St Patty's Dinner

@FoodNetwork #FNMag #StPatricksDay  We almost forgot to add our St Patty's Day dinner to our blog!  After a week long trip to Georgia for Mark, Bill decided to prepare to this as a surprise for him after his long drive back home.  The menu comes from a feature menu in the March 2013 issue of Food Network Magazine.

To start (and to add that green spirit) there was Watercress Soup with Whiskey Cream.  While this was a great, light, and flavorful soup, the watercress was not easy to come by in Winston.  Lowes - no; HT - no; Whole Foods - no; Trader Joe's - no; Fresh Market - yes, at long last!  (And, yes, I did go to all of those stores in that order before almost giving up.)  Watercress was a new ingredient for us -- a very peppery green that actually cooks nicely into this soup.  The topping, however, was the real treat.  Basically Jameson Irish whiskey and heavy whipping cream.  And, yes, you can taste the booze.

For the main course, it was Beef Potpies with Cheddar-Stout Crust.  While we have never heard of this as an Irish staple, it was a nice departure from the traditional Irish pub favs.  The filling is basically a braised beef stew.  The homemade crust makes the dish -- a combination of Irish cheddar (which was far easier to find than watercress, might I add) and stout beer.  The flavor of the cheddar really comes through nicely.

And, what Irish meal would be complete without a nice tall frosted glass of Guinness Stout.

Lasagna and Breadsticks

@BarillaUS @FoodNetwork #FNMag  You may have noticed a slight decline in the frequency of posts as of late -- this is not due to us falling out of the "blog-sphere," but rather a week of less than "bloggable" meals!  Last Sunday, though, we prepared one of our favorites -- Lasagna.  To go with the Lasagna, we also prepared a "Copy That!" featured in this month's Food Network Magazine - Almost Famous Stuffed Cheesy Bread (copied from Domino's).  


We love this recipe because not only does it make a tasty version of  the classic, but it is also made using Barilla's Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles, which means no boiling.  Now prepare yourself...wait for it...this 'fancy' recipe comes from the back of the box.  So if you want the recipe, just flip the box over (we also provided the link above).  But, trust us, we have made this countless times (all the way back to college years for Bill) and it does not disappoint.  It is also extraordinarily simple and you can prep it in less than 15 minutes with virtually no mess at all.  A couple variations that we have learned/used as we have made it: 

Try sub-ing cottage cheese for the ricotta if you want a slightly creamier cheesy consistency between layers.

You will almost always need more sauce than it calls for (2 jars) even if you follow the recipe measurements.  So, have an extra jar just in case you get to that all important top layer and find yourself with only a splash of sauce (not good eats!) 

If you are making this for two and don't want to eat leftovers for the next week, try halving the recipe and use a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.  It works just as well and will still leave you with some leftovers. 

A quick note on the breadsticks that we made to go with Lasagna.  They are great but they are quite involved (as is any dough based recipe).  But, damn, they are good!  If you make them, we might suggest doubling the mozzarella in the middle of the dough.  The recipe looks far more intimidating that it actually is to make.  Are they as good as the Domino's original?  Hmmm....not exactly....but they are a close second if you want to be a bit adventurous at home, and they certainly beat any of those frozen breadsticks or garlic breads (by a mile!). 

Enchiladas

It's Mexican Dinner Night!  Another cold wintry day in NC calls for a nice meal at the house.  Tonight, we turned to a dish that Bill learned to make several years ago (OK, more than 10 years ago) while in college before he headed off to Oaxaca, Mexico for a month -- Enchiladas!  This is a simple and original recipe passed down to Bill from his professor that accompanied him to Mexico for the trip. 

The recipe gets a bit messy with frying the tortilla shells and rolling them in tomato sauce, but the mess is part of the fun (so long as you have a helping hand in the kitchen).  As is Mexican tradition, these are simple and not overly complex like Americanized Mexican dishes.   We also have made these with chicken, and you can't go wrong with beef or chicken. 

With fried tortillas lots of mexi-cheese, how can you go wrong?  We absolutely love this dish served up with some rice and beans.

Here's a quick summary of how to make them (OK, be prepared we are not recipe chefs):

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small onion
• 1 small green pepper
• Mexi-cheese (2-3 cups)
• Large can (28oz) of tomato sauce
• 1 package of corn tortillas (fresh, not already fried)
• Canola (or veg) oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Chop the green pepper and onion.
3. With approx a tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, saute the green pepper and onion until slightly softened (approx 5-7 mins) over medium heat.
4. Add the ground beef to the frying pan and cook until browned.  Remove from heat.
5. Setup an assembly line with two plates, the beef, and a bowl of mexi-cheese.  Also, prepare another plate with about 20 pieces of paper towel, 3-4 lining the bottom of the plate and the rest just to the side.
6. Pour a few ounces of tomato sauce in the first plate (reserve remainder to refill the plate as you go).
7. In a small frying pan, heat about a cup of oil (enough to fry the shells in) and bring up to frying temperature on medium heat.  We prefer to splash a bit of water (very small amount) in the oil when you think it is getting hot -- it will 'pop' back at you when it is ready so be careful!
8. Use tongs to quickly fry a tortilla, flipping it once, just long enough to soften the tortilla (no more than 15-20 secs).
9. Transfer the tortilla to the plate lined with paper towels and use the remaining towels to pat the tortilla dry.  Then, transfer the tortilla to the plate with the tomato sauce. 
10. Dip each side of the tortilla in tomato sauce to coat it, then transfer it to the final plate.  Fill the center with beef and a bit of cheese.  Roll the tortilla and transfer it to a baking sheet coated with non stick cooking spray.
11. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
12. When you have all your tortillas prepared and lined up on the baking sheet, cover the tortillas with the remaining tomato sauce and then cover with a layer of mexi-cheese. 
13. Bake for approximately 12 minutes at 375 degrees (long enough to warm the enchiladas and melt the cheese).

