Secret Recipe Club: Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia

Tags

food, baking, bread, comfort food, baking tips, recipe, secret recipe club

It’s that time of month again — Secret Recipe Club time! These posts are always fun for me to write. I love going on other blogs, browsing around, and picking out new and fun recipes that I had never thought of making before.

This month I was assigned to My Judy the Foodie. Shari’s blog is so sweet. It’s devoted to her mother, Judy, who died of cancer. She makes a lot of her mom’s old recipes, and talks about her mom so much in her blog. I was tearing up when I read her “About Judy” page. Wherever Judy is, she’s smiling about her daughter’s blog.

I originally wanted to make one of Judy’s recipes for SRC this month, but then I saw homemade focaccia that Shari made at a cooking class.

Homemade bread and I have an interesting love affair. When I feel the sudden need to indulge in an afternoon or evening of rising bread, kneading bread, rolling out bread, and baking bread, I have no choice but to give in. Baking is a type of therapy to me, especially the slow, gentle task of homemade bread.

So this week I was thankful to find this recipe for focaccia. Thank you, Shari!

Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia (From My Judy the Foodie)
Makes 1 pan
>> Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
•  2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp of chopped, fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 pkg)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, salt, and rosemary in the large bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Measure the water in a separate bowl (I did this directly in the Pyrex cup). Whisk in the yeast and 3 tbsp of the olive oil. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture until all of the flour is moist. Then with the dough hook attachment to your mixer, mix the dough for 1 minute on medium-high speed until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside until it doubles in side, about 1 hour.
3. Spread 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil onto an 11 x 17 inch jelly roll pan. Drop the dough onto the pan and pat and press the dough to fill the pan. Poke holes in the dough with your fingers about one inch apart. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil onto the bread and sprinkle with salt.
4. Let the dough rise again until it doubles in size, about another hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
5. When the dough is done rising, bake for 25 minutes. Cut into squares and serve!

My Two Cents: The smell of rosemary, olive oil, yeast, salt, and flour baking in the oven…oh my. They should prescribe this as medicine. (Keep this in mind future children and grandchildren when I am old and sick in the hospital and all I can eat is Jello. Just have someone come to my room and bake some bread for me. I’ll be all set in the realm of happiness.)

So if you’re not familiar with bread baking, or if you’re scared of it, don’t be. It’s pretty simple. The only thing that can really go wrong is that you either kill your yeast, or your yeast doesn’t activate — leaving you with a ball of dough that didn’t double in size, and therefore bread that doesn’t rise.

So here’s what you need to do for foolproof bread:

• Make sure your yeast isn’t expired. Expired yeast = dead yeast.
• The water temperature has to be just right. It can’t be too cold (yeast won’t activate). It can’t be too hot (yeast will die). You want the water temperature to be 105-110 degrees F. If you have a kitchen thermometer, use that. If you don’t, you can easily judge by the finger test — the water should be very warm to the touch. Not scalding. Not lukewarm. The perfect medium in between.
• If you are worried about your yeast, you can do a yeast test. Pour a little yeast into the water and wait a minute or two. Little bubbles should start to appear (nothing like baking soda and vinegar, but if it sits there and doesn’t create a few bubbles, throw it out and try again).

And then, my dear friends, after a few hours, you will have a pile of beautiful, beautiful bread.

For more recipes from this month’s secret recipe club, click the link below!

Whip it up Wednesday: Homemade Mac and Cheese

Tags

casserole, comfort food, cooking, food, mac and cheese, pasta, recipe, recipes

Push those Kraft and Annie’s boxes that you have aside. This homemade mac and cheese is tastier and healthier than the box. And okay, you do have to bake it for 40 minutes (so I’m cheating a little on the under 30 minutes mark), but it’s only about 25-30 minutes hands on, then you just pop it in the oven and out comes this baked beauty.

It’s the perfect dinner to whip up after a long day at work (plus an added hour at the gym).

Homemade Mac and Cheese (Adapted from The Six O’Clock Scramble)

Prep: 30 min Bake: 40 min

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry macaroni
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tbsp bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions; drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the milk, salt, and mustard. Set aside.
4. Combine the cooked macaroni with the cheddar cheese, butter, and egg in the same pot the macaroni was cooked in. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Add the milk mixture and tomatoes to the macaroni and toss it. Place it in the casserole dish and sprinkle it with remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until it is set.

My Two Cents: Comfort food at its finest. I could easily eat 4 of those 8 servings of this mac and cheese. I really like the addition of the tomatoes. It adds a little bite and a little more health to the dish.

I used the pre-shredded packaged cheese. One bag was the perfect amount for the dish. Don’t waste your time grating unless you have a specific block of cheddar you’re in love with.

Again, even though the total time this takes to make is more than 30 minutes, hands-on is only 30. And if you’re a busy student and need to do some homework, want to do a quick workout, or need to do a few chores around the house, those 40 minutes of baking time will give you the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Serve with your favorite greens. Enjoy!

The Classic Meatloaf

Tags

comfort food, cooking, food, homey food, meat, meatloaf, recipes

The always versatile meatloaf.

