Carbonnade

Northern France/Southern Belgium has got stewed beef DOWN!! They cook it in beer, what a lovely idea. I saw this in a brewery and decided to try it. It turned out just the way it was supposed to, so I'm very proud.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs beef, cut into large cubes
2 large onions, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cloves
salt/pepper
2 dark beers (approx 66 cL)
some slices of toasted bread cut into cubes (usually gingerbread, but I didn't have any)
Directions:
1. Brown the beef in the butter in a large pot. Season with some salt and pepper.
2. Add the onions until they start to sweat, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes (so as to not color the onions too much)
3. Deglaze with the vinegar, then add the brown sugar, thyme, cloves, and bay leaf. Add the beer and bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat and let simmer, covered for 3 hours. At this point, I closed my pressure cooker and let it cook under pressure for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. I think next time I'll just throw it all in the crock pot. I just didn't plan ahead enough, but it is definately a crockable recipe.
5. About 10 minutes before serving, uncover and let the sauce thicken. At this point, stir in the toasted gingerbread cubes.

Serve with some boiled potatoes or home fries!
This is a meaty meal, so add a salad for some vegetable freshness. I just didn't have any left because the dragons ate it all (Eric didn't mind.) Since I didn't have gingerbread, I toasted some white bread and sprinkled a little cinammon, nutmeg, and ginger on it. I'm not sure it's a real replacement, but it was very tasty!

Gazp-Ahh-Cho

• Gazpacho. It seemed appropriate provided the situation: Hot Weather and my Injured mouth. I do Love Gazpacho, though. Spices, tomatoes, and Spain- ahhHHhh. Had plenty-o-servings of Gazpacho while traveling through Spain in '05. So, I think it is about time that I made my own. Making Gazpacho is fun, however slightly laborious considering all of the vege chopping. ...And so it began, Maliya and I hopped on our bikes and rode to Fresh and Easy to pick up a slew of veges. I chopped (....and Chopped), she stirred. =)  

Ingredients:

• 5 small ripe tomatoes
• 1 Bullion Cube
• 2 large cucumber, chopped
• 2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 small can chopped black olives
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups broth
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (after research, i learned that a lot of gazpacho recipes top with hard boiled eggs... sure, why not)
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Cut a cross in the base of each tomato. Boil Water- add a builon cube to season. Cover with boiling water for 1 minute, plunge into cold water, drain and peel away the skin. Chop the flesh so finely that it is almost a puree.
2. Mix together the tomatoes, 1 of the chopped cucumbers, 1 of the chopped green pepper, green onions, garlic, olives, onion, vinegar, chicken stock, oil and tomato paste, and season to taste. 
3. Blend for about minute or until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
4.  Upon serving, mix in additional chopped veges: chopped onion, green pepper, scallions, cucumber, boiled egg. Serve chilled. 

EXTRA NOTES:

Serve with Croutons on top:

Make Garlic Herb Croutons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut two 1/2 thick slices from a loaf of bread. Remove the crusts and cut each bread slice into 16 cubes. In a bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 crushed cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 1tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary and a pinch of chili flakes. Add the bread cubes to the herbed oil and toss until all the oil has been absorbed. Lay the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown. Turn once during baking.

Chopping Cucumber:

There are serveral of ways to do this- depending on your preference. Some people peel the skin and slice lengthwise, remove the inards- and then chop. I just sliced and chopped up with everything on/in. 

Baked Mac n Cheese

So, for the last supper (prior to wisdom teeth being pulled), I had Tyler's Cheeseburger for lunch and Grilled Steak with Mac n Cheese for dinner. Great last meal, since my diet only includes Ensure and Soup for the next two weeks. And don't get me wrong, I love soup- but not during the summer heat.

Anyway, Mac n Cheese- an all time, American favorite.

Ingredients:
12 ounce package of Macaroni (get the larger, thicker ones)
1 egg
1 cup cream
2 tbls butter
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup smoked Gouda, shredded
some Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
large handful of Bacon Crumbs
Italian Bread crumbles to top

1. Preheat oven to 350*, lightly grease 2qt baking dish
2. Boil a large pot of water, add macaroni for 5 mins (until half cooked)
3. Whisk egg and cream together in a bowl. Add butter, bacon and cheese. Stir well.
4. Place lightly cooked macaroni in the baking dish. Pour the egg, cheese mixture over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the dish. Top with thin layer of Italian Bread Crumbs
5. Bake uncovered for 30 mins.
6. Remove Pan and add a very thin layer of Parmesan cheese. Pop in Broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp the top.

I am interested in tweaking this up here and there and sharing some re-mixes! =)

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

Why do baked potatoes taste better out of the crock? They really do. I actually stole this method from the Crockpot Lady. It's really easy.. wash, dry, stab with a fork, wrap in foil, plop in the crock for 6-8 hours.

Prepare desired toppings:
sour cream
butter
chives
cheddar cheese
salt
fresh ground pepper
red pepper flakes (what is wrong with me?)

Then have a ribs and potato party and show those French inlaws that they can also be blown away with American food that you have to eat with your hands!

Horseburgers

It's the same as a hamburger, but swap out the ground beef for ground horsemeat. High protein, lowfat, delicious!
I know I'm going going to teach anyone how to make a homemade burger, but my picture came out really nicely. I topped it with lettuce, sliced tomato, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and cheddar cheese...mmmm
mustard and mayo, some home fries, and down it went.

