Flemish Beef Stew

With it getting cold, I've really felt like making soup or something lately. I found this stew recipe online and thought I'd give it a try. I've found a few more recipes I'll be trying in the near future too :)

The only thing I'd change next time we make it is maybe put some more veggies in it and possibly add potatoes. It felt like there was really a lot of meat and not a whole lot of anything else.

This can be prepared a head of time, such as the night before, if you want to just throw it in the pot in the morning and go. There is about 30-45 minutes of work to do before you can turn the slow cooker on, so for those that have to leave for work in the morning, it may be a good option.

4 tsp canola oil, divided
2 lbs bottom round, trimmed of fat and cut in to 1-inch cubes
3/4 lb sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups brown ale or dark beer
4 large carrots, peeled and cut in to 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 & 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp caraway seeds
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf

• Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the beef and brown all sides, turning frequently, about five minutes.
• Transfer to slow cooker, drain any fat from the pan.
• Add remaining 2 tsp oil to skillet and brown remaining beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Return the skillet to medium heat, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until they give off their liquid and it evaporates in to a glaze, about 5-7 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, cook undisturbed for 10 seconds, stir and cook for 30 more seconds.
• Pour in ale, bring to a boil, whisking constantly to reduce foaming, until thickened and bubbling, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the mushroom mixture to the slow cooker.
• Add carrots, onion, garlic, mustard, caraway seeds, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to the cooker. Stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on low until the beef is very tender, about 8 hours.
• Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Spaghetti with Bacon and Artichokes

This dish was definitely something new for us. If I had been picking, I would not have picked this... but my husband saw it and wanted to try it so I went for it. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I guess this should be a lesson that I shouldn't eat with my eyes, haha!

I had a hard time finding the pecorino-romano cheese (and couldn't find the caciocavallo at all). I ended up finding it at a local grocery story that sells more specialty items, Yoke's. I'm glad the lady in the cheese section helping me told me that it was really strong. She suggested not going by the measurements in the recipe, rather going by taste. So instead of the 1/2 cup, I sprinkled some on top and then grated some in to a bowl that I sat at the table for people to sprinkle on their servings themselves.

Last, we decided to double the amount of bacon in the dish. We really like meat and dishes without a lot of meat seem weird to us. I think it was a good choice. So with both this and the cheese, just go by what you like and I'm sure it will be fine!

Salt & Pepper
1 lb bucatini pici or spaghetti
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4-1/3 lb chunk guanciale, pancetta, or center-cut bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups thawed frozen artichoke hearts or 1 can (14 oz) drained and chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated caciocavallo or pecorino-romano, plus more for serving
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt.
• Add the pasta and cook until al denta.
• Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chosen meat and cook until fat is rendered, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onion and garlic, season with pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in wine, stock, add artichoke hearts, and cook to heat through.
• Season with salt and lower heat to low.
• Stir the reserved pasta water in to sauce, add pasta, cheese, parsley, and toss.
• Serve in shallow bowls and pass more cheese at the table.

Chicken in Garlic-Almond Sauce

This recipe got mixed reviews in our household. My husband wasn't a huge fan, but I liked it and the kids liked it. They refuse to eat anything with sauce, but the chicken is cooked in the sauce so I figured that was good enough :)

The only thing I'll say about this recipe is it's probably not a bad idea to leave out the saffron. For one, it's expensive. I found 1-oz tins ranging from $65 to 138.50 on Amazon. I purchased mine from a local grocery store, 0.01 oz for about $11 (if you do the math that is about $1100 per oz, yikes!). On top of that, I think it stinks horribly! It does give the dish it's beautiful yellow hue, so don't be alarmed if you leave it out and the dish is not yellow.

