Pumpkin Pancakes X 2

A friend on Facebook saw that I was making these and wanted the recipe. They're delicious! (I didn't get a picture of my plate that I actually ate off of...cuz they were so good I started eating without taking a picture with the toppings...pecans and syrup. So here is the stack that I didn't eat right away. They heat up great for leftovers too.)

I have an ez recipe and a scratch one.

EZ Pumpkin Pancakes

2 1/2 c. Aunt Jemima Mix
3 T. br. sugar
2 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1 3/4 c. milk
2 T. canola oil
2 T. vinegar (white or white wine)
1 c. pumpkin puree

Mix them all into batter and either dust off your pecans in some flour and add to the batter (so they don't sink) or just serve with them on top when they're done, with some maple syrup.


Home Made From Scratch Pumpkin Waffles (My family recipe)

In a bowl for dry ingredients only, sift together:

2 1/2 c. Flour
1 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. clove

Then in a wet bowl you will add the dry to eventually, cream together:

4 eggs, whipped
2 c. buttermilk
1 can of pumpkin (or make your own fresh)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

When the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet, and beat until smooth.

Again, if you dust your pecans (optional) with flour and add to the batter before cooking they won't settle so you'll get the pecans in each pancake or waffle. Or, just serve them on top.

Make into waffles or pancakes...they are delish!

St. Louis Style BBQ Ribs

Ooops, I forgot the photos load in reverse for some silly reason.

I made these ribs with a dry rub that I made up, based on reading several good recipes and deciding what I'd like mine to taste like. My dry rub included about a cup of brown sugar, maybe a little more, T. ground chikory coffee, T. Hungarian Paprika, 2 t. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic salt, grated lemon zest from one lemon, and T. cumin, I think.

I prepped the ribs by trimming them of as much fat as I could get off with a sharp filet knife. I also peeled off the membrane on the back of the ribs. This makes it easier to eat them and it helps them achieve that fall off the bone doneness that we all want in ribs. Then I rubbed them down completely with the dry rub, covered them on a platter and refrigerated them overnight.

About one hour before I was ready to cook them I took them out of the frig to achieve room temperature. This relaxes the meat and holds in some of the juiciness and allows for even cooking when you let the meat hit the heat. Then I preheated the oven to 350 and put them flat, side by side on a baking sheet that I lined twice with foil and sprayed with Crisco olive oil spray so they won't stick.

I put the ribs in the oven for 10 minutes on each side at 350, to brown them off a bit. Then I took them out of the oven, reduced the heat to 250, and tented the ribs with foil, pretty tightly (meaning close to the meat without touching it) so that the steam will stay inside the foil and cook the meat slowly, tenderizing it.

These babies went for about four hours 20 minutes before we just couldn't wait anymore and we enjoyed them very much. They were not quite falling apart, but parts of them were fall off the bone and the rest were tender and tasty. They could have gone another 30-60 minutes if you want the total fall off the bone effect. We like them as they were. This particular set of ribs was super meaty and I think that's what took them so long. Just 3 or 4 ribs and I was full.

I served them with a side of BBQ sauce for David, because he loved the flavor of the dry rub but he likes his ribs wet. I just heated that up for him and he could paste it on as he ate. I ate mine dry, and they were less messy and just as tasty that way. I also served corn muffins, corn on the cob and baked beans. It was a messy and tasty dinner!

Eggplant Parmesan

My friend, Christine, came over for dinner after a long commute back home from Chicago by train. I was going to make this for David last weekend, but I made enchiladas.

First make the sauce. My sauce is simple and I'm not sure I have given the recipe entirely away, but let's just say you can do a lot if you sautee a rib of celery, an onion and two cloves of garlic (all finely minced) in olive oil, then add a large can of tomato puree and two cans of tomato paste. You can figure out your own seasonings to taste, and add several cups of water for the right consistency you like. My consistency is 4 cups to that mixture.

