How To Feed A Hungry Sailor

Jozi Gyros

2011-12-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

I've just concocted this and am already looking forward to making it again! I think it's my new crave...

(Topper)

2 Tbsp biryani paste, canned

4 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
2 small tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1 small onion, diced

Whisk together the biryani paste, mayonnaise, cilantro, lemon juice and olive oil until well combined. Mix in tomatoes cucumber and onion and set aside.

(Meat)

1 lb ground lamb
3 Tbsp breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp each ground cumin, ground ginger and turmeric
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp each salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

In a medium bowl mix together bread crumbs, finely chopped onion, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, salt, pepper, coriander and cayenne. Add ground lamb and mix until well combined. Make into patties and cook in a skillet until well done. Take the patties and cut into small chunks.

Place the meat on Pita bread, top with the topper and enjoy!

Olive Garden Salad

2011-11-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

This one is to go with my earlier post, the Zuppa Toscana. It's not exactly the same as the stuff from OG, but it's pretty close and delicious at that!

Dressing:

½ c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. white vinegar

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 Tb. simple syrup

2 Tb. Parmesan cheese

2 Tb. Romano cheese

¼ tsp garlic salt – or one clove garlic, minced

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp parsley flakes

1 Tb. lemon juice

Mix all dressing ingredients until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal tastes, add a little extra sugar.

Salad:

1 large head romaine lettuce

sliced red onion

black olives

2-4 pepperoncinis

2 small tomatoes, quartered

½ c. croutons

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Put lettuce in bowl. Place on top the red onions, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Toss in the Olive Garden Dressing and add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like.

Creamy Dijon Chicken Over Rice

2011-11-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

1 cup rice, cooked
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 oz white wine

2 cups whipping cream

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter

2 cloves minced garlic

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium low heat. Add chicken breasts, 4 cloves minced garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to fry the chicken until completely cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and hold in a warm oven.

Add to pan the white wine. Simmer until volume is reduced by half. Then add whipping cream, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon.
Meanwhile, heat butter and garlic in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add slivered almond and cook until lightly brown. When done, remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towel. In same pan, add the mushroom and cook until lightly brown.

Return Chicken to the sauce, add the mushrooms and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over cooked rice. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.

Serves 4

Homemade Herbed Fettuccini

2010-05-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

French Onion Soup

2010-01-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

1/2 c. butter
5 lbs. onions, thinly sliced (Do not use red onions!)
7 tsp. better than bouillon beef base, or 7 cans beef broth
3 tsp. better than bouillon chicken base or 3 cans chicken broth
Worcestershire sauce to taste
2 c. dry white wine
French bread slices, toasted
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
White cheese slices (mozzarella, swiss, or gruyere)

Make stock by bringing 10 cups water to boil. Add beef and chicken bouillon pastes (or heat canned beef and chicken broth). Lower heat to simmer and let simmer while preparing onions.
Melt butter slowly (so it does not brown) in large soup pot over low heat. Add thinly sliced onions. Stir, cover, and cook on low heat until lightly brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 mins.
Add wine, bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Cook about 5 mins. stirring occasionally.
Add about 5 good shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Add stock to onions. Bring to boil, turn heat down to simmer and simmer uncovered about 1 1/2 hrs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bread Slices- Brush olive oil on slices. Sprinkle with parmesan and place in oven on cookie sheet at 375degrees until lightly brown.
Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls. Float bread on top of soup. Top with 2 or 3 cheese slices. Place in oven or microwave until cheese melts.

Easy Lemon Mousse

2010-01-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

Great recipe to make in a hurry and quite delicious! I love it with canned raspberries but it's good with any berry. Warming up frozen berries with a little sugar is excellent as well.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
3 cups heavy whipping cream
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Lemon slices, fresh berries and mint leaves, optional
Beat cream cheese and ½ cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
Beat whipping cream, remaining ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and extracts in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add half of the whipped cream mixture to cream cheese mixture, stir until well blended. Gently stir in remaining whipped cream mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, spoon or pipe into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh berries and mint leaves if desired.

