Allow me to introduce you to this recipe. We go way back. I first stumbled upon it when browsing The Spice House’s website (which is owned by Bill Penzey’s sister. They’re just a whole family chock full of spice tycoons, I tell ya). At the time, St. Patrick’s Day was right around the corner. I’m not a huge fan of corned beef, unless it’s in hash form. The recipe called for Guinness to be used, so I though it would be a festive alternative to the traditional corned beef and cabbage. I was right, it was a huge hit. I went out with some girlfriends that evening, and when I returned…it had all been consumed by the husband.  And make no mistakes folks, it was a large roast.

Needless to say, it since became my standard pot roast recipe. So much more flavor that your  standard Crock-Pot variety pot roast. Not only that, but I feel like it’s been improved upon by trying out different beers. I had heard wonderful things about coffee-braised pot roasts. So, I thought it would be very interesting to combine the two. Again, boy was I right!

We have  2 oh-so-wonderful local breweries in my area (hey – we don’t have much, but we’ve got good beer by God!). Both happen to make wonderful, rich dark stouts that use coffee in the brewing process. The first is Dogfish Head’s Chicory Stout. If you haven’t heard about DogFish, and like beer, do yourself a favor and try something out. You can find them nationwide, if you look hard enough. The second is Evolution Brewing Company’s Rise Up Stout.  “Evo” started  up about a year or so ago, right here on the Eastern Shore, and have been putting out wonderful craft beers. Chances are if you don’t live in the Chesapeake area, you won’t find them. But, by all means, get out there and explore the beer coolers at your local stores. Lots of great microbreweries are springing up all over the place. I’m sure you could find something near you that is equally as wonderful!

I don’t list potatoes in the recipe, but feel free to add them in with the rest of the other veggies. I usually use red potatoes that I’ve halved.  However, it’s wonderful with mashed potatoes too. You want as much of the gravy as you can get, folks. Enjoy this recipe, I promise you that you won’t miss that corned beef a bit!

Pot Roast with Stout Gravy

1 3-4 pound chuck roast

2 cups beef broth

16 oz of dark-colored stout

2 medium onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 2″ pieces

1 small head of cabbage, cut into wedges

2 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

3 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp cornstarch

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.  Place roast in pan, and sear well on both sides until nice and brown. Remove roast to plate and set aside. Add onions to the dutch oven and cook, stirring often, until the onions are starting to brown on the outsides. About 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the beef stock to the pan, then slide the beef into the stock. Cover, and cook for 1 hour.

Reduce oven temperature to 350. Remove the roast from the oven, add the stout, re-cover, and cook for an additional 1 hour 15 minutes.  Remove roast again, add the vegetables and re-cover. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.

To make the gravy, remove the roast (and, it will be falling apart!) and place on a platter. Then, remove the various vegetables and arrange them on the platter as well. Cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm while you make the gravy. Using a fine mesh strainer, pour the braising liquid into a medium saucepan. Combine the cornstarch and the cold water in a small dish, then add to the gravy. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cornstarch works it’s magic and the gravy thickens.

You can try to slice the pot roast, but I just like to use two forks to pull it apart into large chunks. Whatever floats your boat, though!

Source: adapted from The Spice House

I’ve always been a fan of stir-fries. Crisp veggies, tender strips of various proteins, savory sauces, rice – the perfect one dish meal. I came across this recipe when browsing old issues of Cook’s Country Magazine. I love their recipes because they are usually very easy. Wonderful on those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking!

I’ve always got a cache of boneless skinless chicken breasts, and we adore snow peas in this house…so I knew this one would be a winner.

On another note – can anyone believe it’s November already? This year has just flown by. I’ve signed up for a cooking class at the local community college. I have to wear a chefs jacket and hat – it’s so much fun! It is an International Cuisine course. This semester is mainly focusing on Asian and Caribbean cuisine. I have another 3 weeks of class, and I’m looking forward to signing up for another in the spring. Hoping to make a few “foodie” friends in the area. Not many of my friends really enjoy cooking, so I’d certainly like to find some who do!

Anywho, enjoy the cashew chicken. Really was a great dinner!

