Boeuf Bourguignonne

Nothing says party-time like opening a bottle of wine at 8 am! Unless you’re making boeuf bourguignonne.

Joe and I are in the middle of planning a trip to France, including some time in Burgundy, and as I read up on food and wine, I realized that I had never tried my hand at many classical French dishes. With a beautiful chuck roast that we’d received from our meat CSA, I knew it was destined for boeuf bourguignonne.

To keep it simple and classic, I settled on the recipe from Joy of Cooking. Although I planned on 24 hours of marinating time, a change in schedule meant it was closer to 48 hours. Since the marinade isn’t highly acidic, I figured it was fine, and the meat turned out wonderfully, not at all mushy. I’m not a fan of pearl onions, so I skipped those and added extra carrots. And I served some new potatoes roasted with Herbes de Provence on the side.

It takes some time to build all of those layers of flavor, but it is completely worth it. The smell of boeuf bourguignonne simmering in the kitchen let me imagine that I was already in France. I never imagined that beef stew could taste so rich and have such depth of flavor.

First things first, pop the cork on a bottle of Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, something on the light and fruity side. This was a nicer bottle of wine than I would’ve normally used, but we have a lot of wine and it seemed silly to buy something just to cook with. I finished off the rest of the bottle that night.

In a large bowl, combine 2-3 lbs of boneless beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes, 2 cups dry red wine, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 chopped onion, 1-2 chopped carrots, 1 minced garlic clove, a bay leaf, some chopped parsley and thyme, some cracked black peppercorns, and a 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir to combine and coat the meat. It’ll look something like this:

Yum. Let it marinate for 1-24 (or 48) hours, turning the meat occasionally. The longer the better.

Drain the beef, reserving the marinade, and pat dry. Strain the marinade and reserve the liquid and the vegetables separately.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add and brown 4 ounces of diced bacon.

Remove the bacon, leaving the fat (about 2 tbsp) in the pan. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Browning wine-soaked beef is a holy act, so take your time and enjoy the aroma. Remove with a slotted spoon. When all the beef is browned, add the reserved vegetables and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown. Then add the marinade, followed by the beef and the bacon, to the pot. At this point, add in the pearl onions or peas, if you’d like.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the meat is fork-tender, 60-75 minutes. Then add 2 cups mushrooms, quartered (about 8 oz). Cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Skim the fat from the surface, add some parsley, salt, and pepper to taste, and then you’re good to go.

Beef & Butternut Squash Cocoa Chili

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this particular chili this season. I believe it’s at least three, and I usually double the recipe so I have plenty of leftovers. It makes a great cold-weather breakfast if you’re on the non-breakfast-food-for-breakfast train since the cocoa and the cinnamon add sweetness without adding any sugar.

Like most chili recipes, this one is flexible. I routinely throw in an extra bell pepper, and if you’re spice-averse, you can reduce the heat by not using as much chili powder, chipotle chili powder, and spiced paprika. Or you can throw in some avocado to help temper the heat. The original recipe calls for ground bison, which is a great option if you can find it and are willing to spend a little more. It’s also slow-cooker friendly. If you opt for that route, I recommend cooking the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and beef first.

Of my top three least-favorite cooking tasks, peeling and cubing butternut squash falls right behind peeling and deveining shrimp. So when I discovered the 2 lb container of pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash at Costco, I was elated. The chunks are still pretty large, so I halve them for this chili, but they are a huge timesaver.

Beef and Butternut Squash Cocoa Chili
Yields 4 servings
Adapted from Practical Paleo

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or bison
• 1 onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes

Preparation

Sauté onions and bell pepper in your choice of cooking fat in a large pot or Dutch oven until softened and onions are translucent. Crumble beef into the pot, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, cooking until no longer pink.

Combine spices in a separate bowl and mix. Add garlic, cooking until fragrant, then add the remaining spices. Stir until beef mixture is coated and spices are fragrant before adding the tomatoes.

Add in butternut squash and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or until butternut squash is tender.

Sukuma Wiki

Kenya is known much more for big game animals than for its food, and yet, as soon as we got home, I turned to the internet for help with some Kenyan recipes. Like any of the myriad places where I have spent time, the food of those places feels like reconnecting with their spirits. I never did end up making a big Kenyan feast, and that idea was put on the back burner.

