My oven is fixed-- TGIF Savory Palmiers from Ina Garten

I am one very lucky wife, to have a Mr. Fix-It kind of husband.  On Wednesday, my oven died.  Thank you for your sympathy-- you do understand the horror of not being able to bake, roast or broil. Fortunately, my husband was able to buy a new igniter , and my gas oven is working beautifully!  The timing could not be more perfect because, most Fridays, Craig and I look forward to having an end-of-the-week cocktail (usually an ice cold beer) and some a tapas style dinner.  I prefer to make something that doesn't take much time to put together, but has enough sustenance  to count as dinner-- sometime a side salad rounds out the meal  perfectly.

I don't use puff pastry on a regular basis, because I know that it's layers of butter that puffs up.  Still, puff pastry is such a versatile product to work with.  I have no desire to make puff pastry from scratch! I let Pepperidge Farm do all of the work!  I've made Ina Garten's easy Cheese Danish, which was a big hit with all of us.  I've also made Raspberry Palmiers, which are my son's favorite.  For Christmas, this year, I made Salmon En Croute (or you could call it Salmon Wellington) with Cremini Duxelles.  The Duxelles are so easy to make, and we loved them.  I had extra Duxelles that I decided to freeze-- though I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. Before I made Ina's very simple looking Savory Palmier's, I decided to see if the Duxelles would thaw well and make an easy filling for pinwheel style h'ors doevres.  Enough chit-chat-- let's get on with it!

To make Ina Garten's Savory Palmiers, I toasted some pine nuts and I lightly rolled out a sheet of puff pastry.  I like to thaw my puff pastry, overnight, in the fridge. I've done quick thaws on my counter, too.  Either way, I try to keep the pastry chilled enough so that it puffs up nicely once the pastry hits a hot oven.

The top left photo shows mounds of thawed Duxelles. I know what you might be thinking-- it's not pretty. It could, potentially, resemble something an animal left that is having some intestinal difficulties.  'Nuff said. Cremini mushrooms, thyme, white wine, shallots and parsley... mmmmm. Delicious!

With another sheet of puff pastry, I made Ina Garten's recipe.   I make my own pesto, which I freeze and/or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  After slathering a layer of pesto,  I added the toasted pine nuts (which I almost burned... so watch the dry roasting in a pan very closely).  I sprinkled some chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Ina uses goat cheese, but I only had fresh feta.  (I opted not to add salt, which was a wise decision.) So, that's what I used.  If you aren't sure how to roll up palmiers, I show you how here.

After a rough week, on a Friday night, I'm not going for perfection in how I rolled them.  These are for a private party of two people, and we aren't fussy.  Slice them up and put them into a preheated oven at 400F for about 14 minutes.  I would check these sooner, because it depends on your oven and the thickness of your slices.

Look at that sizzling butter! Allow them to cool for a few minutes...

I am happy to report that the Duxelles are excellent rolled up in puff pastry!  C'mon, how could it not be?  We really loved Ina's combo of sun-dried tomatoes, pest and toasted pine nuts. I did not feel that salt was missing at all.

I can't say that I favored one version over another.  

I look forward to having home grown tomatoes again.  I still love Ina's Tomato and Three Cheese Tart-- which is also made with puff pastry.  For those of you who watch The Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, you will understand when I say that Craig is my "Jeffrey".  It's obvious that Ina cooks for her husband with a lot of love.  My husband appreciates everything that I make.  We really enjoy our quiet little Happy Hours at home.  I hope you try these sometime-- while they're a bit indulgent on butter, we whip up a small batch of these as an occasional treat.

I have some baking and roasting to get busy with this weekend, now that my oven is back!

TGIF from our kitchen,

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Cajun Chicken Pasta, from The Pioneer Woman

Last night, my oven died.  (Bows head for a moment of silence .)  That means that the recipes I had planned for the week need to change.  I miss my oven.  Dr. Craig says that the thingamajiggy that ignites the gas needs to be replaced.  Sigh.  At least the stove works, so I could finally make one of the Pioneer Woman's recent recipes she posted.  I liked the idea of using a Cajun mix of seasoning, so I bookmarked this one. Pasta is one of my favorite fast food dinners, after a busy day at the office.  Bell peppers are a vegetable that I always have in the fridge. I can hardly wait until summer, when I can grow my own again. I'm slowly learning to turn up the spice heat a little more, because my husband loves spicy food.  This is truly a 29 minute meal. Ready? Start a pot of water to boiling. I grabbed a box of fettuccine.  Don't forget to salt the water! Cook the pasta to al dente.  In the meantime:

You need chicken, red bell pepper, green bell pepper (I had red & yellow), red onion (I'm sure any kind of onion is just fine), minced garlic, and Roma tomatoes (canned can work, too).  I made my own Cajun seasoning like the one I used to make my version of Red Beans & Rice.  I use 1 Tablespoon each of sweet paprika,  garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoning Mix and oregano and one teaspoon cayenne.  You can find lots of Cajun seasoning mix, but I like to control my own sodium.

In some olive oil and unsalted butter, sear the meat; remove the chicken to a plate. Add the vegetables, garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook for a minute or two.  I added half the seasoning, using the rule of logic-- you can always add more heat, but you can't take it out!  Remove the vegetables and pile them on top of the chicken. Deglaze the pan with some white wine or vermouth.  Loosen up the bits of brown flavor and let it reduce for a few minute.  Add some heavy cream (or half & half) and let it thicken a little bit more. Don't fret (like I did) if the sauce doesn't thicken a lot. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust with salt & pepper.  The Pioneer Woman says to add lots of black pepper.  I didn't, because I don't like lots of black pepper. But that's the beauty of this recipe-- you can add whatever you want!

Pour the chicken, vegetables and all the yummy juices back into the pan. Add the cooked and drained pasta pasta and combine all that flavorful goodness.

Garnish with a some fresh parlsey...

This dish reminds us of a Blackened Chicken Fettuccine that my husband orders at our favorite local restaurant.  This version doesn't have as many fat grams, though!  It's also a lot cheaper to make for six people, than one restaurant serving for $18.95. My boys loved it a lot. They had heaping seconds.  I even think that mushrooms would be great in this dish.

How hot was it?  I'm a bit of a wimp about hot and spicy food.  The cayenne pepper said "hello", in my opinion, but I wasn't breathing fire.  I actually liked it.  My husband said it could have been hotter. All he had to do was to add the remaining spice and everybody was happy.

I'm going to link the recipe to my sister blog, "Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman".  A roundup of Ree's delectable recipes is posted every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month.   If you'd like to see Ree's own photos of how she makes this dish, it's on her blog.  Or, you can scroll down to the bottom of this post to view and print a recipe card.

Let's hope my oven is fixed by the weekend.  I am wanting to bake a recipe that I bookmarked, and I have all the ingredients on standby.   I'm crossing my fingers!

Three more days till the weekend-- and we get one more hour of daylight.  I'm so looking forward to that!

Blueberry Sour Cream Waffles

On weekends, I enjoy making breakfast.  I don't make pancakes or waffles very often-- usually choosing some kind of egg dish.  The exception is when locally grown strawberries are in season. That's when I make waffles, piled high with strawberries and real whipped cream.  I usually resort to using a waffle mix that I buy at Trader Joe's, which is pretty good. I've been wanting to find a recipe to make waffles from scratch, but most of the ones I've found involves whipping egg whites and gently folding them into the batter. What a hassle!  Last week, I noticed that Lisa (from the Cutting Edge of Ordinary) recipe for Blueberry Sour Cream Waffles.  I was intrigued by the recipe, so I decided that this would be our Sunday breakfast.  After church, we stopped to pick up a few things at the market and I was really hungry-- like, feed me now!  I rolled up my sleeves and dug in:

I had an unfinished bag of frozen blueberries-- less than a cup.   I did a quick thaw, by rinsing them with warm water.  The dry ingredients took minutes to whisk together-- flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  I sprinkled some of the dry ingredients on top of the blueberries and gently gave them a stir. Why?  It's a baker's trick I've used for the longest time, to keep berries from sinking to the bottom of the dough.  It's a habit, now.  Melt one stick of unsalted butter. Yes, one stick. It's a treat, trust me.

 The wet ingredients are 1/2 cup sour cream (I used lite), milk (I used 1%), 3 eggs and the melted butter.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet into the center. Stir just until combined-- unless you like tough waffles. We don't!  If using berries, very gently add them in. I didn't stir them a lot, because I didn't want to turn the batter purple.  It took about 10 minutes for me to make this. Who needs box mixes?