I always keep a frozen pound of ground turkey or lean ground beef in the freezer. Sometimes I buy a package even if I don’t know what I’m going to make with it. I did that last week. And what can you always do with a package of ground beef, some breadcrumbs, ketchup, and stray veggies? Why, make a meatloaf that is.

Like quiche, you can do a lot of things with meatloaf. My mom for example made a variety of meatloaves when we were growing up. To name a few: spinach stuffed meatloaf, meatloaf covered in mashed potatoes, meatloaf with chopped onions, and her most recent favorite, salsa meatloaf.

With endless possibilities in mind, I conjured up a pretty dandy meatloaf. Actually, I might go so far as to say this was the best meatloaf I’ve ever made.

The Classic Meatloaf (Loosely based on the Collucci Brothers’ Meatloaf in Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium), finely chopped
• 3-4 white button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 slice of bread
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• dash of Tabasco sauce
• a few shakes of dried parsley (or freshly chopped)
• a few shakes of Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• ketchup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Saute the celery, onion, and mushrooms until tender, about 7 minutes. Let cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, ground beef, egg, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Take your piece of bread (any variety you have on hand for sandwiches will do), and crumble it with your hands directly into the bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the mixture in a glass loaf pan or mold into a loaf on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spread a nice thick layer of ketchup on the top of the meatloaf. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

5. Let sit in pan for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a side of potatoes (or sweet potatoes) and your favorite green veggies.

My Two Cents: I usually make my meatloaf with ground turkey, but that usually results in less flavor–so this meatloaf was a real treat. It was juicy and full of moisture and flavor. But it wasn’t greasy or slimy. The dry breadcrumbs and the slice of bread gave it a good body, and the celery and onion add a distinct texture to the meatloaf. This certainly does not compare to the rubbery mound of mystery meat you may have eaten in your school cafeteria.

And play around with it! I think peppers would work well in this–any vegetable you can chop up finely to add texture. Garlic would probably be extra yummy.

This recipe is also easily doubled. The recipe I based this on actually called for 2 lbs of ground beef and double the rest of the ingredients. Good for a crowd!

Enjoy

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Tags

Breakfast, comfort food, cooking, dinner, food, lunch, mushrooms, quiche, recipes, spinach, spinach quiche

Quiche is a perfect dish for many reasons.

Here, why don’t I list them. I love lists.

1. Using a base of eggs, milk, and cheese, you can really put anything else in it that you want. Tomatoes, broccoli, sausage, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, carrots, you name it.
2. It photographs well.
3. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (Well, you can do that with anything I guess, but it really works for any meal at any time of day.)
4. Everything is cooked in a pastry crust.
5. Cheese.
6. Eggs.
7. Your friends will love it. One of the only meals I ever made in college was quiche, and my friends would always want to try a piece–and then continue to eat more. You just can’t go wrong with it.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche (From Mom)

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 frozen deep dish pie crust shell, or refrigerated rolled crust
• 1 (1o oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 6-8 white button mushrooms, chopped
• 4 oz shredded Cheddar cheese
• a few shakes of dill weed
• a few shakes of garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Add the garlic powder and the dill weed to the egg mixture.

3. Put the spinach and half of the onions and mushrooms in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour half of the egg mixture over the top and mix around with a fork to incorporate everything. Pour the rest of the onions and mushrooms into the pie crust, then pour the rest of the egg mixture on top of the vegetables. Mix around again so everything is well-combined. (I do this so half of the mixture isn’t mostly egg and the other half vegetables–you want it evenly dispersed.) Add a shake or two of salt and pepper (and an extra of the dill and garlic powder).

4. Top the quiche with the Cheddar cheese. Bake for 1 hour.

My Two Cents: I’m going to compare quiche to Marry Poppins right now. It is Practically Perfect in Every Way. Like I said before, you can add whatever vegetables you want to this, or even meat.

For dinner, I think quiche goes well with a side of baked beans and a hot dog–that’s the way my mom always served it. It’s also a nice compliment to fish such as tilapia, haddock, or salmon.

How do you like your quiche?

Guest Post: Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child

Tags

beef, beef stew, boeuf bourguignon, comfort food, cooking, food, guest post, homey food, Julia Child, recipes

Today I’m featuring my first guest post on the site by my friend Elissa on one of Julia Child’s famous dishes, Boeuf Bourguignon.

So without further ado, here’s Elissa!

Beef stew has never been a favorite dish of mine.  I like it just fine, and if someone plops a big ol’ bowl of it in front of me I will certainly gobble it all up, but it’s not something I get really excited about eating.  If I’m going to eat beef, a really good hamburger or steak is the way to go for me.  So naturally, when I went home last weekend and my mom announced that she would be making boeuf bourguignon for dinner (something I still cannot spell without looking it up every single time I type it, by the way), I thought, “So basically we’re having beef stew…no big deal.”  I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I arrived home around 4:00 pm and my mom had already begun cooking for what was supposed to be a late dinner, I knew this was no ordinary beef stew.  This was something special.  I glanced at the recipe she had printed out on the counter.  There were 44 steps.  44 STEPS.  I couldn’t believe it.  This must be really special.  And oh boy was I right.

