Smoked Tri-Tip, German Potato Salad, Cole Slaw and Christmas Music

Trevor is my very own Steven Raichlen.  Minus the tinted eyeglasses and denim shirt.

He is responsible for those beautiful tri-tips, rubbed with seasoning and brown sugar and smoked for several hours over low heat.  I made German Potato Salad (which was thisclose to being the best thing I've ever made) and a big bowl of cole slaw.  If you use the above linked recipe for German Potato Salad I suggest the following modifications:  1) Only use 2 cups of chicken stock and reduce the stock/vinegar mixture by a bit (I found my potatoes to be way too soupy and I had to strain out the liquid and cook it down further),  2) Use a bit more bacon and nix the vegetable oil, and 3) Don't be afraid to use a pungent whole-grain mustard and a touch more vinegar.

Merry almost Christmas y'all!

So Good

Thursday was a busy day.  I spent several hours waiting at the auto mechanics, gave stinky Cindy a bath, and then Trevor and I went Christmas shopping... on our bikes.  I gave him two options for dinner: pasta or pasta.   We ended up with a bubbling skillet of farfalle in a creamy cheese sauce topped with fresh thyme and buttered hunks of Italian bread.  On the side we had baby brussels sprouts, first par-boiled and then sauteed with bacon and a squeeze of fresh lemon.  While baby brussels sprouts are delicious and perhaps more palatable than larger brussels sprouts, they require about 3x the prep work.  I guess that's my penance for buying a vegetable just because it's cute.

Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from this recipe.  Serves 3-4 as a main course, 4-6 as a side.  

1 box pasta (macaroni, rigatoni, farfalle)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp Coleman's Mustard Powder

1-2 tbsp hot sauce (we like "August in Austin")

2 1/4-1/2 cups whole milk

2 cups grated cheddar

1 cup grated gruyere

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, plus additional butter

fresh thyme

Cook pasta until almost al dente in well-salted water.  Drain pasta and set aside.  Melt butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Whisk in flour to make a roux and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Whisk in mustard powder and hot sauce, then slowly whisk in milk to make a bechamel.  Slowly stir in cheese, being careful not to scald the cheese (you want the mixture to be hot but not too hot!) Season to taste with salt and black pepper if desired.  Fold cheese sauce into pasta and pour mixture into a well seasoned/buttered cast iron skillet.  Top with breadcrumbs and fresh thyme and dot with additional butter.  Bake for 20 minutes in a 425 oven or until cheese is bubbling and breadcrumbs are toasted.

December Barbeque

Yesterday afternoon we drove down to Johnny G's Meat Market in South Austin.  We tend to purchase most of our meat at Central Market or the Farmer's Market as we have yet to find a real butcher shop here in Austin.  Johnny G's seems to do most of their business in wholesale and restaurant supply.  The shop is in a little strip mall, and there isn't really much to it.  The displays don't bowl you over, and upon entering I wasn't sure that it was worth the 30 min drive (in traffic).  We purchased a pound of 80% lean hamburger meat and two two-lb. tri tip steaks.  Trevor had his sights set on a 20 lb. brisket and he was not happy when I said NO.
The hamburgers were excellent.  We'll cook the tri tips this weekend.  While Johnny G's is no Paulina Meat Market, I think it may be a good place to buy larger quantities of meat.  Steer clear of small talk though, these are uncharacteristically unchatty butchers.

Herbed Bacon and Tomato Egg-in-the-Hole, with Caper Dijon Mayo

When your budget is tight, breakfast is a great way to have a delicious dinner that doesn't cost a lot. Last night I made egg-in-the-hole but jazzed it up with herbed bacon, tomatoes, a blend of havarti & aged parmesan, and a side of Caper Dijon Mayo.

Egg-in-the-Hole

• 4 slices Sourdough Bread, 2 with a hole cut out (use glass, cookie cutter etc)
• 2 Eggs
• 4 slices Thick Cut Bacon (Oscar Mayer)
• 1 Tomato, thickly sliced
• 2 Sprig Rosemary, finely chopped
• 4 Sprigs Thyme, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• Cheese blend of your choice, finely shredded (I used my microplane)
• Butter

Caper Dijon Mayo

• Mayonnaise
• Champagne Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbs Capers, finely chopped
• Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

Side of seared fresh spinach

I cooked the bacon, garlic, rosemary and thyme over low-medium heat until crisp, then removed to a paper towel to dry. To that pan I added the sliced tomato and cooked over medium-high heat until slightly browned, then set aside. To that pan I added the fresh spinach and cooked on high heat until just wilting, then set aside to drain on paper towels.