This is a plate of typical Kenyan food, pretty much the definition of “peasant” food. Boiled potatoes, sauteed cabbage, rice, some kind of meat (usually beef or goat) stew, and sukuma wiki (suh-KOO-muh WEE-kee), or kale. I learned that sukuma wiki means “stretch the week” in Swahili, and since it is grown year-round in East Africa, it is easily available and often added to meals to stretch them throughout the week. Eating all that kale is probably the reason why most Kenyans are so healthy! Well, that, walking a lot, and not smoking or drinking alcohol.

In browsing for paleo-friendly recipes, I found this version of sukuma wiki which uses ground beef (so much easier to find than goat) and collard greens. Without being so finely chopped, the texture was much thicker, and the warm spices gave the dish more of an Indian flavor. Apparently, one must go to Mombasa to get the well-seasoned food in Kenya. It’s a simple dish that comes together quickly, but it’s also soul food – warm and hearty. I know we’ll be revisiting this dish frequently in the winter.

Sukuma Wiki
source: The Domestic Man

Ingredients

1 tbsp cooking fat of your choice
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp each sea salt, cumin, coriander
1/2 tsp each black pepper, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground fennel seeds, turmeric
1 lb organic, grass-fed ground beef
1 bunch collard greens (about 8 leaves), stems removed, sliced into 1″ strips
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp lemon juice

Preparation

Warm the fat in a skillet on medium heat for a minute, then add the onion. Sauté the onion until softened, about four minutes. Add the chopped garlic and jalapeño and sauté until fragrant, about one minute.

Add the ground beef and seasonings, and cook until mostly done, about six minutes, stirring frequently so the ground beef doesn’t clump.

Add the collard greens and tomatoes, and sauté until the collard greens are wilted, about four minutes. Stir everything around carefully as it cooks – be sure to do this step gently so you don’t mush up the tomatoes.

Add the lemon juice and season to taste by adding salt and pepper as needed, and serve immediately.

Eggplant Bolognese

The way I see it, there are two main ways that you can reduce the amount of meat in your diet: you can specifically choose to eat meatless meals on specific days (Meatless Mondays or Fridays) or you can reduce the amount of meat you would use in a given dish, which I will refer to as the Bittman Way, after Mark Bittman, the food journalist and author who recently lost a fair amount of weight by eating like a vegan until dinnertime. This recipe, developed by Bittman, obviously falls into the second way of reducing your meat intake.

Particularly in these early days of fall, who doesn’t love a big pot of Bolognese simmering on the stovetop all Sunday afternoon? The thick, hearty sauce on top of whole wheat spaghetti is such a comfort food, but you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in this version. The eggplant adds bulk and contributes to that nice meaty flavor. You would hardly guess that you were eating vegetables. I added a couple of sweet peppers to the sauce because I had them lying around, and they contributed a nice sweetness to the sauce. If you don’t have any sweet peppers, I might add a teaspoon of sugar just to round out the sauce a bit. When you’re cooking the beef and the eggplant, try not to stir it constantly so that, when you deglaze the pan, you’ll have all of those delicious and flavorful brown bits to scrape up. That really adds so much to the sauce.

What’s your favorite Sunday evening meal in the fall?

Eggplant Bolognese
source: Cooking Light, October 2010
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper divided
• 1/2 pound ground sirloin
• 8 cups chopped eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 10 ounce uncooked whole-wheat fettuccine
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and beef. Cook 10 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble beef.

2. Add eggplant, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 20 minutes or until eggplant is very tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

3. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes as necessary. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and red wine vinegar.

4. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon kosher salt to cooking water. Drain. Toss pasta with sauce; sprinkle with basil leaves.

Valentine's Day Veal Piccata

One of the restaurants that has been important in Joe's and my life together is Damian's Cucina Italiana in Houston. It's an unassuming brick building in Midtown, right across from Brennan's. We first ate there for a meeting of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians when Joe was in medical school. That was when I fell in love with their veal piccata. The sauce was silky and buttery, and the veal was so tender that it nearly melted in my mouth. I don't remember what it was served with because the veal stole the show. We also ate at Damian's the night that Joe proposed, and of course, I had the veal piccata. So when I was planning a Valentine's Day menu and Joe requested Italian, my thoughts immediately went to making veal piccata.

We brainstormed a menu that included Caesar salad, roasted asparagus, veal piccata on a bed of fettuccine, and Molten Chocolate Spiced Cabernet Cakes. While it certainly wasn't a cheap dinner, it was a much more economical option than one of the many prix fixe menus around town. The piccata sauce was a dead ringer for the sauce at Damian's with lots of lemon flavor tamed by the silky sweetness of the butter, but the veal wasn't quite as tender as I would've liked.

