Rustic Beef Stew

Perfect comfort on a snowy day.

1 lb beef stew meat or trimmed and diced beef rib meat
1/4 cup flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of red wine - I like to use a California Pinot noir - nothing too pricy, it just needs to taste good
4 or 5 - 14 oz cans of beef stock or broth - See note
1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 large yellow onions - diced
2 large carrots - diced
4 medium potatoes - diced
2 celery ribs diced
4 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp dry thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
8 oz of fresh sliced mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste

*Toss beef and flour together in a large bowl until beef is coated. Heat a heavy large soup pot over medium heat with the oil in it. Add beef to pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides. Deglaze pan using wine and 2 cans of beef stock. Be sure to scrape all of the flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes to cook the alcohol flavor out of the wine. If this gets too thick you can add up to another can of stock a little at a time during this 15 minutes. Next, add another can of beef stock, the tomato paste, onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic, thyme, bay and red pepper flakes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for one hour. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 30 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves. Serve.

~Note: have 5 cans of broth handy. I just add it a little at a time when it gets too thick for my taste. This is supposed to be a nice thick stew. Just make it as thick as you like it.

Serves 6-8

Spicy Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

If you like the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, try this recipe I think it's pretty darn close.

6 links of hot Italian sausage - casings removed
1 small white onion - diced
4 cloves of garlic - minced
3 medium russet potatoes - scrubbed and quartered lengthwise, then sliced thin crosswise
3 - 14 oz cans of chicken broth
Kale - stems removed and shredded into thin ribbons about 2 cups
2 cups of 1 percent milk
Freshly grated Parmesan
Salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste

*Over medium heat in a large stock pot, cook sausage links while breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula. When sausage is about half done add the onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent add the garlic and cook about a minute longer. De-glaze the sausage and onion mixture with the chicken broth. Be sure to scrape all of the nice brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add kale and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add milk and heat thoroughly. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. I like to add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes at the end because I like it spicy. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

BLT Chicken Salad with Homemade Ranch

This salad is a meal! And the homemade ranch can't be beat.

1 big head of Romaine lettuce - torn into bite size pieces
1 3 to 4 Lb store bought, cooked, rotisserie chicken - meat removed from the bones and diced.
1 Lb bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 12oz package of grape or cherry tomatoes - washed and cut in half
2 Ripe avocados - pitted and diced
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese - shredded
Croutons - if desired
Homemade Ranch dressing - Recipe to follow
Salt + fresh ground pepper to taste

*Arrange lettuce on a large platter. Top with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, avocado, Parmesan and croutons (if desired). Top with homemade Ranch. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Seriously Good Homemade Ranch dressing:
1-1/4 Cups buttermilk
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp California style onion powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together and refrigerate one half hour before serving.

Serves 4-5

Asparagus Saute

1 Lb asparagus - tough ends removed, cut into 1 inch lengths
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/8 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

*In a heavy saute pan, over medium low heat; add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted add asparagus and saute for 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and saute for about 3 minutes more. Until asparagus is just tender and bright green. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

~Note: If you crumble a bit of Feta cheese over this it is even better!
Serves 4

Hawaiian Style Chicken

3 Lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, or a combination of both. Cut in about 2" chunks.
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
1 Onion sliced in half then in thin strips
2 Green bell peppers thinly sliced
2 Tsp peeled and grated ginger root
1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy like I do)
2 - 8 oz cans of pineapple chunks and their juice
4 Tsp soy sauce
4 Tsp brown sugar
4 Tsp cornstarch
1/4 to 2 cups room temperature or cold chicken stock
6 prepared servings of Jasmine rice

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a gallon Ziploc bag, place flour, salt and pepper. Add cut up chicken, close bag and shake to coat. In a very large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken in oil until browned on all sides. Lightly spray a 9"-13" baking dish with cooking spray. Remove chicken from skillet and arrange in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

While chicken is baking, make the sauce. Using the same skillet and oil from the browned chicken, saute green pepper and onions for about 6 minutes, until soft. Add the ginger, red pepper flakes, pineapple with juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Blend the cornstarch and 1/4 cup chicken stock together and add to the pepper and onion mixture. Stir to combine. Remove from heat. Take chicken from oven and pour the sauce over. Return to oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes more. Until chicken is tender and sauce is thickened.

~Note: If sauce seems too thick, you can thin it out with additional stock.