Or you can use jarred sauce if you like a certain kind, but then you probably need on jar for the eggplant and one more for your pasta.

Then, peel and slice one very large or two medium eggplants. They shouldn't be too thick, maybe quarter of an inch, so they cook up easily and don't absorb most of the oil. Put them in a strainer and sprinkle sea salt on them to draw out some of the bitterness and excess water for 30 minutes while you prepare your dredges in three pie plates.

First pie plate, about 2 cups of flour seasoned with salt, pepper and a garlic seasoning blend if you like. Second pie plate, 5 eggs, whisked completely. Third pie plate, about 2 cups of Italian bread crumbs, add salt, pepper and the same seasoning if you like.

Now heat a couple of cups of canola oil in a large frying pan. You want it hot but not smoking. The eggplant will absorb oil if it's not hot enough. It should sizzle with a small drop of water dropped in. Careful. You can also use the first small slice of eggplant as a tester.

Dredge your eggplant through plates 1, 2 and 3, coating with each step. Drop into the hot oil and brown on each side. You'll probably have to repeat this process 3 or 4 times to finish them all, draining the browned eggplant slices on a rack with paper towel to catch excess oil.

Now you can assemble your casserole. I made two small ones, one for tonight with Christine and one for David whenever he wants. I'll freeze it and bake it later. It was going to be way too much food for two people. To assemble, first spray a casserole with non-stick spray, I use Crisco spray because it doesn't leave a nasty film on my dishes that won't come off. Then ladle a small amount of sauce into your casserole dish, enough to lightly coat the bottom. Then arrange a single layer of eggplant slices. Top those with more sauce, covering them up entirely. Top the sauce with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Another layer of eggplant, another layer of sauce, another layer of cheese. You get it, until you run out. I made just two layers and I put more cheese on the second layer.

Pop it in the oven, covered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until oozy and bubbly. You'll know when it's done. You can uncover the last 5-10 minutes to brown the top.

Serve with al dente pasta of your choice and another slathering of sauce on your pasta, a little crusty bread if you want and some vino. You may want to make a salad ahead of this meal, but we're having tiramisu, so we're going to be overfull.

Enjoy!

Great-Grandma Engelmann's German Potato Salad

I modified my great-grandmother's recipe for my sister last week. We had Hungarian sausage that she used to make, and I made this side dish. Grandma used to slice the potatoes, but I like them a very semi-mashed consistency.

Wash half of a small bag of red potatoes. Halve or quarter them to make them all uniform size for boiling so they'll all get done at the same rate. Boil them over medium high heat in enough water to cover them, with a healthy dash of sea salt. This will season the potatoes as they boil. Meanwhile, cook half a pound of bacon until crispy and drain the bacon on a paper towel. Reserve half the bacon fat.

Drain the potatoes when they are fork tender, reserving 3 tablespoons of the potato water. Dice a medium onion and sautee it until tender in the bacon fat. Then add the potato water into the bacon fat and onions. Also add 1/4 c white wine vinegar into the bacon fat, heat and mix together gently with a little black pepper and authentic Hungarian paprika.

Gently mash the potatoes, only sightly mashing them so that there are large pieces and some small pieces. Or, if you prefer...slice them, but that's a pain and takes longer, in my opinion, to achieve the same tasting dish. Add the bacon dripping and onion mixture to the potatoes and then garnish with a heavy handful of chives or parsley. I made this one with fresh chives. Don't forget to add the the bacon back in, crumbled up into small pieces.

Serve hot or cold, but Grandma always served it hot. It was tastier than I remember hers, but then I was a kid and hated vinegary tasting foods with gooey textures. Now? Potatoes, bacon, onions and chives in bacon drippings? It's the bomb!

Semi-Homemade Enchiladas

I made David Mexican food this weekend. I never do. Usually we go to Jose's for this. I have made great enchiladas for parties before, so I thought I'd make those and use up some of the leftover braised meats I had in the freezer. I made three kinds of enchiladas: cheese, braised beef and braised turkey.

