Guinness Braised Short Ribs

I found another great recipe in my "Cook This, Not That" cook book by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. I had never made short ribs before but I've always liked them at restaurants. They compare this recipe to the Chianti Braised Short Ribs they serve at Olive Garden. I don't think these taste like those much, I think these are much better! I definitely recommend serving these over some garlic mash potatoes and with some dinner rolls, or better yet, my Cheesy Rolls! :)

This was a fairly easy recipe to make and my whole family, including my mom, loved them! The adults all had seconds and the kids cleaned their plates! My favorite thing about it was the tenderness of the meat and the gremolata really gave it great flavor and aroma! Below is the recipe that is in the cookbook, and I add a few changes...

Ingredients:
*1 T canola oil
*2 lbs boneless (beef) short ribs
*Salt and black pepper to taste (I also used Nature Seasonings)
*2 cans/bottles (12 oz each) Guinness Draught
*2 cups low-sodium beef broth (I used a 14.5 oz can and added about 1/2 cup of water)
*3 large carrots, cut into thirds (I used half a bag of peeled baby carrots since I had them on hand)
*2 sweet onions, cut into quarters. (I used 2 large onions and I thought it was a tad too much onion...and I LOVE onions. Next time I will use two small onions or one large one)
*2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks. (I used 3 and cut them into four pieces each.)
*8 cloves garlic, peeled
*2 bay leaves

Gremolata (optional but recommended!)
*1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*grated zest of 2 oranges or lemons (I did one lemon and one orange)

1) Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Once oil is hot, place ribs in pan and cook them on all sides until a rich brown crust develops on outside. Remove ribs and place them in a slow cooker.

2) While pan is still hot, pour the beer in pan and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon. Pour beer over short ribs in crock pot.

3) Add broth, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaves to the pot and set crock pot to high. Cook for 4 hours, until beef is fork tender and falls apart. Discard bay leaves (and I discarded garlic cloves). Note: After 4 hours, the ribs still looked tough. I cooked on high for 6 hours and they were fall apart tender!

4)If using gremolata, mix parsley, garlic and zest. Serve beef (along with some of the sauce) over your mash potatoes (or polenta). Sprinkle the gremolata over the top. Ahhh... mazing!

I got 2 packs of short ribs (a little over 2 lbs... 10 ribs in all)

brown them in pan with oil and seasoning

add everything to crockpot and turn to high... I recommend 6 hours.

Gremolata

Almost done!

Served over garlic mash potatoes and sprinkled with gremolata on top.

Notice the fork tenderness... if they don't do this, keep them cooking till they do. Every crockpot varies in heat and cooking time. 

This is the 5th recipe I've made from this book. So far all of them have been a hit!

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chip Oatmeal Cookies

My husband loves homemade cookies. I am NOT a baker! He has tried many recipes and finally came up with one on his own using a a few different recipes as a guideline. We love these and we hope you will too!!

Ingredients:
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*1/2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1/4 tsp salt
*1 1/4 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
*8 T unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temp
*1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*1 large egg
*1/4 cup maple syrup (we added a tad more than 1/4 cup)
*1/2 tsp vanilla extract
*1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1) Set 2 racks in middle and upper thirds of oven and preheat to 350. Line cookie sheet with non-stick parchment paper.

2) In medium bowl, stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats together with a whisk.

3) In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for half a minute until blended. Beat in egg until smooth and barely fluffy. With mixer running on medium high, drizzle in maple syrup and vanilla until mixed well.

4) Turn mixer down to lowest setting and gradually add flour-oat mixture. Blend just to combine. Then fold (stir) in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.

5) Place ping pong size balls of dough onto the lined cookie sheet at 3 inch intervals.

6) With moistened fingers, flatten and round out cookies a little. Bake for 9 minutes (turn pan once for even baking). Cookies are done when lightly brown on top. They will still be very gooey until they sit a bit to cool. Set cookie sheet on rack to cool.

ENJOY!

Whole Grain Waffles

My kids are obsessed with Eggo waffle, and since we are a family that is on the go in the am, we don't typically have time for a long, sit down breakfast on school days. I wanted to make waffles in a big batch that I could freeze and take them out to toast as needed. (Kind of the idea of the eggo, but I wanted to use healthier ingredients). A friend gave me this recipe she got from All Recipe's website and said she loved it. I have to warn you, my husband was not a fan. I thought they were good with butter and syrup, and the kids gobbled them up plain. The key to remember, these aren't your to be your fluffy waffles you get at a waffle house. These are replacing EGGOS. And they are HEALTHY. My kids ate them. I enjoy them. And I like the ingredients in them. For those reasons, I am posting this recipe and I will make them again! If you are making waffles for a special breakfast and ONLY looking for taste... these aren't the right ones... in my opinion.