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups, 1/2" cubes crust-less white bread
4 garlic cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cups dry Sherry or white wine
1/2 tsp saffron threads (optional)
Kosher salt
4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
1 onion, minced
1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

• Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and stir until golden brown.
• Transfer almonds to paper towels and place 1/3  in blender or food processor. Set aside remaining for garnish.
• Add bread cubes and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp.
• Transfer to processor. Add brother, Sherry, 1/2 tsp pepper, saffron, and large pinch of salt.
• Process until almost smooth and set aside.
• Heat remaining Tbsp olive oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Add to skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to the pot, cook stirring often until onion is caramelized at edges.
• Add sauce and chicken to pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce to low.
• Simmer until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Divide chicken and sauce among bowls, garnish each serving with reserved almonds and chopped parsley.

Cottage Pie

I found this recipe in the my newest Taste of Home magazine... I noticed it because it was with an article about Jane Leeves (Daphne from Fraiser). I've always wondered what shepherd's pie (I'm assuming shepherd's and cottage are the same thing? Correct me if I'm wrong!) was, so I decided to give it a whirl!

The final dish felt like there needed to be a little more flavor in the meat. My husband agreed so I started brainstorming what it was missing. I still had a lot of bacon bits left from the meatloaf earlier this week so on a whim I decided to throw that on top of my second helping. It was perfect! So next time I make this I think I'll sprinkle some bacon bits on top or mix them in with the mashed potatoes before it's cooked.

I kind of had to improvise on this recipe because I don't have a dutch oven. I cooked the meat mixture on the stove top in a large covered skillet. I don't have a deep dish 9 inch pie pan either, so I used a 9x13 glass dish which was just the right size! Also, the original recipe only calls for turkey, but in the description it says you can use beef, turkey, or lamb. We decided to do a mixture.

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground beef
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 & 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (milk and butter added), warm
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

• In a dutch oven cook the meat, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain.
• Stir in flour, herbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until blended.
• Add broth, cook and stir until broth is absorbed.
• Stir in peas, heat through.
• Transfer to a greased 9-in deep-dish pie plate.
• Top with mashed potatoes and cheese (if desired).
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until filling is bubbly.

Mix & Match Meatloaf

This was a really fun recipe my husband found in Food Network Magazine. He really likes meatloaf so I'm always looking for new versions to try. This recipe is a mix-and-match recipe so you can choose what you like!

I placed an asterisk next to the ingredients we chose for our meatloaf, since we know that was good! For our bacon bits we bought the large bag of bacon bits out at Costco so instead of putting strips of bacon on top of the loaf I sprinkled more bits on top. Post in the comments what combos you guys try. Did you like it? Did you wish you had tried something different?

Meat
Choose 1 & 1/2 lbs from the meats listed, any combo:
*Ground beef*
*Ground turkey*
Ground veal
*Ground pork*

Binder
Choose 1 cup from the binders below, choose one:
Breadcrumbs
Instant rice (uncooked)
Cornflakes
Crackers or *croutons*, crushed
Fine bulgur (uncooked)
Oats
Instant potato flakes (only 1/2 cup)
Quick-cooking barley (uncooked, only 1/2 cup)

Vegetable
Choose 1-2 cups from the vegetables below, choose one:
*Carrots*, shredded
Spinach, frozen chopped then thawed and squeezed dry
Swiss chard or kale, finely chopped
Bell peppers, finely chopped
Mushrooms, finely chopped
Zucchini, shredded and squeezed dry
Celery, finely chopped and sauteed

Herbs
Choose 2 Tbsp of the herbs below, any combo:
Parsley
*Chives*
*Basil*
Thyme

Mix-In (Optional)
Choose 1/2 cup, pick up to two:
Raisins or prunes, chopped
Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
*Cooked bacon*, chopped
Pickles or gherkins, chopped
Canned green chilis or pickled jalapenos, chopped
Walnuts, chopped
Roasted red peppers, chopped
*Shredded cheese* (up to 1 cup)

Remaining Ingredients
The rest of these ingredients go in the meatloaf regardless of the other ingredients you chose:
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2 eggs
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place each of the chose ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix with hands until just combined.
• Shape in to 9 x 5 inch oval loaf and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Top with strips of bacon, if desired.
• Bake about half way, approximately 30 minutes.
• Brush top and sides with a glaze (recipes listed below) and continue baking approximately another 25 minutes. Thermometer in center of loaf should read 160 degrees.
• Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Glazes

Classic: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

*Garlic-Herb*: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 grated garlic clove, and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.