Veal Piccata
adapted from Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition

Ingredients
1 lb boneless veal cutlets pounded to slightly less than 1/4 inch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
1/4 cup butter, softened
salt and black pepper

Preparation
Season the veal cutlets with salt and black pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat 1 tbsp each of olive oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the cutlets for about 30 to 60 seconds on each side. Remove and keep warm.

Add white wine and lemon juice to the pan. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits with a spoon. Reduce the heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in butter, capers, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the scaloppine and serve immediately.

Super Bowl Party

The Super Bowl was a great excuse to have people over to eat, drink, and watch the game. While neither Joe nor I are big football people, he went to college in New Orleans and has strong emotional ties to the city. We had taken several trips to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and were excited that the Saints were going to play in the Super Bowl. Our guests contributed with delicious appetizers and desserts, but I'll show you all what I made.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
source: Frank's Red Hot

Ingredients
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cans (12.5 oz. each) chunk chicken breast in water, drained

Preparation
Combine cream cheese, salad dressing, buffalo sauce, and cheese. Mix in chicken. Either bake in an oven-safe dish at 350-degrees for 20 minutes or place in small crockpot for several hours on low. Serve with celery sticks or crackers.

Bourbon Slush
source: Evan Williams Cooking with Bourbon

Ingredients
12 oz frozen lemonade juice concentrate
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
2 1/2 cups brewed tea, cooled
1 cup sugar
2 cups bourbon
6 cups water

Preparation
Mix ingredients together until well-blended. Place in freezer until slushy. This will go quickly, so you might want to double the recipe!

Joe actually made these all by himself while I was prepping everything for the chili!

Jalapeno Poppers
source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
Jalapenos
Cream cheese
Bacon

Preparation
Halve jalapenos and remove seeds and membranes. Fill with cream cheese and wrap with bacon. Bake on a pan with a rack at 375-degrees for 20-25 minutes.


I don't normally make beef chilis, so I didn't have a go-to recipe, though I had bookmarked this one a long time ago. It was delicious and had a lot of spice. I offered cheese, avocados, cilantro, green onions, sour cream, and green onions to top everyone's chili with. I doubled the recipe, which fit perfectly into my Dutch oven and fed everyone.

Paula Deen's Spicy Chili
adapted from Reservations not Required

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground chuck
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) cans ranch-style beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

Preparation

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground chuck, until beef is crumbly. Stir in onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

Stir in beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and green chiles. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Mongolian Beef

Making Chinese food dishes at home is surprisingly easy and tasty without all of the grease once you get some of the ingredients. I know I put off buying hoisin sauce for quite a while, but now it's so easy to throw something like this together knowing that I already have most of the ingredients on hand. Besides, the two things I miss most when I'm eating healthfully are pizza and Chinese food. I doubled the amount of chili-garlic paste, which made it quite spicy. If you use the original amount, it will still have some heat. I served this on top of lo mein noodles, but next time, I think I will add some broccoli and serve it over brown rice.

Mongolian Beef
source: Cooking Light December 2009
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons dry sherry (I subbed dry vermouth)
  
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (I doubled.)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Preparation

1. Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

2. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Hamburger Buddy

Oh, comfort food. Somehow, it's those things from childhood that we tend to crave during stressful times or the cold, dark days of winter. This meal is a take on Hamburger Helper but adds a healthy spin with the addition of a pureed vegetable mix of carrots, onions, and mushrooms. Perfect for a picky child or husband, this will fill you up but not weigh you down. With a side salad, you'll have even more vegetables on your plate! I found it a tad on the bland side, so it perhaps needs a little more thyme and salt, but you can add whatever other spices or herbs you think would go well with it.

Hamburger Buddy
source: Eating Well
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half
• 1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided
• 8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or chives for garnish

Preparation

1. Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.
2. Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.

Coffee-Ginger Crusted Steaks

Labor Day Weekend, the official end of summer. Contrary to how things usually roll, Joe was off of work, and I had classes and work, but we were able to celebrate the first week in our new place. Steaks were on-sale for the grilling holiday, and Publix had a delicious sounding recipe in their weekly circular. Even though I had both coffee beans and gingersnaps on hand, I never would've thought of combing the two. This had a delicious, unique flavor. I would recommend using decaffeinated coffee beans, particularly if you're sensitive to caffeine. I served this with roasted asparagus and grilled corn.