Chicken And Lime Soup

2010-01-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Tortilla Strips
2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts halves
12 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mixed sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. cooking oil
Oil for frying
2 chopped tomatoes (large) or 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, untrained
½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
6 Tbs. lime juice
Fresh jalapeno peppers, rinsed, seeded, and chopped

Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels. In a large pot, bring broth to boiling. Add the chicken, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until chicken if tender and no longer pink. Remove chicken from broth, let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred chicken, set aside. Strain the broth. Set broth aside.
In the same pot, cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in strained broth, tomatoes, and oregano. Bring to boiling. Stir in lime peel and lime juice. Reduce heat. Simmer covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in chicken and jalapenos, heat through.
Meanwhile, pour the oil for frying into a large heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of 2 inches. Place over medium heat and heat to 365 degrees F. Add the tortilla strips and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
Garnish soup with tortilla strips and serve immediately.

Sauce-less Italian Spaghetti

2009-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

When I found this recipe I was so excited. I've searching forever for a new idea of how to make spaghetti. It may have been the numerous times growing up eating the same ole spaghetti night after night, or something about the tomato sauce, but for some reason I'm just sick of spaghetti! That lonely box of spaghetti noodles in my pantry used to long for the day I'd give it a second chance when I'd go for the bow tie or tortellini instead. So here it is, I made a few changes to my liking and love it. It's easy, healthy and quite derishous!

1 pound spaghetti
1 bottle red wine (750 ml - preferably Zinfandel)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Fill a large pot with water, adding a little oil and salt and bring to a boil. Cook spaghetti, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta in colander and return empty pot to stovetop. Add wine and sugar to pot and boil vigorously 2 minutes until liquid is reduced a bit. Add spaghetti and shake pot to prevent pasta from sticking. Gently stir with tongs until coated and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes (pasta will be al dente). Immediately after adding spaghetti to wine mixture, cook onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, shaking skillet occasionally, until garlic is pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water.
Pour the onion mixture onto the spaghetti and carefully toss with tongs to combine. Cook while stirring, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil if needed. Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Jo's Pulled Pork Sammich

2009-11-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

3-7 lb. Boston butt
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 c. liquid smoke
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
3 Tb. butter
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

Sprinkle a little of the liquid smoke, salt, pepper, and garlic powder onto the meat. Melt butter in skillet and sear pork on all sides and then place in 5qt slow cooker. With remaining butter, saute onions on medium until tender and pour on top of pork. Add remaining liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar and add water until completely covered. Slow cook on low for 8 hours. When done, remove pork and onions from liquid and let cool. Set onions aside. When pork is cooled off enough to touch, remove bone is there is one, and any fat. Then cut into big chunks and pull into pieces. Add onions and favorite BBQ sauce, mine is Bull's-Eye Original, slab onto a bun and enjoy!

Beef Roast

2009-11-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

This is one even the cat loves! Can't go wrong

1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup cooking olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
3 or 4 cups beef broth
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup Chardonnay

Sprinkle roast on all sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add the Chardonnay and beef broth and if needed cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
*The leftover broth makes amazing gravy, just add a little flour and a little extra pepper and enjoy!

Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream

2009-11-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

Warning! These are very rich! I made these for my birthday, and they are oh so ooey gooey goodness! I like them cold so I keep them in the fridge until eating!

1/4 cup organic shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed; add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until all the yellow disappears. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
Fill standard paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet to cool.
While cupcakes are still warm, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the coconut milk. Using a meat injector needle, inject each cupcake in several different spots with about 1/2 to 3/4-ounce of the mixture. Or, poke several holes in the top of each of the cupcakes with a 1/4-inch wooden skewer. Pour the milk mixture over each cupcake while they are still warm, filling each hole. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before icing.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. To make the dulce de leche, pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil. Place in a larger roasting pan where pie plate can sit flat. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of about halfway up the pie plate. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.
Place egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water first, then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool completely.
Beat the butter on high speed in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture. Beat in the 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.
Frost each cupcake with a generous amount of dulce de leche buttercream. Refrigerate any remaining buttercream for another use.

Olive Garden's Zuppe Tuscana

2009-11-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my friend who got it off the Olive Garden website. The recipe is not on there anymore so here you go. It's become a new normal thing for me to make. Hope you enjoy!