Spicy BBQ: Mix 1/4 BBQ sauce, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp chipotle chile powder, and 1 tsp cider vinegar.

Tangy: Mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 Tbsp apricot preserves, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, and 1 tsp ground ginger.

Oven-Fried Ranch Chicken

I'd never made any sort of fried chicken before, so this was a first for us. We found this recipe in a southern supper part of a Food Network magazine and it looked too tempting to pass up. It was absolutely fantastic and is now one of our favorite chicken dishes.

We're not big fans of chicken on the bone so instead of using whole chickens we used boneless skinless breasts and thighs. It made the prep so much faster and easier than it might have been had we used whole chickens too.

Note that part of this dish has to be prepared at least three hours ahead of time.

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 & 1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
2 - 2 to 3 lb chickens, each cut in to 8 pieces
3 & 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, preferably panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
Fresh ground black pepper

• Whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, half the thyme, 1 tsp paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl.
• Add chicken and toss to coat.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight).
• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line two baking sheets with foil and set a wire rack on each (I used my cookie cooling racks). Coat each with cooking spray.
• Combine breadcrumbs, chives, remaining thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from marinade and dredge in breadcrumbs.
• Place dark and white meat on separate racks, skin side up. Coat chicken with cooking spray.
• Place dark meat on bottom rack and bake until crust is golden and thermometer in thickest part of meat reaches 165 degrees, about 50-55 minutes.
• Let cool on wire racks, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

Because we used boneless skinless thighs rather than boned pieces we had fewer pieces and it cooked a little faster. We only used one rack and placed it in the center of the oven. It only took about 35 minutes to cook. I also turned the chicken about half way through to keep the panko from burning.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

I prefer red potatoes, so when I saw this recipe in Food Network Magazine I had to try it! I made it with dinner while my parents were over and we all agreed they could pass for restaurant smashed potatoes... that amazing!

My only tip is don't turn away from the half-and-half while you're heating it, even for a second! I turned to check the temperature on our meatloaf and when I turned around it had already boiled over, and it was only on medium heat.

3 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled

1 Tbsp, plus 2 tsp kosher salt

1 & 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1/4 lb)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• Put potatoes and 1 Tbsp salt in 4 qt saucepan with cold water to cover. 
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for about 25-35 minutes (until potatoes are tender). Drain.
• In small saucepan heat half-and-half and butter.
• Blend potatoes with electric mixer on low to break up.
• Slowly add hot cream and butter to potatoes, mixing on lowest speed.
• Fold in sour cream, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Stove Top Lasagna

I made my husband help me go through magazines and pick meals this week, this was one he chose. It's from a Food Network magazine and it was great! It's super fast and easy and you don't have to do any prep work ahead of time.

A lot of meals this week were a mixture of multiple ground meats (including this one) so I bought pork and turkey in bulk from Costco (we already have ground beef from a cow we bought at the fair). I separated them in to approximately 1 lb bags and stuck the leftover in the freezer so I don't have to buy meat quite so often! I like to buy their prepackaged chicken as well, comes in packs of 6 with each pack holding enough chicken for two people.

Kosher salt

7 lasagna noodles

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzle)

1 lb ground meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal)

2 cups tomato sauce

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

3 cups baby spinach

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

6 Tbsp grated parmesan, divided

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

• Preheat the broiler.
• Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dented (about 11 minutes).
• Drain, transfer to a cutting board, and halve crosswise.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add ground meat, and cook stirring until browned.
• Add tomato sauce and red pepper flakes, let simmer about five minutes.
• Add spinach and stir until it wilts.
• Add ricotta and bring to a low simmer.
• Season with salt and remove from heat.
• Toss mozarella and 4 Tbsp parmesan in a bowl.
• Cover bottom of an 8 inch baking dish with layer of noddles. Top with half of the meat sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of noddles, remaining meat sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover with remaining noodles and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp parmesan.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil and broil until golden and bubbling, about 3-5 minutes. Top with basil.