In a new pan I melted apx 1 tbs of butter and a light spray of Pam and set the 4 pieces of bread inside. I dropped 1 egg into each piece of holed bread. Once the non-holed bread started to toast, I topped with the tomatoes, a handful of cheese and the bacon. Once the egg white was cooked through (may have to tent with foil) I flipped the egg bread onto the tomato/bacon/cheese bread.

I removed the sandwiches to a paper towel to dry then plated with the spinach and caper dijon mayo.

This was seeeriously yum! The herb infused bacon and tomatoes with the cheese and the egg yolk melting it all together was absolutely delish. Now I'm officially starving again...

Sarah's Wish List!

Caitlin, there are so many things I want- it is hard to choose! I shopped around online came up with my top 5-

1. Cookware Set: Cusinart Chef's Classic Stainless Steel 10 piece - $115.00 - I've been meaning to replace my pots and pans as they were handed down from an friend and are who-knows-how-old. I did a consumersearch.com search and found that the Cuisinart Chefs Classic 10 piece cookware set is one of the best budget sets around. 10 pieces for only $115!
2. Salt & Pepper Mills: Aspen Salt & Pepper Mill - I would love a pair of neutral S&P mills that can be used at the table, I like the look of the Aspen Salt & Pepper Mill from Target, they look very similar to the ones I had growing up.
3. Immersion Blender: Cusinart Smart Stick CSB-76 - $29.99. - While I was in Austin, Caitlin used this to make an easy tomato soup- I'd love to have this on hand to make quick & tasty weeknight soups. The Cusinart SmartStick CSB-76 is an inexpensive blender that got great reviews from Food & Wine and ConsumerSearch.com. It is available at Amazon.com for only $29.99.
4. Silpat Cookie Sheet - I would also love a silpat cookie sheet- apparently they are great for roasting vegetables, especially those that tend to stick
5. Dutch Oven: Le Creuset Wide Round 6 3/4 Qt - $255 - I've been wanting a pot like this for awhile as I have no heavy bottomed cookware. However, it's really expensive, so I'm not counting on it!

Wish List

1.  Small All-Clad Sauce Pan for sauces, reheating soup for one, oatmeal for two, etc.  Our smallest All-Clad is 4 quarts which is too big at times.
2.  Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Holiday Hand Care Set in "Iowa Pine"  I LOVE the dish soap, hand soap and counter spray in Lemon Verbena.  The Geranium, Lavender, Basil and Scent Free don't do it for me, but I'm pretty sure I would love the scent of Iowa Pine!
3.  Cuisinart 7-Speed Hand Mixer  This Thanksgiving we had to whip our whipped cream by hand. Not fun.
4.  Silpat Cookie Sheets  With my new mixer I'm going to be mixing up lots of cookie dough, so I will need these for baking. 
5.  Microplane Grater/Zester It is so not sexy to grate parmesan at the table with a big, box grater.

Sarah, what's on your wish list?

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

Last week Caitlin mentioned a recipe for Brown Sugar Cookies from our Great Grandma Wilson. I made them on Friday to go along with our holiday dinner. These cookies take no time at all and made our apartment smell delicious! They are a simple mix of 1 c. brown sugar, 2 sticks unsalted butter, 2 c flour, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 egg yolk. I hand mixed the dough then shaped into walnut sized balls, pressed with a fork and topped with a pecan. These bake for 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Careful not to overcook, the texture when they come out of the oven is deceiving but they will harden as they cool.

We also decorated our Christmas tree. This year I wanted an old fashioned tree with white lights, tinsel, cranberry/popcorn garlands etc. I thought the theme would work well with my collection of handmade construction paper ornaments. My friend Lauren and I have been creating new ornaments each year for the past few years. Here are a few of the new additions....