I've had this Belgian Waffle Maker for a very long time.  It takes about 1/2 cup of batter, and makes two waffles at a time-- but they're thick and we like them that way!  Cook the batter, according to your waffle maker.

I think waffles are made for melted butter...

I had both regular maple syrup and blueberry maple syrup. Decisions, decisions... blueberry, it is!

I think I just evolved from being a pancake lover to a waffle lover.  I have to tell you, that this is the recipe.  The waffles were hot, tender, flavorful... we both ate them hungrily.  Using lite sour cream and 1% milk didn't hurt the recipe one bit-- and, I think, it lessens the guilt for one stick of butter. Hey, whatever shortcut I can take, I'll take it! Craig ate four waffles. I ate three. We feel no shame.  I see so many possibilities with this recipe.  I still have olallieberries in my freezer.

I'm so glad I spotted Lisa's recipe.  If you've never visited her blog, it's amazing. She's a talented photographer, and I love her recipes. I've been lurking on her blog for quite some time, and I'm glad she shared this recipe. It's a keeper! I am linking this recipe to  the Saturday Blog Showcase today! Each Saturday bloggers have an opportunity to share a recipe that has been made from a fellow blogger's website. The hostesses are Ann at Thibeault's Table and Lori at All That Splatters.  Thanks Ann and Lori for creating a way to give kudos to fellow bloggers who inspire us to try their recipes!


If you'd like a printable recipe card, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

My work week looks pretty busy, but I hope to carve out some time to upload some recipes I've made.  I have about six to post, and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket, from Every Day Food, and Glazed Carrots

I have to give my son credit for inspiring me to make this recipe.  Brian doesn't have cable television, but he can receive PBS television.  As a result of this, he watches a lot of cooking shows. My son and I like Every Day Food  (Martha Stewart) because the recipes are very simple and don't involve complicated ingredients or instructions.  "Mom, please make this!" he pleaded, as we watched this episode together.  Last weekend, it was raining and cold. This was the perfect day to make a braised dinner.  What I love about braising is that I can buy inexpensive cuts of meat and cook it for several hours, resulting in tender meat and tasty sauces. Sounds good?  I found a 6 pound chunk of brisket for $3.50 pound.  I decided to use 1/3 of this chunk of meat and freeze two more portions for a later time. 

The ingredients list is short and simple.  You need shallots.  I love me some shallots! They're sweeter than traditional onions, and I always have them in my fridge.

You also need garlic.

Just smash the garlic and peel off the paper peels.  I cut my shallots chunky style.  We're about to sear the meat.  I have a friend who says she's can't sear meat. She says it never turns golden brown. My best advice is this-- pat the meat as dry as you can. No moisture, or it will steam.  I love my Dutch Oven, because I can turn the burner to screaming HOT and that's what you need.  HOT!  Here we go....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Season brisket with salt and pepper; in batches, cook, turning occasionally, until dark brown on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Transfer brisket to a plate and discard fat from pot.  NOTE: I cooked my 2 pound chunk of meat in one large slice. I didn't feel a need to cut it, but it's up to you. Look at all that fond!
Color = flavor.

Return the pot to high heat and add 2 teaspoons oil and shallots; cook, stirring, until shallots are browned, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.  We're about to deglaze all this tasty goodness. That translates to, adding liquid to loosen up all the brown bits to make an amazing sauce.  You could use beef stock, if you don't want to use wine. Me? I buy reasonably priced wine at Trader Joe's. I never, ever buy cooking wine-- it's salty and it's nasty!  I grabbed a bottle of Merlot from my stash of wines reserved for braising....

 Add wine and simmer rapidly until reduced by three-fourths, about 15 minutes.
TIP: I dip the end of my cooking spoon to leave a "mark" where the liquid started from. Now, when I dip the spoon, after reducing the liquid, I can see that it's reduced enough.

Because I have an herb garden, I decided to pick some Italian Parsley, marjoram and oregano and I tied it up and put it into the sauce.  I do this, because I think it adds extra flavor to sauces. Return beef to pot and add just enough water to cover meat (5 to 6 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, then place pot in oven. Cook until beef is tender, 3 ½ to 4 hours.  NOTE: You could use a slow cooker, but I was planning to be home anyway.  In my very honest opinion, I find braising in a Dutch Oven to be my preferred method. Somehow, I think the meat come out more tender.   The next photo isn't my best quality. The sun had gone down, and my natural lighting was pretty much done...

