Asian Pot Roast

Pot roast. Everyone knows how to make it or know someone who does.  It's kind of a staple "meat and potatoes" dish for most families. You know me well now by reading these posts, well enough to know I won't make your standard pot roast and I'll make it nice and easy.

That's right - make sure your crock pot is clean and you are prepared to smell your dinner for a few hours as it slow cooks.  Why fire up that oven when the weather is nicer? You'll thank me for these crock pot recipes when its 90 degrees this summer and the thought of a hot oven in a hot house just makes you crazy.

Asian Pot Roast

Ingredients:
10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced           1/2 c. chicken broth              1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger                6 cloves garlic, halved          2 lb. eye of round roast
2 tbsp. canola oil                                  2 tbsp. cornstarch                 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
scallions, thinly sliced, optional

Directions:

1. Combine mushrooms, broth, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in crock pot.
2. Pat roast dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Warm oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
4. Brown beef on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
5. Transfer to crock pot and turn to coat with soy sauce mixture.
6. Cover and cook on low until tender 6 to 8 hours.
7. Transfer roast to cutting board and tent with foil.
8. Let rest for 15 minutes. 
9. Whisk cornstarch and 1/2 c. of the liquid from the crock pot together.
10. Add the liquid back to the crock pot, whisking until sauce thickens (1-2 min).
11. Whisk in vinegar. 
12. If sauce is too thick, you can whisk in 1 or 2 additional tbsp. of chicken broth.
13. Slice your meat and serve with the sauce.
14. Top with scallions if you like.

So, there you have it. Since it's an Asian recipe, my first thought was pairing it with rice, but you don't have to.  You could do it as a stand alone or with your favorite veggie. Any time I have something with a sauce or a gravy, I do rolls because I love sopping up the liquid with a hot fresh roll.  Or you could even just pair it with a salad. 

As always, have fun!

Life...

So I just looked and realized I haven't blogged since Tuesday. I don't really have a good reason obviously since it took me until today to realize it.  I don't have an inspired idea for a blog post except that Sunday morning breakfast could be a great family tradition to start. In that vein, you might not want to get up and cook a full breakfast first thing, so here's a grand idea. Prep it before you go to bed and throw it in the oven when you get up.  In the time while it's baking, you can get the rest of your morning routine out of the way.

French Toast Strata

Ingredients:
4 c. day old French/Italian bread, cubed        1/3 c. raisins        3 oz. cream cheese, cubed
3 eggs                1 1/2 c. milk              1/2 c. maple syrup                 1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sugar      1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a 11x7 pan, add an even layer of bread.
2. Sprinkle raisins and cream cheese.
3. Beat eggs in a bowl.
4. Add milk, 1/2 c. syrup and vanilla.
5. Mix well and pour over bread.
6. Refrigerate overnight (min. 4 hrs.)
7. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over bread.
8. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
9. Enjoy!

So, even though i took a few days off for "life", I'm back to remind you to have fun while you cook!

Grilling Time

With that headline, I'm sure you are expecting BBQ chicken or ribs or burgers or something equally yummy on the grill. I'm starting small with mushrooms. 

Why mushrooms you ask? They are yet something else I learned to like when I got older. I have had a lot of people poke fun at me for my weird food issues, but mushrooms remind me of a time where I had some fun of my own. The jerk that I'm thinking of this time used to just push my buttons for the sheer thrill of it. So, one night, we were playing the "What vegetables does Alyson eat?" game and yours truly belted out a convincing argument that mushrooms in fact a vegetable even though we all know they are a fungi. Boy did that irritate him! Anyone who knows me would have figured out pretty quick I was just sticking to this lame argument because I was getting a reaction. I just can't help myself - I have a sick sense of humor!

Ok, so back to my yummy mushrooms .....

Grilled Wild Mushrooms with a Teriyaki Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fresh shitake mushrooms                    1/2 lb. fresh wild mushrooms        
10-12 scallions, cut into 1 1/2 in. lengths       bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 1 hr.

Dressing:
1/2 c. soy sauce                  1/3 c. rice wine          3 tbsp. water           2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil   1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Directions:

1. Trim the stems of the mushrooms, rinse lightly and drain thoroughly.
2. If the caps are particularly large, cut them in half.
3. Thread 2 mushrooms and 3 scallion sections alternately on each skewer, starting and ending with scallions.
4. Arrange skewers on a cookie sheet.
5. Combine the dressing ingredients in a saucepan.
6. Heat until boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Use 1/3 to liberally brush the mushrooms and scallions with the sauce.
8. Pour the remaining 2/3 in a serving bowl.
9. Once your grill is fired up, make sure the grate is about 3-4 inches from the heat.
10. Arrange the skewers and cook, turning frequently, about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp at the edges.
11. Arrange on a serving platter and serve the dressing warm for dipping.

