Slow-Cooker French Dips

Isn't the best kind of meal one you can stick in the crock pot in the morning and forget about until 7pm? This recipe is super easy and delicious to boot.

3.5 lb chuck roast
1 lg can beef broth
1 cup red wine (I substituted apple juice)
1 can condensed French onion soup (I substituted a packet of the dry mix)
1 T garlic salt
salt & pepper to taste

Trim the excess fat off the roast. Rub it with salt and pepper. Place all the other ingredients in the crock pot, then add the roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Serve on toasted kaiser rolls with a slice of provolone or swiss, and dip in a bowl of the au jus from the crockpot.

Your tummy and honey can thank me later.

Yes, you can.

Have potato chips that are virtually fat free anytime you want, that is.

If you have some

And some

and one of these

then you are ready!

Seriously.

Step 1: Spray a large plate (or microwave safe flat surface of some kind) with cooking spray. Don't skip this part or your chips will stick to the plate.

Step 2: Peel your potatoes.

Step 3: Slice potatoes thin-- the thinner the better, unless you want thick chips, which will take longer.

Step 4: Arrange potato slices on the sprayed plate, so they are not overlapping. Overlapping will hinder the crisping process. :)

Step 5: Spray over the top of the potatoes with the cooking spray.

Step 6: Microwave those bad boys until they start to brown up. You'll definitely want to let them go until they start getting brown, otherwise they won't be crispy. My 1000 watt microwave only needed about 5 and a half minutes for my first batch. For some reason the next batch took longer. Adjust cooking time depending on your wattage and how crispy you want your chips.

Step 7: Sprinkle with salt or garlic salt or cayenne pepper or Italian seasoning or... you get the picture.

Step 8: Let them cool just so you don't burn your tongue, and ENJOY!! These are amazing.

Oreo Mint Ice Cream

Happy ice cream day! I adapted this from a recipe that claimed to be just like the Ben and Jerry's ice creams. It is soooo creamy and delicious.

3/4 C coarsely crumbled Oreos or Trader Joe's sandwich cookies
3 large eggs
3/4 C + 1 TBS white cane sugar
2 C cream
1 C whole milk
1-2 tsp mint extract or flavor

*Note mint extracts are not created equally! Mint oil is usually much stronger than extract. I used something in between--Simply Organic Mint flavor which is a combination of mint oil and sunflower oil. I used 1 tsp.


Mix egg and sugar with whisk over mixture over double boiler, until very pale and thick

Cool in the fridge for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add milk, cream to the egg mixture, mix well. Add peppermint extract 1/4 tsp at a time, testing the flavor after each addition (some extracts are much stronger than others). If you like green mint ice cream (and I actually do despite my dislike of artificial dyes), this is the time to add a few drops of green coloring.

Cool in the fridge for another hour or two until ready to freeze. While egg mixture cools, chop or crumble oreos in to coarse chunks. Chill them in the freezer.

Freeze the cream mixture in an ice cream maker. When it is just about done, add oreo chunks and stir. Serve immediately for soft serve, or freeze in a deep freezer overnight for firm ice cream.

Dark and Chewy Hot Fudge

I really love the hot fudge at old style ice cream shops (or should I say shoppes?). The kind that is gooey and a little chewy once it chills on the ice cream. The only problem is, I usually like my fudge a little darker than the stuff they serve. After searching and testing, this is what I came up with: It has the texture that is more like goo than syrup, with a dark, creamy, taste that's not too sweet and melts in your mouth.

6 oz dark chocolate of your choice
1/4 C cocoa powder (I use a combo of regular and Dutch processed)
2 TBS butter
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp Vanilla or coffee extract

Chop chocolate into chunks. Put all ingredients in a saucepan on medium low heat and stir until melted. If you like even chewier hot fudge, cook it for a few minutes after its melted. Use it to make old fashioned ice cream sundaes. Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge. I've never had it go bad on me.

Whole Wheat Bread

This is my go-to whole wheat bread recipe. I really like that it makes enough dough for multiple loaves, so I can store the extra and pull it out and let it rise when I want a fresh loaf. It's also good if you need to make multiple loaves all at once.

