Easy Beef Burgundy

I've been missing my Gram a lot lately. She passed away a little over a year ago and I still miss her every day. I feel closer to her when my kitchen is filled with the familiar smells of her food. As I was looking through my copy of her hand written recipes I saw this one for Beef Burgundy. 

I'd never tried it before so set about making it last week for dinner. I modified it a little bit but I don't think Gram would mind. :)  As it was cooking the aromas of the meat, onion, mushrooms, and wine reminded me of when I made Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. The taste is actually very similar too but it doesn't take half the time or energy to make! It's rich, earthy, and comforting and my favorite part about it is that it's a one pot meal. Grandma's directions said to serve it over rice and that's what I did, but it'd be great over potatoes too. Thanks for another great recipe, Gram!

Easy Beef Burgundy 
From My Gram
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 pounds round cut steak, cut into 1 inch strips
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can onion soup (I forgot this so used a can of golden mushroom instead and then chopped one small onion)
1 large can of sliced mushrooms or 1 cup of fresh sliced mushrooms
1 soup can of burgundy or red wine
Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mean into dutch oven or large oven safe pot. Season with salt and pepper. Combine all ingredients and cover. 

Cook for 3 hours. Serve over rice or potatoes. 

Meatless Mondays: Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Meatless Mondays do not get much better than this, my friends. I dare you to find a more fresh, delicious salad than this one from Val So Cal. The instant I saw it I fell in love. But then I made it and had a bite and I was done for. These flavors are just perfect together - juicy, crisp cherry tomatoes, soft creamy mozzarella, rich avocado, fresh parsley and basil, lemon juice and olive oil. Serve it with a warm, toasted baguette and you'll be done for too!

Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad

From Val So Cal

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 carton fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup basil, julienned (I used my frozen basil I had on hand, it was perfection)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Baguette - optional

Directions

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and parsley. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper. 

Pour over tomato mixture. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Just before serving stir in the chopped avocado. 

Serve with a slotted spoon and toasted baguette. 

Fried Smashed Red Potatoes with Lemon Herb Dressing

Any time I watch the lovely Giada De Laurentiis' cooking show, Cooking at Home, I immediately want to make whatever beautiful dish she is featuring. I love just watching her cook and listening to her describe the flavors. Her food is accessible but elegant. I will readily admit I have a ginormous cooking crush on her! :)


The other day she did a show on lemons and these Fried Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dressing looked so delicious, I made them a few days later. I love how cute the potatoes are after you smash them. The herbs, lemon, and garlic make these potatoes burst with flavor.  Even though we're in the dead of winter, this recipe will make you think spring has arrived. I served them with scrambled eggs for breakfast but Giada served them with Roasted Branzino.


Fried Smashed Red Potatoes with Lemon Herb Dressing
From Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network.com
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes (fingerling will work as well)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra if needed
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 lemons, zested
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper


Directions
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil on medium heat for 20 - 25 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and cool. Use the palm of your hand to gently press the potatoes until they are smashed.

In a large nonstick skillet heat the 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and light brown. Remove the garlic and discard.  Add the potatoes in batches and cook without stirring until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Use a spatula to turn and cook until golden brown on the other side, adding more olive oil if needed, about 5 to 8 minutes again.

In a small bowl whisk the 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, thyme and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the dressing over the potatoes. Toss to coat and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Transfer to a platter and serve.

30 Things to Make Before I Turn 30: Chicken Braised in Red Wine

This recipe was on my 30 Things to Make Before I Turn 30 list because it was one of the best looking recipes in my Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook, a wedding gift that I have not used enough.


 I'm always drawn to really beautiful food pictures and the picture of this dish is really delicious looking in the cookbook. Also since it uses bacon and wine, I knew it would make hubby happy! :) This is a very labor intensive and time consuming dish, but it's hearty dish with a lot of wonderful flavors and it makes a ton. Thankfully the hubs doesn't mind taking leftovers for lunch. The book recommended serving this dish with caramelized Brussels sprouts, which I did and absolutely loved. I actually liked the Brussels sprouts MORE than the chicken, but hubby strongly disagrees. 








Chicken Braised in Red Wine
From Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook
Printable Version

Ingredients
1 bottle (24 fl oz/750 ml) fruity red wine (I used Zinfandel but you could also use Pinot Noir)
8 chicken drumsticks and thighs, with the skin
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound button mushrooms, stemmed, brushed clean, and quartered
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup brandy (I didn't have any on hand, so omitted)
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh parsley


Directions
Pour the wine into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half and set aside. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Spread the 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. In a large saute pan or cast-iron frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. In batches as necessary to avoid crowding, brown each piece of chicken on all sides. 

Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan, melt, and add the onion, bacon, and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Stir often and lower the heat to avoid browning the onion. 

Add in the mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a little pepper. Raise the heat to medium and saute until the mushrooms release their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add the brandy and continue cooking for another minute.

Transfer the onion and mushroom mixture to another large saucepan or Dutch oven. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the onion and mushroom mixture, then add the stock, browned chicken pieces, and reduced brandy. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to low, and simmer gently, uncovered, until the chicken is opaque throughout and fork-tender, and the flavors have married, about 15-20 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil or the chicken will toughen.