Prepare the assembly line

Frying the tortilla (no more than 15-20 secs)

Coat each side of the tortilla in tomato sauce

Fill with beef and cheese and roll the enchilada

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Polenta

Beautiful Savoy cabbage freshly blanched

@FoodNetwork #FNMag  As was mentioned in a previous post, this past Saturday we passed the day with three bottles of wine and quality time together.  We did neglect to mention the adventurous meal we made.  We started prepping somewhere between our second and third bottle of wine, but we were committed to preparing this intriguing recipe from the November issue of Food Network Magazine, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Tomato Sauce.  This is certainly not a weeknight 'go to meal' but if you want to explore something less than traditional and have the time to commit, we would certainly recommend it.

Very simply, these are nothing more than a very flavorful (and homemade) sausage wrapped in Savoy cabbage and steamed to perfection.  They are topped with a simple semi-homemade tomato sauce.  Made with a blend of fresh herbs, Cognac, meats, and cheese, this sausage is not be understated. 

Rolling the sausage

We were, admittedly, a bit apprehensive with the next step -- wrapping these little gems of meat into blanched Savoy cabbage and rolling them tightly like you would a burrito.  Surprisingly, though, it was quite simple and all rolled without incident.  TIP: Buy fairly large heads of Savoy cabbage -- smaller leaves just do not work as well.  We actually bought three heads of Savoy so that we could experiment.  To finish off the cabbage rolls, they are steamed for 45 minutes in a steamer insert.  This not only softens the Savoy, but also keeps the sausage incredibly moist and melds all the flavors. 

As mentioned earlier, the accompanying tomato sauce is pretty simple and is 'kicked up' with 3 tablespoons of Cognac (though we can't say we could really taste it when all was said and done, but perhaps our palate was not perfectly attuned at that point in the day either).

They are all ready to be wrapped in Savoy!

We also prepared the Two Cheese Polenta that you can see in the final product photo below.  This dish is a perfect accompaniment to this recipe and made completely from scratch -- a first for us.  We did miss one ingredient at the store which is called for in the recipe -- fontina.  We used some smoked Gruyere we had left over from another meal. What a great substitute!  The smokey rich flavor of the Gruyere really brought this whole dish together. 

The recipe indicates 2+ hours of total time, but we might suggest setting aside at least 3 hours. Preparing this fun, new dinner on a cold winter night was a great ending to a great day "in."


Beautifully wrapped cabbage rolls -- not bad, huh?!

And...at long last...the finished product served on homemade Polenta.  Lots of pretty colors!!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

@SunnyAnderson #ChineseNewYear  @FoodNetwork  Happy Chinese New Year!  It's officially the year of the Snake now.  This day calls for one of our quick go-to dishes - Asian Lettuce Wraps.  Compliments of Sunny Anderson, we have made this dish countless times, and it seemed like a perfect dish for today.

A quick combination of Ginger, garlic, hoisin, soy, scallions, peanuts, and ground beef served with some fresh and crisp lettuce this makes for a light and flavorful dinner.  Served along some chicken egg rolls, we are now in the new year spirit!  Thanks, Sunny, for this great recipe - one of our favorites when we are craving some Asian flare at home!

Meatloaf

@Paula_Deen @FoodNetwork  Another icy night calls for another one of our go-to comfort foods -- home style meatloaf.  This past Friday was a true comfort food night.  The sleet started about noon and at 6 PM we realized we would not be headed anywhere until morning.  We have made Paula Deen's Old-Fashioned Meatloaf countless times and is one of our standbys.  A simple mix of ground beef, onions, peppers, oats, and tomatoes makes for a moist, delicious loaf each time.  

A quick side salad, veggie, and a glass of wine (or two) made for a great way to start our night in.  (For the two of us, there are always plenty of leftovers for, say, meatloaf sandwiches the next day.)

You can find the recipe here -- our only suggestion would be to consider doubling the ketchup-based topping.  Ketchup as an accompaniment works fine, too.

 

Slow Cooker Chili

When the temperatures falls, the slow cooker comes out for a nice hearty chili dinner.  It is a very simple, quick, and "set it and forget it" recipe.  If you are looking for a filling, veggie-loaded, and non-spicy chili -- this has it all.  Nothing fancy here - lots of canned veggies in the slow cooker and let it do it's magic.

 

You won't find this recipe in a fancy cookbook or even our go-to food websites, but rather it was a seemingly suspicious concoction on the back of a can of beans.  Yes, it came about one night over a year ago when we were trolling the pantry for a dinner idea.  But trust us, if you are looking for simple - give this a try - here is the recipe. 

 

By the way, if you haven't found the genius of slow cooker liners yet -- get them!  They will save you hours of soaking and scrubbing after the meal.     

 

The end product. 
Take note of the beautful servingware -- did we mention it makes great leftovers warmed up?