Monday, April 22, 2013

Extraordinary Steamed Artichokes


Do these green bulb, prickly leaf things scare you? I have to admit, artichokes are a bit intimidating.  My family didn't ever buy them growing up, and I wasn't quite sure how you cook them, much less how you eat them.  The unknown is a foreign land to me, one that I quickly avoid whenever possible.  Artichokes fall in that category... I know, I'm a wimp. True statement.

So, what inspired me to pick up this little guy in the produce section yesterday? For one, we make a significant effort to eat fruits and veggies that are in season and on sale.  That, in combination with prepping the hubby's simplistic, but fancy birthday dinner, helped this unique veggie hop right into my shopping cart.  It's so exquisite!

The best surprise about my artichoke experience is how easy it was to prepare! I was worried that just having a plain old steamed artichoke would be bland.  Turns out, Tyler Florence on the Food Network knows how to break out the flavor in a super easy way! We served with melted butter mixed with lemon juice, but we didn't even need it.  One artichoke was more than enough for the two of us, and we still had left overs.  I'm going to eating a lot more of these, for sure!

Ingredients:

4 Sprigs fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
2 bay leaves
2 lemons, halved
1/4 c. white wine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 quart chicken broth or water (I used water)
Salt and Pepper
2 whole artichokes (I just cooked one)


Directions

1. Put the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, lemons, wine, oil and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. In the meantime prepare the artichokes.

2. Wash artichokes under cold water. Using a heavy stainless steel knife, cut off the stems close to the base. Pull off the lower petals that are small and tough. Cut off the top inch of the artichoke and rub with half a lemon to preserve the green color. Alternatively, you may put the artichokes in acidulated water. If you wish, trim the thorny tips of the petals with kitchen shears.

3. Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid, bottom up. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when a knife is inserted into the base and there is no resistance.





Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Monday, April 8, 2013

Slow Cooker Spare Ribs

Do you ever find yourself wishing there was more time in the day and everything took less time to do? The blog Six Sister's Stuff had a post of making 8 Freezer Meals in an hour.  Of course, I didn't believe that it really only took an hour to make EIGHT meals, so naturally, I had to test it out.  It took almost exactly 60 minutes! Being the skeptic that I am, I then doubted that the meals would actually taste good.  Proved me wrong there, also! Every meal has been delicious, and everyone who we've shared the meals with have agreed (they may just say it to be nice, but I'll take it)!

We already have a slow cooker pulled pork recipe, but I wanted to this was one of the eight meals.  This recipe had so much flavor!  I am not a huge fan of BBQ sauce, but I thought it was delicious.  It's a cinch to make, takes less than 10 minutes to prep, and can be served in a variety of ways.  Serve it on buns, over rice, with potatoes... any carb will do!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs (country style) pork ribs
1 1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (I'm pretty sure I found this in the condiments aisle..)
1 1/2  Tbsp. seasoning salt (We use Montreal Steak Seasoning from Costco)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white vinegar

Directions:

Place the pork ribs in a gallon-size freezer bag.  In a bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients, then pour over the ribs and seal.

Thaw for 24 hours before cooking.  Cook in the crock pot on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.  I actually put the pork in frozen, pour the sauce into the crock pot, and cooked for 10 hours. It turned out just fine.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Cheddar Pear Pie

I've realized that I'm really not a very good food photographer... If I remember to take pictures at all, they always turn out blurry or washed out.  I guess that allows you to use your imagination to think about how amazing all of these recipes taste, rather than relying on my pictures!

We all know that fruit tastes better when it's in season, fresh and local.  This pie is no exception to that rule.  Mac's mom bakes this pie every year, but she has the advantage of free access to a pear orchard.  Her fruit literally goes from the tree to the pan!

Being the logical person that I am, I decided to bake this for Easter dessert. Considering that it's Spring and I used store-bought, under-ripe pears, I had low expectations for this pie.  Surprisingly, it was delicious! The pears were the perfect texture, not too hard, not too mushy, and the perfect hint of sweetness.  The cheddar cheese in the topping is the perfect compliment to the mild pear flavor.  It was definitely a hit!

Ingredients

Pie:
4 large ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 c. sugar
1 heaping Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 - 9" unbaked pastry shell (if you need a pie crust recipe, click here for Grama's famous one!)

Topping:

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

In a bowl, combine pears, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Pour over pastry shell.  For the topping, mix together the butter, flour, salt, and sugar and stir well.  Add the shredded cheese and mix until incorporated.  Sprinkle over the pears.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes (you may want to cover the crust with foil to prevent burning).  Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Biscuits

If you are just looking for a biscuit recipe, skip all my boring commentary and skip on down!

I understand that I have several recipes on this blog that are some variation of Chicken Pot Pie.  What can I say, I love my one-dish, carb-covered meals! This is another Test Kitchen masterpiece that is easy to make, full of veggies (and fat, but no one needs to pay attention to that), and gives you a few days of fantastic leftovers.  You could probably substitute any of the vegetables for whatever is in season.  Instead of biscuits, you can also use a pie topping, but I find the biscuits easier and more delicious... Whatever floats your boat!



Cream Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions for Biscuits:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (unless you're making pot pie, then just make up the dough).

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.  Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the doug forms, about 30 seconds.  turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball.  Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.

3. Pat the dough into a 3/4" thick circle.  Cut the biscuits into rounds using a biscuit cutter. They're now ready for the pot pie, or you can bake them for 15 minutes on your prepped baking sheet!

Pot Pie

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4" thick
1 onion, minced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. dry sherry
3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 bay leaves
Pepper
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 c. frozen peas
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 Recipe Cream Biscuits (see above)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the flour.  Slowly whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in the broth, cream, and bay leaves.  Simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir the chicken into the sauce and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4. Discard the bay leaves and stir int he peas and parsley.  Pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish.

5. Lay the biscuits over the filling.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Triple Layer Monster


Photo Cred: Jason Swank

Everything about this dessert says, "Oh, I found it Pinterest!" I like to label it "pinteresque".  I was looking for a special birthday dessert for our friend who has a healthy love for classic sweets (cookies, brownies, and oreos).  This was absolutely the winner.  How can you go wrong when you combine all three of his favorite delectables?
So what is it, you ask? Exactly what Jason loves. Chocolate Chip Coookie dough, covered with a layer of whole (Double Stuf) Oreos, covered with a layer of Brownie Batter.  Every bite is ooey, gooey, sweet, deliciousness. 

What really sealed the deal was the Double Stuf. What's your take on the perfect amount of filling inside America's favorite chocolate cookie sandwich?  I personally, prefer the classic, but Mr. Birthday Boy loves the Double Stuf, and still advocates for a Quadruple Stuf.  To show just how much we appreciate the guy, I sacrificed my idea of perfection to appease him... his only critique of this dessert was that it would be better with a little more oreo creme. Ah, well, you can't win 'em all, huh?

Anyway, enough babbling... all you really want is to know how to make this crazy thing! I adapted the recipe (just slightly) from a blog called Kevin and Amanda.  They have a great assortment of recipes - go check them out for more delicious ideas!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix (I recommend Ghiradeli!) plus ingredients needed to make the mix

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
  4. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray.
  5. Top with a layer of Oreos.
  6. Mix together brownie mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes.
  7. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled.