Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
I am a pot roast virgin. Ive never made it before and it isnt something my mother made often but I have eaten it and Ive wanted to make it for a long time. I decided that this fall Im going to try to use my slow cooker more often. Its so nice to come home from work to a kitchen that smells like Ive been there cooking all day without having to do any watching or stirring. So this morning I prepared my crock pot for some pot roast. In hindsight, I can laugh at what I must have looked like rushing to get dinner started and get dressed and ready for work at the same time. It resulted in a cut finger and the smoke alarm blaring which means Ill need to do some preparing the night before the next time I make this. I may have rushed around but when I came home I was nice and relaxed and ready to enjoy my dinner. I have only one complaint and its not with the recipe but just something that comes with using a slow cooker....I could not make the gravy in the crock. I took all the meat out and the potatoes, added my thickeners (tried three different methods) and it just did not thicken up to a gravy like consistency. I took out the juice and added it to a small pot and put the heat up, within minutes I had a delicious thick gravy (Dad, you would approve!) I assume that the crock pot does not get hot enough for the liquid to boil and thats why it didnt thicken. If anyone has any tips for this I would love to hear them!
I found the recipe just by searching for healthy slow cooker pot roast recipes. This recipe was found at about.com I searched for healthy recipes because most of the ones I found contained canned gravy or condensed soup. Although Im sure those would taste equally delicious its just not what I was going for.
Give this recipe a try, its definitely a keeper in our house!
Crock Pot Pot Roast Dinner
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1-1/2 lb. boneless beef top round, cut into 6 pieces
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
16 oz. pkg. baby carrots
14 oz. can ready to serve beef broth
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Preparation:
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in small bowl and coat beef with this mixture. Cook beef pieces in olive oil in a nonstick skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side to brown. Set aside.
Combine potatoes, carrots and onion in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Place meat on vegetables. Pour beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over meat. Cover crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours until beef is tender.
Remove meat and vegetables from crock pot and place on serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm and place in slow oven.
Combine rest of broth and the cornstarch in a small bowl and mix well with wire whisk. Add to liquid in crock pot, turn to high and cook for 10-15 minutes until gravy is thickened.
Serve with beef and vegetables. 6 servings
Patatas Bravas – Fierce Up Your Fries
As advertised, these are fiercely textured, fiercely flavored, fiercely presented, and fiercely enjoyed. How fierce is really up to you and your inner Spaniard. There are as many patatas bravas recipes as homes in Spain, and this is nothing more than my latest rendition.
As long as you boil them first, fry crisp, and season earnestly, the rest is open to wild experimentation. I’ve used all sort of blanching liquids, spice blends, and sauces, and never been disappointed.
As long as you boil them first, fry crisp, and season earnestly, the rest is open to wild experimentation. I’ve used all sort of blanching liquids, spice blends, and sauces, and never been disappointed.
My control around food is generally decent, but I am no match for a plate of these. Once you start with the toothpick, you’ll be impaling and eating potatoes until they’re gone. If you are making these for a group, just do in batches and keep warm in the oven until you have enough. Just don’t salt until the last second, or they can get soggy. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions:
2 pounds russet potatoes
For the boiling liquid:
2 quarts cold water
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
For the sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
garlic to taste
pinch of salt
pinch of salt
1 tsp tomato paste
1-2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
cayenne to taste
For the spice blend (makes lots extra):
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle powder
chopped parsley
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Hickory Grilled Salmon
A couple of weeks ago while channel surfing through my favorite Saturday morning cooking shows, a favorite way to start the weekend, I came across this recipe being prepared by Chris Kimball and company on one of my very favorite shows, Cooks Country. As I am always looking for new ways to prepare salmon, which is one of my favorite fish, and already being a fan of the Cedar Plank Salmon , I could hardly wait to test this simple technique on my next lovely salmon fillet.
This is such a great way to prepare salmon because it is cooked outdoors on the grill, in a disposable foil pan and on wood chips which most who BBQ regularly have around anyway. East preparation, simple clean-up and no special equipment! The sugar, salt and pepper seasoning lends a hint of sweetness to the fish and the salt and pepper are a great compliment to the rich smokey flavor. The thinly sliced lemon was my own addition to this recipe as I love the way the slightly caramelized lemon juice cuts the fattiness and richness of the salmon without being too tart. When all is said and done, by far, one of the best ways to prepare salmon I have tried so far. Thank goodness Cooks Country and Americas Test Kitchen did all of the recipe testing for us and we benefit from a perfect technique/recipe.
From the episode: Surefire Seafood
Serves 4.
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 skin-on salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 1/4 inches thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups wood chips , soaked for 15 minutes
1. Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Brush flesh side of salmon with oil and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Following photos 1 and 2, use heavy-duty aluminum foil to make four 7- by 5-inch trays. Using tip of knife, perforate bottom of each tray. Divide wood chips among trays and place salmon skin-side down on top of wood chips.
