Brownies!

Brownies

Can there be anything at all quite as good as a brownie? Brownies are some of the very first things I ever baked when I was about 5 years old, utilizing the old stand
by which comes in the red package.
I learned to read early on, nonetheless most of precisely what I wanted to be able to read was in fact the RECIPES! Specifically to be able to be able to understand the recipes and instructions on the back of dessert and dessert boxes. They called to my kindergarten self using a Siren song that I can even now perceive oh-these decades
later.
My sister and I held an unspoken arrangement – after we went through at least half
of the mixture (taste testing, naturally) and the brownies were done, I received the
outside edges, giving her just about all of the more gooey, fudgy interior.
Brownies are nevertheless amongst my favorite recipes. Gradually I’ve mucked around around until I have discovered what makes me grin. This specific recipe for chocolate brownies walks the line between cakey and fudgy, also it does it quite
successfully.
A handful of suggestions to help make this brownies recipe actually turn out –
1. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. It will help mix things prior
to starting to mix your batter, avoiding over mixing.
2. Blend together the sugar and eggs on their own. This furthermore avoids over beating the eggs, giving a much more cake-like texture.
3. Mix the final batter as little as possible; just until you do not observe any more dry elements. This really is significant.
4. And don’t over bake! You need to cook the brownies only until a tester comes out
of the middle with a few moist crumbs.
That is it – you are able to tell that the number one rule for brownies is just not to over do something – mixing OR baking.
Otherwise this is actually among the simplest recipes for brownies you will find. I appreciate great foods – I don’t appreciate “fussy” food. This also is a great example.
So do this one. And acquire an excellent big cup of dairy – you’ll require it!

Brownies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa=powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Icing for Brownies

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan or casserole dish.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, lightly mix the eggs. Mix sugar and vanilla into eggs and
place apart.
4. In a different bowl, shift with each other flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
5. Add sugar mixture to melted butter and blend well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix just until combined – about fifty strokes with a wood spoon.
6. Spread batter in to the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Don’t over bake!
7. Ice brownies while they’re still warm with Frosting for Brownies, and let to cool totally before slicing.

Will serve: thirty two – depending on how you slice them!

Icing for Brownies

1 1/4 cups butter
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons
vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Over very low heat in a small pot, melt butter. Blend in remaining ingredients and beat to combine. Pour warm frosting over brownies while they’re still warm, and allow to set.

Serves: thirty two, makes enough for a big batch of brownies.

Simply Easy White Cake

Simple and Easy White Cake

2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 quart all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup half & half

Directions1. Preheat oven to 350F. Using butter, butter and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In the bowl of your power mixer on moderate speed, cream together the butter and white sugar. Do not skimp out on this phase – one of the tips for the final structure of this kind of cake is always to entirely cream the butter and white sugar together – up to 10 minutes is probably great.
3. Add the eggs separately, beating well following each of them. Clean along the sides of the bowl while you work.
4. In a different bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda well. Add
flour to the butter and white sugar and mix very well.
5. Mix batter until really consistent. Pour batter into well prepared pans, separating
equally.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes. When done the middle of the cake should
be lightly golden and also the middle will spring back to the touch. A cake
tester or skewer placed in to the middle should come away totally clean.
7. Permit cakes to cool down within their pans for ten minutes, then turn them out
on to wire racks to cool down fully prior to icing.

Nutritional Information
214.7 Calories, 9.5g Total
Fat, 5.6g Saturated Fat, 39.4% Calories from Fat, 59.0g Cholesterol, 140.7mg
Sodium, 84.6 Calories from Fat, 29.4g Carbohydrate, 0.42g Dietary Fiber, 3.0g
Protein

Recipe Notes
I imagine whenever all is actually said and done this is not really a white cake – white cakes should be snowy white, and this is normally achieved through ommitting the egg yolks, and volume is generally acheived through folding beaten egg-whites into your batter. This cake however, is quite light and it’s really so extremely
delightful and moist you definitely will not mind.

This dessert couples properly with any number of frostings, and possibly best of all, will take to modifications to extracts wonderfully.

Almond is scrumptious, along with orange, lime or lemon extracts. I have also created this with cream as an alternative to half and half and 1 1/2 cups of chocolate sandwich cookies within the batter, along with a white buttercream adorned with plenty of the cookies whole (that is my bou Ricky’s preferred). Try every combination. It’s really a delightful strategy to process a group of tests!Serves: 24

Pozole – Mexican Comfort Food

Pozole – Mexican Comfort Food

 

Pozole is a Mexican comfort meal; one of those beloved home made recipes dished up at thousands of kitchen tables. It might be to many Mexicans what Chicken and Dumplings tend to be to us in the South; a little something your own granny made and her kind is actually the very best no matter what anybody says. I just lately found it, and given that my own grannies were Scotch-Irish and French, I actually had to go highjack other peoples’ grannies. A handful of of the versions I discovered in my search used components (usually specific chilies) which I can’t obtain conveniently here, therefore i tinkered with a few using what’s in my own supermarket and came up with this. I realize this isn’t completely traditional ‘ nevertheless it fulfills all of my own standards with regard to being scrumptious, basic, inexpensive and simply plain delectable.
I use loads of pork ‘ it’s a large product round right here, so it’s always accessible, is available in umpteen numerous cuts as well as comparatively inexpensive. Certainly one of the best strategies is to braise a very large pork butt (shoulder) inside the slow cooker, using the meat in many different recipes, changing up the flavor bases with a number of fantastic aromatics. In this situation I make use of chili powder, cumin and oregano (I wish I possibly could get Mexican oregano!).
In case you have followed me for very long, you will know that oftentimes it’s the story behind a food that’s almost as much fun for me personally as the food on its own. I really enjoy realizing the reason recipes are important to different people, what the associations are, and the way they evolved. I do believe this excellent recipe might take the cake so far as terrific tales go.
Apparently there were robust religious connections with regard to the ancient People in mexico in utilizing corn and meat jointly in the same recipe. There was a belief that the gods had created man out of cornmeal batter (that is a hell of a cornpone there). In the course of a number of communion traditions, the stew was created with real human, when that ended up being frowned upon by the Spanish conquerors, pig ended up being the favourite substitution. Guess it felt most like their very own grannies’ variations, which contained Tom, Dick or Harry. Whomever had lost the toss of the dice during the previous Friday night poker game. I think I am going to produce this for the Horde next time we do poker night. Ending up in the stewpot is actually a a great deal more fascinating proposition with regard to losing as compared to having to unload the dish washer.
To be serious though ‘ this is a fantastic dish. It has attained its place as comfort food legitimately. Full, rich flavour, fulfilling as well as satisfying, gobbled up by all the little ones, this now has an privileged place in my personal arsenal.

Pozole

1 big onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 medium sized jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
2 cans hominy, drained
3 cups pulled pork
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tbsp oregano
1 teaspoon adobo
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
4 green onions, for accompaniment
3 radishes, minced, for accompaniment
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, for accompaniment
2 limes, sliced

Various people/regions make use of different garnishes with regard to their pozoles – such as avocado and sour cream or even crema. I think the limes are simply vital – however they are all delectable. You can also feel totally free to utilize poultry if you desire, chicken pozole is also very common, and incredibly tasty.
Directions
1. Over moderate heat, using about a tsp of oil, saute the onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic in a Dutch oven for about 5 mins or till the onion is fragrant and starting to turn translucent.
2. Add chicken stock to pot, in case essential, sufficient extra water or stock to cover vegetables. Drain and rinse the hominy and add to the pot. Add pork, and blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
3. Stir in spices; chili powder, cumin, oregano, adobo, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
4. Cover pot and simmer for about 1 / 2 an hr. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
5. Serve with chopped green onions, diced radishes, shredded green cabbage, chopped cilantro along with limes as garnishment. Allow each diner to include as desired.
Nutritional Information
310.5 Calories, 18.2g Total Fat, 6.1g Saturated Fat, 51.4% Calories from Fat, 73.1g Cholesterol, 2,092.2mg Sodium, 159.7 Calories from Fat, 14.4g Carbohydrate, 3.25g Dietary Fiber, 23.8g Protein

Serves: 8.