1lb Sweet Italian Sausage
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 large chopped onion
1/2 can Bacon Bits
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped Kale
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy cream

Bake sausage @ 300 degrees F for 30 mins. When done, put the sausage on paper towels to soak up the extra grease. Cut into slices. If you want to make sure and get all of the grease out, cut the sausage in slices and then put the slices in layers of paper towels and press. Put onions, potatoes, garlic, water and broth in a large pot. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 mins. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve!
*This recipe will turn out less spicy than what you get at Olive Garden. If you want it more spicy, just use the mild or hot Italian sausage instead. Ground Italian sausage will work as well, just form into small meatballs and cook as said.

Chicken and Wild Rice

2009-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is my new lazy day food. I wasn't feeling too good and didn't feel like being in the kitchen very much and didn't have a lot to work with with today being the day before we get paid. We tend to not have a whole lot food in the house the night before grocery shopping. So I adapted this recipe to what I got and it turned out delish!

1 pkg. (6 oz.) long grain and wild rice mix
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 oz. each)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp. butter
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 c. water
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbsp. papa johns seasoning

Place rice in a crock pot, set aside seasoning packet. In a large skillet, brown chicken in butter and oil. Add to crock pot. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender and place over chicken.
In a small bowl, combine the soup, water, bacon, papa johns, and seasoning packet. Pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken juices run clear.

Yummy Meatballs

2009-11-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

I made these when I was teaching my little sister and friend how to cook and couldn't get enough of these even though we more than doubled the recipe. You can substitute ground turkey or any other favorite ground meat. It's easy, quick and quite delish!

2 slices fresh bread
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. clarified butter, divided
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. beef broth
1/4 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a bowl, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground beef, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Mix well. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Or spread out on sheet and cut into even squares. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.
Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.
Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.
*I sprinkle a little extra nutmeg and allspice to the gravy but that is optional.

Duty Day Squash

2009-11-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know, duty days are one of my worst enemies, right along with workups, cruises and deployments. It's where every eight days Bill goes to work like usual, but then has to stay the night on the ship and come home after work the next day. Dog duty is when a duty day lands on Saturday so he has to stay til Monday after work. No fun. While he's on these evil days I like to make foods that I don't usually get to make cuz the man doesn't care for them, today being squash. I love squash! I get the little acorn squash, chop them in half, de-seed them, sprinkle a little cinnamon and nutmeg, put a couple Tbsp. of brown sugar and butter in the middle, place in covered baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for about an hour or until very tender. Then I kinda mash it all up and eat it out of the bowl like squash skin. Delish!

Perfect Raspberry Cheesecake

2009-11-10T16:24:00.001-08:00

This cheesecake, when done properly will give The Cheesecake Factory a run for their money. It's very time consuming and very precise, but you'll have everyone amazed when you're done. If you don't like raspberries you can change it out for your favorite berry. I love blackberry!

~For the crust~
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
~For the filling~
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
~For the topping~
1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry
3 half-pints fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.
To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.
To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*Measure your springform pan. The bottom of mine measures 9 inches, but it says 9 1/2. I put the springform pan on a sheet pan before putting it in the oven to catch any leaks.

Un-Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

2009-11-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

I've had several people ask me for this one and I have to admit I got the idea from Starbucks. I figured I could just make it myself cuz I have a huge jug of caramel sauce that's just sitting there. So here's what I did, it's super simple.

First I had to make the Spiced Cider. To do that pour 2 qt. Apple Juice into a large pot on the stove. Add 2 Tbsp. Mulling Spice and boil for about 3 minutes. Remove mulling spice by straining or taking out packet. Bring to a simmer and stir in about a 1/2 cup of favorite caramel sauce (+/- depending on how much caramel you like) until caramel is dissolved. Serve hot and enjoy!

* If you don't have or can't find caramel sauce you can find cooking caramel candies on the baking aisle of your local grocery. If you have any questions about it, let me know.

Jo Burgers

2009-11-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite ways of making burgers patties. When they're done you can add cheese (I prefer white cheese) and dress it up to your liking. Course I usually just wrap it up in a large lettuce leaf and eat, Yum!