I tripled this recipe. We ate them fresh that morning and I put the rest in large zip locks to freeze and use for the next month.

Ingredients:
*2 eggs, beaten
*1 3/4 Cup skim Milk (I used 1% organic milk because I had it on hand)
*1/4 Cup canola oil (or coconut oil)
*1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
*1 tsp vanilla extract
*1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
*1/2 cup flax seed meal
*1/4 cup wheat germ
*1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour, which is probably why they didn't taste as good to my husband who doesn't like wheat bread)
*4 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
*1 T sugar
*1/4 tsp salt
*1 tsp cinnamon

I also added some fresh blueberries.

Directions:
1) In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, whole wheat flour (or all purpose), baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth. Fold in blueberries if you are adding them.
2) Preheat waffle iron and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches and cook until crisp and golden brown.

(we tried two different waffle irons. These are MUCH better when made in one that makes thinner waffles. We didn't care for the thick, belgian waffle)

mixture looks grainy

Pour ladle full into center of waffle iron

Makes thin, crisp waffles. Perfect for freezing and re-toasting!

ENJOY!

Scalloped Potato Gratin- Recipe by Tyler Florence (Food Network)

I get a lot of recipes off the food network. I always look for recipes that have 5 stars AND a lot of reviews. The only thing I hate about the recipes on this site is they give you a recipe and tell you to do it one way, and then they will have a video link for the recipe and they make it completely different than the recipe says to! I typically follow the written recipe the first time and then play with it to tweek it to my family's liking. I really liked this recipe a lot. Made a great side dish for ribeye and asparagus! Next time I make it I'm going to add thinly sliced onion to each layer and use 1% or skim milk instead of the heavy whipping cream (although some reviews say not to). I may even try making a meal out of the recipe sometime adding onion, rotisserie shredded chicken, and corn or zucchini!

Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
* 1 sprig fresh thyme (I used 2)
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
* Butter
*2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices (this is pretty thin... much easier to use a mandoline if you have one and set it to the 1/8 setting. I LOVE mine and use it a ton!!)
*salt and freshly ground back pepper (I alternated using sea salt and course kosher salt. I also used a little nature seasonings.)
*1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for broiling  (I used a bit more. I topped it at the end with some fresh parmisiano-reggiano and I did not broil... I simply put back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a casserole dish (I used a 9 x 13 ceramic casserole pan)

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg. Stir often- don't let burn.

Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Pour a little of the cream over the potatoes and top with some of the grated Parmesan. Do this 2-3 more times, making layers and seasoning each layer, adding the cream and cheese to each layer, until all the potatoes have been used.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Sprinkle on more cheese and broil (or bake) until cheese browns (about 5 minutes)

I used the mandoline to cut my potatoes. They turned out nice and thin. If you do it using a knife and end up with a bit thicker cut, you may need to increase cooking time.

Heating up cream, thyme, garlic and nutmeg. 

layer potatoes so they are slightly overlapping. (Sorry for the bad picture taking!)

season each layer well and pour cream over each layer

make sure to add fresh grated cheese to each layer as well.

Top will get lightly crispy and brown.

ENJOY!!

Penne Pasta with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

I was watching the cooking channel one day and saw the episode where Giada De Laurentiis made this. It looked SO good, but I knew my husband and kids would never eat it. So tonight, I had a girlfriend over for dinner and decided to give it a try on her. If you want to go to Giada's link click HERE. I like the video on her site. I pretty much just copied and pasted the recipe and ingredients down below.

We really liked it. I love nutty flavors so this was perfect for me. I love goat cheese and I love butternut squash. My friend liked it a lot too, but thought it needed more salt (or garlic salt). (I didn't add more salt like the recipe called for at the end, I had only added it to the squash. So next time I will add more at the end too.) We also both thought it would be good to add shredded rotisserie chicken to this to make it a well balanced meal:)

If you don't know how to peel and dice a butternut squash, you can go to THIS site and watch the short video. I've never peeled one before even though I've made butternut squash many times before!

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
*Adding this after making it a second time- 1tsp garlic salt. Definitely adds more flavor!


Directions
Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Enjoy!!

peel

dice

put on baking sheet with diced onion and roast with olive oil and seasonings

place goat cheese at bottom of serving bowl. Place hot pasta on top along with one cup of the pasta water.

add the butternut squash and onion

add chopped, toasted walnuts and chopped fresh basil

Mix well, add grated parm cheese, salt and pepper.

So creamy and good! 

Spaghetti Squash

Shown with marinara and fresh grated cheese!

