it was worse that a potato chip. My throat actually hurt from the salt... Regardless, they are pretty yummy- we each had about 4 in our soup!

Main Course:
Pan Seared Fillet Mignon with a Cabernet Sauce: This was pretty good and pretty easy to make. HOWEVER, the recipe says to put the cab in a hot pan. I did and it was a big, BIG mistake. The wine popped and spatted all over the kitchen. The floor, my clothes, the counter, the stove top, the cabinets, the ceiling, etc were all covered with wine. Next time, I will let the pan cool a bit before adding the wine... think "warm" pan- NOT "hot" pan.

Mustard-Roasted Potatoes: Matt thought these were good, but I thought they were really good. The mustard flavor was pretty subtle so I might add another tablespoon next time. And, the prep was so easy and so was the cooking, which is always nice! After popping these bad boys in the over (I used a mini turkey roasting pan), all I did was stir every 20 minutes. They cooked the perfect amount and I can't wait to finish them today!

String Beans with Shallots: These were just beans to me... I couldn't really taste anything else. I really like green beans, so I'm ok with that. I guess I just expected more. Both Matt and I prefer this green bean recipe (and no, I do not use all of the butter that it calls for because, well, beans are supposed to be healthy): http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1609295

Dessert:
Coconut Cake: It was amazing!! Seriously- go make this cake!!!! It does make a lot of icing, so there's plenty to cover every last bit of cake. Make sure you put enough frosting between the layers and keep frosting until you're out! I did have one goof making it... I didn't realize that I had an 8" and a 9" cake pan until after the cakes were baked. Oops. But, it's nothing that some creative cutting with a serrated knife can't fix. It's a BIG cake, so I could only eat half of my small slice. I think I'll try the cupcakes, too :)

Overall, I was really happy with our dinner (and thankful that Matt cleaned the wine off of the ceiling while I kept our meal on track)! I did notice that I don't have a cake leveler, so I may have to pick one up with my 50% off coupon from Michael's tomorrow :)

Happy New Year!!

Anniversary Dinner

Last night, Matt and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. I was SO excited to have a real kitchen, that I cooked us a three course dinner. Matt said that he'd love an Italian or French dinner. Since I didn't have the internet to help me, I went for Italian. I forgot how much I really enjoy cooking :) The key for me is lots of planning and lots of prep work. Here's what I made:

Martha Stewart's Tuscan Tomato Soup: I pureed the soup, thinned with light cream, and put a dollop of pesto on top. It's also good with a bit of sour cream mixed in.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/05/tuscan-tomato-soup-and-homemade-french-bread-recipe.html

Chicken, Garlic, and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta: I tried to make the cream sauce as healthy as possible, but the butter makes it a bit tricky :) I will probably double the amount of sun dried tomatoes next time. We loved this! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Garlic-and-Sundried-Tomato-Pasta/Detail.aspx

Tiramisu: I just used the BHG recipe; it was really tasty, but it didn't "present" very well. It looks nice when served on a plate, but I wouldn't want anyone to see it in the pan :) Also, you need about 8 more lady fingers than the recipe calls for. I made it with the liquor options, as I think it tastes better. We have a lot left over so I'm going to drop it by Matt's work today.

I was also SO excited to have a real dining table, that I took pictures of how I set it. Nothing special to it, but such a joy to have a dedicated eating space :) I wanted to use our wedding china, but we have about a dozen "formal dining" boxes full of fragile pieces individually wrapped with bubble wrap, taped, and wrapped in paper. I just didn't have the time! I did manage to use wine glasses we received for our wedding (thanks, Katie!) and some candle holders that I received at my bridal shower.

My Love/Hate Relationship With Martha

I hate Martha Stewart, and I love her.


Whenever I make a recipe from her book, it requires either:

a) some weird ingredient that I cannot find in the surrounding 50 miles;

b) some weird technique that require me watching online videos for 20 minutes just to sort-of understand it; and/or

c) a new, funky piece of equipment that I will never, ever use again.



But, does any of this stop me?? Not really- I still want to do it all. I start looking around her site and 2 hours later I'm trying to figure out how to dry corn-husks ,or I'm convinced that I too can make a leaf-lattice pie crust. Regardless, she is getting more accessible... and I'm getting more realistic. I've set up my online profile at her site and have more projects/recipes than I know what to do with. But, here's just a taste of what's my Martha List:


Recipes:

Tex-Mex Chicken Stew

Chicken with Ginger

Gingerbread Snowflakes



Crafts:

Sewing on Paper

Monogrammed Boxes



I also get her daily emails about cookies, organizing, crafts, etc (thanks, Lara!) and even though I won't do even 10% of them, it's a great inspiration to do something creative. Even her emails look cute...

Home Made Apple Sauce

It was a first for me, yesterday- I made home made apple sauce!! I had lots of left over apples and while I froze about 8 cups of sliced apples (for breads, pies, etc), I decided to use 6 of the small ones for apple sauce. I made it in a crockpot, so the method is a bit untraditional. But, it made our cottage smell so yummy for hours and hours while it cooked. Here is a link to recipe:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/crockpot-applesauce-recipe.html

What I Did:
I chose this recipe because it was simple, straight-forward, and only had 1T of sugar in it. I used bottled lemon juice and 6 small apples, in leiu of 4 large apples. To mash the apples, I used my potato masher and had excellent results. It made about 2 cups of apple sauce, which we will eat through the week. Apple sauce is also easy to freeze (and I've heard it can last years), so if you have a lot of apples or little kiddos, apple sauce could be a good idea.

What I Learned:
If I could do it over again, I would use 2 more small apples. There was a bit too much liquid left after cooking. Also, the apple sauce is very orange, and I don't know why! Maybe the cinnamon I used dyed everything?? The apple sauce is good, but it's missing a flavor... not quite sure what it is.

If you happen to have a good apple sauce recipe, please let me know!!

Am I Really This Bored??

I have decided to start a new blog, in addition to The Franck Files. This way, I have a dedicated space to chronicle my life as I become a home maker. It will include new recipes, projects, and all of the successes and failures I endure in the process. Feel free to check back and laugh!