In two separate bowls, I soaked 10 corn tortillas each in spicy green enchilada sauce (I bought it in a specialty store) and in mild red enchilada sauce for a couple of hours. I find this makes them easier to roll up when I fill them later. I thawed my leftover meat and grated chihuahua cheese and crumbled Mexican farmer cheese for later.

I seasoned my turkey in a taco seasoning...cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, adobo powder. I left the beef, because it was slow cooked in peppers and peppercorns. I sliced some Mexican cheese into spears for the cheese ones, to make filling them easier, and I finely diced a small Spanish onion.

I sprayed two casseroles. In one, I rolled the beef with some onions in half of the red steeped tortillas, and the cheese and some onions in the other half. In the other, I rolled the turkey in the green tortillas.

I topped both casseroles with the remaining corresponding enchilada sauce, some shredded cheese and some crumbles of the farmer cheese. Then I baked them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes until bubbly. You can tell they're done.

I made guacamole and served chips, yellow rice and refried black beans alongside the enchiladas, and garnished them on the plate with fresh cilantro. They were a hit. David said, "It's not that easy to pull off Mexican food at home, but you did a great job. I guess we USED TO go out for Mexican."

Personal Chef to Lady Lawyers Too Busy to Cook

Today I started offering my personal chef services in-home to my clients, women lawyers who are too busy to cook, who don't feel like cooking, or who don't know how to cook. It's a great alternative to constantly eating out, having to run to the grocery store and then cook something after a long day of work, or having to wait for a table or pick up carry out or eat microwave dinners every night.

I believe eating right is part of practicing self-care. Eating with your family is an ideal opportunity to connect and discuss what is happening with everyone. I also do romantic dinners for two if you're still dating.

I cook from scratch. I do a personal consultation with you to determine your preferences and create my weekly menu around those, subject to your approval. I then create a grocery list and shop for the food for you. I will bring it to your house and cook your weekly meals for you, put them into containers that will easily reheat, and give you instructions on each to reheat them. My complete service menu is available at http://danalboyle.com/chef.aspx. There you can see prices, packages, and more details.

Obviously, this part of my services will only be available locally to clients within 30 miles of my address, or the Racine-Kenosha, Wisconsin area. I will consider Milwaukee and surrounding areas, and Lake County, IL, for the right client. Just ask.

If you're interested, give me a call. 262-637-2094.

Spicy Cilantro Shrimp

This is a twist on the very first dish I ever made for David on one of our early dinner dates. My favorite food is shrimp, and boy is this good! It's so good that David requests it often and I don't mind because I love it too.

Warning: It'll make you sweat.


In a medium bowl, combine the juice of one lime, 1/4 c. hot pepper sauce (I like Crystal brand), 1 T. ground cumin, 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 T. liquid crab boil seasoning. Whisk together, careful not to get this in your eyes, and let stand.

You'll want to have two pounds of fresh or flash frozen medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined. They should smell like the water they came out of if they're fresh and safe to eat.

In a medium sautee pan, heat 1 T. olive oil and 2 T. butter over medium heat. Sautee 2 finely chopped shallots and 4 finely minced cloves of garlic. (While you're at the chopping, clean and chop a bunch of cilantro and set it aside.) Now toss your shrimp into the pan and gently turn them until they are done. Shrimp are done when they are pink and firm. They are easily overcooked and taste like erasers when overdone, so be careful to remove them from the heat at just done, opaque, and not a second later.

When they're done, scrape the contents of your pan (shallots, garlic, shrimp, oil and all) into the bowl of spiciy seasoning. Toss througoughly, careful again not to get any in your eyes. Then garnish and toss again with your fresh cilantro.

You can serve this over rice by itself, but I served it along with a black bean and mango salsa and rice with warm tortillas, green chili salsa and some chips. By the end of the meal you'll be sweating and need the chips and tortillas to keep your mouth cooled down, and a margarita can't hurt for good measure!

