Beef Burgundy!

   

  Finally the cold has arrived to New England. To usher in it's arrival yesterday I made a big pot of Beef Burgundy while we sipped some Egg Nog trimming the Christmas Tree. Now only if there where a little bit of snow to really get me into the Holiday Spirit!

 Beef Burgundy is excellent served over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes or with some creamy polenta.

Beef Burgundy:

Ingredients:

2 lb.. of Vineyard Harvest Tenderloin Tips (cut into 1" pieces)

1 lb. (3-4 onions) of Yellow Onions cut into 1" pieces

4 Shallots quartered

4 cloves of garlic smashed

1 lb of Baby Carrots or 1 lb of chopped carrots

1 bottle of dry Red Wine (preferably Burgundy but, not necessary)

Zest of 1 Orange

Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Coarse Sea Salt to taste

2 tbs. of Olive Oil  

Preheat Oven to 350*f

  Cut the Tenderloin Tips into 1- 1 1/2" pieces and place on a paper towel or tea towel to soak up the extra moisture. Set aside until ready to brown outside of the fridge on the counter. 

 Prep the onions, shallots, garlic and carrots. Combine together in one bowl until ready to cook. 

 Zest the orange and set the zest. 

 In a large pot warm the olive oil on medium/ high heat. When the oil gets glossy, right before it smokes, add the beef. Using tongs turn the beef to make sure that all side brown evenly. Once the meet is browned remove transfer it from the heat to a plate. 

 Using the same pot add the onion, shallot, garlic, carrot mixture and cook over medium heat for 6- 8 minutes. Return the beef to the pot and add the wine and orange zest. Using a spoon incorporate the veggies and the beef. 

 Cover the pot and place it on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours at 350*f or until the beef is tender. 

  

 If you want a thicker broth: Once the beef is done cooking remove it from the oven and transfer the pot to the stove top. Ladle some of the broth into jar that has a lid. Add a 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch (more for a thicker broth) and shake until the broth and cornstarch are combined. Return the mixture to the pot and bring the beef to a boil for 1 minute. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Herb Crusted Standing Rib Roast

NY Times

  

   When it comes to Holiday Cooking most people are the recipient of unneeded anxiety.  Yes, a roast is an expensive cut of meat but, it is also one of the easiest to make (honestly!.) Unlike a turkey a roast has no need to be baste, covered or uncovered ever. If you have a good thermometer and can follow instructions than I promise that you too can master the Holiday Roast.
 


Ingredients:
 1 (4lb) Bone In Stand Rib Roast
 1 tablespoon of Cracked Peppercorns (red & black)
 1/2 tablespoon of Coarse Sea Salt
 1/2 cup of peeled Shallots
 4 cloves of peeled Garlic 
 3 tablespoons of fresh Rosemary (chopped)
 2 tablespoons of fresh Thyme (chopped)
 2 tablespoons of fresh Parsley (chopped)
 Zest of 1 Lemon
 3 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

 Preheat oven to 450*f

 In a food processor combine the shallots and garlic on pulse to make a coarse chop. Add the rosemary, thyme and parsley; process to a fine chop. In a mixing bowl combine the herb and garlic mixture with the remaining ingredients to form a paste.
 Rub the paste on the roast and let sit at room temperature for one hour.
Place the roast on a greased rack in roasting pan. You can add hearty root vegetables like onion, celery, potatoes, carrots and parsnips to the bottom of the pan if desired. Bake at 450*f for 25 minutes.
 After 25 minutes reduce the temperature of the oven to 325*f for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the temperature on the thermometer reads 145*f (medium rare.) Remove the roast and let it stand for 10 - 12 minutes covered before carving.

Lobster Ravioli in a Pink Vodka Cream Sauce with Shrimp

Create. Amazing. Meals.