This isn't for people who don't like some serious, dense whole wheat bread. It's not so heavy as to be inedible, but it ain't Wonderbread, which is in my humble opinion an excellent thing.

Take the time to let it rise twice, as it makes it a lot less dense. It's worth the extra time. The actual amount of time you have to pay attention to the dough is fairly minimal, but plan on the whole process taking somewhere around 4 or 5 hours from start to out of the oven.

Panna Cotta

For reasons I can't articulate, I've been terrified of custardy desserts. Maybe it's the fantastic failure at my attempt at a lemon meringue pie, or maybe it's the bother of stirring constantly lest I scald boiling milk and thereby ruin my dessert.

Anyway.

Panna cotta is so stupidly easy that my terror of it is rather embarrassing. Had my pregnant self not been craving it so strongly, I probably wouldn't have ventured.

Ingredients:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons cold water

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1)In a very small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and remove pan from heat.

2) In a large saucepan bring cream, half and half, and sugar just to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin mixture and vanilla.

3) Divide cream mixture among eight 1/2-cup ramekins and cool to room temperature. Chill ramekins, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.

4) Dip ramekins, 1 at a time, into a bowl of hot water 3 seconds. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin and invert ramekin onto center of a small plate.

Passover Meal

We celebrate Passover every year. We do so with a lot of flexibility to the menu, the date and the passover script, but still fun. If you've never tried it and want to, try this meal plan and I'll e-mail you my much-abridged Passover script. Cheers!

This year's Passover Menu:

Appetizer-- Potato Latkes with Applesauce and Sour Cream

Drink-- lots of 100% grape juice in lieu of wine

The Seder Plate (These foods are more symbolic than filling. We include the orange on the Seder plate symbolizing the right of women to become rabbis)

The Passover Feast--

Melted Onion chicken
Matzoh Ball Soup
Bitter Herbs Salad

Dessert--
Fruit and other non chametz delicacies. Any ideas for desserts that use absolutely no leavening?

Grilled Brined Shrimp

Brining is a surefire way to get tasty shrimp. Under-salted shrimp always has an off flavor, and it can't be covered by salting after cooking. I find that shrimp either has to be brined or have significant salt while boiling or cooking. I made these babies tonight.

Brine:
3 C water
1 C white wine
1/3 C (yes, cup) kosher salt (use a little less if using table salt)
1 lemon, chopped
4 bay leaves
spices--I used a tsp of cajun spice. Old bay, garlic,

Add 1 lb of de-veined (peeled or unpeeled) shrimp to brine so that every shrimp is covered. Pop the bowl in the fridge for 30-40 minutes. Don't brine for too long, or they'll get too salty. Also note that brine is a very inexact science. Substitutions and experimentation are encouraged.

Skewer shrimp and grill on medium, medium low heat for about 4 minutes. Shells will be pink and meat will no longer be gelatinous.

Serve with lemon and garlic butter and LiT Chick's amazing clam chowder.

Roasted Chicken with Melted Onions

This recipe is so simple and so tasty it's absolutely elegant. Onions are cooked in chicken drippings until they're mild, melted, savory, and sweet. Then the melted onions are served with the chicken--a combination so good I was making embarrassing audible groans and moans when I ate it. This meal tastes like it could come from Communal or Founding Farmers. Seriously.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (any size)
2 sweet onions
kosher salt

Instructions:
1. Chop onions in big, wide chunks. Place in the bottom of a heavy roaster (preferably one with a lid).
2. Prep the bird--remove gizzards, liver, anything else in the cavity and rinse well. Pat dry. And salt generously. It's going to be a little more salt than you think you need.
3. Place chicken atop the bed of onions and add 1/2 C of water to the roasting pan.
4. Cook the chicken. There are many ways to cook a chicken, but this is how I do it:
I start it at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, just to get it going. Then I decrease the temp to 325 until the internal temperature is 155.
Then I uncover it, turn on the broiler and let it go for about 3-5 minutes until the skin is crispy.
Then I take it out and let it rest on a plate under loose aluminum foil for 30 minutes. The chicken temp usually jumps up 10 to 20 degrees during the rest period. This will put you well within the safe zone of 160-165. You may like your way better. I'm cool with that.
5. After removing chicken from roasting pan, access the amount of liquid you've got in the pan. I had a lot of liquid for my last batch, so I drained most of it off (and saved it for stock) so my onions are still moist. If your liquid is low, add some. The onions should be wet but not swimming in juices.
6. Cook the onions in your roasting pan over the stovetop while your chicken rests.
7. Carve the chicken and serve with melted onions on top.