It should serve 8, but who are we kidding? It really serves more like 5 or 6 people.

Returning By Popular Demand

I apologize that I have not posted my recipes, cooking and eating adventures for a couple of months. I have been one busy girl, but I have continued cooking and now that my camera is back in action I will be sharing again. Be on the lookout for my new format, which may take this blog to a new hosting site.

Thanks for asking about the blog! :)

Dana

Wordle Creations with Food Words

Ever wonder what your entire blog would look like in a word cloud? Here it is...or at least here's one of the creations:


And one more. See if you can make heads or tails of this Chicken Parmesan Wordle recipe:


You can create your own word clouds at www.wordle.net. Have fun!

Black Banana Friday Bread

How often do you buy bananas and they turn heavily spotted or even black before you can eat them? It happens to me all the time. I put them in pancakes or muffins or I make a loaf of banana bread.

For banana bread, just mash up your two leftover bananas that you don't want to eat because they're just too ripe for you and set them aside. Then, sift 1 1/3 c of self rising flour (if you want to skip adding salt and soda) and 1/4 t baking powder in a separate bowl. In yet a third bowl...ugh, I know, cream 5 1/2 T butter (at room temperature for easy creaming) with 2/3 c. sugar for 2-3 minutes. Now slowly beat in your flour mixture until fully integrated and the texture of brown sugar. Slightly beat two large eggs in a small bowl, then add them to the main bread bowl and mix in. Finally, add your mashed bananas and now is also the time to add any nuts you might want to the loaf, walnuts, peacans, almonds. Fold the banana and nuts into the mixture gently until fully mixed in with a spatula.

I might also toss in some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg or something. It makes it taste richer.

Scrape the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, at 350 degrees for approximately 50-60 minutes. Let it cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan, then finish cooling on a rack before storing in an airtight bag.

It's a heavy loaf, but very good. You only need a slice or two for breakfast, and now you didn't waste your bananas.

Grilled Polenta Points with White Bean Dip and Roasted Red Peppers

Last night I made dinner for my former secretary, only she called about an hour before and canceled. She said she had a headache. I had already made most of dinner and it was a lot of tasty food to eat by myself...and it'd have been sad to eat it by myself. I emailed SP who had already asked if he could come up Thursday, but I told him my friend was coming by, and told him she bailed and asked if he wanted to take her place...poor guy.

Well, he said to thank her...seriously. For the main course, I went simple and made a vodka sauce over tortellini. For the vodka sauce I simply threw in a can of diced tomatoes, some olive oil, a little tomato paste, some oregano, basil, garlic, a little California garlic blend, salt, pepper, and then a little heavy cream and 2 T. vodka at the end. It turned out nice over the three cheese tortellini. I didn't take a picture...I have some left over. If I get a picture of those, I'll post it later. We were hungry. He works 2 hours away...

For our appetizer, I thought I'd make some white bean dip, but I don't have much in the way of crackers and chips around the house, and I wanted something creative. I have polenta, so I made some of that...it's the quick kind that you bring 3 cups of water to a boil and then put a cup of polenta in and stir five minutes and then either serve or set. I wanted it to set to make points...so I spread it out in a casserole pan and put wrap right on top of the polenta so it wouldn't get a skin on top. When it cooled enough to handle, I cut it into squares and grilled it with a tiny bit of olive oil.

For the white bean dip, truthfully, I have no recipe for that either. I opened a can of white beans, dumped them into the food processor (after draining them) and added a couple of cloves of minced garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, about 2 T tahini (which is sold everywhere now, I think; it's sesame paste, like peanut butter in a jar, but made of ground sesame seeds...you have to stir it like old fashioned peanut butter) and then I turned the processor on and ground it all into a course puree. It's a little sticky and dry. I scraped the sides and hit it again to fully mix it up. Finally, I drizzled olive oil into the running processor to incorporate it into the dip/spread. I'm telling you, this stuff is delish! I could eat the whole bowl for dinner with a spoon.

I served the points with a healthy dollop of bean dip and a sliver of sliced roasted red bell pepper. Wow did SP love those. He didn't even know what polenta was until yesterday, and he's Italian. I guess his family doesn't make polenta. I'm sure his mom and aunts know what it is though. I've heard his mom and aunts tell stories of the wonderful Italian foods they grew up eating that they hate because it reminds them of their parents struggling to make ends meet. I suppose I can see that, but so much of what they talk about is wonderful, rustic food.

Oh, and I also made a loaf of crusty garlic bread, because what's pasta sauce without bread to sop it up with?

Think Outside of the Can Corned Beef Hash

I still had leftover corned beef from the CB&C, because I didn't use it for the soup. I only had a little left, about four slices, so I also set aside a few potato slices and thought I'd make myself breakfast. I've never made corned beef hash, so I have no idea how it's actually made, but I have eaten it all my life out of a can, and it looks like mushy corned beef and cubed potatoes in grease.

I diced my corned beef very small, and then I did the same with the potatoes. I tossed them into a hot skillet with a pat of butter and a few drizzles of canola oil. A little salt, a little pepper, that's it. Oh, I think I also dusted it with a little cayenne, but that's not for the faint of heart, so use it if you like spicy food, for breakfast. :)

It came out very good. Better than the canned stuff, by far. I topped it with an egg. It ain't pretty, but it's good, honest food. It's like that line in City Slickers, "Food's brown, hot and plenty of it!"

Dig in!

Hamburger Chowder

I had a ton of leftover potatoes, carrots and cabbage from the corned beef and cabbage. I didn't have that much corned beef left, so instead of making a CB&C soup, I made a hamburger chowder with my leftover ingredients and a pound of ground sirloin. We used to go to a restaurant where the chef made this every week when I was a kid, and I loved it.

I sauteed a quarter of a large yellow onion, two stalks of chopped celery, and some minced garlic in olive oil. Then I added the sirloin and browned it. You can drain if you want, but there was minimal fat.

I added 8 cups of beef broth to the pot and brought it to a boil, then added 1/2 c of barley for some substance. During the last 10 minutes of simmering, I diced up my leftover potatoes, carrots and cabbage and added them to the soup to warm through (they were already cooked). If yours are not cooked, add them during the last 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how done you want them.

I served this with a slice of my leftover Irish Soda Bread, which turned out very nice and artisan bread looking. It's a very rustic, heavy loaf.

This dish was resourceful, creative and used up my leftovers instead of wasting. Everyone is focused on being resourceful and efficient right now. Using leftover ingredients doesn't have to mean you eat the same meal over and over. You can create something new with it. Last night I ate this, tonight I added egg noodles to the bowl to give a little different twist.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

SP came up for the weekend. I had a brisket and figured I may not see him Tuesday, so I made it Saturday. It was very easy. I used the boil method. I put a 2.25 lb brisket in a large dutch oven and covered it by one inch with water. I then added the enclosed seasoning packet. I also added a few more peppercorns, a whole yellow onion, and a couple of shots of whiskey to the water. I brought it to a boil and then simmered on low for 2 1/2 hours.

For an additional half hour, I added 1/3 inch thick slices of potato, wedges of fresh cabbage and bias-sliced and peeled carrots. When the carrots and potatoes were fork tender, I served it all up, sliced the brisket and slathered some butter over the top of it all.

I also made a homemade Irish Soda Bread. I searched high and low for an authentic recipe, because all the recipes I have are for American soda bread that is sweet or has fruit added to it. This recipe was purely soda, salt, buttermilk and whole wheat flour. It resulted in a very rustic, round loaf that we ate with our dinner and for breakfast on Sunday.