A low fat, low carb italian meal?!? Is there such a thing??? There is! And it is amazing as well!  My sister in law introduced me to spaghetti squash not too long ago. I just love it! It's a great substitute for pasta (which is my biggest downfall when it comes to dieting! I can NOT give up pasta or bread... it's the Italian in me!) Spaghetti squash is great with just olive oil and italian seasonings or topped with your favorite marinara sauce!  The other night I made it with olive oil and seasonings, but then I topped it with some left over sauce I had when I made my Chicken Parm Meatballs and I served it along side my Caprese Chicken (Also low fat and low carbs... also italian!)

*Medium to Large Spaghetti Squash
*2-3 T of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Or if you wanna get crazy... a little butter!)
*2 T Italian seasonings
*Pepper and Salt

Optional toppings:
extra olive oil
Marinara sauce
fresh grated cheese (my fav- parm-reggiano)

Preheat oven to 375
1)Cut squash in half vertically (this is by far the hardest step in making this!)
2)Scoop out the seeds and discard
3)Brush each half with about a T of olive oil and sprinkle the seasonings on each half.
4)Place each half on a baking sheet face down. Cook for about 45 minutes.
5)Take them out and flip over. If they look a bit dry, you can add more oil (or butter). Bake face up for another 40-45 minutes. (time may very depending on size of squash)
6)Take a fork and run it horizontally across inside of squash. The "spaghetti" should form easily! Scoop it out and transfer to a serving bowl.
7)Top with any toppings, stir well and serve immediately!
Enjoy!!

Cut down middle vertically.. Careful!

Spoon out seeds in center with a spoon.

brush each with olive oil (or butter)

Season with italian seasonings and pepper and salt.

bake face down for 45 minutes

turn over and bake another 40 minutes or so.

Run fork across horizontally and watch the "spaghetti" form!

Caprese Chicken with Spaghetti Squash topped with marinara and fresh grated cheese.

"Cream of ..." Soup substitute...

I learned a great new trick that I wanted to pass along today. A lot of my recipes (especially my quick casseroles) use a cream of soup (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom...). I don't like using these for many reasons. Mainly trying to stay away from canned products and trying to use more fresh ingredients. When a recipe calls for one of these soups, you can substitute by using the following...


 1 TB melted butter, 1 TB flour, and 1 cup of milk. Of course, you will need to spice it up. (Example: For Cream of Mushroom, add fresh or canned/rinsed mushrooms and garlic, salt, pepper. Maybe for cream of chicken use a little chicken broth or stock if you have it on hand.) 


Let me know if any of you have done this in the past and what seasonings or extra's you use to make it taste like the canned soup!

Chicken in a Pocket

My friend Kelly gave me this recipe since her family loves it. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to make it at first because I couldn't visualize it. But it sounded easy and I knew my family would like everything in it so I decided to make it. We all loved it!! It reminds me a little of mini pot pies (in fact, next time I make these I may use a little less green onion and add some finely chopped carrot and celery to this!) But it's great just the way it is too!! Thanks again Kelly for another recipe my family will use for a long time!!

Ingredients:

Pockets:
*2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I'm a big fan of shredded vs chopped in a dish like this. I had a few chicken breasts on hand so I boiled them with some seasoning and then shredded. Next time I will use rotisserie chicken making it that much easier!)
*1 package (8oz) nonfat cream cheese at room temp (I used 1/3 less fat, but next time i will try the fat free!)
*4 green onions chopped (I only used 2 1/2 since my family isn't huge onion lovers)
*2 cans (7 oz each) buttermilk biscuits (10 biscuits per can)

Sauce:
*1 can (10 oz) reduced fat cream of chicken soup (I, on accident, grabbed the cream of celery soup and used that. It was still great, but my husband and I agreed the cream of chicken would be a bit better)
*1/2 can water
*Season with black pepper

Preheat oven to 375

1)Mix first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well.

2)Lay out half the biscuits on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly flatten the biscuits with the palm of your hand.

3)Equally divide the chicken mixture on the ten biscuits. Flatten remaining biscuits and place over biscuits topped with filling. Seal edges by pinching.

4)Bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

5)While they are baking, prepare sauce by mixing soup and water in a sauce pan. Heat on medium heat and cook until thoroughly heated. Spoon sauce over each pocket when serving.

mix shredded chicken, cream cheese and green onion well

flatten bottom layer biscuit, add scoop of chicken mixture and then add your top layer biscuit and pinch sides together.

Spoon sauce over the top before serving.

YUM!

We enjoyed serving these with a side of sweet corn on the cob and Roasted Carrots with Feta and Parsley