I wanted to show you how much the sauce had reduced!  I took a taste, 3/4 of the way through braising, and found the sauce to be missing something. I added some tomato paste (about 1 Tablespoon) and some thyme.

I removed the meat, and added some beef stock to the sauce...

This is the reward for waiting HOURS for a meal to be braised. The sauce was so flavorful. I liked the redness from the tomato pasta, and the herbs were perfect. 

The meat was super tender...

I served this with egg noodles with some unsalted butter and fresh parsley. I also made my own version of glazed carrots to go with this dish.   My son was very happy that I made it, and I have to say-- I'm glad that I did.  We had just enough to feed four people, or I would have made soup from the leftovers. It was all gone! 

I'm posting two printable versions for this Red Wine Braised Brisket recipe, and the Glazed Carrots. I'll print this for my son, who I think can easily make this dinner in his bachelor apartment. 

We are still having days of heavy rain, with beautiful and sunny days in between.  I'd better hurry up and post some of the other stews and braised dinners I've been making-- I think our Weber BBQ will be coming out of it's Winter Storage very soon!

Made with Love,

Easy Shepherd's Pie, adapted from Rachael Ray

I'm blogging in real time!  Usually, I wait until the weekends to organize and edit food photos. Tonight, is an exception. I wanted to share this recipe with you, because it's a family favorite-- and it was on the dinner table less than an hour after I arrived home from work.  I've been making this recipe for at least five years.  Today, we are experiencing heavy rain.  I wanted soup....maybe stew. Then I remembered, that I had thawed some ground lamb  and it was in the refrigerator.  Shepherd's Pie is one of my favorite "comfort casseroles" and this recipes has never failed to please my family. Rachael Ray calls this recipe "30 Minute Shepherd's Pie".  I'm quick with chopping, but this takes about 45 minutes to make. It's super easy, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry-- and it's flavorful. I've made some changes to the recipe, which I think improves the flavor.  You start with a combination of ground beef and ground lamb. You can go all beef, or you could go all turkey-- but, to me Shepherd's Pie needs lamb.
PREP WORK: Peel some Russet potatoes, cube them and start to cooking until fork tender.  Start cooking your meat....

Make room for the veggies and saute' them for about five minutes... meanwhile, start the gravy:

Season the meat with kosher salt and pepper. I also add thyme-- a palmful and 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste. Rachael doesn't, but I think it adds a lot more flavor.

I double the gravy by melted 4 Tablespoons butter, 4 Tablespoons flour, 4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce and 1 1/2 cups beef stock (you can always add more broth later on). Cook until the sauce thickens, and pour it into your meat filling.

If the meat filling is too thick, I add a little more beef stock. Now add some frozen peas. I use a lot--like a cup.  Mix it up and put it into a casserole dish. You can also put these in individual ramekins, would could be fun for company.

Yum.  (I won't say Yum-O)

I love the potatoes! Drain them, add 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese (sour cream works, but cream cheese is our favorite).   I used 1% milk, instead of heavy cream, and they were plenty creamy and flavorful.  I've got enough fat grams going, as it is!  Now add one egg yolks and mix. Adjust seasoning with some salt. Super creamy!  Add the potatoes on top and sprinkle with paprika-- for color. Fire up the broiler and move the rack to the top.

Broil until browned on top-- maybe five minutes, but watch closely!

Garnish with fresh parsley.  Poor a glass of Irish Harp Beer (I wish....) and serve Irish Soda Bread, if desired. A salad, on the side is good, too.  Start the log going in the fireplace...

Watch your loved ones looking anxiously for their serving to be dished....

There's a pub where I live that serves Shepherd's Pie, and I love it. Know what?

This one is just as good!  It's easy to make. After a 10 hour work day, I was able to pull this off and still have time to blog and unwind a bit.  This dish freezes really well, too.  Guess what's in my lunch box for tomorrow?  

If you love lamb, this is a great Shepherd's Pie. I'm gearing up for St. Patrick's Day, by thinking of traditional recipes from across The Pond.  So far, I've made Irish Soda Bread,, and now this family favorite recipe.  I think Colcannon is next, which I love!  To print the recipe, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

It's time to wind down and hit the sack. It's Rise 'N Shine at 5:30am.   Three more days until the weekend. I have so many recipes to blog-- and so little time!

I am enjoying and appreciating the rain,