Different Blueberry Muffins

Meg posted an awesome blueberry recipe a couple of months ago. It looked fab, but I didn't have all of the ingredients. One of my very favorite recipe blogs, Smitten Kitchen, had a super fab-looking blueberry muffin recipe, too. They are tangy and a bit lemony (I didn't have a lemon for zest, so I ended up using lemon extract) and yum.

Oh, yes.

So, one of my favorite things to get at Outback or Chili's is the Blooming Onion/Awesome Blossom. So good. Well, what do you know, I found a recipe for a way to make it by baking it instead of frying! Suh-weet. Here it is:

1 large sweet onion (the biggest one you can find)

1 T. butter, melted

2 t. Dijon mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)

3 T. dry bread crumbs

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Dipping sauce:

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. mayo

1.5 t. dried minced onion

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. dill

With a sharp knife, slice 1/2" off the top of the onion. Peel the onion. Cut the onion like a pie, into 16 wedges, but stopping about 1/2" from the root end so that you don't cut all the way through.

Place the onion on a double thickness of foil. Fold foil up around the onions and seal tightly. Place this in a baking dish and bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and mustard. When the onion is done, open the foil and fold the foil down around the onion. The onion should fall open a little, you can spread the pieces out a bit more with forks. Brush the butter mixture over the onions. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over. Bake again for 18-25 minutes or until crispy and tender. The tips of the onion pieces should turn dark.

Combine dipping sauce ingredients and enjoy when it's done!

Yum. Of course it's not quite as good as the real thing, but hello, so much better for you. It'll do.

A Fabulous Sounding Soup

This one's for you, Lost in Translation!

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

2 cans (15 oz ea) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

2 med onions, finely chopped

1 t. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. cumin

3 c. vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) solid pack pumpkin

2 T. cider vinegar

1/2 t. pepper

2 T. bourbon, optional

Optional Garnishes:

sour cream

sliced green onions

roasted salted pumpkin seeds

shredded cheese

Place beans and tomatoes in a food processor/blender and blend to desired consistency. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven/soup pot, saute onions in oil until tender. Add garlic and cumin; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, vinegar, pepper, and bean mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in bourbon if desired. Garnish each serving with whatever you think sounds tasty.

Notes: I did not use bourbon. I never do. And it was delectable.

Oh, and there are a lot of recipes online for a black bean pumpkin soup, but the main one in circulation for some reason has ham in it. And beef broth. Ick. That just does not sound appetizing to me AT ALL. This recipe is from my Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking magazine, is meatless, and is also ridiculously good. The ingredients are ones I think I pretty much always have on hand, too. I highly recommend garnishing it with at least the green onions and cheese, and if you have some, the sour cream. I ate the last of it for lunch today by scooping it up in tortilla chips. Mmm!

Vanilla Pudding

It seems like all my favorite food blogs have posted their favorite pudding recipes within a week of one another. This seems odd as pudding is really low on the hierarchy of dessert foods. But something about it...the way it sounds exactly like it tastes...its unassuming nature. For the first time in my life, I actually craved vanilla pudding. In the end I chose Martha's recipe, and it was pudding perfection.

Note: Instead of a vanilla bean I used vanilla paste as a short cut. I added a little cream for extra richness.