This was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.  This was better than a big juicy steak.  This was better than the best hamburger I have ever had.  This was magic.  I finished my bowl and, feeling incredibly full, immediately got up for seconds.  That’s how delicious this was.

I will never attempt to make this meal in my teeny tiny kitchen on my teeny tiny stove, but I will make this on my own someday and it will be glorious.  For those of you who have larger kitchens and a decent amount of counter space, you absolutely must make this.  Whether you decide to make it on the weekend when you have lots of extra time or save it for a special event, I can assure you that whoever eats this dish will be praising you all night for a fantastic and truly memorable meal (just ask my mom!).

Boeuf Bourguignon (This was adapted from Julia Child’s original recipe.)

Prep time: 1 hour    Total Time: 5 hours    Servings: 6-8 (depending on the size of your portions)

Ingredients:

For the stew:

• 6 ounces bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux or Burgundy or Chianti.  Use a wine that you would drink–not cooking wine)
• 2 -3 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed (you may choose to add more)
• 1 sprig thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh

For the braised baby carrots:

• The “better part” of a small package of baby carrots (sorry I can’t be more exact–my mom said she doesn’t know exactly how many she used!)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley

For the sautéed mushrooms:

• 1 lb mushroom, quartered
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut the bacon into pieces about ¼ ” thick and 1 ½” long.
2. Simmer the bacon in 1 ½  quarts of water.
3. Drain and dry the bacon and reserve.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
5. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof pot and warm over moderate heat.
6. Sauté the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
7. Dry off the pieces of beef and sauté them, a few at a time, in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
8. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
9. In the same oil/fat, sauté the onion and the sliced carrot until softened.
10. Pour off the fat and return the bacon and the beef to the pot with the sliced carrots and onion.
11. Toss the contents of the pot with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
12. Set the uncovered pot in the oven for 4 minutes.
13. Toss the contents of the pot again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
14. Lower the heat to 325°F and remove the pot from the oven.
15. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
16. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.
17. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
18. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
19. While the meat is cooking, prepare the mushrooms and set them aside along with the baby carrots until needed.
20. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the baby carrots to the skillet.
21. Sauté over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the baby carrots about so they brown as evenly as possible.
22. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
23. Simmer over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes until the carrots are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
24. Remove the herbs and set the baby carrots aside.
25. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
26. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
27. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
28. To Finish The Stew: When the meat is tender, remover the pot from the oven and empty its contents into a sieve set over a saucepan. (A sieve looks like this.  If you don’t have one, I think you would be fine using a regular colander).
29. Wash out the pot and return the beef and bacon to it.  Discard the bits of sliced carrot, onion, and herbs which remain in the sieve, but don’t worry about getting every little piece!
30. Distribute the mushrooms and baby carrots over the meat.
31. Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
32. You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
33. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
34. Place the covered pot over medium-low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
35. Serve over hot egg noodles along with a hunk of good bread to soak up all the sauce and ENJOY!

Do not be intimidated by the number of steps in this recipe (but at least I cut it down a tiny bit!)– it’s just a bit wordy.  It seems like a complicated recipe, but it’s actually quite easy especially if you have a helper (which I highly recommend!).

Last night I had my last bit of leftovers for dinner.  I didn’t have any egg noodles around so I used macaroni instead (as you can see in the picture).  It was every bit as yummy (if not yummier!) than it was the day it was made.  As I reluctantly took my last succulent bite into the incredibly tender and delicious beef, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I found a way to get my hands (and mouth!) on some tasty boeuf bourguignon again

Shepherd’s Pie

Tags

casseroles, comfort food, cooking, food, ground turkey, homey food, meat, recipes, shepherd's pie

This recipe is an old family favorite! It’s also my go-to comfort meal.

How can you go wrong with mashed potatoes, sweet corn, onions and ground meat? That’s right. I didn’t think you could

This meal is also quick, cheap, and easy to make–but it makes a lot, so either be prepared to eat a ton of leftovers (which I don’t mind), or make it for a crowd.

Shepherd’s Pie (From my mom)

Ingredients:

• 2.5-3 lb potatoes (Idaho or Yukon gold)
• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 (15 oz) can creamed style corn
• 8 oz frozen peas (optional)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• butter, cream cheese, milk for mashed potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• cheddar or Gouda cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and place in  a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water and boil for 10-15 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. Meanwhile, brown the beef and the onion in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the meat, then drain off the fat.

3. Mash the potatoes and dress to your liking. I use a few tablespoons of milk, butter, and cream cheese or sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, spread a thin layer of potatoes at the bottom. Spread the ground meat on top of the potatoes, then top with corn and peas (if using). Finish by spreading the rest of the mashed potatoes on the top. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.

5. Bake uncoverd for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle with cheddar or Gouda cheese.

My Two Cents: YUM! You can vary up this recipe all you want. Traditionally it’s only made with the potatoes, onion, corn, and beef. But I always use ground turkey because it’s a lot lower in fat. I also added peas, because I love them. Feel free to add a different vegetable like carrots or green beans–I’m sure those would taste great, too. Another variation is to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. That’s also a healthier option–I’ve made it, too! Check out my Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Enjoy!