Now that the weather is nice, I'll be posting more grill recipes and fresh fruit desserts. There's nothing better. As always, have fun!

Making Candy in the Microwave?

I always get people giving me funny looks when I say I make homemade candy. It's too much work! You have to have a stupid candy thermometer and a whole lot of patience! This past Christmas I did crockpot candy and tonight I share microwave candy, proving that you really can make homemade stuff without driving yourself crazy.

Cinnamon Peanut Brittle

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar            1/2 c. light corn syrup          2 c. salted peanuts        1 tsp. butter (no subs!)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon    1 tsp. baking soda          1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. In a 2 qt. microwave safe bowl, combine sugar and corn syrup.
2. Heat, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes and stir.
3. Heat 3 minutes longer.
4. Stir in peanuts, butter and cinnamon.
5. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 30-60 seconds or until mixture turns a light amber color.
6. Quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla until light and foamy.
7. Immediately pour onto a greased baking sheet and spread with a metal spatula.
8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
9. Break into small pieces and store in an airtight container.

This is a sweet and crunchy candy, good for gift giving.  It's got a nice glossy appearance and is packed with peanuts but uniquely flavored from most peanut brittle because of the cinnamon.

As always, have fun!

Coffee in your Morning Routine

When I say coffee, I'm not talking Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. I'm not even talking a hot or cold beverage. Coffee is a great baking tool!  I love mocha flavored stuff and I love espresso and cappuccino, so adding them to some muffins gives you a great flavor change, which coincidentally would go great with a hot or cold cup of coffee!

Cappuccino Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:  2 c. flour          3/4 c. sugar      2 1/2 tsp. baking powder           1 tsp. cinnamon
              1/2 tsp. salt      1 c. milk            2 tbsp. instant coffee granules  1/2 c. butter, melted
              1 egg. beaten   1 tsp. vanilla    3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Spread:  4 oz. cream cheese, cubed        1 tbsp. sugar       1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules
              1/2 tsp. vanilla                             1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the spread ingredients.
2. Cover and process until well blended.
3. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
4. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
5. In another bowl, stir milk and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved.
6. Add butter, egg and vanilla and mix well.
7. Stir into dry ingredients just until moist.
8. Fold in chocolate chips. 
9. Fill greased on paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
10. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes.
11. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
12. Serve with spread.

I had something similar to this when I worked in Boston at the coffee shop across the street from the State House.  It was one of my favorite things! I highly recommend these, especially if you are a coffee lover.

As always, have fun!

Did You Know I Eat Broccoli

Well, some broccoli anyway. Like this recipe and one other. But that's a start right? In this case, I'd say the cheese probably helps a lot!

Hot Broccoli Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter               2 onions, chopped                2 4 oz. cans of sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. flour  5-6 oz. garlic cheese, cubed 2 cans of cream of celery soup
2 10 oz. pkgs. of broccoli spears, chopped            french bread cubes and bell pepper strips

Directions:

1. Melt butter in skillet.
2. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until translucent.
3. Stir in flour and cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Place mixture in crock pot.
5. Stir in soup, cheese and broccoli.
6. Cover and cook on high until cheese is melted, stirring frequently.
7. Turn to low and cook for 2-4 hours or until ready to serve.
8. Serve with french bread cubes and bell pepper strips.

As always, have fun!

Veggie Soup I Like

With my fear of all cooked vegetables growing up I didn't eat a lot of vegetable soups. In fact, most I wouldn't even try. I'm enjoy fresh produce in my soups now though - and the more unusual ingredients seem to win me over more! Usually, they are pretty quick to make too which is an added bonus.

Zucchini & Tomatillo Soup

Ingredients:

For the zucchini:    2 c. chopped zucchini       1 c. vegetable stock      2 garlic cloves, minced

                              4 sprigs fresh thyme

For the tomatillos:  1/2 lb tomatillos, husked and cleaned         1/2 small red onion, cut in half

                               2 tbsp. olive oil                                            salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. In a medium pot, combine the zucchini, stock, garlic, thyme.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. R
4. Remove thyme and discard.
5. Place the tomatillos and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Toss with your hands to coat all sides.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Roast until golden but not charred, 20-24 minutes.
9. Put the tomatillos and onion along with any remaining oil in a blender.
10. Add a spoonful from the cooked zucchini mixture and blend until smooth.
11. Keep doing this until everything is blended.
12. Pour everything back into the pot and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
13. Can be served warm or chilled.
14. Garnish with cilantro if you want.

I've only tried it warm. I haven't been too adventurous with cold soup but it seems like it would be a perfect summer dish. Fresh from the garden produce into a cool soup to stay cool in the hot summer sun. Win win!

As always, have fun!