Sunday, January 23, 2011

French Dip Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago I bought a chuck roast to make homemade beef and noodles. They were buy one get one free so I needed a recipe for the other roast, but one that wasn't "roasty." I found this on allrecipes.com and really liked it. I know some people say you should fix the recipe the written way the first time and then alter it on subsequent preparations, but I never follow that rule! So this is my version.

4 pounds beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 - 1/4 cup Worcestershire
2 cups beef broth (low sodium if you can)
3 cups water

Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 10 hours. Give time at the end to remove the meat from the liquid. Cool the liquid and skim off the fat so you can use the jus for dipping. Shred the meat and put it on a toasted sub bun. Really easy and quite inexpensive!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Leslie's Chocolate Cake

I needed a dessert for a neighborhood gathering I was hosting and didn't have time to go get extra ingredients since both my girls were napping. I pulled out this recipe and had eaten it before but never made it. I had everything I needed, so I gave it a try.

I don't know the real name of this recipe, but I got it from Olivia who got it from her sister-in-law Leslie-- humorously both contributors to this blog. They may have things to add after I post it. It's an easy one that everyone sure enjoyed. Thanks for sharing ladies!

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Frosting:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Cake:
Combine all dry ingredients then add the rest EXCEPT boiling water. Beat 2 minutes then add boiling water. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Frosting:
Combine all frosting ingredients in saucepan and boil for 1 1/2 minutes.

Pour frosting over cake immediately as it comes out of the oven then let cake sit awhile before serving.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:
- I baked mine about 45-50 minutes-- the center wasn't quite set at 40 minute-- I'm sure it depends on your oven.
- I poked some holes in the top of the cake to help absorb the frosting.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Ligonberry Cheesecake

Since IKEA came to Charlotte in 2009 I have become quite familiar with the ligonberry. I was quite surprised to find this recipe in a magazine so I gave it a try. Easy to make and super yummy!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 14-oz jar of ligonberries (or can of whole cranberry sauce)

Directions
- Combine cracker crumbs, hazelnuts, and butter.
- Press into bottom of springform pan.
- Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
- For filling, beat cheese, sugar, cardamom, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in eggs.
- In a saucepan heat ligonberries or cranberries until melted or completely softened.
- Strain berries from syrup.
- Mix berries into cream cheese mixture.
- Refrigerate the syrup as a topping for the cheesecake before serving.
- Pour cheesecake mixture into crust.
- Bake 40-45 minutes or until a 2 1/2 inch area around the edge appears set when gently shaken.
- Cool for 15 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edge to loosen crust from sides of pan.
- Cool 30 minutes more.
- Remove sides of the pan and cool completely.
- Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
- Top servings of cheesecake with reserved ligonberry syrup.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:
- I'm not one to go buy ingredients I wouldn't normally have/use. I did not use cardamom and I replaced the hazelnuts with more graham cracker crumbs since I am highly allergic.
- I sprinkled 2 tsps of cinnamon into the crust mixture for some added flavor.
- Baking time was perfect.
- I buy my ligonberries at IKEA.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Eleanor's Peanut Brittle

This recipe has a long history. If you care to read it off my blog, it is HERE.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 cups raw peanuts
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
- Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in sauce pan.
- Boil until the sugar dissolves.
- Cover with lid and boil 3 minutes.
- Remove lid and continue to boil uncovered until mixture reaches 275 on candy thermometer.
- Add peanuts and butter.
- Cook 8-10 minutes more stirring constantly until caramel in color.
- Remove from heat.
- Combine salt, soda, water, and vanilla-- add to peanut mixture and stir well.
- Pour onto 2 well buttered cookie sheets spreading as thin as possible.
- Let cool and break into pieces.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:
- Use a GOOD candy thermometer!!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Potato Gratin with Rosemary

Mom made this while we were down in Raleigh for the week after Christmas and it was FABULOUS! I just watched her make it, but she said the only hard/time consuming part is peeling and slicing the potatoes. And although the picture below is not of the one she made... it did look this good! We wouldn't expect any less from Chef Diane!


Ingredients
1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts (the ones with two crusts in a pkg)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Unroll piecrusts on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle rosemary, pepper, and 1/2 cup cheese over 1 piecrust; top with remaining piecrust. Roll into a 13-inch circle. Press on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan; fold edges under. Chill.

2. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice Yukon gold and sweet potatoes.

3. Layer one-third each of Yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, and salt in prepared crust. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice, pressing layers down slightly to fit.

4. Microwave cream and garlic in a 1-cup microwave-safe measuring cup at HIGH 45 seconds; pour over potato layers in pan. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet.

5. Bake at 450° for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 25 minutes or until potatoes are done and crust is richly browned. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to a serving plate, and remove sides of pan. If desired, carefully slide gratin off bottom of pan using a long knife or narrow spatula. Garnish, if desired.


Tips from a Kitchen of Reality

Have someone else peel and slice your potatoes ahead of time. :)

Fortune Cookies

Definitely a fun family activity! My friend Paige led the instruction of making these on New Year's Eve to go with our Chinese Take Out. They turned out great and were super easy. Try them, you'll like them!

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 Tbsp water
Directions
- Beat egg whites until they have soft peaks. Add flour, sugar, vanilla, almond extract and mix well. Then add water and mix well again.
- Place one tablespoon onto a silicone baking mat and smooth out into a thin circle using back of spoon.


- Bake 4-6 minutes until edges are brown.


- Using spatula remove from mat and place fortune on top of cookie.

- Fold circle in half and then using the rim of a glass, bend the folded cookie into the fortune cookie shape.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- We didn't use almond extract because of my nut allergy. They turned out fine.
- Some of our less baked ones were a little chewy in the middle, so they didn't crack like a normal fortune cookie. If they seem a little bendy after they've completely cooled, put them back on the baking sheet and allow to bake until completely brown.