To serve, remove and discard the thyme sprig and bay leaves, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter. Return the pan with the sauce to medium-high heat and whisk until the sauce combines and thickens. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle the sauce over the chicken pieces and garnish with the parsley. Serve at once. 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is the first recipe I've made from Easy Appetizers, a gift from my food blogging friend Elizabeth. Mushrooms are one of my favorite flavors to cook with and my hubby is slightly obsessed with soups, so Cream of Mushroom soup always sounds good to both of us. I didn't follow the recipe exactly because it called for dried porcini mushrooms and dried mushrooms sorta skeeves me out, so I just went with a blend of fresh mushrooms I found at my local grocery store. 


We absolutely loved this soup. It's incredibly creamy and earthy. I left big chunks of mushrooms so every spoonful had a lot of bites of mushrooms. The chopped parsley brought in a nice fresh flavor. I definitely recommend topping the soup with sour cream or creme fraiche, it adds an extra layer of richness. 

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Adapted from Easy Appetizers
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 ounce cremini mushrooms
4 large portobello mushrooms
2 ounces white button mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
a pinch of nutmeg
1 cup fresh parsley
5 cups of boiling chicken or vegetable broth
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sour cream or creme fraiche for garnishing


Directions
Finely chop the parsley in a food processor. Scrape out of the processor bowl and set aside.

Bring broth to a boil in a pot. Heat the oil in a skillet and add in the fresh mushrooms. Saute until browned. Add the onion to the skillet and saute until softened, then add the garlic. 

Bring to a boil and transfer to a food processor. Add two ladles of the broth and pulse until creamy but still chunky. 
Heat the butter in a large pot, such as a dutch oven, until melted. Stir in the flour and cook gently, stirring constantly until the mixture is a dark brown. Be careful so it does not burn. Add in the remaining broth one ladle at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Add the mushroom mixture, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. 

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly grated black pepper. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream. 

Killer Marinated Tomatoes

The next time you have a a bunch of tomatoes on hand, puhhlease try these Killer Marinated Tomatoes from Butter Yum. They are so amazing! I served them on cous cous but they would be great as a side. Butter Yum also recommends having some good bread on hand to soak up the yummy marinade. I didn't have any good crusty bread, but did have some plain ol sandwich bread and let me tell you, this marinate is so incredible that it doesn't matter what kind of bread you have! It's that good. I am sad that tomato season is just about over because I don't want to wait til next summer to eat these killer tomatoes again. 

Killer Marinated Tomatoes
From Butter Yum

Printable Version

Ingredients
6 large tomatoes, cut into wedges (or equal amount of halved cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 scallions, sliced (I used a small red onion)

Directions
Whisk everything but the tomato wedges together in a bowl. Add the tomatoes and stir to coat. Marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Breakfast Pizza

This breakfast pizza from A Cozy Kitchen is genius! I made it this weekend for my hubby and family that was visiting and everyone raved about it. I was a little nervous about the eggs, and although 2 of mine broke as I cracked them, it wasn't apparent because they got covered up with sliced mushrooms, bacon, freshly grated cheese, chopped parsley, and green onion. My husband declared that this was the best breakfast I have ever made, which is a big deal because I have made many, many breakfasts for us since it's my favorite meal. Make this pizza to impress guests or if you want something different for breakfast/brinner (breakfast for dinner!).

Breakfast Pizza
From A Cozy Kitchen -- Check out her site because she grilled her pizza instead of baking it! 


Printable Version


Ingredients
3 bacon strips, cooked
12 ounces pizza dough (I bought my pizza dough!)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
8 mushrooms, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
3 strips of green onion, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out and shape pizza dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and set on baking stone. Crack the eggs onto the dough. Arrange mushrooms on pizza. Sprinkle cheese on top and add the pieces of bacon. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes. Check on the pizza after 5 minutes and rotate if necessary. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted, and the egg yolks are cooked to medium, remove from the onion. Sprinkle parsley, chives, and green onions on top. Slice into pieces and serve. 

Asparagus-Wild Mushroom Risotto with Parmesan

I have become quite fond of risotto. I like how it is creamy, filling, and the fact that there are about 300 million different risotto variations. I found this recipe on Foodnetwork.com. It's a recipe from Robin Miller, and although I consider myself a Food Network fan, I've honestly never heard of her. She must be on during the day when I'm at work? Regardless, her recipe was fantastic. The combination of mushrooms, fresh asparagus, and fresh parsley was really scrumptious. It made such a huge batch that my husband and I ate it as our main course and the hubs couldn't stop complimenting it. He made sure to ask if he could take some leftovers for lunch the next day, too! That's when I know a recipe is a hit!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons pre-minced garlic)
• 8 cups sliced wild mushrooms (any combination of shiitake, cremini, oyster, etc). **I only used 2 cups and it was more than enough mushrooms!!!
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups cooked Arborio rice **This is important, be sure your rice is cooked before you start this recipe!
• 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen asparagus spears (1-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes, until tender and releasing juice. Add thyme and cook 1 minute, until fragrant.

To the mushrooms in the pot, add rice and broth and asparagus and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, Stir in Parmesan and chopped parsley. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle risotto into bowls and serve hot.