Mushroom Risotto

Mmm. Love risotto. I especially love making it- something is very calming, and almost therapeutic, about it.

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced (i didn't use this, but would be a yummy touch)
• 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced (Sandra Lee Tip: canned sliced mushrooms)
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a different large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Where's the meat!? Served with grilled Pork Chops =)

Here is another recipe for Asparagus Risotto.

Filet Mignon in Mustard Sauce

Fancy. I'd only had filet mignon in classy restaurants before. When it went on sale, though, I had to give it a whirl. It is actually a very tender part of the animal; pork, veal or beef. I only found pork, so here it goes..
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
2 filet mignons
4 tbsp good mustard (not that neon crap)
5 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 handful fresh mushrooms, sliced
some chopped parsley
1 tbsp butter
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the cream, mustard, and pepper and set aside.
2. In a heavy based pan, heat the butter and brown the filet mignons on all sides.
3. Deglaze with 1 or 2 tbsp of the mustard and cream mixture, and add the mushrooms. Cook on high for about 5 minutes.

4. Pour in the rest of the mixture, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. The filet mignons should be cooked through if you use pork. You can make it rare if it is veal or beef. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

I cut the filet mignons and served with basmati rice and steamed broccoli, with sprinkled parsley on top.
Just delicious!

Bowties in Roasted Red Bell Sauce

I'm in a roasted veggie phase... and it's been over 2 weeks. I'm STILL craving roasted veggies!!! So when I decided to blend my roasted bells to make a pretty red sauce to toss my bowties in, I was completely thrilled with myself... and so was Eric!!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 500g package bowtie pasta (or other pasta you might like)
4 roasted red bell peppers (roast and peel yourself, or buy in a jar)
1 zucchini, sliced thinly
1 eggplant, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1 tbsp basil or handful fresh
some heavy cream (sorry, I didn't really measure)
Salt/Fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1. Grill the veggies: Salt the eggplant and zucchini slices to let the water sweat out, about 20 minutes. Then rinse, dry, and toss with enough EVOO to coat. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle a little salt, some fresh ground pepper, and grate 2 of the garlic cloves over them. Pop in the broiler for about 15 minutes, checking and turning at least once, until desired grill-ness.
2. While waiting for the veggies to grill, blend the roasted bell peppers with the 2 remaining garlic and a drizzle of EVOO. If you are using jarred bell peppers, throw in the liquid, too.
3. During this time, you should have already started to boil your salted water to cook the bowties al dente.
4. In a heavy based pan, heat the blended mixture with a little more EVOO. The color should be fantastically beautiful. At this time, you can drizzle some heavy cream to add more liquid to the sauce.
5. Add the grilled veggies and heat through before adding the cooked bowties. Toss and heat until desired tenderness of the pasta. It should be well coated. If not, add some of the reserved pasta water and/or heavy cream. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and add the basil.

Serve with some freshly grated parmesan..mmmm
Ok, where's the meat? Well, serve as a side to a slab of meat or add some crumbled Italian sausage and some roasted tomatoes which is what I'm planning to do next time since I just made a fresh batch!

Breakfast Burritos!!

What the heezy? Talk about a great big breakfast aka hangover food aka college food! Man does it make me miss those days..
So as far as rules go with breakfast burritos.. well at long as it has eggs, it counts! The rest is up to you. Here's what went into mine:
2 eggs, scrambled
home made guacamole
mexirice
cheddar cheese
sour cream
green onions
hot hot salsa
squeeze of lemon

you could also add things I wish I had:
black beans
sautéed veggies
cilantro
chopped jalapeños

I love burritos!

Bagos com Choco e Frutos do Mar

This makes me want to go to Portugal! In the world section of my grocery store, I can sometimes find little treasures, like this pack of Bagos (Orzo) for 50 cents! Bagos are actually pasta, but shaped like rice and used frequently in Portugese cuisine. This intrigued me, as did the recipe on the back of the package... which called for Choco (Calamari) and Bacon, but I switched out the bacon for various seafood.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 package Bagos (250g)
2 lbs frozen Calamari and mixed Seafood (or just Calamari and half a package chopped bacon)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups fish stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Chili powder
EVOO
Salt/Fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1. Heat the EVOO and color the onion, garlic and bacon (if you're using). Add the bay leaf, chili powder, tomatoes and bell pepper. Deglaze with the white wine.
2. Add half of the fish stock. Bring to a boil and add the Bagos. Once that starts boiling again, add the frozen seafood and calamari. Bring to a boil once again, then lower the heat, cover and let simmer 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring.
3. The cooking time is by taste testing because I didn't really time it, but Bagos seem to take longer to cook than regular pasta. Keep tasting and adding fish stock if necessary. The end result should not be dry and sticky, but not a soup either. 1 quart was a little much for me, so I didn't use it all. Adjust the seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Serve hot with some fresh parmesan on top... and pat yourself on the back! Delicious!
I suppose you could make it Italian with Arborio rice if you can't find Bagos, but then you would need to add it at the beginning with the onions.

Even my meat eating husband loved it and told his Portugese friend about it.. so that MUST mean it was good!