from Everyday Food Magazine
my rating: ♥♥ (I’m just not a big fan of stew, but sometimes I cook things to make my husband happy)
husband’s rating: ♥♥♥♥

I was reading one of my favorite blogs yesterday, Rants from Mommyland, and a reader wrote in asking for some simple recipes that she could make for her entire, seemingly picky, family. The guest writer gave a suggestion for a lovely looking chicken burger that called for Sriracha, which led to many ‘what the heck is that?’ comments. Heck, I like to cook, and I didn’t even know what it was. It’s a type of hot sauce, come to find out, but I decided to comment with a link to my blog in the event that readers were looking for something that calls for ingredients every decently stocked pantry should contain. We all know I try to keep it pretty simple and delicious here.

After doing so, I decided to peruse my blog to see how it appears to the new reader. My conclusion (besides the fact that I am a total slacker as of late) is that it’s looking a little heavy on the heavy, while overall light. Poetic no? It’s heavy on the more delectable cheese filled and dessert type recipes, while being light on posts in general. I decided it’s time to get a good old fashioned relatively good for you dinner recipe posted. I’m going to knock it out of the park and make it a slow cooker meal too; virtually effortless! So here we go. Enjoy- and to any new readers, welcome! I hope you’ll stick with me and my less than frequent posting!

Slow Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew
Total Time: 6.5 hours, Active Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (I just bought the package labeled “Stew Meat”)
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups cooked brown rice
6 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt (we used sour cream instead)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker and add beef, tomatoes, broth, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. Cover and cook on high, 6 hours, stirring occasionally. To serve, divide brown rice and stew among six bowls and top with yogurt/sour cream.

Note: I wasn’t brave enough to try to calculate halving this recipe and cooking time, since I don’t have total faith in the slow cooker and didn’t want dinner at 3pm. So, I made the whole thing, but froze single portions and we’ve been thawing them for lunches or quick dinners. If you don’t need 6 portions at once, I’d recommend the same!

Weekly Menu 2/12/12 – 2/18/12

Sunday: Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Monday: Eggplant Rollatini
Tuesday: Mandarin Chicken from Trader Joes
Wednesday: Apricot Stuffed Chicken with Broccoli
Thursday: Cheeseburgers
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: My cooking night off

from Everyday Food Magazine

♥♥♥♥

We love our pizza Fridays around here (in case you couldn’t tell), but even I recognize that variety is occasionally the spice of life. That is how these delicious, steamy pizza balls entered our lives. Now, Martha Stewart (or, more likely, her writers) called these “Spinach Pizza Rolls”, but we like to call them pizza balls. Why? Because they are little pizzas, in ball form, and around here we like to call it like we see it. Plus pizza balls is just more fun to say, especially when you fake an Italian accent and say it like “ahhhpizzaaa aballzaaa.” Go ahead, try it.

I’ll admit, these are a little time-consuming if you’re going to make your own pizza dough, but if your grocery store makes decent dough (usually found in the produce section or bakery, I’m not talking about the stuff in a can) you can go that route. Making your own dough and freezing it is an option, however it just doesn’t come out as dougheeeey and delicious after it passes through the freezer. Just my humble opinion.

Otherwise, these could be a great little family project wrapping pizza into little balls and watching them bake to golden deliciousness. We agreed the recipe as is was a little light in the cheese department, so next time we might introduce some mozzarella (and, if my husband has his way, some meat), but overall, this is a delicious little number appropriate for Friday pizza night or even party appetizers.

Total Time: 1 hour (Active time: 30 minutes) (2+ hours if you first make your own dough)
Makes 16 balls

Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Using a colander,  squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. In a small bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, and 1/4 cup Parmesan (next time I make these, I will probably make it 1/4 cup ricotta and 1/4 cup mozzarella). Season with salt and pepper. In another small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

I could just dunk a hunk of bread into this!

2. On a floured surface, roll pizza dough into a 10″ x 10″ square (or in my case, something that attempts to resemble more of a square than a circle, but not really). Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 squares.

3. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, flatten and gently stretch into a 3-inch-ish round (ish). Place 1 tablespoon spinach mixture in center of each and fold dough around filling to form balls. Place balls, seam side down, in baking dish. Brush tops with garlic oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve with warm marinara sauce.

It’s back to real life, however, which means regular menu planning. Truth be told, I did intend to blog in the time between road trips, however it was then that I discovered some recent food photos had been deleted in our efforts to clean out the memory card and start the year anew. In the digital age, we’ve discovered it’s easy to take thousands of pictures of your shiny new baby, and well, our mass delete had some casualties. That set me back a bit in sharing recipes with you, since, well, I had no photos. In easing back into things this week, I’m not really experimenting with any new recipes, so I might not have anything to share, but I’ll start digging for some new recipes, start snapping some new photos, and will hopefully be up and running for your reading and cooking pleasure in no time!

Weekly Menu 1/22/12 – 1/28/12

Sunday: Upside-down Mushroom Tartlets
Monday: Peanut Crusted Chicken with Risotto
Tuesday: Balsamic Steak Sandwiches
Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin with Garlic-Orange Vinaigrette and Sauteed Spinach
Thursday: Cheeseburgers
Friday: Spinach Pizza Balls
Saturday: My cooking night off

from my mom’s cookie book

♥♥♥♥♥

Last time I disappeared for a few months, I was pregnant and couldn’t stand the sight of food, let alone seeing it, cooking it, and then writing about it. This time, I promise you my absence has nothing to do with pregnancy, but everything to do with having a 7-month-old, a steady stream of visitors, a husband who works a lot, and the holidays thrown in for good measure. My absence from blogging might lead you to believe I haven’t been doing much cooking. Just the opposite- with visitors I like to roll out the culinary red carpet, and I’ve been doing more cooking than ever. I made this 6-layer chocolate caramel cake, this short rib pie, and some other favorites including Vodka Shrimp Pasta, Parmesan Stuffed Chicken, Turkey Meatballs and more. Plus my 7-month-old is eating real food now, so I’ve been pureeing a lot of sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, and more. You could say I’ve been doing so much cooking it leaves me no time for blogging!

But, I’m coming up for air. Visitors are gone. Dozens of Christmas cookies are baked. Other ‘stuff’ is winding down at the end of the year. So, here I am to share a recipe. Cookies no less. Consider them my peace-offering. With travel and the holidays coming up, I may be absent again for a while, but I’ll do my best to line up some awesome dishes to make up for it!

Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies
Cooking Time: about 2 hours (once all the baking and frosting is done, but you’ll have time for breaks)
Makes: approx 70 pies

Ingredients
Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour

Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. mint extract
pinch of salt
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 crushed peppermint candy (candy canes or the starlight peppermint candies)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookies sheets

2) In mixer combine sugar and butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add in vanilla, buttermilk, water, eggs and cocoa powder . Beat at low-speed scraping sides of bowl for 1-2 minutes. In a small bowl, combine baking soda, baking powder and flour. Slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture until well mixed.

3) Drop dough by rounded teaspoons (when I say teaspoon I mean teaspoon, these cookies spread a lot) about 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake near center of the oven for 7-9 minutes or until top of cookie springs back when touched lightly. Cool completely. Prepare frosting while cooling.

4) To make frosting: Using an electric mixer, whip the butter until creamy. Reduce mixer speed and add extracts and pinch of salt. Slowly add confectionary sugar. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until a creamy consistency is achieved. If too dry, add more milk. If too wet, add more confectionary sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed and add in peppermint candy until combined.

5) Pair similar sized cookies and fill with icing. I used a piping bag, but a butter knife will work fine too!

Enjoy; These cookies freeze well allowing enjoyment well past the holidays!

from Everyday Food Magazine

♥♥♥♥♥

When I put this recipe on the menu, I try to say it in my best highbrow voice and sound sophisticated, but really this is just white pizza; but it is anything but plain and simple. It’s delicious, and cheesy, and garlicy, and usually gone in about 5 minutes around here. The longest part of this recipe is if you choose to make the dough yourself (which I recommend you do, it’s so much better), but if you’re lucky enough to have a grocery store or handy little Italian market that stocks pizza dough ready to go, that will work too.