Fleet Foot and Noodle Bowl (Sarah)

Hot Dog with Cheese Whiz and Swine Flu (Lauren)

I made a cranberry garland using 2 bags of cranberries, floss and a needle. This took me about 3 hours, so make sure you are comfortable in front of a movie before starting this task. Tonight I'm going to make the popcorn garland and pick up some old fashioned bulbs to finish filling in the tree.

Roasted Cornish Hens with Panzanella Stuffing and Broccolini

On Friday night R and I picked up our Christmas tree and had a special holiday dinner. I thought Roasted Cornish Hens would be a great way to have a "feasty" feeling dinner, without cooking a whole turkey/chicken. I've never worked with Cornish hens but I found them easy to cook, inexpensive ($6 per) and I look forward to entertaining with them in the future!

Roasted Cornish Hens Cook Time: 40 minutes

• 2 Cornish Hens
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
• 3 Sprigs Rosemary
• Unsalted Butter, Softened
• S&P

Panzanella Stuffing Cook Time: 32 minutes

• 1 Loaf Sourdough Bread, Cubed
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/4 Cup Parsley, Chopped
• 2 Tbs Fresh Rosemary, Minced
• 2 Cups Canned Chopped Tomatoes, drained
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil

Broccoli Rabe Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

• 1 Bunch Broccoli Rabe, washed
• 2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
• Olive Oil

Recipes adapted from Food & Wine and Bobby Flay

I started by prepping my Panzanella stuffing. I preheated the oven to 425 and toasted the bread for 10 minutes. Once it was golden brown I removed and set aside. In a bowl I combined the garlic, parsley, rosemary and tomatoes and then added the bread and olive oil. I tossed until fully coated and placed in a Pam'd glass baking dish. I covered with foil and set aside.

Next I stuffed each hen with 1 smashed garlic clove and 2 sprigs rosemary, then rubbed the hen down with butter and finished with S&P. I twisted the wings behind the back of the hen, tied the legs together (this was tricky!) and placed into the oven to cook for 40 minutes. I didn't have a roasting pan so I used a pan with dips in it to catch the drippings. When 20 minutes had elapsed, I placed the stuffing in the oven (covered) to cook for 20 minutes.

When 40 minutes had elapsed I transferred the hens to a dish and tented with foil. I drained the drippings into a small saute pan and added about 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and let simmer (uncovered) to reduce. At this point I uncovered the stuffing and let cook for an additional 12 minutes, until the edges of the bread were browned.

Lastly, I cooked the broccoli rabe and garlic in olive oil over high heat, until the stems were tender and the leaves seared.

I drizzled the pan drippings over the hen before serving.

This was an easy and delicious dinner, and the presentation can't be beat! The best part of this meal was being able to use the same ingredients across all three parts of the dish, ultimately making it an inexpensive dinner with minimal prep. The hens taste very much like a regular sized chicken, no surprise there, and the flavors were pretty standard. Next time I would consider searing the chickens and doing a bit more to amplify their flavor- but they were simple and delicious as is. The panzanella stuffing was totally addictive, with crispy garlickly bread bites and the broccoli rabe was a perfect compliment to the meal.

Le Weekend

While Little Deli may have spelled my name wrong...

Caitlidn? Caitlinn? Caitlion?

At least they got the pizza right!  This is the second time we have ordered pizza from Little Deli, and we were not disappointed.  The crust is just thin enough, crispy and chewy, they are generous with the toppings, and on a Friday or Saturday night there's only a 15 or 20 minute wait!
Moving from Chicago to Austin I was nervous about the pizza situation.  In Chicago we lived right around the corner from Piece Pizza.  In addition to home-brewed beers that typically sent Trevor and me home with the spins, they make excellent thin crust pizzas that are ALWAYS worth the wait.  Pepperoni and banana peppers... Bacon and clams... Goat cheese and spinach... the list goes on.  We never got in to the Lou Malnati's thing with their dense, buttery pizza crust (essentially a pastry crust) + a good inch of cheese.  And beware the sausage, a thick 12 in. diameter hockey puck.  One slice can send you running to the restroom.  As far as deep dish goes, we found most of these Chicago institutions to be highly overrated.  Except for one.  One of the few food items Trevor and I crave, on a regular basis, is Pequod's and their caramelized cheese crusts.