Apple Cider Spice Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream

I normally have visuals in my mind of bringing the Horde apple-picking when autumn occurs, the evenings shift cooler, and the moments are brightened by that impossibly blue heavens. I do it in berry time, I do it when the sweet corn hits in the summertime, and I do it when the tomatoes brighten and ripen. I have attractive ideas of contented little ones skipping through orchards hand in hand, and gallons of delicious pressed cider waiting to strengthen their fast growing little bodies.

And yet – regarding apples – the only thing I can`. On that point there are usually 5 young men in the Horde O’Precious Darlings, ranging from only two to fourteen, and that is ten potential smashed legs. Certainly not that the Misses are usually any greater; I actually swear either one of the girls might possibly provide just about all five of the boys a run for disasters-waiting-to-happen. So I have copped out so far on the apple picking. My own cider not only isn’t fresh pressed – I personally purchased it at a mega-warehouse club. I actually adore fresh, local as well as all organic as much as the next guy, nevertheless at this time there are usually limitations when making use of that to the realistic and day to day, y’all. Apple picking has to hang on until eventually I possess my own own farm, complete with natural fresh fruits and vegetables waiting to be plucked, and happy little farm creatures gallivanting about.
Payoff for myself happens though in this – homemade spice cake. Certainly not merely spice cake – but APPLE spice cake, and this spice cake technique is dependent on lots of apple cider. The end result is actually about as excellent as it gets – nutmeg and cinnamon, ginger and allspice all dancing along with apple cider in a stunning delicate dessert which is fortified with a beautiful apple glaze as well as a beautiful cinnamon cream cheese butter cream. Have I hooked you yet? If not, might I mention that as far as dessert recipes go, this is definitely about as easy as it gets. There – that ought to have you. 😉 Certainly though – this amazing dessert is seriously very simple, certainly home made, and also just plain yells autumn. And your home will certainly smell heavenly as well. That is certainly win-win in anybody’s book. Cook book that is. Offer it a shot – it really is nearly sufficient to haul 7 children away to an orchard near you. Almost.
The Recipe!

You’ll Need:
•1 cup butter, softened
•3 cups of white sugar
•6 eggs •3 cups flour
•1/4 teaspoon. baking soda
•1 tsp. salt
•1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon •1/4 teaspoon. allspice
•1/4 tsp ground ginger
•1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
•2 tsp. vanilla extract
•3/4 cup apple cider 1.Pre-heat your oven to 325°. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
2.In bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment cream together butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time combining after each addition until integrated. Incorporate vanilla extract and combine. Scrape along sides of the bowl as you work. 3.In separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add in to butter mixture changing with cider, beginning and ending with flour. Combine just till incorporated, scraping sides of the bowl to fully combine all the ingredients.
4.Pour in to well prepared cake pans and send out evenly. Smooth the top of the mixture with a rubber spatula. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or till top of cake is browned and begins to crack and cake tester placed into center of cake comes out clean.
five.Permit cake to cool in pans for ten minutes, and then turn cakes out on to a wire rack to finish cooling. In the meantime, prepare the glaze and icing.

For the glaze…

For the glaze:
•2 cups powdered sugar
•2-3 tbs. apple cider
•1/4 tsp. cinnamon
•1/8 tsp. allspice
•1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
•1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Combine together sugar and spices in bowl or large mixing cup. Add apple cider a little at a time and mix until glaze reaches desired consistency. (Add sugar or cider as required.) Glaze should be easy to pour but thick enough that it will not soak into cake instantly. Pour glaze over completely cooled cake.

For the icing…

•1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
•8 oz cream cheese, softened
•1 tsp cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon allspice •1/8 tsp ginger
•1/8 tsp numeg
•24-32 ounces powdered sugar
•up to 1/4 cup apple cider

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until softened.
2. Add spices, and about one half the powdered . Turn mixer on low until the icing comes together. Little by little add in more powdered sugar until frosting is stiff.
3. Add apple cider until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Don’t make it too soft – if you add too much cider your frosting may ‘droop’. In the event that you get yours too soft (I do all the time) merely include more powdered sugar till it stiffens up.