I read online that Irish-Americans (that's me) continue to make this dish on St. Paddy's day because ethnic groups tend to take a snapshot of what their home country was like when they left, and do not take into account the new and evolving culture and tastes of their home countries. In Ireland, this dish is not that popular today, except for in County Cork, where it is often seen on lunch menus. However, during the time when the second wave of Irish came to the U.S. and Canada, about 1850s (1851 for my ancestors), this was a meal to celebrate the end of Lent and the harvest of cabbage. It would have been peasant food for a celebration of spring.

I'm not sure how accurate that history is, but I will say that if it is true, the Irish (Irish National) chef who wrote it, while trying to explain the lack of understanding and connection Irish-Americans have with Ireland, perhaps has a lack of deep understanding of the culture that is Irish-American in the United States. The history of this dish only makes me want to make it and enjoy it more often, in homage to the folks who risked their lives to give us a better chance at life and who, perhaps, romanticized a peasant dish from their past that isn't quite so popular in the real Ireland today.

I have leftovers, so I'm going to make soup this evening.

"Use it up" Three Berry Tart

I had puff pastry in my freezer for a while, and it doesn't keep that long, so I decided I had to thaw it and do something with it. I've always been this way, but in this economy especially, rather than waste things that may spoil, I try to keep a good eye on what I have in the frig and freezer and use what is on hand while it's still fresh. It keeps me creative and it cuts down on wasting food, because throwing away ingredients is like throwing away dollar bills.

I put one sheet in an oven safe tart dish and baked it at 375 for 15 minutes. Then I "defrosted" on low 1/3 c of blackberry preserves and spread it all over the baked pastry. Next, I drained a can of blueberries in juice (not the pie kind in jelly) and about the same amount of raspberries that I also had frozen for a bit in the freezer, rinsed them well, and then arranged them evenly over the preserves. I dropped small spoons full of cream cheese every so often over that.

In a small saucepan, I melted 2 T of brown sugar and 2 T butter together, and combined it well. Then I drizzled it over the entire pastry topping. I cut the other sheet of puff pastry into thin strips and overlapped them into a lattice crust on top of the tart. I drizzled a hint of water with my fingers over the crust and then dusted it with sugar to give it a glisten and sweetness.

I baked the tart at 375 for 25 minutes until nicely browned and puffed up, with the fruit bubbling through the lattice.

OMG - this is good! It reminds me of the blueberry popovers my mom used to make me when I was little. If I can just think of how to make the frosting she used to put on them I'll be golden to make those next time.

This is a great alternative to pie, and an easier version than an actual pie. It's fantastic with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. Large enough for 8 or so servings. Heavenly.

Due to technical difficulties, I'll post a photo soon. Darn camera won't connect...

Going All Out On Valentine's Day

I've been so busy...it's been hard to post, but I did take pictures of my Valentine's Day meal, at least the set up and dessert. I got so caught up in getting it on the table that I didn't get shots of the shrimp and flank steak courses. But I really went all out and here are some shots. It's worth making things special sometimes. SP loved it and so did I.

I served spitfire shrimp, grilled flank steak and onion and five cheese twice baked potatoes. For dessert, we had slices of this decadent flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of coffee ice cream and some chocolate whipped cream. It was enough calories for a week, but it was goooooooood!

I'll write up the recipes another time, or ask me for them.

Chicken Parmesan with Rigatoni

SP and I cooked in on Saturday. I love grocery shopping with him. I really don't like to grocery shop, but it's fun when I go with him. We stopped at Jewel and picked up what we needed for dinner and breakfast, and he had taken some chicken breast tenders out of the freezer already.

I made my red sauce, which is basically a little bit of meat (like ground pork or sausage), two ribs of celery finely chopped, a small onion or half of a large onion finely chopped, and some garlic sauteed in olive oil. Then I add one large can of tomato puree and two small cans of tomato paste. To that, I add four cups of water and bring it to a boil. I add some fresh parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes. Then I reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for a few hours, stirring to avoid burning.

