Hearty Short Ribs with Carrot-Studded Gravy

We LOVE this dish!  It's from "The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes" by Judith Finlayson which is the best book of it's kind I've found.

Hearty Short Ribs with Carrot-Studded Gravy

Serves 6-8

Preheat Broiler

4 lbs    beef short ribs

1 TBS vegetable oil

2          onions, finely chopped

4          cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS dried thyme leaves

½ cup  finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp    salt

1 tsp    cracked black peppercorns

¼ cup  all-purpose flour

½ cup  condensed beef broth (undiluted)

½ cup  tomoto-based chili sauce (Heinz 57 works great)

2 TBS cider vinegar

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

2 TBS packed brown sugar (I use dark brown)

1 tsp    dry mustard   

1 bag  (1 lb) peeled baby carrots

             

1.                  Under preheated broiler, brown ribs, turning once, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined platter to drain.

2.                  In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until just softened. Add garlic, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beef broth, chili sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and mustard and bring to a boil. Stir in carrots.

3.                  Place short ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours, until ribs are tender and falling off the bone.

Tips –

-          the trick is to get as much of the fat off the ribs as possible

-          you can put it all together the night before and just turn on the slow cooker when you choose

-          - I prefer cooking the ribs on low for longer, but either works.

You have to try this wine!

If you like red wine, check out Cline's Ancient Vine Zinfandel, 2008. It's about $15 a bottle and our favorite at the moment.

Chicken Crepes

This is a great way to use left over chicken or turkey. It's very easy to make and freezes well. Get creative and try different variations. Happy Cooking!!!

Chicken Crepes

Serves six

Crepes

1 C. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 ¼ C. milk

1 egg

1 TBS melted butter

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat with hand mixer until smooth.

Lightly butter 7- or 8-inch skillet; heat over medium heat until bubbly. For each crepe, pour scant ¼ cup of the batter into skillet; immediately  rotate skillet until thin film of batter covers bottom. Cook until light brown. Run wide spatula around edge to loosen; turn and cook other side until light brown. Stack crepes, placing waxed paper or paper towel between each.

Filling

3 TBS margarine or butter

3 TBS flour

½ tsp salt

2 C.  chicken or turkey broth

1 ½ C. finely cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

2/3 C. chopped apple

1 medium stalk celery, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 TBS chopped onion

Prepare crepes; keep covered to prevent them from drying out. Heat margarine over low heat until melted. Blend in flour and salt.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Mix chicken, apple, celery, onion and ¾ cup of the thickened broth. Place scant ¼ cup chicken mixture on center of each crepe; roll up. Place crepes seam sides down in ungreased oblong  baking dish, 13 ½ X 9 X 2 inches. Pour remaining broth over crepes. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until crepes are hot, about 20 minutes.

Tips - crepes can be made beforehand and even frozen

Cranberry Pie

My mom is a wonderful cook and has made this pie for years. It's a great mix of tart and sweet and almost requires the vanilla ice cream! I serve it no other way.  Happy Cooking and Happy Holidays!

Cranberry Pie

2 Cups fresh cranberries

½ Cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 ½ Cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 Cup flour

¾ Cup butter, melted

Better a 10-inch pie plate.

Spread in bottom: cranberries, nuts and ½ cup sugar.

Beat the eggs and 1 Cup sugar and beat well. Add flour and melted butter. Beat well and pour over cranberries. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Tip – The recipe is right, there is NO baking powder

Cinnamon Bars

These are my all-time favorite cookie! Always made at Christmas but other times as well, this is my grandmother's recipe and my mom made them when I was a kid. I baked them as recently as Sunday! Give them a try! Happy Cooking!!!

Cinnamon Bars

1 Cup Butter (softened)

1 Cup Sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

1 egg (separated)

¼ tsp salt

2 Cups flour

½ Cup nuts, chopped fine

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the cinnamon and the egg yolk. Slowly beat in the flour and the salt.

Spread into a 13x9 inch pan. (Put in spoonfulls over bottom, moisten fingers, and press down.) Brush with the egg white, beaten. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Tips:   I’ve made them with pecans or walnuts and both are great so you decide.