2. Place trays with salmon over hot fire and grill, covered, until center of each fillet is still just translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove trays from grill. Slide metal spatula between skin and flesh of fish and transfer to platter. Serve.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
SANDRA’S GLAZED MAPLE RAISIN OATMEAL COOKIE BITES
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Heavenly maple cookie bites that pair nicely with an ice cold glass of milk... |
Yields: (38 Bites)
Prep: 15 Minutes
Bake: 10 to 12 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
Cookie bites:
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup raisins
¼ cup quality maple syrup
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoon quality maple syrup
1 tablespoon water
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar using a hand mixer until smooth, then beat in egg and vanilla. Using a spoon, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in oats, raisins, and maple syrup until fully incorporated.
Drop dough in rounded teaspoonfuls 1” apart onto prepared cookie sheets (I use a miniature scoop and drag it up the side of the bowl to ensure uniform bites).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and centers are set. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, sift, and then whisk 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with maple syrup and water until a smooth glaze has formed, (adding more or less maple syrup/water for proper consistency). Spoon glaze into the bottom corner of a ziploc bag, and snip the tip. Glaze the cooled cookies using a back and forth motion. Let glaze set. ~ Enjoy!
So Not French Vanilla Ice Cream Made Easy
In a day or two, youll see an interview I filmed with Bruce Weinstein, author of the Ultimate Ice Cream Book. It was set up through foodbuzz, a rapidly growing online foodie community that I serve as a featured publisher for. I will save the details for that upcoming post, but after talking (and eating) ice cream with "Mr. Ice Cream," as I call him, I was inspired to make a batch myself.I decided to do vanilla, as it really is the king of ice cream flavors (sorry chocolate). No other flavor makes milk taste milkier, or cream taste creamier. When I do vanilla ice cream, I prefer the old fashion "American," or "Philadelphia-style" which doesnt contain any eggs, as the more popular French vanilla does.
While this style of ice cream is certainly not as rich, in my opinion that sacrifice is rewarded with a brighter, more pronounced vanilla flavor. I also use a combination of milk and cream, which is obviously much lighter than the traditional all cream versions. You should experiment with different proportions of dairy, and find your "perfect scoop."The Cuisinart ice cream maker pictured here is the one I use, and highly recommend. Its relatively inexpensive, and will provide many years of homemade ice cream and sorbets. The great thing about this model is that the "bucket" is kept in the freezer, and is ready any time you are. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
View the complete recipe
Nauratan biryani
Nauratan biryani
Ingredients
- Rice ½ kg boiled with 2 tbsp salt
- Spinach 250 gm finely chopped
- Potatoes 3 cut into cubes
- Onion 2 sliced
- Peas 1 cup
- Carrots 2 cut in cubes
- Eggplant 1 cut in cubes
- Beans 12 cut in 1 inch pieces
- Tomato 4 chopped
- Fenugreek leaves 4 bunches small
- Dill ½ bunch chopped
- Oil ½ cup
- Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp heaped
- Chili powder 3 tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Turmeric ½ tsp
- Cumin 1tsp heaped
- Coriander powder 2 tsp heaped
- Kewra 1 tsp
- Yellow color pinch
- Milk ½ cup
Method
- Heat oil and fry sliced onions till they turn light golden.Add in chopped fenugreek leaves, with ginger garlic paste, chili powder, salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chopped tomatoes.
- Fry well adding little water .Add chopped spinach with all chopped vegetables, cover and cook till all vegetables tender.
- Give a layer of rice followed by a layer of vegetable mixture, sprinkle milk and kewra mixture, top with 2 tbsp ghee.
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. The delicious nauratan biryani is ready to serve.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Gingerbread Cupcake Sparklers!
When I first spied this recipe in The Great British Bake Off How to Bake book, I knew right away that I had to make them. I just love gingerbread and these little cakes do not disappoint, they are moist and rich with all the dark spicy flavours you expect from great gingerbread. Its also an incredibly easy recipe.
The other reason I chose this recipe was because ginger and bonfire treats is the theme for the Teatime Treats challenge run by Karen, who is hosting for November at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked . Which might just explain why I called these Sparklers!!!
Gingerbread Cupcake Sparklers
Makes 12 (I froze the other six un-iced)
175g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ginger
pinch of salt
100g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp treacle
100ml milk
100g muscovado sugar
1 egg beaten
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Sift flour, bicarb, spices and salt into a bowl.
2. Melt the butter with the syrup and treacle in a pan, when melted remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Warm the milk and sugar in another pan, stirring until the sugar has disolved. Remove from heat until the milk is lukewarm.
4. Pour the milk mixure onto the flour mixture, followed by the butter mixture and the beaten egg.
5. Mix well to make a thick, sticky batter.
6. Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and lift the gingerbread cupcakes onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
Butter Icing
Will ice 12 large cupcakes (I halved the quantities for 6 cupcakes)
125g unsalted butter, softened
400g icing sugar
3-4 tablespoons of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Edible gold glitter (optional)
1. Put the butter into a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
2. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
3. Add the milk and vanilla extract.
4. Beat until smooth and thick.
5. Fill a piping back with a star nozzle and ice the cupcakes.
6. Sprinkle a little gold glitter over the cupcake before the icing sets.
As this was a recipe I had marked out to make, I am also entering this for Bookmarked Recipes run by Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes from an idea by Ruth at Ruths Kitchen Experiments.
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