Coffee-Ginger Crusted Steaks
source: Publix

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs grilling steaks (I used a NY strip steak.)
2/3 cup gingersnaps
1/3 cup whole coffee beans
salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat grill. Place cookies and coffee beans in food processor; pulse until finely ground. Place mixture on plate.
2. Season steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Coat both sides of steaks with coffee bean mixture; press with fingertips to evenly coat.
3. Place steaks on grill; close lid. Grill 3–5 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 145°F [for medium-rare]. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure desired doneness.
   Note: Steaks may be cooked in grill pan preheated on medium-high. Lightly coat pan with canola oil. Cook time will be about the same.
4. Remove steaks from grill and let stand 3–5 minutes. Cut into 4 portions and serve.

Asian-Marinated Flank Steak

Maybe my iron is low or maybe it's the fact that I live behind an O'Charley's and can smell their hamburgers every time I leave the house, but I've been craving red meat. And besides the 24-hour marinating time, this meal came together in about 20 minutes. The nutmeg infuses the meat with a lot of warmth, and I was pleased that I could actually taste it. I also figured out the key to perfectly done meat on the grill - use the meat thermometer!

The recipe said to reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade as a sauce for the meat, but since my flank steak was larger, I went ahead and used it all as a marinade and didn't miss it during the meal. I served this with the rest of the fiery slaw and steamed sugar snap peas.

Asian-Marinated Flank Steak
source: Cooking Light March 2009

Ingredients
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed (Mine was the smallest I found at 1.75 lbs)

Preparation
1. Combine hoisin sauce through garlic cloves in small bowl. Put mixture into a large freezer bag, along with steak, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally. After 24 hours, remove steak from bag, and discard marinade.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Coat grill rack with cooking spray, and place steak on it. Grill approximately 4 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 145-degrees for medium-rare (or desired degree of doneness). Let steak stand, covered with aluminum foil, for 5 minutes. Cut steak at a 45-degree angle across the grain into thin slices and serve.

Asian Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps

Everyone who loves P.F. Chang's or Pei Wei sings praises about their lettuce wraps. When I ended up with a lot of ground beef in the freezer, I knew, for my own sake, I was going to need to find something besides chili, spaghetti sauce, and tacos in which to use it. Lo and behold, this recipe arrived from The Cynical Chef just as I was racking my brain for ideas.

Of course, the recipe underwent some changes. Joe had used up the rest of the soy sauce without telling me, and I tend to eyeball ginger and put in much more than the recipe calls for. It still turned out great. Much better and healthier than P.F. Chang's and a lot cheaper too! This would also make a tasty appetizer and could be easily doubled for a larger crowd.

Asian Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
source: AllRecipes via The Cynical Chef

Ingredients

• 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger (I used fresh minced ginger.)
  
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce to taste (like Sriracha)
  
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Preparation

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Guinness Beef Stew

I'll go ahead and admit that I'm a bit of a lush, and, like Erin, I love adding booze to food. So when I saw this Guinness Beef Stew on Laure's blog, I knew that I had found the beef stew recipe for me. Apparently it's been the coldest winter in a few years around these parts, so there is nothing quite like coming home after walking across campus in the frigid dark sleet and having a warm, comforting dinner ready for me to dig into. This stew is definitely hearty, and the thyme and Guinness give it a great flavor. Stew meat has also been on-sale at my grocery store, so I think I'll stock up until winter is over!

Guinness Beef Stew
source: Vintage Victuals

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5-2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions, roughly sliced
1-2 baking potatoes or 5-6 red potatoes, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, coursely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 16-ounce Guinness
1 tablespoon Worchesterchire
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium beef broth or stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Clean the beef and pat it dry. In a bowl toss your stew meat with the remainign 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper, tossing to coat all pieces. Arrange the meat in a single layer in the heated skillet. Cook just until the pieces are browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Note that the meat will still be raw on the inside.

Meanwhile, toss all of your veggies into the crockpot. Pour the Guinness and Worchestershire sauce over the veggies, sprinkle the thyme on top, and drop in the bay leaf. When all your meat is browned, pour it into the crockpot, too. Return the skillet to the stove and pour in the can of beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan into the broth. This not only saves you some cleaning time but also ensures that you don't lose any of the flavorful bits left behind in the pan!

