Tasty Tuesday: Braised Beef Short Ribs

As a I mentioned in my post yesterday we shared in part of a whole cow with my parents. For some reason, the first think Hub was really excited to have was short ribs. Or maybe it was me that was excited. I can't really remember. We got the beef on Sunday and the short ribs were on the menu for last night's dinner. I looked at a few different recipes here, here and here and as usual kind of did a combo of all of them. Adding some ingredients and leaving some out for what I didn't have or didn't feel like using.

I took about four pounds of the short ribs and dredged them in flour and put them in the Dutch oven on the stove with some hot olive oil and let them brown on each side.

I took the beef out and added diced carrots, diced celery, diced onion and garlic. I let these soften a bit and then added in about a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon and let it come to a boil. Then I added three cups of beef broth. I am seasoning through all of these steps, in the flour, the beef, in the vegetables and in the beef broth. For seasoning I just used salt, pepper and garlic salt.

I added the beef and bite-sized chunks of carrots and celery, covered and put in the oven on 350 for two and a half hours. I lowered the temperature to 325 for a half an hour.

I boiled some whole wheat pasta, put beef, sauce and veggies on top and a salad on the side. Yum! Easy and delish!

Tasty Tuesday: A Myriad of Baked Goods

Since I have slacked off a bit over the past few weeks with my Tasty Tuesday postings, I thought I would post a few recipes here today that I have experimented with and have definitely been successful with. I figured they could all be posted together because they all have one thing in common. They go in the oven. Who doesn't love sweets, savories, pastries, etc. that come from the oven? If you don't, you may want to shy away from this post.

First up we have a Dutch Baby. I am going to credit my friend, L, with this recipe. The same L that I borrowed the Irish blessing from. This recipe is in her family cookbook and I owed Hub a breakfast one morning {due to some bet I lost, which for the life of me I can't even remember what it was now....} and she showed me this recipe. Isn't that a great idea? A family cookbook. They compiled recipes from everyone and had it bound and everything. I loved it and maybe someday may think of doing one for our family.

Anyway, back to the Dutch Babies. In her grandma's recipe, they are to be baked in separate dishes, however I did not have enough of the right size oven-proof dishes, so ours ended up in one dish. A pie plate.

I know. It looks a little crazy. Exactly what I thought when I pulled it out of the oven. But, oh, so delish. And oh, so easy! Heres how you can make your own Dutch Baby. Or babies. Whatever your kitchen supplies allow.

Preheat oven to 425. Place 1 tbsp. butter in 4 oven-proof ramekins with 1 1/2 cup capacity. Or one pie plate. Place the dishes in the oven so the butter melts while the oven is warming. Don't let it brown.

1 cup of flour

1 cup of milk

Mix together in a blender or with a wire whisk.

4 eggs. Add one at a time beating well after each addition.

Add 1/8 tsp. salt and 1 tbsp. sugar. Mix.

Pour batter into containers or pie plate and bake for 25 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN!

Top with lemon juice, powdered sugar, syrup, fruit, or whatever else you like to top your pastries with. You won't be disappointed.

Next up, we have Beer Bread. I have always wanted to try it so I decided, why not? I had read a couple of different recipes but found this one and decided it was best for me. {Mostly because it lacked self-rising flour, which I had none of.} I found my recipe here  and this is what I came up with:

It was so yummy, so easy and is a great accompaniment to dinner, breakfast or heck, just a mid-afternoon snack! But if you go with the amount of butter they tell you to top it with, you may want to head to the treadmill after that mid-afternoon snack. Hub couldn't stop raving about this bread. 

Last but not least for today I have Blondies for you to drool over. I was perusing one of my favorite sites Simply Recipes and found myself in the Cookie section and decided a short baking project was what I needed for five o' clock on a Monday evening. Out of the oven popped these bad boys.

Gooey, rich and oh so yummy topped with some ice cream. I highly recommend the ice cream. Here is the recipe and my mix-ins were semi-sweet chips, white chips and walnuts.

