Red Wine Beef Stew

Red Wine Beef Stew
Comfort Food In The Time Of Covid!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 8+ hours

Ingredients

2-3 lbs. stewing beef, large chunks

4-5 carrots, peeled, chunks

12 baby yellow potatoes, skin on

2 celery stalks, medium slices

2 medium onions large chunks

5 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 cups red wine

3 cups beef bone broth

1 tsp Herb De Provence

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water or broth

2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt

pepper

Cooking Tools

Large frying pan

Slow cooker

Directions
Heat oil in frying pan on medium high heat.  Salt and pepper beef chunks and brown meat on all sides.  Don't cook the beef all at once, cook in batches. Remove meat and place in slow cooker.  Add wine to the fry pan that you browned the beef in. Deglaze the pan with the wine and then pour wine into the slow cooker over the beef.  Place all the vegetables, potatoes except the peas into the slow cooker, then add seasonings and beef bone broth. Set slow cooker on high for 8 hours. In the last hour of cooking, make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and pour into the stew and blend well, add in the frozen peas.  Serve with cooked rice or buttered noodles.
Serves 4

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
Rich & Creamy, Minus The Cream!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 box spaghetti noodles or fresh
1 cup of sauteed diced pancetta or bacon
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cloves garlic, fine mince
1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 egg yolks
salt
pepper

Cooking Tools

Large pot

Medium frying pan 

Directions
Saute the diced Pancetta or bacon in a frying pan until slightly crispy and cooked through. Boil pasta in salted water according to box directions.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of pasta water.  Drain pasta and add back to the pot and place back on burner on low heat. Add; pasta water, olive oil, garlic, egg yolks and stir and toss the pasta with tongs, so the eggs don't curdle. continue tossing pasta and add peas and cooked Pancetta or bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Toss in 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. (Cook's Note) If you add the Parmesan cheese to extremely hot pasta, the cheese will melt and get clumpy. Plate pasta and garnish with some Parmesan cheese on top.

Banana Coconut & Pecan Bread

Banana Coconut & Pecan Bread
What To Do With Over Ripe Bananas!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

4 large ripe bananas, smashed

1 banana, slice in half

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp vanilla bean extract

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 eggs

Pam cooking spray

Cooking Tools

Large mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl

12 count muffin tin or

1 bread loaf pan

Muffin liners (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Smash the bananas in a small whisking bowl. Mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder,cinnamon & allspice. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients until blended well. Spray muffin tin or bread loaf with the cooking spray. Pour batter evenly into loaf or muffin pan and place either sliced banana on top of batter or banana slices on top of each muffin. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes. Eat warm or at room temperature. Top with coconut flakes if so desired.
Yields 1 loaf or 12 muffins 

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake
A Perfect Slice With A Cup Of Hot Coffee!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

juice of half lemon

zest of half lemon

1 cup of water

1 tsp almond extract

3 eggs

2 cups fresh blueberries

Pam cooking spray

Cooking Tools

Bottom release pan

2 medium mixing bowls

Pastry cutter

Whisk 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. In a whisking bowl, whisk together cake mix, oil, lemon juice, zest, water, extract and eggs.  whisk batter until smooth,then fold in fresh blueberries.  Spray pan with Pam cooking spray evenly.  Pour batter into pan and top with Crumble Topping (recipe below) evenly over cake batter.  Bake in oven for 40 minutes, can broil to for the last minute to a golden brown.
Cool then release from pan.

Crumble Topping
Ingredients
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter, diced 

Directions
Place ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut butter into the flour mixture until crumbles form.  You can also use your hands to create larger crumbles. 

Caramelized Pork Banh Mi

Caramelized Pork Banh Mi
A  French Inspired Vietnamese Sandwich!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 lbs. cooked pulled pork
2 french baguette or sub bread
pickled carrots & daikon radish (recipe below)
sprigs of cilantro
6 fresh basil leaves
4 green onions
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Gachujang sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Mirin
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Maggi sauce https://www.amazon.com/Maggi-Seasoning-6-7fl-oz-200ml/dp/B0000E2PX6

Cooking Tools

Large fry pan/ skillet

Small mixing bowl 

Directions
Heat cooked pork on medium heat.  Add; soy sauce, Gachujang, sugar mirin, sesame oil and cook until sauce start to caramelize. Prepare buns and cut length wise without cutting through the hinge.  Pull out some of the bread to create room for the rest of the ingredients.  Heat buns in oven until slightly toasted.  Fill buns with pork the dash some drops of the Maggie sauce on the inside bun.  Add layer of the cilantro, basil leaves, green onions and pickled carrots & daikon.

Pickled Carrots & Daikon

Ingredients

1 carrot, julienne

1 small daikon, julienne

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

Directions
Place vinegar and sugar in a small mixing bowl and whisk.  Add in carrots and daikon and pickle at least 1 hour or overnight. 

Salmon & Sweet Potato Mash

Salmon & Sweet Potato Mash
With A Drizzle Of Grape Gastrique!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 35-40 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Also Served With Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Grapes

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets, skinless & boneless

2-3 tbsp grapeseed oil

sprig of thyme

2-3 cloves of garlic, halved

minced parsley for garnish

salt

pepper

Cooking Tools

Large nonstick frying pan

Sheet pan

Small sauce pan

Medium mixing bowl

Electric hand mixer 

Directions
Salt and pepper salmon fillets.  In a non stick pan, heat oil. thyme and garlic in a pan.
Fry salmon in oil on medium heat 2-3 minutes on each side, use a large spoon to baste the salmon as it cooks. Set aside until sweet potatoes are plated, add on top and swirl with the Grape Gastrique, garnish with minced parsley!

 

Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, skin on

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp cardamon

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

salt

pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees F. Place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and bake in oven for 1 hour or until cooked tender. Remove from oven and slice in half and spoon out pulp and place in a mixing bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients and whip until fluffy with a hand mixer.  Serve with the Salmon. 

Grape Gastrique

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup of Concord grape juice

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

12 dark seedless grapes, halved

Directions
Pour ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to a simmer until it is reduced by half, set aside to cool and become a syrup like consistency. Drizzle around salmon and potatoes, garish with grape halves.
Serves 4

 

 

Coconut Poke Cake

Coconut Poke Cake
Elevate A Box Cake Mix With Simple Additions!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker White Cake Mix

1 cup + 1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup + 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted + greasing

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

Cooking Tools

Oblong glass baking dish

1 chop stick ( to poke holes)

Small mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Electric hand mixer

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease baking dish with some coconut oil. In a medium mixing bowl, add; cake mix, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup melted coconut oil and eggs, blend well with hand mixer. Pour batter into prepared greased baking pan.  Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. While cake is baking, in a small mixing bowl add; sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and whisk. Once cake is done, remove from oven and start poking holes with the back of the chopstick (or similar tool) throughout the cake. Pour mixture of the condensed and evaporated milk all over the top of the cake until it gets absorbed.  Top with the rest of the coconut flakes.  Can be served warm or chilled.
Serves 6 

Double The Ingredients To Feed A Group!