Otherwise, it’s just cheese, garlic and a few minutes in the oven. This pizza is savory and delicious, and pairs well with a leafy green salad or some saucy chicken wings. Depends on just how much you feel like indulging.

Total Time: 30 minutes (Active time: 15 minutes)
Serves: 4

Ingredients
All-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
1. If making your own pizza dough, make dough about 90 minutes before you want to eat pizza (allowing 1 hour for dough to rise). See recipe here.

2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly dust a work surface, rolling pin, and a baking sheet with flour. Roll dough out to a 13-inch round and transfer to sheet.

3. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture on dough, leaving a  1/2-inch border. Top with mozzarella, then Parmesan. Brush 1 teaspoon oil on edge of dough. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is melted and browned in spots, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.

So, I’m not experimenting much this week when it comes to new recipes. I’m relying on old favorites and trying to make similar ingredients work in multiple dishes!

Weekly Menu 11/6/11 – 11/12/11

Sunday: Chicken Parmesan with Pasta
Monday: Mushroom Tartlets with Salad
Tuesday: Mandarin Chicken from Trader Joes
Wednesday: Mushroom Swiss Turkey Burgers
Thursday: Chicken Roll Ups
Friday: Pizza from Trader Joes
Saturday: My night off

This week is set to be a busy one, with some extra meetings for me that will throw off the normal schedule. Couple that with the fact that I cannot believe it’s the last week of October. Where the heck is this year going? Perhaps I’m struggling with the close of this month because next month brings a lot of stuff, to include my turning the big 3-0 (gulp) and both sets of grandparents visiting for extended stays at different times (double gulp).

Weekly Menu 10/23/11 – 10/29/11

Sunday: Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Monday: Tomato Basil Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
Tuesday: Balsamic Steak Sandwiches
Wednesday: Parmesan Stuffed Chicken with Baked Potatoes
Thursday: Crab Cake Sandwiches
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: My night off

from All Recipes
♥♥♥♥

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin and apples. As previously mentioned, we went to the Raleigh Farmers Market this weekend and indulged in all things fall; pumpkins, apples, pastries, apple cider, mums, and gorgeous weather. We experienced an epic new parent fail when we realized the quantity of our indulgences left us without trunk space for the stroller. Whoops. We crammed it in the backseat instead, and only one incident of screaming baby forced me to sit in the backseat on TOP of said stroller for part of the car ride. Live and learn. (Although, the only lesson we learned is that we’re minivan bound sooner than we’d like to admit).

Once we cleaned out the Farmer’s Market, it was time to determine what to do with all that stuff. Pumpkins and mums on the front porch, check. Pumpkin centerpiece (which appears as the floating UFO in the photo above), check. Apple cider, one glass for now, the rest in the fridge, check. Apples. Oh so many apples. MUFFINS! Check!

I make these muffins just about every fall. I love their orangey color and struedely goodness. I don’t have much else to say about them beyond that. They take a little time with cutting and chopping the apples, but it’s a lovely Sunday afternoon activity!

Total Time: 1 hour
Makes 18 muffins

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling, but in the same aisle)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple

For streusel topping:
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp cold butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl sift together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Add 2 cups of sugar to sifted mixture and stir to combine. 

3. In a large separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add in pumpkin and oil and stir to combine. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; sitrring just to moisten. Fold in chopped apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (put in more batter than you think you should, and they will bake up perfect. Use up all the batter to get 18-20 muffins only).

4. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Cut in cold butter and mix with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffins.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins on rack and store in airtight container for up to 4 days.

I’m attempting to clean out the freezer a bit this week, especially with the addition of half the frozen section from Trader Joes after our trip today. This week’s meals are pretty boring and reflect using up the meat I have on hand. But, I made an awesome batch of apple pumpkin struedel muffins today and plan to share that with you this week instead of freezer meat!

Weekly Menu 10/16/11 – 10/22/11

Sunday: BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and Twice Baked Potatoes
Monday: Mediterranean Pasta
Tuesday: Cheeseburgers
Wednesday: Chicken Milanese with Risotto
Thursday: Ravioli with Salad and Garlic Bread (never got around to eating it last time)
Friday: Homemade White Pizza
Saturday: My night off