Posts from — October 2007

I have been knitting but uninspired to write about it.  Instead, I give you recipes…I tried a couple of new ones on some friends last night and they were quite delicious as well as easy.  Enjoy!  All are from foodnetwork.com  If you happen to use Master Cook (love this program!) click here to import the MC file (zipped to enable download).

                     
* Exported from MasterCook *

                                Pot Roast

Recipe By     :Paula Deen

Serving Size  : 6     Categories    : Crock Pot      Main Dish, Beef

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  3             pounds  chuck roast — boneless
  1 1/2      teaspoons  House seasoning — recipe follows
                        House Seasoning
     1/4           cup  vegetable oil
  1                     onion — thinly sliced
  3                     bay leaves
  3                     beef bouillon cubes — crushed (3 to 4)
  2                     garlic cloves — crushed
  1                can  condensed cream of mushroom soup — (10 3/4-ounce)
     1/2           cup  Chardonnay

Sprinkle roast on all sides with house seasoning. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add the Chardonnay and cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

Serving Ideas : Put the roast in a shallow dish and cover with half of the juices.  The remaining juices I put in a skillet and added some cornstarch that I had whisked into water to thicken the sauce.  Could also do a roux for gravy next time.

NOTES : I left out the mushroom soup and put in a cup of chardonnay which I also used to deglaze the pan after searing the meat.  Instead of adding water to cover the ingredients, I used 2 beers (one regular, one miller lime flavor…would normally use Guinness for a roast).  I used “Better than Bullion” instead of the cubes. 

I estimated the house seasoning and it ended up just a little too salty (I really read this part wrong).  I’m sure if I would have followed the proportions more carefully it would have been fine.  I generously covered the roast with pepper and garlic powder on each side (these flavors were not a problem)…just use “normal” amount of salt next time.

                 
* Exported from MasterCook *

                             House Seasoning

Recipe By     :Paula Deen 
  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  1                cup  salt
     1/4           cup  black pepper
     1/4           cup  garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months
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* Exported from MasterCook *

                           Spicy Baked Macaroni

Recipe By     :Giada De Laurentiis
Serving Size  : 10   Categories    : Casserole                       Main Dish, Meatless              Main Dish, Pork                 Pasta
                Pasta or Grain, Side            Side Item

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
                        Salt
  1              pound  elbow macaroni pasta
  3        tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
     1/2         pound  assorted mushrooms — quartered
  1                     onion — chopped
  2             cloves  garlic — chopped
  1                can  diced tomatoes — (14.5-ounce)
  1            package  frozen spinach — (10-ounce) thawed and drained of excess liquid
     1/2      teaspoon  red pepper flakes
     1/2          cups  bread crumbs
     1/4           cup  grated Parmesan — plus 1/3 cup
     1/4           cup  Romano — plus 1/3 cup
  2        tablespoons  butter — softened, plus 2 tablespoons
  12            ounces  mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
     1/4      teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.

In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

NOTES : Overall this was good, but I thought it was a little dry.  Next time I’ll add another can of tomatoes. It could also use more seasoning…more garlic, oregano and basil.   I’m not sure the mushrooms really add anything to the flavor and the dish might be better with less macaroni.  Would look more interesting with a different shape pasta and could easily be a main dish especially with the addition of some Italian sausage.

                     
* Exported from MasterCook *

                    Sun-Dried Tomato Artichoke Buttons

Recipe By     :Sandra Lee
Serving Size  : 15    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Appetizer                       Salad

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  8                     Roma tomatoes — cored and sliced lengthwise
  2        tablespoons  vinaigrette — balsamic vinaigrette
                        Salt and pepper
  2               cans  artichoke bottoms — (14-ounce) rinsed and drained
  2        tablespoons  lemon juice
  12                    mozzarella cheese — fresh, cherry tomato size in water
     1/4           cup  pesto sauce — basil pesto, from jar

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice the ends off each tomato, cut them in half lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, toss with the balsamic vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet and roast for 3 hours. Transfer the tomatoes to a plate to cool. (Tomatoes can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator for 2 days.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the artichoke bottoms into a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse the artichokes with cold water and pat them dry. Trim the bottoms so that they will sit flat and arrange on the baking sheet. Top each artichoke with half a roasted tomato, a mozzarella ball, and a teaspoon of pesto. Put them into the oven and roast for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

NOTES : I’ve made this twice now and never bothered with the lemon juice or the pesto sauce…less fattening and still tasty.  Can also be done as a salad/antipasto by substituting artichoke hearts.

Sandra’s notes: Oil packed sun-dried tomatoes may be used in lieu of oven-drying your own. Larger types of fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces, can be used in place of Ciliegini, or cherry tomato size mozzarella balls.

             
* Exported from MasterCook *

                            Classic Asparagus

Recipe By     :Terri and Cheryl
Serving Size  : 4    
Categories    : Side Item                       Vegetable

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  32                    asparagus spears
  2        tablespoons  olive oil — to taste
  1         tablespoon  garlic salt — to taste

Put asparagus in roasting pan and toss to coat with olive oil and garlic salt. 

Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until desired level of doneness is achieved.

                                                 
* Exported from MasterCook *

                         Instant Chocolate Mousse

Recipe By     :Nigella Express
Serving Size  : 6    
Categories    : Desserts

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
  3               cups  marshmallows — mini size
     1/2         stick  unsalted butter — softened
  9             ounces  semisweet chocolate — best quality , chopped into small pieces
     1/4           cup  hot water — from a recently boiled kettle
  1                cup  heavy cream
  1           teaspoon  vanilla extract

Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.
Put the saucepan on the stove, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile whip the cream with the vanilla until thick and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.

Pour or scrape into 4 or 6 glasses or small dishes and chill until you want to eat. The sooner the better!

NOTES : I thought this was excellent but Terri thought it might be a little sweet.  Less marshmallows?

Original recipe notes:  Normally, you need to make chocolate mousse a good few hours, or better still a day, before you want to eat it, so that the egg yolk sets and the whisked whites permeate everything with air bubbles. Forget that: here we have no yolks, no whites, no whisking, no waiting. Lack of raw egg, incidentally, also means that you might be happier giving the mousse to small children, though I certainly feel they should not be the only beneficiaries.

I normally don’t do “Saturday Sky” but since that seems to be the only thing I can take time to post on vacation here it is…both just in the back yard.