Saturday night we had beautiful little filets that Trevor cooked on the grill.  (Thanks, Fortis Clearing House!)  I made overstuffed twice baked potatoes to go alongside.  One of my favorite baked potato toppings, as I have mentioned in the past, is a mixture of cottage cheese, shredded cheddar, and green onion.  I decided to use the same ingredients for my twice baked potato.  I baked the potatoes until soft and let them cool.  I then sliced them in half, scooped out the flesh, and mashed it with some butter and milk.  I stirred in a big scoop of cottage cheese and diced green onion and seasoned to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and scooped this mixture back into the potato skins.  Each stuffed potato was topped with a heavy grating of cheddar, a few rings of pickled jalapenos, and baked in a 425 oven for another twenty minutes.  The steaks were delicious, but these potatoes had it all going on.

Cindy spent the weekend looking for "the dot", i.e. one of those little red laser beam pet toys that we made the mistake of buying.  Trevor turned it on for all of 30 seconds on Friday and had to turn it off before Cindy dug a hole through our sisal carpet and the hardwood floor.  She's still looking for the little red pinprick of light.  Every now and then you'll catch her staring at a spot on the floor for a good five or ten minutes.  Trevor's worried that he ruined the dog.

Christmas Time is Here

I make most of my own ornaments.  Can you tell?

I was just chatting with Sarah and she asked if I had any family Christmas cookie recipes.  Sarah and R are decorating their tree tonight, and she wants to make some sweets for the occasion.  

I am lucky enough to have a set of my grandmother's recipe cards.  I keep them in this cute recipe box that my mom got for me in Holland.  

Growing up we made these EVERY Christmas.  Mom generally operated the cookie press, and Sarah, Whitney and I would decorate the cookies with colored sugar and cinnamon dots.  

These are another holiday favorite.  I love the simplicity of older recipes.  I am an impatient baker- I hate waiting for dough to firm in the refrigerator or bread to rise.  These cookies can be made in under 15 minutes, start to finish.

Now these I've never tried before... likely because poor old Great Aunt Louise made a bad call putting hard boiled egg yolks in her Christmas cookies.  If I were you, I'd stick to one of the top two recipes.

Happy Baking!

Spinach & Prosciutto Risotto with Pan Fried Chicken

This dinner sounds fancier than it actually was.  I took some leftovers from the fridge and threw them into a risotto, then banged a chicken breast flat, dredged it in flour, and pan fried it in butter.  Almost perfect, except I slighty oversalted the chicken.  I used water instead of stock in my risotto- I figured I'd get enough salt (and flavor) from the prosciutto.

Spinach & Prosciutto Risotto

1/2 cup chopped prosciutto

3 cups uncooked spinach, chopped

2 small-medium sized shallots, thinly sliced

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

freshly grated nutmeg

1-2 tbsp butter and 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Heat butter and oil in heavy bottomed pot.  Add shallots and cook until soft, then add prosciutto and cook until prosciutto is crisp and fragrant.  Remove prosciutto and shallots from the pan.  Add rice and toast gently.  Add white wine, and stir until creamy.  Slowly stir in hot water by the 1/2 cup (I used water from my hot tea kettle).  When rice has reached desired consistency, stir in prosciutto, shallots, spinach, and nutmeg.  Thin with a little more water, or add a drizzle of olive oil if desired.  I think this risotto would be EXCELLENT topped with a poached or fried egg.

Back to Business

I just returned from Chicago where I had a wonderful weekend visiting friends.  We gave Deirdre a proper send-off, getting manicures at Pinky's, dancing till 4 am, eating Grilled Cheese sandwiches at Hackney's, and bundling up to see the Zoo Lights.  Monday morning it snowed.  I love Chicago at Christmas!

 

Rewind to last week: Wednesday night Trevor and I had a picnic on the floor.  I picked up some pate de campagne, Maille cornichons, and a baguette.  We rounded out the meal with the leftover cheeses, grapes, olives and a bottle of red wine from Thanksgiving.  We had to put Cindy in her crate for this one- she really wanted a bite of that pate!

Thursday night I wanted to make something healthy, and I wanted there to be plenty of leftovers so that Trevor would have something good to eat while he was home alone studying.  I decided to make fried rice with whole grain brown rice, bok choy, red pepper, water chestnuts, fresh ginger, garlic and scallion.