4. Make sure the cakes are entirely cool, and then frost in between layers, and then the top and sides. Fabulous!

Irish Coffee

Caffeine and Whisky! Woo hoo!

Hot coffee, Irish Cream, Irish whisky, sugar and heavy cream…come on y’all. It can’t get much better than that. Unless of course you have a couple, and then you start calling it Caife Gaelach,which just sounds like it’s awesome. It originated in Ireland, where there are a variety of claimants for the crown of inventor. But it’s generally agreed that nearly frozen American tourists were given a nice friendly jot of Irish Whisky in a cup of coffee to warm them up. Can we give a big hurrah for Irish hospitality?

Unless…and here’s the kicker with this lovely little adult beverage – you use cheap ingredients. This is one of those times when there are so few ingredients, that each one needs to be the best you can obtain. I personally like this with a heavy French Roast coffee, homemade Irish cream, brown sugar and a layer of nice heavy cream. One trick to this? Make sure you use sugar in the coffee – otherwise the cream won’t float on top. And when adding the cream, pour it carefully over the back of a spoon so it will layer correctly on top of the coffee. If you don’t, the cream will just mix into the coffee, and then you’ve messed it up. The penalty is to drink it yourself and start over. Uh…yeah.

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rate or flag this pageTweet thisBy DixieMockingbird

Caffeine and Whisky! Woo hoo!

Hot coffee, Irish Cream, Irish whisky, sugar and heavy cream…come on y’all. It can’t get much better than that. Unless of course you have a couple, and then you start calling it Caife Gaelach,which just sounds like it’s awesome. It originated in Ireland, where there are a variety of claimants for the crown of inventor. But it’s generally agreed that nearly frozen American tourists were given a nice friendly jot of Irish Whisky in a cup of coffee to warm them up. Can we give a big hurrah for Irish hospitality?

Unless…and here’s the kicker with this lovely little adult beverage – you use cheap ingredients. This is one of those times when there are so few ingredients, that each one needs to be the best you can obtain. I personally like this with a heavy French Roast coffee, homemade Irish cream, brown sugar and a layer of nice heavy cream. One trick to this? Make sure you use sugar in the coffee – otherwise the cream won’t float on top. And when adding the cream, pour it carefully over the back of a spoon so it will layer correctly on top of the coffee. If you don’t, the cream will just mix into the coffee, and then you’ve messed it up. The penalty is to drink it yourself and start over. Uh…yeah.

Ingredients

Might as well brew a whole pot of coffee. No telling how many times you’ll have to do this to get it right.

You’ll need:

•1 (1 1/2 ounces) jigger Irish cream liqueur

•1 (1 1/2 ounces) jigger Irish whiskey

•1 cup (6-8 ounces) hot brewed coffee

•1 teaspoon heavy cream

•1 tablespoon heavy cream

•1 dash ground nutmeg

1.In a coffee mug, combine Irish cream and Irish whiskey.

2.Fill mug with coffee. Add sugar and stir well.

3.Carefully, using the back of a spoon as a break, pour cream on top of the coffee.

4.Top with a dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

The American way to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

The Irish of a hundred years ago wouldn’t recognize this dish – it’s an American adaptation. That doesn’t mean it’s not delicious – and it consistently hits “Top Ten” lists of comfort foods. But when the Irish arrived on American shores, they were looking to recreate a more traditional, truly Irish dish – Irish Boiled Bacon and Cabbage. Because American bacon was far different from what was known on the Emerald Isle, they turned to a close equivalent. That was corned beef – and therefore Americans came to associate this dish with the Irish.

Now – if you want the best Corned Beef ever – brine it yourself. It really doesn’t take much effort, and you’ll be amply rewarded for the bit of extra effort with the payoff in flavor. You really will be delighted. If not, of course you can use commercial corned beef. Either way, this dish is hearty and comforting, and the flavors pop – you’ll be proud to share this one!