So there you are, my friends. Sorry about the absence on Tuesdays but I hope this at least makes up for it a little bit. I mean, a good apology comes with baked goods right?

What are you baking lately? Any quick-breads, cookies, or breakfast pastries that you care to share?

Tasty Tuesday: Flatout Pizzas

Welcome for another edition of Tasty Tuesday. Sorry, I missed last week's. I don't know what happened. Fell off the earth for a week. Or so. I don't know.

Over the weekend {more to come on this tomorrow}, we wanted some pizza but we never ended up getting any. Hence, my idea for dinner last night. I spoke about Flatout Flatbread here and how they make delicious wraps. Well I decided {with a little help of their website as well as my friend} that I would make some pizzas.

Flatout Pizzas

Flatout Flatbread

Pesto {I just had a hankering to make some yesterday}

Olive Oil

Fresh Spinach

Ground Turkey, cooked

Tomatoes

Onions

Orange Bell Peppers

Mozzerella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush both sides of Flatbread with olive oil. Place on a rack and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and layer toppings however you desire. I put cheese on the top because I like it a little browned. Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes depending on how "done" you like your toppings.

I thought this was a healthy alternative to the usually greasy pizza we get. Hub isn't always as "into" health food kicks as much as me because he thinks everything that is "healthy" tastes bad. Well, he sure didn't think these pizzas tasted bad! Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday: Spaghetti and Spicy Turkey Meatballs

This meal was actually made for the holiday last Monday that we all refer to as Valentine's Day. I ended up having the night off and Hub thought he would get to come home a little earlier however weather and traffic had other plans. He didn't get home until a little later but I had some dinner ready. I had been inspired by some recipes I had been looking through and decided to try something new as I like to do from time to time. Isn't it funny how we just fall into a pattern of cooking our "go-to" meals and it is hard to stray away? Well it is for me at least. That's why I try to read cookbooks and try to keep main ingredients in my head from recipes listed in magazines so I can remember to try new ones. Anyone else with me on this? Anyway, back to Tasty Tuesday. I prepared this spaghetti dish and it was a big hit with the both of us.

Spaghetti and Spicy Turkey Meatballs

**courtesy of an "archived" copy of a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Heat oven to 375

In a bowl stir together 2 eggs whites, lightly beaten, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. milk, 2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl combine 2 lb. uncooked ground turkey, 1/3 cup finely chopped onion, 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs, 2 jalapeño peppers and 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Fold egg mixture into turkey mixture; mix well. shape turkey mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on foil-lines baking pan. Bake 20 minutes or until no longer pink. (170 degrees)

Cook 1 14-16 oz. package dried multi-grain, whole wheat, or regular spaghetti, with one tablespoon of salt added to the water. Drain; keep warm.

In the same pan used for pasta, melt 2 3 oz. packages of cream cheese over low heat. Add 2 cups of milk and cook, stirring until bubbly.

Return spaghetti to pan; toss to coat with cream cheese mixture.

Serve with meatballs, cheese and cilantro.

So. Confession. I did not follow this recipe. I strayed when we started with the sauce. I didn't have any cream cheese and was trying to just use what we had and not go to the store. For the sauce, I made a roux  then added milk to that and season with Italian seasonings, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I then put a little bit of regular onion, green onion and garlic in the food processor and pulsed that up to go in the sauce. I then thawed out some frozen spinach, dried it out and added that to the sauce. I let that simmer together for awhile, cooked the meatballs when I knew Hub was on his way and came up with this:

Like I said, it turned out really delicious. I am sure it would be delicious if I had followed the other recipe too, however, I am not known to follow cooking recipes too exactly. Enjoy!

What did you have for Valentine's dinner? What is your favorite pasta dish? Do you have a secret recipe for meatballs you would like to share?