I cooked the rice on Wednesday and left it in the fridge overnight.  You always want to use cold, pre-cooked rice for fried rice.  If you use hot, freshly cooked rice, you will have a big, sticky, mushy mess.  Fried rice is so easy, and you can throw almost anything in there (leftover cooked chicken, ham, tofu, veggies, etc.).  I use the technique I learned in home ec class in high school.  Other recipes suggest cooking the egg separately and serving the rice with strips of omelette on top.  I prefer the egg cooked in the rice. To each her own.

Fried Rice with Bok Choy, Red Pepper, and Fresh Ginger
Serves 4-6
3-4 cups cooked rice
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large head bok choy, rinsed well, whites and leaves chopped separately
1-2 tbsp. freshly minced ginger
2 cloves garlic
5-6 scallions, whites and greens chopped separately
3-4 eggs
3-4 tbsp. soy sauce
sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, sriracha and thai chili garlic sauce (optional)
Peanut oil for frying

Add oil to large skillet (or wok) and heat until very hot.  Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites, cooking until fragrant.  Add bok choy whites and red bell pepper, sauteeing 1-2 minutes.  Add rice and break up with wooden spoon.  Make a well in the center and add eggs.  "Scramble" eggs until halfway cooked, then stir into the rest of the rice.  Add soy sauce, chopped scallion greens and bok choy leaves, tossing to combine.  Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Black Bean and Bacon Pasta

Black Bean and Bacon Pasta

With Christmas right around the corner, my budget for groceries has reduced drastically. My goal for this week was to buy a few ingredients that could be used across various recipes, and would provide enough leftovers to bring to lunch with me. This is what I picked up-

• Long Grain White Rice
• Thin Spaghetti
• Shell Pasta
• Canned Black Beans
• Frozen Edamame
• Thick Cut Bacon
• Dozen Eggs
• Thyme
• Lg Onion
• 5 Tomatoes
• 2 Leeks
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Potato

Potential Meals.......Edamame/Parmesan/Bacon Risotto; Leek/Potato/Bacon Fritatta; Tomato/Lemon/Anchovy/Thyme Spaghetti; Pasta Carbonara

As you can tell from the above, this might not be the healthiest week, as I'm sure most meals will be bacon infused carbs- but you can't win them all!

Last night I made Black Bean and Bacon Pasta. I really love the flavor of cannelleni beans in pasta, and I thought black beans would make a really beautiful dark sauce, which would coat the pasta similar to squid ink.

Black Bean and Bacon Pasta Serves 6

• 4-5 Slices Thick Cut Bacon, Sliced into 1/2" strips
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbs Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Red Wine (chicken stock would work)
• 1 Can Tomato Juice, leftover from canned stewed tomatoes (chicken stock would work as well)
• 2-3 sprigs Thyme
• apx 1-2 tsp Cumin
• apx 1-2 tsp Oregano
• apx 1-2 tbs Chili Powder
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 smallish Scallions, chopped
• Parmesan Cheese
• Pasta of Choice

I started out by cooking the bacon over medium-low heat until crispy, then pushed to the side of the pan and added the onion, garlic and tomato paste. I cooked until fragrant then incorporated the cumin, oregano and chili powder. I let this cook until the onions were tender, then deglazed with the red wine. I allowed the wine to cook off a bit, 2-3 minutes, then added the bean juice and tomato water. I stirred together, added the thyme and cooked, covered on low heat, for about 15 minutes.

Tasty Bacon Red Wine Sauce

I boiled the pasta until al dente and added to the sauce, along with 1 ladle of pasta water and the chopped tomatoes. I covered and cooked on low-low heat for apx 3 minutes, until the pasta was cooked through. Right before serving I mixed in chopped scallions and parmesan cheese.

This dish turned out really well, and made an ENORMOUS amount of food. Because it's pretty hearty, it fills you up right away, so you end up eating less than you might think! Next time I would double the amount of scallions I used, and add more tomatoes. The tomatoes shrink even when cooked for just a few minutes, and that acid is necessary to cut the richness of the sauce. The scallions provide a crunchy texture and freshness to the dish. Cilantro would also be a great addition.