Cashew Chicken

Serves 4

Marinade and Sauce

1/2 cup mirin

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp + 4 tsp cornstarch

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir-Fry

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz snow peas, halved crosswise

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (8 0z) can whole water chestnuts, drained and sliced

1 cup toasted cashews, half of them roughly chopped

1. Whisk 3 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sesame oil, and 2 tbsp cornstarch in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. Whisk broth, Worcestershire, remaining mirin, remaining soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and remaining cornstarch in separate bowl and set aside.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the chicken, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Repeat with additional 2 tsp oil and remaining chicken.

4. Add remaining vegetable oil to empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook snow peas until bright green, about 1 minute. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water chestnuts and reserved broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Return chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in cashews. Serve.

We’ve had a slight chill in the air this week. As you might be able to tell from my last post, I’m thinking about fall. I’ve really been trying to go through my collection of cookbooks, as I have collected such a wonderful assortment over the years. This one is no exception. It’s written by Henry Hill, the notorious mobster that the film “Goodfellas” is based off of. Now, let me just say what a great “food movie” Goodfellas is. The razor thin garlic? The cannoli incident? So many good scenes. But, I digress. You get me talking about any classic mafia movie, and I could go on for days!

There are so many great recipes in this book, I diddn’t even know where to begin. After much deliberation, I decided on this wonderful minestrone. It was delicious, and a relatively easy. It wasn’t super quick as far as cooking time goes – at 2 hours. But, for me, as a general rule of thumb – a good soup can’t come together quickly. Just the way it is folks!

I like to pre-cook my pasta first. I find that it doesn’t get quite as overcooked in the leftovers that way. I used elbow macaroni in this batch – but feel free to use whatever you like or have handy. This is really a “clean your fridge” out kind of meal. Lots of room for additions and substitutions. I kind of felt like maybe it would benefit for corn? Or some canelli beans perhaps? I was out of Parmesan cheese (I know! I know!), but I’d definitely top the soup with some before serving. Or, if you happen to have a rind laying around in the refrigerator or freezer, feel free to toss that into the mix as well. Just make sure you remove it before dishing it up!

Serve with a nice green salad and some crusty bread. Perfect for the cool fall evenings we have ahead of us!

Minestrone

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 lb bacon or pancetta, diced

1 large onion, peeled and coarsley chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 leek, white and green parts, sliced

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes and juice

2 10.5 oz cans beef broth

2 cups water

large handful green beans

1/2 pound cabbage, sliced and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 small zucchinis, diced

1 cup pasta, cooked according to package directions

1/2 fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in a large pot. Add bacon or pancetta and cook, stirring, over medium heat 5-8 minutes (do not brown). Add carrots, celery, and leek and cook 5 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft. Crush or quarter the tomatoes. Add tomatoes and juice, broth, and water to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Snap off ends of green beans, break into approximately 2-inch pieces and add to pot. Add the cabbage, potatoes, zucchini, parsley, and dried herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, taste for seasonings  and cook for 1 more. After the second hour, add the cooked pasta and stir. Remove bay leaf and Parmesan rind if using.

Source:  adapted from The Wiseguy Cookbook by Henry Hill

Whenever we order Chinese carry-out, I usually end up getting lo mein. When I saw this post on Annie’s site, it looked so delicious, I couldn’t wait to try it. Very glad I did! It was a delicious dinner that came together in a matter of minutes. Not to mention, it’s pretty figure friendly! Any vegetables would be wonderful in this. I kind of used what I had on hand. Also, I cannot wait to try it with Chinese roasted pork (you know – the red tinted stuff?). I’ve seen it at my local grocer, have wanted to try it, but just wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Now I know!

I sort of had a hard time finding the lo mein noodles. Chances are you will find them in the International or Asian aisle of your supermarket. It seems to be hit or miss! You could use spaghetti noodles, but semolina pasta doesn’t absorb the sauce as well. I was shocked how much soy sauce goodness that these babies absorbed. It really was delicious!

This was plenty for myself and my husband, with a small portion leftover for leftovers. If you’ve got more than 2 folks to feed, I’d double the recipe.

