Broiled Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

Yeah, the picture is lame... I need an actual camera. My iPhone just isn't cutting it. 

mmmmmm. This one is fantastic. It's warm, salty, crunchy and vibrant green, super healthy and very filling.

As for Brussels spouts - I think they're amazing. I've found that people either love them, or hate them. I think this is based on how they're prepared. If you've only ever had them frozen and warmed, or boiled, try this version of broiling them. Or, if you've tried them every way and still hate them, just skip this one. Or swap in chopped up asparagus or broccoli. In this recipe they are not soggy like boiled or frozen ones. They are softened by the heat, that is true, but they retain the bulk of their crunchy goodness.

And an interesting tidbit about Brussels sprouts - they are in the same family as cabbages, and may have very likely originally come from Brussels, Belgium. So, you cultivated devil you, tonight you're going to Brussels!

 Ingredients: 

1.5-2 lbs Brussels sprouts
1/4 c olive oil
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Teaspoon pepper (OR - leave out the S/P and put in 1 Tablespoon of your favorite spice mix. I used a Mediterranean mix on my more recent batch. )

1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into rounds. Hillshire Farm is my go to brand.

Directions:

Preheat oven to High Broil (rack should be about 5-6 inches away from the heating coils/flame).

Clean and halve the sprouts, and toss until coated in the olive oil and seasoning mix. Pour sprouts and sausage onto baking sheet, making sure nothing overlaps more than needed (if at all).

Bake about 10 minutes, checking at 5, and potentially flipping over sprouts.

Serve, and enjoy your salty crunchy goodness. Serves well with sweet potatoes, like this Purple  variation shown below!!

French Onion Soup

It's currently snowing outside. And it's March 19th. This is not too much of a surprise as I am currently in the Upstate New York area. It's beautiful, and I actually really like the snow. It seems that whenever it does snow, the little cook in my heart decides it wants to dance it's way out of my heart and into the kitchen. Today, we cooked up one of my favorite dishes - French Onion Soup.

 Caramelized onions simmering in a full, oniony yet sweet broth, richly soaked bread with chewy melted cheese, and piping hot from broiled in the oven makes this soup 

Also - I normally dislike Swiss Cheese. However, whatever happens when Swiss Cheese hits Onion Soup is one of the most indescribably delicious things I have ever tasted.Whatever magical change allows these flavors to meld together in such a fantastic way is just that - magical. 

So without further fanfare, I give you French Onion Soup. 

Ingredients:

2  Large White onions, Sliced. 

1 T salt

1 T sugar (yes, sugar. Trust me.)

4 T butter

4 cups beef stock (it really should be homemade in order to taste as magical as described above). 

1 t thyme

~1 cup Croutons or dried slices of a small baguette (this has a name... I'm just drawing a blank). 

4 Slices Swiss cheese. 

Serves 4 

Directions:

Add butter, onions, salt, and sugar in a soup pot, and brown on medium. **A note about browning onions. The salt (and in this case sugar) helps them to brown more quickly. They need constantly stirring and should take about 15 mins to become limp, and another 5 or so to brown darkly. For this, you want these guys dark dark brown, but not burned. This does take patience, but it pays off. 

Keep going - these are about halfway. 

Once the onions are browner than a brownie (okay, not quite, but almost), add the beef broth, stir and simmer for 30+ mins. You can let this simmer for a few hours if needed, or even put it in the slow cooker on low for the day. Just make sure you don't reduce it down to an onion syrup. That's a no-no. 

Taste. Add sugar or salt as desired. This should be a rich blend of oniony sweetness, underlined with a savory beef flavor. 

Spoon into dishes, top with croutons or bread, and top with swiss. If you want to do it right, place it in a pre-heated oven on broil. This will allow the cheese to melt onto the bread and create a delicious cheesy crust on top of the soup and really makes the flavors do something akin to magic (seriously - it's amazing) in your mouth. 

you're serving this for a casual family dinner (not trying to impress friends), just serve the cheese and bread on the side, and let people serves themselves everything. 