Ingredients

You’ll Need:

•3 pounds corned beef brisket, rinsed

•2 bay leaves

•2 teaspoons peppercorns

•4 whole allspice

•2 whole cloves

•8 small red potatoes, halved

•4 large carrots, cut 1″ thick pieces

•2 pounds cabbage, cut into wedges

•2 quarts water (more or less, just to cover corned beef)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F.

2.Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven, and add the bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves. Cover with water.

3.Bring pot to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover the pot, and place it into the preheated oven.

4.Braise until the corned beef is very tender, about 4 hours. Alternately, you can transfer the corned beef brisket and liquid to a slow cooker and cook for about 8 hours.

5.Place the corned beef on a cutting board, and cover tightyly with foil to allow it to rest, and to keep it warm. Place Dutch oven with cooking liquid onto the stovetop. Add cabbage, potaotes and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

6.Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter. Thinly slice the corned beef across the grain. Ladle some of the cooking liquid over the corned beef and season with pepper. Serve immediately with the mustard, parsley or horseradish sauce.

Nutritional Information

507.5 Calories, 33.7g Total Fat, 11.0g Saturated Fat, 58.1% Calories from Fat, 166.7g Cholesterol, 1,977.5mg Sodium, 294.9 Calories from Fat, 19.2g Carbohydrate, 5.47g Dietary Fiber, 33.8g Protein

Parsley Sauce

You’ll need:

•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, Irish Butter if you can find it!

•4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

•1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the corned beef

•1 1/4 cups milk, heated

•Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

•1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for about three minutes, whisking well to form a smooth paste.

2.Whisk in the cooking liquid from the bacon, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly.

3.Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for five minutes, or until thickened.

4.Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in parsley. Serve hot with boiled bacon or corned beef and cabbage.

Nutritional Information

89.7 Calories, 7.1g Total Fat, 4.4g Saturated Fat, 70.3% Calories from Fat, 20.9g Cholesterol, 62.0mg Sodium, 63.1 Calories from Fat, 18.3g Carbohydrate, 0.11g Dietary Fiber, 1.8g Protein

Mustard Sauce

You’ll Need:

•3 tablespoons butter

•1 small onion, diced

•2 cloves garlic, minced

•1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

•1 cup dry white wine, I use a Chardonney

•1 cup corned beef cooking liquid, plus more as needed

•1 1/2 cups half-and-half, plus more as needed

•Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1.In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter, and saute the onion and garlic for five to seven minutes, or until onion is translucent.

2.Stir in mustard and wine, and bring to a boil. Whisk in bacon cooking liquid and half and half and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook whisking constantly, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is reduced by half.

3.Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper. If you wish to adjust texture, add a touch more half and half. Serve with the Irish Boiled Bacon or Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Nutritional Information

126.1 Calories, 9.6g Total Fat, 5.9g Saturated Fat, 67.0% Calories from Fat, 28.4g Cholesterol, 65.8mg Sodium, 84.5 Calories from Fat, 3.8g Carbohydrate, 0.23g Dietary Fiber, 1.7g Protein

Horseradish Sauce

You’ll Need

•1 cup mayonnaise

•1 cup sour cream

•1/3 cup horseradish, grated

•1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

•2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

•1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Nutritional Information

176.8 Calories, 15.9g Total Fat, 5.2g Saturated Fat, 79.3% Calories from Fat, 20.3g Cholesterol, 1,003.0mg Sodium, 140.2 Calories from Fat, 8.4g Carbohydrate, 0.08g Dietary Fiber, 1.2g Protein

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Jam Muffins

There isn’t anything very much better than freshly made, warm muffins. Unless it’s a freshly made, warm muffin with a center of sweet jam. That’s what these are – lovely little treats with a hidden surprise inside.

Pick any type of jam you wish for these little beauties – at our house the Precious Darlings love strawberry jam, and it’s usually what I have on hand. But you can choose anything you like. Raspberry, blackberry or apricot work wonderfully too – so feel free to choose whatever your own favorite it.

As with any muffins, the trick to these is to not over mix the batter – that will toughen up the muffins and ruin the texture. Stir the dry ingredients in just until they are moistened, but no more. They’ll be lumpy – but that’s a good thing. And when you pull these out of the oven, make sure you let them rest for a couple of minutes before you pull them from the pan, or the jam will run out all over instead of staying put inside. That’s all there is to it!