2 lb. hamburger meat
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped (30ml)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine butter, green onion, cilantro, parsley and jalapeno.
On a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper, form the mixture into a cylinder, about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap and close the ends. Place the butter cylinder in the freezer to solidify.
Shape hamburger meat into 6 large balls. Cut frozen butter into six ¼ inch discs.
Freeze remaining butter for use another day.
Make a depression in the center of each patty. Place a frozen butter disc into each meatball and seal inside. Shape meat into patties about 1-inch thick, keeping the butter well surrounded by hamburger meat.
Preheat the barbecue to 375°F or medium high heat.
Oil the grill and season the burgers with salt and pepper.
Grill the burgers 6 minutes per side and enjoy!

Bill and Jo's Slow-cooked Beef Stew

2009-11-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

I say Bill and Jo's cuz we can both make it now without ever looking at a recipe. Usually requested as a game day food cuz he can eat it all day. I use lots of Papa John's seasoning spice, which my dad actually makes, so you'll have to talk to me or him about getting some if you don't already.

2 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 (750-ml bottle) red wine
2 whole garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Good cooking olive oil
2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks (or baby carrots cut in half)
1 lb.small potatoes, halved or quartered (red, yellow or baking, anything works)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) beef stock or broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, first garlic, and bay leaves. Cover and place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
The next day, set Crock Pot to low.
Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large Crock pot and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Crock pot.
Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to the same large pot and add the onions, carrots and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Crock pot over the beef. Add the reserved marinade, beef stock, worcestershire sauce, Papa John's to taste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Cover and let cook for 8 hours. Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, serve hot and enjoy!

Deep, Down, Underground Root Cellar Soup

2009-11-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is comfort food in a soup! It involves a lot of chopping, I actually got a small blister on my finger from chopping so much, but it's well worth it.

3 slices thick-cut apple smoked bacon, diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced parsnip
1/2 cup diced celery
1 Tbsp. garlic
5 c. peeled, diced celery root (from a root about 1 1/2 pounds in weight)
1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
2 tsp. finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh green onion

Set a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy and fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Add the leek, onions, parsnips and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to large crock pot. Add the celery root, potato, stock, salt, pepper, and rosemary to the crock pot and cook until the celery root is very tender, low setting 8 hours high setting 4 hours
When the celery root is tender, remove from crock pot and put in blender or puree the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and cider vinegar. Finely chop the reserved crispy bacon. Taste, and re-season the soup if necessary and serve, garnished with the crispy bacon and snipped green onion and enjoy!

*If you don't have the time you can also use large pot on stove. Just follow as written but leave in large pot, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes.

Sweet and Savory Pecan Cheese Dip

2009-11-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

This is a great dip for the up coming Holidays. I made this one for a fall party I had at the house. At first people we're a little unsure of it cuz it doesn't look like a normal dip you see at parties, but it just took one person to try it and love it before it was almost gone.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 c. finely chopped pecans, toasted
Assorted crackers
*powdered garlic and onion are OK

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, onion and garlic. Transfer to a serving plate and shape into a 6-in disk in middle. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and mustard. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Cool slightly. Spoon over cheese mixture. Serve with crackers and enjoy!

Shepherdess Pie Casserole

2009-11-10T01:32:00.000-08:00

So I guess I have to start somewhere. Today I spent the whole day away from home and had forgotten to take anything out for dinner, so when I finally did return home I had a very hungry man and needed to throw something together quick. I had been wanting to make my mom's good ole tater tot casserole, and I mentally took an inventory of my pantry and thought I could do it so I got started. I browned the hamburger and went to the pantry and realized I had no onion so I just added some garlic. Then I went to go get the mushroom soup and realized I only had one small can so I got a little worried but, then I noticed right next to the soup was a sheperds pie mix packet. Brilliant idea! I didn't have potatoes to make the shepherds pie but I did have the tater tots and I already added a bag of frozen green beans, so I combined the two. Thus I invented Shepherdess Pie Casserole. I'll have to work out how exactly I made it and maybe perfect it a little, then I'll post it for you all to try!