Enjoy!!

Shorthand:

Brown onions, salt, sugar, and butter 15 mins. Add broth, simmer 30+mins. Divide into ramekins, layer with bread, cheese. Broil til brown, serve. 

Questions on how to make homemade beef broth? Please leave a comment if you'd like me to post my beef broth recipe! 

Cherry Almond Scones

Both almond and cherry trees have light to dark pink flowers and wonderful green leaves. Almonds are native to South Asia and the Middle East. They are beautiful both shelled and unshelled. The meat (nut) is delicious both raw or toasted, and the shells are used for hundres of reasons (face scrubs are my personal favorite). In this recipe though, sliced almonds are a beautiful contrast to the sweet tartness of dried cherries. 

If you've ever cooked with almond extract before, I hope you've taken a moment to pass the bottle  under your nose once or twice and smell the sweet gentleness that it affords to your senses. There is a kind of muted effulgent scent that seems to seep into your soul, a tangible creaminess that almost comes to life in the form of a small graceful dancer. Add dried cherries to that,  and you have yourself a little bit of elegant pazza for an afternoon tea snack.

Directions:


In food processor combine the following. If you don't have a food processor, mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Combine until the butter the is well incorporated, and the dough is crumb-like.

1 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t baking powder
dash of salt
1/4 c butter


Add:

1 t lemon juice (or 1/2 t lemon zest)
1/3 c dried cherries
1/4 c sliced almonds
1/8 c cream
1/2 t almond extract
1/4 t vanilla extract

Mix until well incorporated. It will still be crumbly most likely. Form into a ball, divide into two and roll into 1" thick rounds. Cut into wedges, and bake 20 minutes.

Glaze these sucker while they're hot, add some of your favorite spices to the remaining glaze, and drizzle once they cool down.


Glaze:
1/3 cup powder sugar
1 1/2 tsp half and half
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Glazed, or unglazed, these are crumbly, chewy, and crunchy in just the right ratio. The glaze offers  a little more sweetness to those who crave it.

Enjoy!



Short Hand:
Combine dry ingredients, add butter. Add liquids, cherries, and almonds. Roll into rounds, bake at 400º for 20 mins. Glaze.

Blue Cheese Bread Pudding

This. Is. Epic.

Especially if you like blue cheese.

I LOVE these things. It might be because I love blue cheese, with it's sharp, distinct flavor and creamy texture, ribboned with salty ribbons of color.....Hmm, oh you're still here? Sorry about drifting off into cheese heaven. Honestly, this is just a fantastic recipe and super simple.

I made this for the first time in Texas when a girlfriend was coming over for dinner. I followed it perfectly the first time, but when I made it last week, I tweaked it a little.

Here is the video and recipe for the original dish by Chef John. He has a ton of other great recipes too!

Here is what I did to it :) I hope you enjoy!



Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Butter

4-5 cups cubed bread, dried over night or in the oven (You want these suckers DRY! I'm talking rock solid. They'll need to absorb all the wonderful flavor you're going to add. Use 4 cups if you like a dense pudding, 5 if you want something a little dryer. I opt for the dryer batch.)

1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup scallions, diced
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

1/3-1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

Sliced scallions and blue cheese for garnish.


Directions:

Preheat Oven - 400º

Grease cupcake pan, or ramekins with butter.

Place bread cubes in a large bowl, set aside.


Saute onions, salt and butter.

Add everything else EXCEPT THE BLUE CHEESE!!! and heat til steaming (don't boil).

Pour broth mixture over bread cubes, and stir until all the liquid is absorbed.

Sprinkle blue cheese over bread cube mix, stir gentle.

Divide mixture into cupcake tins. Garnish with a few crumbs blue cheese.

Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes. Top with slices of scallions.

Serve HOT!!

Serves 4.