Pink Vodka Cream Sauce with Shrimp with Lobster Ravioli: (adapted from Rachel Ray on the Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1 cup of Italian Corner Tomato Basil Sauce (8 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 24 Lobster Ravioli 
• 12 Shrimp Peeled and De-veined
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of Supreme Ricotta Cheese
• 
  
• Crusty bread, for passing

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, shallots and shrimp. Gently saute for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan and reduce by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add the Italian Corner Sauce, Supreme Ricotta Cheese and Cream bring sauce to a bubble then reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce and turn up the heat to medium. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from the heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce. Pass pasta with crusty bread and a fresh salad!    

Top off with Diced Tomatoes Tossed in a Balsamic Vinegar

(From Create Amazing Meals: Tomato Checca)

2  Vine Rippened Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Salt
8 - 10 tiny Basil leaves
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

Egg Nog French Toast

Photo Credit: Pinch My Salt

Mmm...Mmm! Last weekend it snowed here in Rhode Island and along with that Egg Nog also arrived!! To honor the arrival of Egg Nog Season I decided to give a nod to the amazing blog, Pinch My Salt. A few years back Spiked Egg Nog was featured and caught my eye. It has now become a favorite of mine for Egg Nog Season Breakfast on those cold snowy mornings!

 As stated on the Pinch my Salt site the French Toast can be made with and without the Rum using Vanilla Extract as a Substitute. You can also cook the alcohol off the Rum in a saute pan too if you want to keep the flavor in but, not the alcohol.

Enjoy!!

Spiked Egg Nog French Toast (adapted from Pinch My Salt)

2 Extra Large Eggs
1/2 cup of Munroe Dairy Egg Nog
2 tbsp of Spiced Rum ( I used Mount Gay)
1/4 tspn of Pumpkin Pie Spice*
6 Slices of Cinnamon Raisin Bread

 In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, egg nog, rum and spices.
Over medium to medium high heat warm a griddle or large saute pan. Grease the pan with butter!
Dip the slices of bread in the egg mixture making sure the bread absorbs the liquid. Cook the bread on the griddle until each side is golden brown with a slight crisp. If making a  large batch of French Toast keep the cooked pieces warm in the oven at a low temperature of 250*f.
Top the finished toast with Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar or even a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream!

*If you do not have Pumpkin Pie Spice you can substitute with a combination of the following of Nutmeg and Cinnamon. There is also plenty of spice in the Egg Nog and Rum if you want to go with out.

Cornbread Stuffing with Fresh Cranberries and Pecans

  I am in love with the Kenyon Mills Cornmeal and Corn Muffin Mix. This year it will also be taking a place on my Thanksgiving table. The other week I was playing around with recipes for a cornbread stuffing wanting to keep it simple but, also flavorful. With cranberries being a traditional fall favorite here in New England I knew they were a must and the pecan just add that perfect rich nutty flavor to balance it all out. 

Use the Kenyon's Corn Muffin Mix to make the either muffins or bread for the stuffing. You will be breaking them apart for the stuffing. 

Ingredients:

 6 cups of Cornbread broken apart into 1" pieces

 2 cups of Fresh Cranberries

2 cups of coarsely chopped Pecans    

 3 Ribs of Celery (chopped)

 2 Yellow Onions (diced)

 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)

 1 tbsp of fresh Rosemary

 1 tbsp of fresh Sage

 1/2 tbsp of Sea Salt

 1/4 tbsp of Fresh Ground Pepper

 1/4 cups of butter (chopped into small pieces)

 1/4 cup of Brown or Maple Sugar*

 1 cup Dry White Wine

 1 cup of Chicken or Turkey Stock

  Cut the cooled cornbread into 1" pieces, this does not have to be perfect. Spread the cornbread out onto two baking sheets and leave out over night to stale covered with a tea towel or in the oven. If you do not have time to leave the cornbread out overnight, or if you fear nibblers might be getting into your stock, you can bake the sheets of cornbread at 400* for 20 minutes. 

 For toasting the pecans: Warm a large skillet with 1/2 a tablespoon of butter over medium heat, once the butter is melted toss in the chopped pecan coating them with the melted butter. Once the pecan give off a nutty scent remove them from the heat and place them to the side to cool. 