Chicken Lo Mein

6 oz. lo mein noodles
1 tbsp  oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1/2 small onion, largely diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup snow peas
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Cook the lo mein noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.  In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Whisk well and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned and cooked through.  Add in the vegetables, each a few minutes apart, starting with the onion, carrot and bell peppers and ending with the snow peas.  Cook until tender, but retains a slight crunch.  Add in the garlic and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sauce to the pan, and then the cooked lo mein noodles.  Toss the mixture well to coat everything.  Drizzle with the sesame oil and toss once more.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats and Elly Says Opa!

My father has got one of the greenest thumbs that I’ve ever seen. Every summer, for as long as I can remember, my dad has had a HUGE garden. It’s actually come to be quite the spectacle at their current home. They live on Chincoteague Island, which is a popular tourist destination in summer. Evidently, people are not used to seeing a garden up close and personal. Every time we are visiting, there are folks stopping in the street to take pictures. Poor souls – I don’t know what I would do without a garden at my fingertips!

Last weekend my dad gave me two HUGE zucchinis. You know, the kind that are too big to do anything with? Then, I came across a post over at Erin’s site. It was the perfect use for these goliaths. Actually, I only used one. Any suggestions for the other?

These were seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve had in my life. And, I’ll tell you kids, I’m no stranger to a cupcake. The were so moist and delicious, they literally melted in your mouth. They would have been awesome “as is”. But then, to slather them with heavenly cream cheese frosting? OMG, make these.

I always have a cache of spices I am trying to use up, so I tweaked the original recipe a bit. I added in some allspice, as well as a pinch of 5-spice powder. If you don’t have those – feel free to omit them, they will still be just as good!

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp Chinese 5-Spice Powder
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 cups packed grated zucchini
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla, and zest until well blended; whisk in brown sugar until smooth. Stir in zucchini, then add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in walnuts.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

To finish, use an offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Adapted from: Erin’s Food Files

I have a confession: I was a risotto virgin. I know, I know… How could call myself a “foodie”, and not yet experienced a delicious masterpiece like risotto? Alas, I have now found it, and plan to keep it in my repertoire for a long time to come. It was ridiculously easy; not only to cook, but also to clean up as it is a “one dish meal”.  I can easily see it becoming a “go to” meal for those nights when I just don’t feel like cooking anything. You can pretty much throw anything in there with equally delicious results. A great way to clean out the refrigerator at the end of the week!

I was concerned that this dish would need a protein to go with it. So, I served it with seared scallops. Now, the scallops were delicious, don’t get me wrong. I made a balsamic reduction in the pan that I seared them in, and drizzled that over the whole mess. It definitely added an extra oomph, or “kicked it up a notch” if you will. But, both my husband and myself agreed that it could certainly stand on it’s own as a satisfying dinner – sans meat.

So, if you haven’t tried making risotto at home yet – do yourself a favor, and please do. I kick myself for waiting as long as I did!

Risotto Primavera

3-31/2 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

6 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 1/4 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine (I used  Chardonnay)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch  strips

1 yellow squash, quartered and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 lb asparagus, top 2 inches cut into diagonal 1/2 inch pieces (freeze bottoms to save for vegetable stock)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to achieve a gentle simmer, and maintain over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and add the bell pepper and 1 cup of the hot stock. Cook, stirring often, until most of the stock is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and asparagus and another 1 cup of the hot stock and simmer, stirring often, until most of it has been absorbed. Add another 1 cup of the hot stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has been absorbed and the risotto has a creamy consistency, about 20 minutes. Taste the rice; if it is hard in the center, add the remaining 1/2 cup stock and simmer, stirring, until absorbed and the grains are tender but slightly al dente.

Stir in the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

Adapted from: Williams-Sonoma Italian Favorites

This was my first recipe to try with Barefoot Bloggers. I love Ina Garten. She can come off a bit pretentious. But, her recipes are always wonderful. I could look at her cookbooks all day long. The photographs of the food and table settings are always just stunning.

At any rate, we really enjoyed the pasta salad. I must admit, it isn’t something I would have picked out on my own to try. But, I’m glad this recipe was chosen this month because it truly is a keeper!

Mix in a chopped grilled chicken breast, a can of tuna, or even a bit of salami and it’s a great summer dinner. Or, it keeps well for a few days to eat for lunch through out the week.

Ina’s Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

1 lb dried pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound whole milk mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style