Pour the broth mixture over the contents of the crock pot. Season with salt and pepper, and gently stir everything together to mix thoroughly.

Put the lid on the crock pot, and cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Meat should be very tender (falling apart, melting in your mouth) and veggies should be fork tender (and wonderfully cooked in the broth). Remove bay leaf and adjust the seasoning before serving, adding additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, or some hearty bread.

Asian Short Ribs

It's been pretty cold around here lately (though today it's almost 60 degrees!), and there's nothing better for me than coming home late from school, not having to cook, and still enjoying a warm, hearty meal. This winter I have a new appreciation for my slow-cooker since it's my first real winter since I lived in Michigan. I also love how moist it keeps meat. The ribs were falling apart at the touch of a fork, but the carrots weren't mealy or floppy at all.

I didn't use a head of cabbage, but I had some leftover bagged coleslaw, which I used in its place. I ate this meal plain, but you could serve it over a bed of brown rice if you wanted more complex carbohydrates. This is a great slow-cooker meal for those who eschew processed foods but still want the convenience of coming home to a fully-cooked meal.

Asian Short Ribs
source: Real Simple

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)
4 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
1 small green cabbage (about 1 pound), quartered
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Add the short ribs and carrots and arrange in a single layer. Lay the cabbage on top.

Cook, covered, on high for 5 to 6 hours (or on low for 7 to 8 hours), until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

Transfer the cabbage, short ribs, and carrots to plates. With a large spoon or ladle, skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard.

If the slow cooker is on the low setting, turn it to high. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Whisk into the cooking liquid and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs and vegetables and sprinkle with the scallions (if using).

Joe's Birthday Dinner

Because I had class on Tuesday until 7 pm, Joe's birthday dinner needed to be something nice that could be on the table relatively quickly. Since we rarely eat steak, it definitely felt like a special occasion. I pan-fried the steaks in my cast iron frying pan after rubbing in some steak seasoning.

The roasted brussel sprouts are our new favorite thing. I tossed halved brussel sprouts in some olive oil, used salt and ground pepper generously, and roasted them in a 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan.

The baked potatoes were actually microwaved and turned out perfectly in a quarter of the time it would've taken to bake them. All in all, a very successful weeknight dinner that was also special!

South of the Border Skillet

This was originally called South of the Border Casserole, though you don't really bake it so I changed the name. Joe really like this a lot. In fact, he liked it so much that he asked to have the leftovers for dinner the next night. I think the fresh jalapeno adds a dimension to the dish that makes it different from similar dishes. I will definitely make this again. It's a one-pot dish, so it's great for weeknights.

South of the Border Skillet
source: Taste of Home Cooking

Ingredients
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed from half, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes, if you can find them) (I used diced tomatoes.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons of cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sour cream (I used reduced fat.)
8 oz penne, ziti or any small pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

In a large deep skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if necessary. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat. Saute until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin. Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with a spoon, but still leaving big chunks. Add sour cream, stir until mixed. Add pasta. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente, about 25 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom. Serve with the cheddar cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top.

Rubbed Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce

I hadn't really made any plans for dinner on Sunday night since Joe is so often on-call, and I work until 7. But I had been talking up this recipe ever since I saw it on Lisa's blog, and I realized that I could make it for Sunday night. Joe and I don't normally eat beef that isn't ground, partially because it's expensive enough that I get worried about completely messing it up. But flank steak is a very economical cut, and I had faith that I could do this.

It turned out very well despite a couple of things a) we forgot to let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it b) it was more medium-well than medium-rare and c) I substituted normal chili powder for ancho chili powder, which was somewhat of a mistake. It was very spicy, and the chili powder sort of outshone the rest of the flavors. I was looking forward to tasting some of that bourbon marinade too!

Rubbed Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream
source: Lime in the Coconut

Marinade:

1 (1 to 1.5 lb.) flank steak
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Horseradish Cream

1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tbsp dried parsley

Rub:

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1.5 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt

Marinate your steak overnight or for as long as 24 hours.
Prepare your horseradish cream and chill.
Prepare your rub.
Remove your steak from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Rub your spice mixture on the moist steak 30 minutes before grilling.


We cooked this over medium-high heat until done. I wish I had taken a picture of Joe's beautiful grill marks, but like I said, we cut into it pretty quickly.

I served this with a salad topped with feta, pear slices, and almonds with a balsamic vinaigrette.