While the sauce simmered, I heated some olive oil and canola in another skillet over medium low heat. I dredged the chicken tenders in egg, and then I lightly patted them in Italian bread crumbs that I seasoned with a little more parsley and California garlic blend. I turned the heat up slightly and seared the chicken tenders on both sides for about three minutes or so, each side. Then I removed them to a coated baking casserole to finish them.

I coated the chicken tenders with sauce from my simmering pot, and a layer of Romano, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. I placed them in the oven on 350 for 45 minutes. When they were brown and bubbly, I pulled them out of the oven to rest while we cut the bread and finished boiling the Rigatoni in a large pot of salted water.

The chicken was juicy and tender, with a slightly crispy breading, and the sauce coated the pasta and chicken nicely. It was a robust and somewhat healthy meal. We sopped up the leftover sauce with fresh Italian bread. This is comfort food at home, folks.

The bonuses? It was inexpensive, and we both had lunch for today at work. It heated up really well, too.

Braised Pork Roast with Apples & Cranberries

Today I coated a two pound pork roast in sage, salt and pepper and then seared it to a nice caramel dark brown in a very hot skillet with a few tablespoons of canola oil..about ten minutes. I then removed it to a crock pot heated to high. I added a sprig of rosemary to top off the roast. Then I deglaced my pan with about 3/4 c. dry white wine, 1/2 c. OJ and 1 c. chicken stock. I added a sprinkling of cracked black pepper as well. Just as the mixture started to come to a boil, as I made sure to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan (this is where the flavor comes from), I added about 1/2 c. of brown sugar and brought the mixture to a full boil to thicken slightly, mixing the ingredients well.

I poured the contents of the pan over the roast. Then I added a couple of handfuls of dried cranberries to the pot, along the sides of the roast. It's in the crock pot now (this will cook on high for four hours or on low for 8), and when SP gets here, I'll peel, core and slice apples slightly bigger than usual and arrange them in the crockpot for the last hour, or until they are tender.

When the entire dish is done, I will remove it to a platter, reserving the liquid and arranging the fruit along the sides of the sliced roast. In a large saucepan, I'll make a bit of a roux, with a tablespoon of butter and flour each, and mix them until they are starting to turn color. Then i will add the contents of the crockpot to create a tasty gravy.

While all of that is finishing up, I'll make some mashed potatoes and a salad to serve with dinner. We'll drink the leftover wine with our meal. This should be good. I was inspired by a recipe I saw online last week, but couldn't find when I wanted to make this. I read a couple of other recipes and think I get the gist.

You could braise this and add other dried fruits or veggies or a combination of both. Braising works very well for tougher cuts of meat, and it creates layers of flavor. Try it with chicken, beef roast, lamb...whatever you like.

Go Steelers!

SP loved it...he said it is one of the best meals I've made for him. He requested that I make it again. It was pretty good. You can taste the fruity flavors in the meat and it's extremely tender and juicy.

Slow Cooker Olive Chicken

Yesterday morning I put three chicken breasts into the crock pot with a bay leaf, a jar of Spanish stuffed olives, juice and all, a drizzle of olive oil and some cracked pepper. I set it on low the entire time I was at work and when I returned I had the most tender, tasty chicken and olives, complete with a sauce to ladle over the top of my mashed potatoes.

It's that easy! I can eat for several days and don't have to cook all week now.

However, I will note that this recipe is better with a whole chicken. I haven't uploaded the picture yet...but will do so. I got this recipe from my uncle when I was about 10.

My nice slant on it, when I cook it in a sautee pan is to add a deglace of vodka to create a dirty martini chicken dish that is devine with potatoes or rice. I'll also post that sometime. It's prettier as well.

Hot Beef Sandwiches

Last night I took an eye of the round tip roast out of the freezer to thaw so that I could put it in the crock pot for beef sandwiches tonight.