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Truffle Pie

Over the weekend Hub and I went to my grandparents' house with my parents for dinner. My mom was cooking dinner and taking it so I told her I would make a dessert. I was originally just going to do a chocolate pudding pie {quick and easy} however I came across this recipe the other day in an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine and thought it looked delicious and still pretty quick and easy. It delivered on all accords:

Chocolate Truffle Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

2 to 3 Tbsp ice-cold water

Filling:

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 bag (11.5 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips

1 stick unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

3 large eggs

3/4 heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until dough begins to come together. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a 1 in. thick disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll disk into a 12 in. round. Transfer to a 9 in. pie plate, easing onto bottom and sides of the plate. Cut the dough along the edge, leaving a 1 in. border. Fold the edge of dough underneath itself to create a thicker 1/2 in. border that rests on the lip of the pie plate. Crimp if desired.

4. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Line dough with nonstick foil or parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is firm, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights, return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let cool completely.

{Here's where I tell you a little secret. I used pre-made store-bought pie crust. I know, I know, I'm a cheater, however, again, I was looking for a quick and easy dessert. Like the kind I had to serve in a few hours. So the pre-made served me well}

5.Filling: In a 2-quart heavy sauce pan, melt chocolate and butter over medium-low heat, 

stirring, until smooth smooth. remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt.

 Add the chocolate mixture, whisking until fully incorporated.

 Scrape into cooled crust and bake until filling is puffed and set but the center still trembles slightly. 30 to 35 minutes.

 Let cool completely (filling will set as pie cools).

Served with whipped cream if desired. 

{Whipped cream wasn't part of the recipe but since I had heavy whipping cream from the recipe, I just added a little vanilla and powdered sugar and whipped up some cream.}

This dessert was a definite crowd pleaser and will be made again. My grandma is a bit of a chocaholic and she couldn't get enough. I had to leave her a couple pieces for today. My dad likes rich food and he couldn't stop raving. And Hub. Well, Hub loves chocolate and rich food so, well, you can put those pieces together. Enjoy!

What is your favorite dessert? Do you have a go-to dessert that you like to whip up in a pinch? Are you partial to chocolate or fruity desserts? Or both?!

Tasty Tuesday

So hopefully many of you had a wonderfully relaxing Sunday full of cozy clothes {maybe some NFL inspired attire}, maybe some drinks, maybe some football, but especially some good food! I have come across many a recipe for White Chicken Chili and I was going to make "regular" chili for Sunday's "big game" however I decided to change it up and opt for the poultry instead of the beef. Don't know why but I did. I perused a couple of recipes for this dish but as some of you may not know about me quite yet, when I am throwing stuff in a crock pot, it is somewhat hard for me to follow a recipe. Time to learn about my version of:

White Chicken Chili

Fits in large "oval" shaped Slow Cooker

{This is just how I made the chili. Add ingredients or omit ones you don't like according to your taste buds!}

6 chicken thighs with skin removed

1 can Hominy

I had never used this before but decided to try it instead
of corn. It is actually a really nice texture and since
it is so hearty, you don't lose it amongst all the other
ingredients.

2 cans Great Northern Beans

1 smallish can of green chilies

2 fresh jalapeños chopped and seeded

1/2 yellow onion chopped

3 cloves of chopped garlic

2 cans or 1 large of cream of chicken soup

32 ounces chicken broth, divided in half

Dashes or teaspoonfuls {basically just to your liking or until it tastes like you want it to} of:

salt

pepper

garlic salt

cumin

cayenne pepper

chili powder

seasoning salt

The preparation

1. I put the chicken in a pot and just barely covered it with chicken broth and boiled it so the skin would fall of the bones.

2. While the chicken was boiling, I combined all other ingredients into the crock pot. {Pretty tough, I tell ya.}

3. Once the chicken was cooked through and falling of the bones, I took the bones out, added chicken with juice and all into the crock pot and set that baby on high for about an hour to make sure the cream of chicken soup dissolved and then turned it down to low for about four hours. I would taste it about every hour and decide if it needed any more dashes. 

I would say this turned out well. Hub isn't always the biggest soup fan, so I don't think he loved it, even though he wouldn't come right out and say it. {A good man he is. No, really, he is usually pretty honest with what he likes and doesn't like or what he thinks could be different about a recipe. We are a pretty good team in the kitchen.}

We served it with cornbread muffins, some with jalapeños and some without.