            Don’t overbake.

            Cool slightly before you cut them into bars.

Chocolate Nemesis

My neighbor Kim is a wonderful cook and was kind enough to share the recipe with me. I've made it several times and just love it. It is VERY rich and tastey.

Chocolate Nemesis

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or 1 lb. bittersweet choc chips)

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut up

7 large eggs, at room temperature

Softly whipped crème fraiche (or whipped cream)

Fresh raspberries for garnish

1)     Preheat oven to 325F. Grease bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Dust side of pan with flour. Set pan on wide sheet of heavy-duty foil and tightly wrap foil up outside of pan to prevent water from leaking in during baking. (I don’t have double wide aluminum foil so I join two pieces by folding over the edges a couple of times, wrap it around the pan and then do it again in the opposite direction to be sure the pan does not leak).

2)     In a 4-quart saucepan, heat water and ½ cup of sugar over medium-high heat until sugar completely dissolves, stirring occasionally. Add chocolate and butter to mixture in saucepan; stir constantly until melted. Remove pan from heat; cool chocolate mixture slightly, about 30 minutes.

3)     Meanwhile, in large bowl, with mixer at high speed (mix don’t whisk!), beat eggs with remaining ½ cup of sugar 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and triples in volume. With wire whisk, fold warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture until complete blended.

4)     Pour batter into prepared springform pan; place in large (17” by 11 ½”) roasting pan and set on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up side of springform pan.

5)     Bake cake 30 – 35 minutes or until edge begins to set and a thin crust forms on top. Carefully remove springform pan from water bath and place on wire rack. Cook cake to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6)     About 30 minutes before serving, run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cake; remove foil and side of pan. Invert cake onto waxed paper; peel off parchment. Turn cake right side up onto platter. Serve with whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Rum Balls

These are SOOO good. A great friend of mine, who's a wonderful cook, gave me the recipe. They are more fudge than cookie and the rum and orange taste is subtle. Happy Cooking!!

Chocolate Rum Balls

6 oz. choc. chips

1/2 cup orange juice

3 TBS rum

1pkg. (8-5.oz) chocolate wafer cookies...crushed

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup walnuts finely chopped

1 container 4 oz. chocolate sprinkles

Melt chips in top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and blend in orange juice and rum. Stir in cookie crumbs, sugar and nuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Roll into balls and roll in the sprinkles. Store in a cool place in airtight container. If adding cookies to a Christmas tray, put in zip lock bag to keep moist.

Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

These are just plain evil!

Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

1 ½ Cup all–purpose flour

½ Cup packed dark brown sugar

½ Cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine (I used real butter)

2 Cups (12 oz. package) Semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1. Heat oven to 350˙.

2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in medium bowl; with pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips; press mixture onto bottom of 13X9X2-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining 1 ½ cups chips and nuts. Spread over baked crust. Continue baking 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about 36 bars. (I cut them smaller)

A Great Red Wine

Our current favorite wine is 2008 Cline Ancient Vine Zinfandel. It's about $15 locally. Happy Cooking!

Pie Crust

As much as I love baking, I always shied away from pies because I could never make a decent crust.  I would even use store bought, ready-to-bake crusts because even those came out better than I could make. Fortunately, my sister-in-law Janice makes the best pie crust on the planet! After a visit where we both made an apple pie side by side, I got the hang of it.  Mine STILL don’t come out as well as hers do so the recipe is no guarantee, but if you follow it you’ll end up with a pretty darn good crust. Happy Cooking!

Pie Crust

For one, 9” pie

1 1/3 Cup sifted, all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ Cup Crisco shortening

3 TBS ice cold water

Put glass bowl, water and pastry knife in the freezer until very cold. When the water forms a skim of ice it’s perfect and the bowl and knife will be cold as well.

Mix flour and salt in cold bowl. Cut in the Crisco until dough forms pea-sized pieces. Do not overwork the dough. Toss with cold water until sticky – about 2-3 tablespoons. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.

Place two sheets of wax paper on counter. Sprinkle with flour. Flatten dough and sprinkle with flour. Cover with 2^nd sheet. Roll thin and transfer to pie shell.