Serve over rice

Serves 6

Margarita Pizza

1 Premade thin and crispy pizza crust - like the 'Your Mama's Favorite' or 'Boboli' brand
Extra virgin olive oil
1 - 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes - completely drained
12 disks natural whole milk mozzarella cheese - 2" diameter and 1/4" thick
Ground black pepper
More extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Basil - chopped
Kosher salt

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil the entire surface of the pizza crust (I just squirt a little oil on and rub it over the crust with my hands. Spread the well drained tomatoes over the crust leaving 1/2" uncovered at the outer edge. Arrange cheese disks on the pizza. Grind the pepper lightly over the entire pizza. Bake directly on the middle rack in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and on to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with basil and salt to taste. Drizzle lightly with more extra virgin olive oil.

~Note: This should be served immediately while the cheese is nice and gooey. This is a delicious pizza, but you should eat it right away because it's not so great as leftovers.

Serves 4 as a main dish. Or 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Garlic Noodles

I really need to make this again and take a prettier picture. Anyhoo...This is a really quick easy side dish. It looks a lot better when I make it with bow tie pasta. My whole family likes it and it goes with just about anything.

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 Cloves of garlic - minced or sliced (you decide).
1 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 Tsp salt
2 Cups pasta cooked per the package directions and drained. (I really like the Barilla Plus pasta in the yellow box. It tastes great and it's good for you).
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

* Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and saute slowly until soft, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and cooked pasta. Cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro or parsley. Sprinkle with cheese.

Serves 4

Healthy Tortilla Chips

1 17.5 oz package of Mission Multi-Grain Tortillas
Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Kosher salt (if you have it) regular salt will work fine. I'm just kind of a chunky salt fiend.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pizza cutter; cut the tortillas into eighths. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it). Remove from oven when the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.

Makes 80 chips

Easy Blender Salsa

2 Seeded jalapenos - quartered
2 Medium garlic cloves peeled and sliced in half
1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 Medium yellow onion - small diced
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro - torn into small pieces

*Place the jalapenos, garlic, salt, cumin and canned tomatoes in the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into serving dish and stir in onion and cilantro.

~Note: You can use garden fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Just blanch 5 big tomatoes for about 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water, slip the skins off and use in place of the canned tomatoes.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups salsa

Fried Egg with Feta & Dill

1 Tbsp butter
1 Egg
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp fresh or dry chopped dill
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese

*In a small skillet; melt butter over medium heat. Carefully crack egg into pan. Cook for about half a minute until the white starts to set. Sprinkle egg with salt, pepper & dill. Add the water to the pan and cover the pan with a lid or foil. This will steam cook your egg to perfection. It is ok to peek after a minute. Just cook it until the egg is as done as you like. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle cooked egg with the feta cheese.

~This is good with whole grain toast lightly sprinkled with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then rubbed with garlic.

Penne Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

Nothing makes me happier than cooking a hearty tomato and sausage pasta sauce. I like cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put some in the food.

1 lb Ground hot Italian sausage
1/2 Yellow onion - diced
2 Bell peppers - very small dice (I use a mix of yellow, red and orange. But use whatever you have).
4 Big cloves of garlic - minced
1/4 Tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tsp dry basil
3/4 Cup dry red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon work great).
1 - 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (juice and all).
1 - 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 Cup of tomato juice (or a 5.5 oz can).
Salt and pepper to taste
5 Big handfuls of penne pasta (I really like the Barilla Plus pasta in the yellow box. It tastes great and it's good for you). Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese

*In a very large skillet; cook sausage while breaking it up with a spatula. When sausage is almost done but still just barely pink, add the onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and basil. Cook for a few more minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Cook this mixture for a couple of minutes to reduce the wine by about half. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato juice. bring to a low simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cooked pasta and garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Serve with garlic bread and green salad.

Serves 6

Garlic Bread

I think this is the only way to make garlic bread. The olive oil and rubbed garlic gives such great bold flavor.

1 Loaf of white or wheat french bread - cut in 1/2 inch thick slices
Extra virgin olive oil
2 big cloves of garlic - peeled
Salt
Dry or fresh finely chopped parsley

*Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Lay sliced bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Toast the bread in 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it! I'm sort of famous for burning the bread and setting the smoke alarm off. When the bread is toasty brown at the edges, remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. When the bread is cool enough to handle; rub the surface of each slice with peeled garlic clove. Sprinkle bread with parsley and serve.

~Note: If you put the olive oil in a little condiment squeeze bottle it makes the drizzling much easier (see picture).

Serves 6-8

Cooking Blog - Introduction

I made a cookbook for my daughter in law Kristin as a bridal shower gift. The title of that cookbook and the title of this blog are identical. The name comes from the well known fact that I generally burn the garlic bread and set off the fire alarm. I hope this is not the only mistake of mine she learns from.