Beef Burgundy over Noodles

Looking for some yummy comfort food for Sunday night dinner?  This was a great choice.  It's a bit similar to a few beef/wine recipes that I have made in the past, but I never pass up a chance to cook with red wine.  Or beef.  Or egg noodles.  This was a very tasty meal and is great for a meal for two.  My only issue with the recipe is that there wasn't enough of it!

Source:  The Taste of Home Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 tbsp diced onion
2 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water, divided
3 tbsp minced fresh parley, divided
1 bay leaf
1 whole clove
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp browning sauce, optional (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or nonstick skillet, brown beef and onions in butter over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms, wine or broth, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons parsley, bay leaf, clove, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender.

Combine flour and remaining water until smooth; stir into beef mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Discard bay leaf and clove.  Stir in browning sauce if desired.  Serve over noodles.  Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Weeknight Bolognese

The title of this post is definitely the truth.  This dish came together very quickly and tasted great!  We'll eat anything that is cooked in red wine, so choosing this meal was definitely an easy decision.  If you're looking for a quick, easy pasta dish, but want something a little bit different, give this a try!



Source:  Annie's Eats, from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground sirloin (or ground turkey)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1¼ cups dry red wine, divided
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. dried pasta, such as shells
Pinch of ground nutmeg
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground meat into the pan. Cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce. Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining ¼ cup wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked and drained, toss with the warm sauce and grated Parmesan until well coated. Serve with additional Parmesan if desired.

Creme Brulee

Once I tried this recipe, I had forgotten how much I loved creme brulee.  I was expecting this recipe to be difficult, but Pioneer Woman makes anything seem like a piece of cake.  I was hosting an Oscar party this year so I really wanted to make a "sophisticated" dessert.  However, I have to admit that I also made this so I could try out my new creme brulee set and kitchen torch.  In the end, it was worth it!

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

4 cups Heavy Cream
1 whole Vanilla Bean OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Paste
10 whole Egg Yolks
¾ cups Sugar
6 Tablespoons Superfine (Baker's) Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add vanilla (whichever product you’re using) and simmer over medium-low heat.

Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.

Strain cream using a fine mesh strainer.

Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs! Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly.

Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown.

Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.

To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to quickly (but carefully) brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.

Serve immediately!

Dreamy Creamy Strawberry Ice Cream

This recipe was the first time I had ever made ice cream so I was super pumped for this.  I had just purchased the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer so I was really itching to make some ice cream as soon as possible.  I'm a little strange, but I love fruit ice cream better than chocolate so I decided to try this strawberry ice cream recipe.  It calls for quite a bit of sour cream, but once I tried the finished product, I never would have known there was sour cream in it.  This was very tasty and really tasted like anything you'd buy in a carton at the grocery store.

Source:  Annie's Eats, barely adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. vodka or kirsch (optional)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the sliced strawberries in a medium bowl with the sugar and vodka. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a blender or food processor and add the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice. Pulse briefly until almost smooth but still slightly chunky. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Sour Dough Bread

I'm starting to get more comfortable in my bread making abilities so I decided to try making bread that didn't involve my bread machine.  Sour dough is probably my favorite kind of bread so I knew that I had to make it.  I had no idea how much effort goes into making sour dough.  If you plan on making this, you'll have to give yourself about a week to prep before the dough actually goes in the oven.  It takes a little effort to make and maintain the sourdough starter, but once you finish the bread, the end result is wonderful.  You'll end up making several loafs at a time because this bread will disappear quickly in your household!

Source:  Annie's Eats, starter and sourdough basics from King Arthur Flour, bread from Williams Sonoma

Sour Dough Starter

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp. sugar or honey
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

Pour the water into a 2-quart glass or ceramic jar or bowl. Stir in the sugar or honey to dissolve. Stir in the yeast. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or dishcloth (not plastic wrap) and place it in a warm area. Let it develop 2-5 days, stirring once a day due to the separation that will occur. When bubbling has subsided and a sour aroma has developed, stir once more and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sour Dough Bread

Ingredients:

1½ cups lukewarm water (100˚ F)

4 tsp. active dry or instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1 cup sourdough starter
5½-6 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. bread flour mixed with 1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted, whisk together the water, yeast, honey, and sourdough starter just until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until slightly increased in bulk and bubbly, about 1 hour.

With the flat beater attached to the mixer and the mixer on low speed, mix in 3 cups of the flour, the butter, eggs and salt. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in 2 more cups of the flour and beat for 2 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time, until a very soft dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed, adding a tablespoon of flour if the dough begins to stick, until the dough is smooth and elastic, tacky but not sticky, about 6 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1½-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Sprinkle generously with the flour-cornmeal mixture. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each into a tight, oval loaf. Place the loaves on the prepared baking sheet, several inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with flour and gently rub in. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator, 8-12 hours.

Place a baking stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat the oven to 450˚ F. (If you don't have a baking stone, use an overturned baking sheet.) Using a thin sharp knife, make three slash marks over the top of each loaf. Place the baking sheet on the heated baking stone and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F and continue to bake until the loaves are golden brown, 25-30 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

I don't eat a lot of chocolate, but as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew this would be a great dessert for Valentine's Day. I ended up using Ghiradelli chocolate and turned out to be a great decision.  I'm not sure what was happening with my camera that day, but please take my word for it that this dessert is incredible and needs to be made right away! 

Source:  Confections of a Foodie Bride, adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
4 Tbsp butter, room temp
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 6 wells (and the surrounding tops) of your muffin tin with baking spray.

Melt the chocolate and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high together for ~3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add 1 egg at a time, waiting until the egg is incorporated fully before adding the next one. Add vanilla. Switch mixer to lowest setting. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix on low until thoroughly combined.

Fill each muffin tin almost to the top (the cakes will rise, but only very slightly; I left less than 1/4 inch space). Bake for ~10 minutes. The cakes will look done on top and will jiggle if you give the pan a light shake. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes. Place a plate on top of the muffin tin and invert to remove the cakes. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, confectioner’s sugar… or just a fork!

Lobster Tails

Happy Valentine's Day!!  My husband and I actually celebrated the weekend prior by eating lots of delicious food.  These lobster tails were a big part of the wonderful foods we consumed.  I had never cooked with lobster before and I eventually want to cook an entire lobster, so these tails were good practice.  If you do plan to broil them, it's best to not to buy larger tails.  They took much longer to cook than 9 minutes and I was afraid I would overcook them.  Luckily, they turned out well and made for a very tasty meal!

Source:  Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

Fresh lobster tails
Lemon
Butter

Directions:

To prep and cook the lobster, first preheat the broiler.  Place an oven rack at the second highest position

Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the lobster tails on the pan.

Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut a slit up the center of the shell, doing your best to cut the shell and not the meat (it’s not a big deal if you do cut the meat though.)

Carefully open the shells along the midline cut you made, taking care to avoid scratching yourself (the shells can be very sharp!) When the opening is large enough, gently separate the lobster meat from the inside of the shell with your fingers. When the whole segment of meat has been peeled away from the shell, lift it up and out of the opening so that it is sitting on top of the shell. Brush the lobster meat lightly with melted butter. Place under the broiler and cook until the meat is opaque and cooked through, 6-9 minutes (depending on the size of the lobster tail). Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges and drawn butter.