What are your favorite soups to throw in the crock pot? What was your favorite Superbowl dish? Any special way you have to "spice" up some chili?

Tasty Tuesday

Hub and I had a short amount of time together this weekend due to his business travels so we tried to make the most of it. What does that mean? Well, we saw the pigs and then....of course we cooked! I love meals that do not take me to the grocery store but only to the pantry and the fridge. Hence, I bring you my version of:

Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 chuck roast (ours was 4.37 lbs, but yours doesn't have to be)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

garlic salt

salt

pepper

carrots (as many or as little as you like)

celery (as much or as little as you like)

onion

garlic

thyme

rosemary

potatoes

beef broth

1/4 cup dry red wine

vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350

1. Heat a dutch oven with about 2 tbsp. oil on the stove

2. Mix 1/4 cup flour, a generous amount of salt, pepper and garlic salt in a pie plate

3. Generously salt the roast

4. Lay roast in flour mixture and coat on each side

5. Sear roast in dutch oven until each side is browned and even slightly crispy, remove roast from pan

6. If the bits left in the pan are unappealing (like ours were) drain out the pan

7. Put all chopped veggies into pan and brown

8. Return roast to pan and add 1 can of beef broth, red wine and one twig each of rosemary and thyme

{liquid should be barely visible under the veggies}

Our roast cooked for about 3.5 hours, but just use a meat thermometer if you are unsure. Beef should be cooked to no less than 145 degrees for "medium-rare."

We love this cozy, winter meal. It's such an easy dinner but tastes so delicious. I also do this in the crock-pot if I want to "set it and forget it" for the day. Enjoy!

What's your favorite "easy" entree? What ingredients do you like to have readily available at home to be able to whip up a "go-to" meal? Is your pot-roast recipe similar to mine or way different?

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday

Alrighty, folks, time for another edition of "Tasty Tuesday!" This recipe was actually made a few months back for my dad's birthday. I have not done much cooking this week as a result of Hub's work schedule so I decided to pull from the archives. It is from one of my favorite cookbooks Taste of Home: Baking Classics.

Applescotch Crisp

350 degrees for 45-50 mins.

4 C sliced peeled tart apples

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. plus 2/3 C all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 C water

1/4 C milk

1/2 C quick-cooking oats

1 package (3-1/2 onces) cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix

1/4 C sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C butter, cubed

Ice cream, optional

1. Place the apples in an ungreased 11in. x 7in. x 2in. baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, 1 tbsp. flour, water and milk. Pour over apples.

2. In another bowl, combine oats, pudding mix, sugar, cinnamon, salt and the remaining flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender. Serve with ice cream if desired.

This dessert was super easy and super yummy. There really is nothing like the scent of apples and cinnamon baking to make your home feel warm and cozy.

What desserts have you been baking lately? What is your favorite go-to dessert? What fruit do you prefer in a dessert?

Feel free to link up and share your favorite dessert!

Tasty Tuesday

I have not been very diligent about posting recipes lately so I am starting a weekly post called "Tasty Tuesday." I will hopefully be posting a recipe that I have prepared that week, however, it could also very well be something I have saved my archives that I am pulling up.

Tasty Tuesday 

Yesterday I woke up with a sweet tooth. I don't know what it was because usually I am a savory breakfast kinda girl. I went and looked in my trusty

and found this recipe. We have only used our waffle maker maybe once before so I am not so familiar with it. It took a couple of tries and they didn't turn out perfectly, pretty but they sure tasted good!

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients and set aside.

2. Slightly beat the eggs and add milk, oil and vanilla.

3. Pour wet mixture all at once into dry mixture and mix. Batter will still be slightly lumpy.

I used a 1/3 c. measuring cup to portion my waffles into the maker and I also added blueberries. I topped mine with butter and boysenberry syrup, Hub used regular maple.

Enjoy!

Feel free to link up with your favorite, your go-to, or you family's favorite breakfast recipe!