Oops, I forgot the basil, oh well!

Caramel Apples

A guy my husband works with took a few vacation days to go apple picking (yeah, he seriously makes GOOD money doing that!) and brought some back. He gave a bag to us so we had a ton of apples to figure out what to do with. We decided to go with caramel apples! The day we decided to do this, my husband came home with more apples too... looks like there might be some apple pie or something in the future as well :)

I got this recipe after seeing a picture for caramel apples in my recent Taste of Home magazine. They had the recipe on their site.

First, make sure your candy thermometer is reading the right temperature. You can do this by boiling a pot of water and putting the thermometer in it. It should read 212 degrees. If it doesn't, adjust the temperature in the recipe accordingly. Example: my thermometer read 205 in boiling water, so the final temperature of 248 should actually read 241. (This is one of those times that I seriously wonder why we don't use the metric system here... water boils at 212F or 100C, freezes at 32F and 0C... firm ball candy is 248F or 120C)

Second, even with our first apple, the dip wasn't quite deep enough in the pan. Maybe doubling this recipe or using a pan that isn't too wide would help with that.

1/2 cup butter, cubed

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Dash of salt

1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

10-12 popsicle sticks

10-12 apples

Desired toppings (nuts should be chopped)

• Wash and dry apples, remove stems, and insert popsicle sticks into top.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter.
• Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.
• Stir in milk, cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm-ball stage).
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Dip each apple in to hot caramel mixture, turn to coat.
• Dip bottom in desired topping.
• Place on greased wax paper or parchment paper until set.

Chicken with Arugula Pesto

I found this recipe in one of my Food Network magazines. Originally I bought all of the correct items and was going to make it exactly as the recipe read... but by the time I got around to making it half of the food wasn't looking too great so I threw it out and winged it with what I had, haha. On top of that, I was in a hurry trying to do 100 things at once so I kind of changed how this is cooked so my hands would be free for other things. I'll give you the original recipe and then tell you what I changed!

Kosher salt
6 ounces orecchiette
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in to pieces
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley
2 Tbsp almons or hazelnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp water
4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 tsp whole-wheat breadcrumbs

• Bring pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook as directed on the box. About three minutes before pasta is done add the green beans.
• Drain pasta and beans and rinse under cold water. Toss with half of cheese, 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, and salt.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Puree the arugula, parsley, nuts, lemon juice, water, remaining cheese, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and salt to taste in food processor. Transfer to a boil.
• Pound chicken to about 1/2 inch thick, transfer to foil lined baking sheet and season with salt. Rub all over with 1/4 cup of pesto and broil, turning once, until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes per side).
• Arrange tomatoes, cut side up on another baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes. Spread with pesto and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Broil until golden (about one more minute).
• Serve chicken, tomatoes, and pasta with remaining pesto.

Ok, as you can see, this doesn't really look like the instructions say it should! My husband doesn't like tomatoes so we didn't use those and the green beans were looking pretty bad so I ended up using the broccoli we had. I also made a couple more changes!

• We couldn't find orecchiette so I ended up buying shells since they were kind of similar. I could not find plain arugula either. All the store had was a pack of arugula and spinach together, so the pesto is actually arugula and spinach.
• I preheated the oven to 375 degrees and cooked the chicken (we like to use both breast and thighs) for about 30 minutes while I prepared the rest of the meal. I did not pound it flat before I cooked it either.
• I threw some lemon juice in the pasta mix to add a little flavor.
• Then as things were getting close to done I put the pesto on top of the chicken and topped with the bread crumbs (we used panko instead) and some almonds and switched to the broiler. I left it in for another 5-10 minutes, or until it started turning golden brown on top.

My only tip is to be careful with the salt. For some reason it seems when I cook with Kosher salt things get saltier way faster and pesto is one of those things we've noticed seems to be too salty! I dialed it waaaay back for this meal and it was a lot better than it has been in the past.