Category: Cooking

Six generous servings:

1 piece of chuck roast, 4- 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat
Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, such as canola
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb carrot, julienned
2 onions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons flour
3 ½ cups beef stock, and red wine.
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 – 10 small onions
1 pound red potatoes or larger white potatoes in chunks
1 pound large mushrooms, quartered

Over high heat, pour sufficient oil to cover the bottom of a large Dutch Oven or other large heavy pot (we use a large French enameled iron pot), generously salt and pepper both sides of the roast and sear meat until well browned on both sides. Remove meat and pour off oil. Return pot to medium heat and add julienned carrots, celery, onion and the garlic. Cook stirring, adding a small amount of oil if necessary, until softened but not browned. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for 2-3 minutes. Return meat, adding water, tomato paste and herbs.

Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, cover (use aluminum foil under cover if it does not fit tightly). Place into preheated 300 degree oven and cook for 2 hours. Check at 1 hour and turn meat if it is not covered by liquid; add additional water if liquid is too thick – it should be the consistency of thin gravy.

At 2 – 2 ¼ hours, add remaining vegetables; the time varies according to size. Cook for a total of 3 hours. If the vegetables are not quite cooked, cover and let sit – cooking will continue using retained heat. Check for seasoning, adding salt or pepper to taste.

Sunday Hubby and I treated ourselves to some Babyback Ribs!

The night before (or at least 4 hours before you cook):
1. Thoroughly wash, rinse, and pat dry the ribs
2. Remove the membrane off the back of the ribs, if still on.
This is an important step as it allows the flavors to penetrate the ribs. Take a small knife, pierce it on the back (bone) side of the ribs and slowly lift up to pop a hole in the membrane and remove the entire membrane.
3. Rub the ribs thoroughly with the Dry Rub.
(I use my hands and thoroughly rub in the rub with my hands until completely coated)
4. Seal the ribs for marinating.
Following is the way that I prepare the ribs (if you feel uncomfortable using the plastic wrap, completely seal using heavy-duty aluminum foil).
– Wrap in the ribs in a high-quality plastic wrap (this may take two coats). This method produces the best ribs that will fall off the bones.
– Wrap again using heavy-duty aluminum foil, completely sealing in the ribs
5. Place the ribs in the refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight (at least 4 hours minimum)
6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
7. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and place on a cookie sheet (preferably on top a wire rack) and place in the oven
8. Cook for 2 ½ hours (depending on the size of your ribs. This recipe is based on a full rack of ribs. The ribs should be very tender and ready to fall of the bones).
9. Remove and leave rest 15 minutes. Unwrap the ribs (watch the steam!) and allow to rest 15 minutes to absorb the flavors and cool
10. Prepare your grill for cooking
11. Place the ribs on the grill over high heat, let cook for 5 minutes, then turn the ribs over and cook for 5 minutes more.
12. Thoroughly brush the ribs with the Traditional Barbecue Sauce and flip the ribs. Coat the other side with sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat this process twice.
13. Coat the top side one more time with sauce, remove, and Enjoy!

I did a video a couple of years ago on how I do them. So I will stick it in here so you can see.

Making the Ribs from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Good Ribs from Dackel Princess Maribeth on Vimeo.

Recently I had a new sandwich. Well, at least it was new for me, so I thought i would share it with you all.

The Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich, with Avocado!

I was leery about trying this combination, but I was told by the eager waiter, that it is one of their best sellers. So, throwing caution to the wind, I ordered this and felt as if I were truly being a wild child, living on the edge!

Do you ever notice how when you are about to try something new to eat, you fidget in your seat. You also crane your neck around to see what other patrons are eating, lest you find one who is eating that sandwich, and scowling!

After a short time, my sandwich arrived and the first thing I noted was the sheer size of it. Almost twice as large as a regular sandwich.

I studied it for a moment. It seemed to smell good, and certainly looked fine, so I lifted it up and took a bite! Oh my goodness…sheer heaven!

The waiter had sensed my anxiety over ordering such a new sandwich, so he soon returned to make sure I was enjoying my meal. From the expression on my face, it was quite apparent that I was enjoying every bite!

Here is the simple way to make this sandwich at home.

Fry up some bacon, and place it on paper towel to drain off any extra fat.

Meanwhile toast two slices of your favorite bread or croissant.

Slice a tomato.

Tear some lettuce.

Slice some avocado.

Now put it all together between the two slices of bread, using a little mayonnaise to moisten the sandwich.

Now some people, I have heard, also add a hard cooked egg, but to me that seemed like overkill.

Slice the sandwich in half and then enjoy!

Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients

• • 1 medium eggplant peeled, cut into very thin slices lengthwise
• • olive oil
• • 1/2 cup chopped onion
• . 3 links Sweet Turkey Italian Sausage
• • 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
• • 6 lasagna noodles
• • 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• • 8 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
• .  1 small egg
• • 1 cup shredded part skim Mozzarella cheese
• • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, brown eggplant slices in the oil; set aside. In same skillet add a little more olive oil and heat, cook onion 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until clear and fragrant. Add broken up sausage, mushrooms; cook about 6 to 7 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender, stir frequently. 
Cook lasagna noodles according to directions on package. Mix egg with ricotta cheese.  
In an 11 x 7 inch baking dish:
Spoon 1/4 cup of sauce.
Arrange alternate layers of 1) noodles, 2) ricotta, 3) mushroom mixture, 4) mozzarella cheese, 5) eggplant slices, 6) sauce, and 7)Parmesan cheese. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes until heated through. Serves 8.

Note: I also added some green pepper and crushed garlic to the onions and mushroom mixture.

I wanted to make my own taco salad cups so I searched and searched found a recipe and as usual, modified it! In the end we had a win, win, and I will definitely make this again.

INGREDIENTS:
6 burrito-size flour tortillas
Olive oil or Canola oil
6 oven-safe cups or canning jars

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, place the cups or jars upside down, evenly spacing them to make room for the tortillas that will be draped over them.

Microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable. Rub a teaspoon or so of oil on the front and back of the tortilla. I used my fingers so that I could make sure to coat the entire surface of the tortilla. It doesn’t need to be a heavy coating of oil, just enough to help the tortilla crisp up and not stick to the jar or cup. Drape each tortilla over a cup or jar (I found that the tall jelly/jam jars I had sitting in my cupboard worked great). I softly pressed the sides down a bit to help them form more of a bowl shape. Then used butchers twine to tie them securely.

Bake the tortilla bowls for about 8-10 minutes, checking often so they don’t burn, until the tortillas are nicely browned and crisp. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tortillas cool for a few minutes before gently removing them from the cups or jars.

FILL: with lettuce, tomatoes, Mexican spiced meat or chicken, salsa, sour cream, black olives, shredded cheese, and guacamole. Or anything else you might like. They were yummy!

The entire thing took me about 20 minutes to do.

I’ve been making this for a while now and we really enjoy it. In fact, it was what I made for dinner on Monday night!

Meatloaf!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
2 eggs (used egg beaters)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Spice Mix, recipe follows
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup fine dried bread crumbs

Spice Mix Recipe
(save the rest in airtight container.)
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, basil, thyme, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, and veal with a wooden spoon or with clean hands. Be sure to wash up afterward.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, ketchup, Spice Mix, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk to combine. Add the egg mixture to the meat mixture along with the cooled vegetables and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. Using your fingers or the back of the wooden spoon, smooth the top into a rounded loaf shape. Wash hands again.

Place strips of bacon on the top.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups fat free milk

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, salt, dried marjoram, dried thyme, and dried rubbed sage in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, turning to coat; shake off excess. Reserve remaining flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

Combine reserved flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add milk mixture to pan; place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with chops.

I decided to make a nice big batch of Italian Wedding Soup today, otherwise known as chicken and escarole soup. I had plenty of time, so I really worked slicing and mixing and in the end, the soup came out perfectly! So, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
1 large egg white(s), lightly beaten
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
1-1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 bunches of escarole, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups chicken cut into cubes
1 tsp basil
1 large onion, sweet-variety, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, egg white, bread crumbs, cheese, oregano and garlic powder; shape into 3/4-inch balls.

In a large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, onion, carrot, basil, chicken and meatballs. Return soup to boiling and then reduce heat to medium; cook at a slow boil for 15 minutes. Soup is done when meatballs float to the top and escarole is wilted. Yields about 1-1/2 cups of soup and 5 to 6 meatballs per serving.

Saturday was a Ski Swap down the area that I ski at in the winter. They don’t have much snow, yet, but today was their big Swap, Sale, Event, so Hubby and I got up early and headed down to Gunstock Mountain.

When we arrived I was shocked to see so many cars and people waiting to get in. We waited a good half an hour before going in. Was I ever glad that I had dressed warmly!

We looked at everything from books to poles, to skis, to clothes. And in the end…we bought nothing, but I was able to pick up my Season Ticket, so the trip was not for nothing!

After we stopped and stocked up on food for the dogs, especially their little biscuits! Then we came home and .I worked all afternoon to prepare Hubby a nice dinner. In the last few weeks I’ve totally blown a few of our dinners, so I was trying my hardest to score a good one!

I did and you can find the recipe HERE

I served it up with some mashed potatoes and a recipe I have for brussel sprouts. Here is the recipe for the brussel sprouts!

Brussel Sprout Saute

1 pound of Brussel sprouts
3-4 slices of bacon
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper
1 small onion chopped
In saucepan boil Brussel sprouts about 5-8 minutes or until sprouts are tender but still crisp. Drain and set aside.

In non stick skillet cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set on paper towel to cool. In the frying pan add onion and cook until the onion is cooked. Add garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Stir well. Cut the sprouts in half and add them and cook until the Brussel sprouts begin to brown. Place in serving bowl and crumble bacon over the top. Serve hot! Enjoy!

Yes, it was a good meal!