Ingredients

You’ll need:

•2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/2 cup white sugar

•1 tablespoon baking powder

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•3/4 cup buttermilk

•1/3 cup vegetable oil

•1 egg

•6 tablespoons any flavor fruit jam, divided

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

•½ cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400F. Grease the bottoms only of a 12 cup muffin pan or line the pan with muffin cups.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3.In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, egg and four tablespoons of the jam. Blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once, and fold together just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy, but don’t over mix or muffins will be tough.

4.Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full – the easiest way to do this is with an ice cream scoop or disher so each muffin is exactly the same size. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining jam on top of each muffin, pressing jam into batter. Sprinkle tops of the muffins with nuts or coconut if you wish.

5.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 2 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Store leftovers tightly covered. If you wish, you can microwave cold muffins for just a few seconds before serving.

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Green Bean Casserole

My mother didn’t make green bean casserole. There – that skeleton is finally out of the closet.

I never had this stuff until I was at least college age, and possibly older, so it wasn’t part of the set of memories or beloved dishes that appeared on our holiday tables. I honestly can’t remember exactly where I was when I first encountered it, but I do have to say I wasn’t enamoured. The onions on top were ok, but tasted artifical (I think the canned ones might be), and while creamy mushroom sauce is usually terrific on anything, the beans had been frozen and the texure was just not lovely.

A few years ago I started experimenting with recipes that typically used canned or prepackaged ingredients, among them the cream of mushroom soup that really is rather indispensible in so many casseroles. I came up with a way to make a really quick and easy mushroom sauce that I started throwing in all kinds of dishes. It just tastes better. Don’t get me wrong – I keep the canned soup in my own pantry. But if I have fresh mushrooms, and I usually do, than I much prefer making the quick sauce than popping the top on the canned stuff. And fresh vegetable are always better than frozen or canned ones. The result for this casserole is so much better tasting – so much creamier and satisfying, that the few extra steps are well worth it. Give this version a try – I’m pretty confident you’ll decide this one is the new comfort food you want on your table!

Ingredients

You’ll Need:

For the Onion Topping:

•1/2 cup very thinly sliced onion

•1/4 cup flour

•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

•1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Casserole:

•1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half

•1 tablespoon vegetable oil

•1/2 cup onion, diced

•8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, chopped

•2 teaspoons kosher salt

•½ teaspoon garlic powder

•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•1 cup chicken broth

•1 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

•¼ cup half and half

•1 cup sour cream

•2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. To make the onions for the topping, combine the onion slices, flour, garlic powder and salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Sauté onions until golden, about ten minutes. Remove onions from skillet and set aside.

4. While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and prepare an ice water bath. Season the water with salt, and add green beans. Cook beans until tender but still crispy, about five minutes. Drain beans and immediately place in ice water bath. Allow green beans to chill fully, then drain and set aside.

5. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add vegetable oil, and sauté onions, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté onions for three minutes.

6. Add the chicken broth and thyme, and bring mixture up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until nearly all the liquid is gone, about ten minutes.

7. Turn off heat, and add half and half and sour cream. Whisk well to combine. Pour mushroom mixture over green beans.

8. Transfer green bean mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until heated through and beginning to bubble at the edges. Place onions on top of casserole, and cook an additional five minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

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Beef Stew, Comfort Food Done Righ

I have to admit, most of the time when I make beef stew, it’s from a leftover pot roast. It’s just good – and a super easy way to produce a second meal from leftovers – especially when you plan on the leftovers. It’s hard to get better than that.

Hard – but not impossible. If you want beef stew from scratch, without the intervening pot roast, then I can almost guarantee you’ll be spoiled. This stew is just about perfect – rich and hearty, with juicy, succulent pieces of beef and tender vegetables, all cloaked in a phenomenally flavorful gravy. This stew shares some elements with some of the world’s finest classic dishes – such as Irish Lamb Stew, Beef and Guinness and Boef Bourgignon – the long slow cooking with a touch of alcohol results in amazing flavors. Sure – the pot roast version is fast and easy – and tastes good. But this way is the ultimate comfort food way.

