Good Eats

Beef Bolognese

this recipe is so good, my kids will skip the noodles altogether and just eat the sauce like right out of the bowl.  it is flavorful and has a slight kick to hit thanks to some red pepper which is one of my favorite things to throw into recipes because most foods need a little spice.

The Good Stuff That Goes IN:

1 lb lean ground sirloin or chuck
1/2 lb Italian sausage (mild or hot, depending on your taste - i like the hot)
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots grated
1/2 cup celery
1 cup Merlot
1 can crushed tomatoes (the normal size can, not the big one)
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
Red Pepper flakes, to taste
Kosher salt to taste
Lemon pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

The 411 on how to:

In big pan, I like to use my wok because it's plenty big, pour a tiny bit of olive oil and heat. Throw garlic in the oil and saute for a 30 seconds.  Add the beef and crumble the Italian sausage into the pan.  Brown meat on medium heat.

Add the onions, celery, carrots, and tomato paste and saute until the onions appear kind of translucent (see-through) - maybe 5-7 minutes.

Add the Merlot, making sure to scrape the bits of meat and veggie that may be sticking to the pan (in short, deglaze).  Bring everything to a boil and then reduce until the liquid is almost gone.

Stir in the tomatoes and the heavy cream.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring ever so often.

Now hear comes the part that leads to experimentation.  Season with red pepper flakes, lemon pepper, kosher salt, and Italian seasoning to taste - for me that is like a dash of each.

Simmer on low for 10-15 more minutes to get the flavors to really blend together - your house should smell pretty darn good right now, making everyone wonder what is going on in the kitchen.

Serve over your choice of pasta or over polenta.  If you can't find polenta at your grocery store, just use regular ol' Quaker Corn Meal.  You cook the POlenta in broth, and milk and stir in some parmesan.  I like the Parmesan-Reggiano blend at Sam's.

I guarantee lots of flavor.  Bland.  I think not!

testing 1..2..3...

not food-related.  sorry. just playing 'round with some settings.  just trying to see how big i can go.

Simple and Delicious Chicken with Potatoes and Asparagus

I modify almost every recipe I make just because I believe a good tweak here and there make good recipes even better.  This is recipe #326 out of Rachel Ray's cookbook No Repeats.

It is flavorful and my kids raved about it when I've made it.

The Good Stuff That Goes In It:

3 T extra virgin olive oil

6 boneless chix breasts

1 T thyme (it says to use fresh but i used bottled and it came out fine plus i added a little more to suit my taste)

2 T butter

6 red potatoes sliced very thin

1 med yellow onion thin-sliced

1/2 C white cooking wine

1 T Jack daniels Honey Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (i just made this with bouillion)

1 pound think asparagus trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

chopped parsley (for garnish - i used bottled)

and the 411 on how to make it:

eason chicken with salt, lemon pepper, and thyme.  Cook chicken in 2 T extra virgin olive oil over medium heat about 5-6 minutes on each side (until cooked through).  Remove chicken to plate and keep warm.  Add the other T of olive oil to pan and the 2T butter.  Add the potatoes and season with salt, lemon pepper, and thyme.  Cook until lightly browned.  Add sliced onions and cook for about 3 minutes.  Then add wine, mustard, and chicken stock and bring to a bubble.  Then add asparagus.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook until potatoes and asparagus is tender.  Pour potatoes and asparagus into serving platter and serve the breasts on top.  Garnish with parsley.

Brie Quesadillas and Mango Salsa

i love cheese, especially ones with good flavor.  Brie is one of those cheeses.  You need to let it stand to room temperature and yes, you can eat the rind and all.  Bad brie that is overripe will smell like ammonia.  Brie is especially good baked into souffles and other pastries as well as yes, quesadillas.  Combining the tasty brie with a fruity mango salsa makes for a delectable appetizer.

Ingredients:

one wheel of brie, how much depends on how much you want to make
crushed pecans
1 mango
1/3 of a papaya
1 serrano chile
cilantro, chopped fine

How to:

Slice the brie thinly.  Place slices on a tortilla and sprinkle with crushed pecans.  PLace other tortilla on top so that the brie is sandwiched between.  Warm the tortillas through in the oven or if you have one of those cool quesadilla/sandwich warmer appliances use that. Cook until cheese is melted through.

To make the salsa, chop up mango and papaya and mix in a bowl.  Fine chop a seeded serrano chile and toss in with the mango and papaya. Fine chop some cilantro and mix in well. You could also add some fine chopped purple onion if you want.

Serve salsa on top of the quesadillas.

Enjoy :)  these are beyond yummy!