Tips:

- Make sure everything is cold. That’s the secret.

- Don’t overwork the dough. It should just barely hold together in a ball.

- You can make the dough ahead of time and just roll it out when you need it.

So where did the idea for a blog come from?

I’ve had a few people ask me about the blog and how it all started. It’s been a bit of a voyage and by that I mean the story involves a flight to Denver and a bus ride in Dallas.

Back in October I was on a flight out to Denver on business. Sitting in coach, I was just happy to have the middle seat empty. It was on this flight though, that I met Kate Ord. Kate was in my row and with that empty middle seat we struck up a conversation that lasted all the way to Colorado. Kate works for the Great Harvest Bread Co. where’s she’s Director of Marketing. (There is a link to Great Harvest’s website at the bottom of my blog’s home page. Check it out as they have some great recipes there as well). Kate and I talked a lot about food, cooking and recipes during the trip. It was Kate that encouraged me to share recipes electronically. I loved the idea but at that point, I hadn’t figured out how.

That brings me to the bus trip in Dallas. Not long after getting back from Denver, I found myself at a seminar in Dallas. Coming back from dinner, I sat next to Dawn Boitnott, a fellow underwriter from Viginia.  We chatted on the bus trip back and when I mentioned wondering how best to share recipes, Dawn suggested that I start a blog.

So there you go. From Hartford to Denver to Dallas. From recipe cards to a blog. Thank you both Kate and Dawn for the inspiration!! Happy cooking!

Jim's Pecan Pie

I am a big pecan pie fan and tried at least 10 recipes. Eventually I just came up with my own recipe. Because I use a mixure of honey and molasses instead of kayro syrup, it's darker in color and not quite as sweet.

Jim’s Pecan Pie

Pastry for 9-inch One-Crust Pie

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted

½ cup Honey

½ cup Molasses

1 cup pecan halves or broken pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter, molasses and honey with hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.

Bake until set, about 40-45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or refridgerate.

Tips;

The pie will solidify somewhat as it cools so it will still be slightly jelly-like when you take it out. A knife will come out clean though when it’s done.

It freezes well so you can make it ahead of time. After baking, cool pie 2 hours. Freeze uncovered for at least 3 hours. Wrap and return to freezer no longer than one month.

It may look over-cooked but it’s the molasses that makes it dark so don’t worry about it.

Bacon and Carmelized Onion Tart

I've made this a few times and people seem to like it. You can make a lot of it ahead of time and serve it warm or room temperature.

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Tart

(Can be served in wedges or 1 inch squares)

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose four

½ tsp salt

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, chopped

2/3 cup ice water

Filling:

3 large yellow onions; julienned

2 tbs unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb bacon; julienned

1 egg yolk

½ cup heavy (light works too) whipping cream

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (using fresh makes a big difference)

Directions:

1. To prepare the dough: Place the flour, salt and butter in a medium bowl. Using a pasty cutter or fork, cut the butter into the flour until it forms pea-sized chunks. Add the water and mix with a fork until the dough just comes together (it should have visible streaks of butter). Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

2. To prepare the filling: Cook the onions with the butter in a large saute’ pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper and cool to room temperature.

3. Cook the bacon in a large saute’ pan over medium heat for 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels and cool to room temperature. Combine the bacon with the onions.

4. Preheat the over to 375°. Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and thyme in a small bowl.

5. To prepare tart: On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and then press into an 8 or 9-inch tart pan, trimming any excess. Spoon the onion-bacon mixture on top of the dough, pour in the cream mixture, and top with freshly ground pepper.

6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just firm to the touch and a light golden brown. Cool slightly and let it set before cutting and serving.

Tips:

I brown the bacon, caramelize the onions and make the dough the day before (or a couple of days for that matter). Then all I have to do is roll out the dough, make the egg/cream mixture and throw it all together.

And so it began!

I enjoy cooking and sharing recipes with friends and have been looking for a way to make them available to anyone who wants them. Please feel free to share with anyone you wish. I'd love to get feedback about any of the dishes you've made. Enjoy!