This morning, I put the roast into the crock pot, poured a bottle of whatever beer I had on hand over the top, then poured an entire jar of Greek pepperoncini with the juice in the crock pot as well. I added two bay leaves, salt and pepper and turned the crock pot on low for 11 1/2 hours, the entire time I would be away from the house, door to door, to work and back.

When I got home, the second picture is what it looked like after I gently cut it up with a knife and stirred it around a bit in the juices, removing the bay leaves.

I toasted a hard Italian roll and arranged some beef on the roll along with some roasted red pepper and mild giardinara. As you can see, I ate it for dinner with a handful of chips and a root beer. I'm telling you, this is way too easy to be this good.

I got this recipe from my sister. Not sure where she got it, but right on, Heather!

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

I have some leftover ham in the freezer stored in a few 1 lb portions for later use. I took some out to make an omelet and still had most of that pound left, so I need to use it up. One of my favorite comfort foods from childhood, and one of the cheapest, easiest things to make for an entire family is this dish.

Tonight I made a small casserole dish of scalloped potatoes and ham, because I know I'll only eat it tonight and then for lunch a couple of times this week. You can double or triple it to your needs.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees and sprayed a small casserole with cooking spray. Then I peeled about 6-8 smaller potatoes, the Idaho variety, and then sliced them fairly thin and put them all in the casserole dish. I then finely chopped about a quarter of a large, sweet onion and sprinkled it over the top of the potatoes in the dish. I seasoned the potatoes and onions with a little salt and pepper.

Then I took my ham, about 1/2 a pound spiral sliced, out of the frig and cubed it up roughly in bite sizes. I added that to the casserole and tossed the ingredients together.

In a medium sauce pan, I melted about 1/3 stick of butter and then added 1 heaping teaspoon of flour, and let it come to a bubbly roux. I kept whisking it, about 2-3 minutes, to release its thickening powers, and then I added about 1 1/2 c. of milk and whisked the mixture until it came to a boil. This gives it full thickening power. I added a little salt and pepper to the cream, whisked it again, and then poured it over the casserole mixture.

I placed the lid on the casserole and baked it in the oven for an hour, until bubbly and starting to get golden and happy on top. The potatoes should be fork tender and in a bubbly cream sauce.

You can eat this all on its own, or serve it with a nice, crusty bread and/or some fresh veggies. Tonight, I'm going to eat it by itself. I'm eating alone, and I have devils food bundt cake left over from having my parents over last night.

At your option, you can elect to add cheese to this dish. I didn't tonight, because I like the traditional pauper's dish that this is.

Happy New Year!

I was offline for the holidays and then lost my modem for about 10 days, but I'm back up and running today. Here's to great food to share with friends and family in 2009!

Homemade Hot Cocoa

SP did a lot of shoveling over the holiday season and over the past few weeks. He dug out at his house, then went to his aunt and uncle's house and shoveled there, then dug out his sister's house, then stopped to dig out my parent's house, then finished mine up when he got here. It was cold, too!

While he was outside clearing my walk, I got into the habit of making us some hot cocoa from scratch. It's really easy, and I always have extra milk to use up. This is a tasty way to use that half gallon of milk that's about to expire.

In a medium saucepan, stir together 1/2 c. granulated sugar and 1/3 c. baking cocoa powder over low heat, slowly adding 1/3 c. of milk until it forms a warm, smooth paste, then stir in 3 2/3 c. more milk and warm to nearly boiling while constantly stirring or whisking. Remove it from the heat and add 1 t. vanilla extract (add 1/2 t. mint extract if you like that kind of thing), and ladle into Irish coffee mugs. Top with a generous dollop of real whipped cream and share with someone you love.

This is the best pose of 5 shots I took of SP enjoying his hot beverage. I told him he'd wind up on the internet with his tongue hanging out. He raves over this hot cocoa. Give it a try.