Serve this stew with just about any type of bread, but crusty Italian or sourdough is fabulous, as are either Cheddar or Buttermilk Biscuits. And with most stews, it gets even better the second day.

Ingredients

You’ll need:

•3 pounds cubed beef stew meat, or better, 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into one inch pieces

•1/2 cup flour

•2 teaspoons garlic powder

•2 teaspoons onion powder

•2 teaspoons kosher salt

•2 teaspoons black pepper

•3 tablespoons vegetable oil

•1/2 cup red wine (white will work in a pinch but red is better)

•4 cups beef broth

•1 teaspoon dried rosemary

•1 teaspoon dried parsley

•1 tablespoon tomato paste

•1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

•4 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed

•4 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

•4 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces

•2 large onions, chopped

•2 tablespoons cornstarch

•2 tablespoons cold water

•Optionals – garnish with fresh chopped parsley, or toss in a cup of frozen peas just at the very end so they just heat through – the bright fresh flavors of both just pop.

Directions

1.Place flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl or gallon size baggie and whisk well. Add cubed stew meat or chuck roast pieces and toss to coat.

2.in a large Dutch oven, heat oil. Working in batches so as not to crowd the meat, brown beef on all sides. As each batch is done, set it aside.

3.Once all beef is browned, deglazed the pot with the red wine, stirring to scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, rosemary, parsley, tomato paste, and worchestershire sauce.

4.Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and allow pot to simmer for one hour.

5.Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions to the pot. Stir well. In a small bowl, make a paste of the cornstarch and water. Add to the pot. Cover and simmer for one hour.

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Homemade Irish Cream

All righty – I couldn’t let another St. Patrick’s Day come my way without dabbling a bit with Irish Whisky. And while I’m perfectly happy with it neat, I’ve been dabbling a good bit with desserts lately – so making my own Irish Cream was a natural.

I wish I’d done this years ago.

I love using this stuff in baking – an Irish Cream Cake is a little piece of heaven, as is a Chocolate Guinness Cake with Irish Cream Frosting. But honestly – this little concoction is so unbelievably Bombshell that the very best way to have it is on the rocks. Ok – you may add it to your coffee if you want the best Irish Coffee ever. I will say that you need to be a bit careful with it – depending on how strong you make it, it can deliver quite a kick. So go easy on the whisky at first, especially if you’re going to drink it neat or on the rocks. If you are going to mix it further for other applications, knock yourself out with the whisky.

I think I need to make a cake. Oh shoot. I need to make another batch of Irish Cream…

Ingredients

You’ll Need:

•2 cups heavy cream

•2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

•2 cups Irish whiskey (more to taste if you wish!)

•2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

•¼ cup chocolate syrup

•2 teaspoons vanilla extract

•1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1.In an electric blender, combine cream, condensed milk, whisky, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract and almond extract.

2.Blend on high for about 30 seconds. Taste – feel free to add more whisky if you like it stronger. Be careful adding it to your morning coffee though – you may not get much done.

3.Store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container, and shake well before serving.

A couple of notes on customizing this luscious stuff:

Go easy on the whisky and almond extract when you first make this. You can always add more of either but you can’t take it out once it’s in there. The almond is necessary, but can very quickly overwhelm the other flavors.

If you wish, you can melt baking or milk chocolate with the cream in a small saucepan over low heat instead of using chocolate syrup. There are subtle differences in flavor, but it’s all delicious. To go really decadent, use a premium brand of chocolate.

If you like a thinner Irish Cream, the use half and half or whole milk instead of the heavy cream. Cream gives a thick result, more like a milkshake in consistency. My own preference is for using half half and half, and half whole milk. The creaminess is still there but the texture is much lighter. If you wish to sip it on the rocks I like this version. If you wish to mix it with coffee, I like the heavier version with cream.

The flavors come together as the Irish Cream sits in the fridge. By the day after you make it, it will be even better.

If you wish to use this as gifts you’ll quickly be every body’s favorite person.

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