Martha Stewart's Vanilla Pudding Recipe

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, seeds reserved
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ounce milk chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)
Directions
1. Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl until smooth; whisk in cornstarch mixture.
2. Combine milk, remaining sugar, and vanilla-bean scrapings in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly pour milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Return mixture to saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and transfer mixture to a medium heat-proof bowl.
4. Whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Set bowl in ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Serve pudding with chocolate shavings on top, if desired.
Read more at Marthastewart.com: Vanilla Pudding - Martha Stewart Recipes

Rolo Cookies

Think rich chocolate cookie with a chewy carmel center. That's the ROLO cookie. And it's one of the few cookie recipes on the planet that has survived my kitchen without receiving a Maret ingredient makeover. It's a solid, reliable, decadent recipe. I think the only thing that could improve it is a higher quality carmel candy. You just have to find one that's not liquidy. That's the trick. If you know of any, let me know.

Tips for this recipe: Freezing the Rolos is necessary. Freezing the candies prior to baking allows them to stay within the cookie's envelope (without falling out the bottom). The dough is incredibly thick. I recommend mixing by hand when you add the last bit of flour mixture. ENJOY!



ROLO Chocolate Cookies (from Nestle)

4 pkg (52 g each) ROLO chocolates
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar (optional, for rolling)

Steps:
Place ROLOS in freezer for at least 6 hours. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa and baking powder until combined and no lumps remain. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in brown sugar and vanilla, then egg, until smooth. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until just combined. Let dough stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180oC). With hands, roll 1 tbsp (15 ml) of dough for each cookie into balls and place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. If using, place granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Bake no more than 15 cookies at a time and remove 1 package of ROLOS at a time from the freezer. Press each ball of dough into about a 2-inch (5 cm) circle. Place a ROLO in centre; wrap dough around ROLO so it is evenly covered. Seal well so there are no cracks. Roll into a ball. Roll in sugar, if desired. Place about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in centre of oven for about 8 minutes or until dry to the touch. Cool on sheet on rack.
Makes about 40 cookies.
Nutrients per cookie:
About 95 Calories, 1 g Protein, 4 g Fat, 14 g Carbohydrates.

101 posts and a seriously life changing soup

I just noticed that the last post was the 100th! How great is that? I love this blog. Keep sharing the recipe love, everyone!

And on that note, the following recipe has some serious love to give if you are a fan of Thai food. A spinoff of the popular and delicious tom kha gai, this soup is to die for. If I could make all my favorite Thai dishes as easily as this one, and have them all turn out this yummy, I'd never have to venture to a Thai restaurant again. And I'm saying that after I didn't even succeed in my quest for lemongrass. Darn you, Asian market, for only selling a weird package of freeze dried lemongrass. (Well, darn myself, really, for waiting until the last minute to try to find some.)

Here it is.

8 c. stock (chicken or vegetable-- I used organic chicken stock)

2 shallots, peeled and halved

6 one-inch pieces of unpeeled fresh ginger

1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and cut into chunks (as noted, this soup will still be delicious sans lemongrass)

2 kaffir lime leaves, or 1 t. lime zest (I used lime zest)

1/2 t. sea salt

1 15 oz. can coconut milk (I used reduced fat coconut milk with great results)

3.5 oz. rice noodles, broken into 2" pieces

1 c. peeled and finely diced carrots

pinch of cayenne (or to taste)

1-2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/8" thick diagonal slices

2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

2 T. sliced scallions, for garnish (didn't have these)

Combine the broth, shallots, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, and 1/4 t. salt in a soup pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out all of the solids and discard. Stir in the coconut milk and continue to simmer, being careful not to boil, for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the rice noodles into a bowl of hot water and soak until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Stir the carrots and cayenne into the soup, simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 7 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, and the remaining 1/4 t. salt. Do a taste test now and, if necessary, add a bit more salt. You may want to add a small amount of sugar-- I added 1/4 t.

Finish it off by serving it in bowls with the garnishes, if desired.

Variations: for an extra immune booster, add 1 c. of stemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms when you add the chicken. Tofu can also be used in place of the chicken for an awesome vegetarian version.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 45-55 minutes.

Storage: refrigerator for 3-5 days, freezer up to 2 months.

Per serving: 290 calories; 15.5 g fat (13.5 saturated), 35 g carbs, 6 g protein, 4 g fiber

Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

Yum!