 In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients mixing well with either a large spoon or spatula. Make sure to add the liquid in parts while gently mixing the stuffing as to not break up the corn bread or get it soggy. 

 The stuffing is best cooked inside of the Bird. Always remember to stuff the bird with room temperature stuffing right before putting it in the oven. Loosely stuff the bird's cavity, this with make the stuffing retain crispness and allow for better airflow while roasting.

For baking of the stuffing outside of a bird:

 Preheat Oven to 350*f. In a large shallow baking baking dish fill with stuffing and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the stuffing is browned and crisp on top.

Bake it Baby!!

Baked Mozzarella Bites 

  I have a bitter sweet love for Mozzarella Sticks. They are one of my favorite appetizers but, they are just so not healthy for you to be eating. However, not being one to give up a favorite food I played around with a few recipes for a Baked Mozzarella Stick to finally come up with one one that tasted just like the real thing. But, without the face covering artery clogging grease. 

 Because you are baking these instead of frying them there are two very important steps to keep in mind. The first is to cut the cheese sticks in half. If you do not cut them in half I noticed that the ends of the sticks over melt and leak out all over the baking sheet. the next is to freeze them for just about 30 minutes before baking. This allows the crusts to set up and to not melt off the cheese when baking. You can make the cheese sticks even smaller by cutting the sticks in thirds, this will make them even more bite size and increase your serving size for 24 to 36 (a great idea if you are having people over.) 

 I suggest using the Italian Corner Tomato Basil Sauce as a dipping sauce for the Mozzarella Sticks. It is milder than the pizza sauce and has just enough chunks of tomato to grip to the bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of Bread Cumbs (I used Panko) 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 12 Micelli's String Cheese (cut in half)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking pan lined with parchment paper.
2. In a large, shallow bowl mix together the bread crumbs, oregano and garlic powder.
3. Place the flour in a small bowl.
4. In another small bowl, thoroughly beat the egg whites and milk.
5. Cut the Micelli's Cheese Sticks in 1/2 to make 24 pieces of cheese. Dip the cheese sticks in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the cereal mixture. Repeat dipping in the egg and cereal mixture to ensure a complete coating. Arrange cheese sticks on the baking pan. Allow the sticks to set for 30 minutes in the freezer.
6. Bake in the preheated oven about 8- 10 minutes until cheese is soft and sticks are lightly browned.

Sandwich Sushi

Martha Stewart

  Tomorrow marks the first day of school for many children here in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and I thought it fitting to write about my new favorite lunch find, Sandwich Sushi. Sandwich Sushi is a fun and creative way of making plain old PB&J exciting! They are great for children of all ages, from small children to big kids just wanting to have fun.

 The idea is simple and the possibilities are endless... All you need is sliced sandwich bread and a bit of creativity!

To start use american sliced bread (white or wheat) with the crusts removed preferably. Press the slices of the bread to flatten them out, this can be done by hand or with a quick pass of  a rolling pin. When pressing the bread make sure that it is not on a surface where it will stick and become glued down. You might want to lay down a piece of wax paper or saran wrap below the bread. Personally I like to add the condiments (mayo, mustard, jelly, relish, whatnot) to up-facing slices bread at this point before layering the filling. It will act like a glue holding in what ever is added as the filling, be it turkey, ham, veggies or all of the above! When you have everything you want in place it is time to start rolling. If you used wax paper or saran wrap under the bread use it to help you make your Sandwich into a Sushi Roll (This is also a great time to bring in little hands to help out.)

Check out this amazingly delish Turkey, Avocado, Spinach and Cheese Roll that was made over at Domestic Charm!! Notice how she has the ingredients all to one side of the bread, this will help from having them all spill out. Also, be careful not to overload your fillings... There is only so much one piece of bread can handle. 

 Here are a few other photos I have found on the web that are great for inspiration:

Pass the Peas, Please

PB&J Sushi Sandwich 

Healthy, Tasty, Cheap 

Impress Your Kids