Sweet Beef Stew with Biscuits

This is a nice variation of so many other stews that I've made. The hint of sweetness brought into the blend by the brown sugar, and the subtle spicy lace of the Worcestershire sauce makes this stand apart from the traditional savory stews.

  It's good on a slow day, or after a long week. The cooked-in-the-stew biscuits give this a very hearty blend of beef and biscuits.


Instructions and Ingredients: 

1 lb stewing beef
1 T olive oil
2 t thyme

Pat dry the beef with paper towels. Heat Oil and Thyme in dutch oven on medium high. Brown to beef and remove.

In the same pot, add:

4 onions, sliced
1 t salt
1 T Olive Oil/Butter

Cook until limp and browned.

Add:
1 T flour, stir quickly

Add:

4 cup beef stock
1 T brown sugar
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
4 Bay leaves
Browned beef

Simmer on low, covered, for about 2 hours.

Biscuits
1 1/2 cup flour
1 t baking power
1 t parsley
1 T sugar
2 t melted butter
1/2 cup milk

Mix until moist, and drop by rounded spoonful unto the top of your stew. COVER and cook for 10 mins.

Spoon out yourself some happiness into a bowl, and enjoy this sweet and savory treat while snuggling up on the couch with a good book, or gathered around the table with people you love

Serves 4.
Can be quartered easily for single serving, or doubled for a large group.



Variations: 
Beef and Beer - For those who drink, and enjoy a good beer, I've been told you can swap 2 cups of the beef stock for your favorite draft. I don't prefer the bitterness it brings, so I use only beef broth.

Irish Way - quarter about 5-6 small red skinned potatoes, and add them when you add the broth. Omit the biscuits.



ShortHand:
Brown beef in oil and Thyme. Brown Onions. Add remaining ingredients, simmer for two hours. Add biscuits  cook 10 mins covered. Enjoy.

Freezing Herbs

I recently had several people ask about freezing various ingredients. In many of recipes, it may call for a small amount of one ingredient that you don't use frequently. So a common frustration is often along the lines of "Great, I have a whole bunch of cilantro, parsley, thyme, cheese, etc.... Now what do I do with it?!" Like any tool or skill, if you don't know what to do with them, it's frustrating and can get discouraging. Ingredients and cooking are no different.

Herbs differ from spices in many ways, but the key distinction is the part of the plant that is used. Herbs are generally the leafy portion of the plant, as opposed to the root, bark, seed or fruit, which is known as a spice.

Got it? Herb = leaf. Spice = root, bark, seed, fruit, etc. 

Herbs can be amazing when home grown or bought fresh. You can also buy them freeze dried or frozen. I will typically buy fresh herbs, then store them to my preference. This answers the questions many cooks have about what to do with left over herbs.

How to freeze herbs: 

Prep the herbs like you would for cooking (mince, dice, remove from stem, etc).

Freeze loose in a ziplock bag, or in portions with olive oil in an ice cube tray. 

For example, I bought too much dill, so I measured out 1 teaspoon into each cube, and added about 1 teaspoon olive oil. When frozen, I pop out and toss everything into a ziplock bag. 

This can be done for almost any herb. If you don't want to use olive oil, just freeze them loose. 

Best Frozen Loose: Cilantro, Mint, Chives, Basil.

Either Method: Tarragon, Oregano, Dill, Parsley, Rosemary,  Thyme.

Tips from the Mastermind

Get it!?? Mastermind, Brain cake?!? The site this picture was taken from will tickle
any scientist and chef alike. I about died with delight upon discovering it!! 

Below are several categories which have made a big difference in my life in the kitchen. For those working, over worked, or frazzled chefs out there - never fear - these are inexpensive, practical, and don't require over hauling anything other than your kitchen habits. They are quick to establish, and make kitchen management much smoother in the days to follow. Good luck on your journey.

For the avid learner - read this post all the way through to get the most out of it. For those interested in a specific area - skip to the heading.

Above all know this - Organization is key.

Menu Planning 

Each week, before going shopping, I create a weekly menu. This allows me to live within my budget, determine what food experiment I want to try that week, and gives me a shopping list. Plus, I HATE dealing with crowed grocery stores, so I'm in an out fast. 
I go isle by isle, starting with the produce section, and skip isles that don't contain items on my list. I end near the dairy/juice, then find the dog food/pet isle or some other boring isle to get to the front of the store. It's hard to impulse buy looking at dog food.

Generally eat the same thing for breakfast, scrounge or eat left overs for lunch, and party when it's dinner time - so I only really plan dinners. I plan lunch and/or breakfast if I'm ambitious. Maybe.

There are apps, websites, printable forms, etc. Find something that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out and USE IT! I made mine and laminated it at a friends place, and it works for me: here is what it looks like.

 Every day has a half size sticky note with the main dish scrawled on it. Yes, saturday has "Wild Card" under it. At one point I thought I'd try planning for a month, so I wrote in the dates - it was an epic fail. The four rows are for Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, and Dinner.
It's a bit of an eye sore - but it helps me manage my house so it stays where it is. If something is out of sigh, it's out of mind to me.

On the back of my menu plan, I have previous meals (loosely organized) that I can use in the future. On the right are sides that I occasionally stick with a main dish to remind me to incorporate something specific.

Fridge Organization 

I organize my fridge loosely by meal. When it comes time for cooking, I just grab the pile and a few things from the door. No searching, no pulling molding veggies, rotting fruits, etc that have been hiding. Every fridge is different but use these principles:

Sort by meal. 

Group frequently used things together, easily accessible.

Don't let things hide (use a lazy susan, baskets, or another organizer if needed). 

Top Row: Eggs, Lazy Susan with semi used ingredients
Drawer: Cheese, herbs
First Shelf: Chicken for Stew, left over squash soup, left over Tortellini Sausage soup.
Second Shelf (ingredients, sorted by meal): Chicken Fajitas, Bacon Blue Chicken, Hot German Potato Salad w/ Cabbage.
Drawers: Veggies for lunch, veggies for sides. 

Top: Frequently used stuff - spices, drinks.
Middle: Frequently used marinates, dressings, and other "I need to grab this quick" stuff.
Bottom: Infrequently used items, bulky items.

These are small items, that I use in about 80% of my recipes, so I keep there here and very handy. 

Freezer Organization

I buy in bulk (especially meats - way less expensive), and freeze it. I organize my freezer by food type, so if I need to see if I have enough chicken, I pull out the 'white meat' basket and see if I do or don't. No rummaging, no frozen fingers - it's just a quick glance. 

It's important food safety to freeze food in serving/frequently used size portions. As a habit, you want to avoid defrosting and refreezing food. As an example, I buy 6 lbs of ground beef, use one pound, and freeze the other five in one pound portions. When a recipe calls for 1lb of ground beef, I know just how many to thaw. 

Here are the principles:

Organize by food types (meat, produce, sweets, herbs)

Use containers (label if needed. Mine are from the dollar store). 

Keep a 'Lazy Meal' handy. Mine is usually a frozen pizza. 

Left to right, top: Sweets, White Meat Basket, Red Meat Basket.
Bottom: Ice,  Left Over Meals (Bagged Meals), Veggie Basket. 

Freezer door: Breads, Fruits, and infrequently used items. Small container for herbs (hidden to right of fruit). 

In conclusion, I hope this helps. Take it one step at a time. Buy the baskets one week, organize the freezer the next. This has make a huge difference in my budget, sanity, and enjoyment of cooking. It's allowed me to eat healthier, fewer over processes foods, and really enjoy trying some new ingredients. 

ENJOY the creativity of cooking! It's a beautiful thing! 

Reader digest version:

Plan your major meals, Shop with a list. Sort you fridge by meal, sort your freezer by food type. Label and free left overs - meals in single serving containers, ingredients in measured portions. Enjoy good for more often.