Ingredients: 4 cups cooked quinoa (or about 1 cup uncooked)

6 oz. baby spinach

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (don't bother using the expensive stuff)

1 medium onion, chopped (I didn't have an onion so I used a shallot I had instead. Yeah. I'm weird like that. No yellow onion, but I had a shallot.)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs

3 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (about 3/4 c.) (I didn't have Gruyere, so used Emmentaler instead. Turned out great. I imagine any kind of nutty-tasting hard cheese would probably work.)

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp. dried

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 c.)

(The recipe didn't call for it, but I used asparagus as well, cut into 1 inch chunks)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a 2-quart gratin or baking dish (I used a 9X9 Pyrex).

2. Cook the quinoa, or it can also be prepared and refrigerated up to three days in advance. I used these directions, and used 1 c. of white wine for part of the liquid.

3. Heat a medium frying pan or a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Wash the spinach and without spinning dry, add to the pan and wilt in the liquid left on the leaves after washing. This may require two batches. As soon as the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry and chop. Set aside.

3. Wipe the pan dry and heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa, the onion and spinach mixture, the Gruyere, and the sage. (Here, I also added the chopped asparagus.) Add freshly ground pepper and stir the mixture together. Scrape into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and drizzle on the rest of the olive oil.

5. Bake until nicely browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, and eat. Duh.

Mediterranean Calzone

Yeah, when in doubt: encrust delicious ingredients in a bread product. Can't fail.

Crust: (Makes enough dough for 3–4 large calzones—easily halved)

2 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 c. olive oil

~ 6 c. all-purpose flour

1. Combine water and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer (much easier, but you can knead by hand, too). Let activate for about five minute.

2. Add kosher salt, olive oil, and two cups of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Add more flour, one cup at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic but not too stiff. Knead a minute or two in a stand mixer, or for about ten minutes by hand.

3. Let rise to double (if you have time . . . if not, you can cheat and go straight to the calzone making), or about one hour.

4. Split into four hunks of dough.

5. Roll out one dough ball into circle about 1/2 in. thick and about 10 inches in diameter.

Stuffing:

Pesto or marinara sauce

Artichoke hearts, chopped

Kalamata olives, sliced

Spinach, sweated on the oven in a bit of olive oil and salt

Mozzarella and any other melting cheeses you like (I used Gruyere—parmesan or parmigiano reggiano would be great, too)

Feta cheese

1. On the circle of dough, apply a circle of sauce, leaving at least an inch of naked dough on the edge.

2. On approximately one half of the dough, apply toppings as your little heart desires. Don't overstuff, or you will have difficult sealing the crust. You can riff on a traditional calzone like I did, or stick with pepperoni and cheese or sausage and cheese, or whatever.

3. Beat an egg in a small bowl, and with a pastry brush, apply a bit of egg on the edge of the dough to help seal.

4. Bring the side of the dough unladen with ingredients to join the other edge, forming a pocket.

5. Press the edges firmly together. You can use a fork to mash the edges together, or curl up the edges in a curly pattern. You just want to keep all the yummy ingredients inside.

6. Bake on a preheated pizza stone in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

7. Calzones can be refrigerated and eaten later, but allow to completely cool (will take at least an hour) before wrapping and refrigerating. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 5–10 minutes or so.

Sugar Spiced Almonds

I made these for a yummy snack to eat on New Year's Eve. These are not your typical candied nuts-- the combination of spices is super good. Give these a try!

1 egg white + 2-3 t. cold water

1/2 c. sugar

1 3/4 t. cayenne pepper

7/8 t. garlic salt

7/8 t. chili powder

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

3 1/2 c. almonds

Put the almonds in a big ziploc bag. Beat the egg white and combine with the cold water, then pour in the bag and shake to coat the nuts.

Mix the spices in a small bowl before pouring in the bag and shaking again to coat.

Grease a rimmed cookie sheet or line with foil. Preheat oven to 250.

Spread almonds in a single layer on pan and roast in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cool on pan before storing in an airtight container.