Skillet Chili Mac

   I love the fact that this recipe is made start-to-finish in one pan. The original recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, The Best 30-Minute Recipe. Although, admittedly, I am such a slow poke when it comes to cooking, any recipe that says "30 minutes" usually takes me at least 45. But this is a dish that has made few appearances in the dinner rotation. It's easy and very family friendly.

   I made a couple of changes to the original recipe. I just played with the spices a little bit, used whole-grain macaroni instead of regular and used a different cheese. Nothing major.

Also, the recipe says it serves 4, but I think you could easily serve 6. The skillet is pretty much full.

Skillet Chili Mac

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

1 1/2 t. canola oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

1 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

1/8 - 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (to taste, I used 1/8 t.)

salt & pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. brown sugar

1 (15 oz. can of tomato sauce)

2 c. water

8 oz. whole grain macaroni

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

What you do:

1. Heat the oil in a large (12 inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until it looses all the pink color, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.

2. Add brown sugar, tomato sauce, water and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat so that it maintains a lively simmer (somewhere between medium/medium-high heat), until the macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes or so. Season with salt & pepper if needed.

3. Off heat, stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

*adapted from : The Best 30-Minute Recipe

Nebraska Beef Buns

I came across this recipe in the latest issue of Cook's Country  magazine and couldn't resist giving it a try. It's a regional favorite (also known as "runsas" or "bierocks") that features a soft and tender yeast roll that's filled with a mixture of ground beef, cabbage and cheese. It seems like a fussy recipe but in actuality, other than the time it took for the yeast dough to rise, this dish came together quite quickly and easily. Plus the dough was a dream to work with. My brain is already at work thinking about what else I could fill these buns with.

Nebraska Beef Buns

~makes 12~

Note* We liked these buns served with ketchup.

Ingredients:

the filling

4 t. canola oil, divided

2 lb. extra-lean ground beef

salt and pepper

1 onion, chopped fine

4 c. finely chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 a small head of cabbage)

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

8 oz. Colby-Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 c.)

dough

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. water

6 T. unsalted butter

1/4 c. sugar

3 1/2 - 3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. instant or rapid-rise yeast

1/2 t. salt

1 egg lightly beaten, plus 1 egg beaten with 1 T. water

Instructions:
1. Make the filling: Heat 2 t. oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Add the ground beef, 1 t. salt and 1 t. pepper and cook, breaking up the meat until the liquid evaporates and the meat starts to sizzle, 10-15 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. Return the pot to the heat, add the remaining oil and onion. Cook until just starting to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add drained beef, cabbage and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid completely evaporates and the mixture begins to sizzle again, 5-7 minutes more.

3. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and let cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the cheese and let cool to room temperature.

4. Prepare the dough: Grease a large bowl and set aside. Combine milk, water, butter and sugar in a microwave-safe container. Microwave until it reaches 110 degrees, 1-2 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can do this by hand as well), add 3 1/2 c. flour, yeast and salt. Mix to combine. With the machine running on low, slowly add in the milk-butter mixture, then the lightly beaten egg. Mix until dough comes together, about 3 minutes.

5. Increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, about 8 minutes. If at about the 4 minute mark the dough still looks wet and sticky, add in the remaining flour, 1 T. at a time until the dough looks as it should. Transfer dough to the greased bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap, let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40-60 minutes.

6. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower middle-positions and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.

7. Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap while you work. Roll out into an approximate 5 1/2 inch circle. Using a 1/2 c. measure, lightly pack the measuring cup with the beef mixture. Scoop out onto the rolled out dough. Bring the edges of the dough up the sides of the filling and pinch the seams together to close the dough around the filling. Place seam-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place 6 buns on each baking sheet, placing 2 inches apart. Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

8. When risen, remove plastic wrap and brush each bun with egg/water mixture. Place the baking sheets, one on the upper rack, the other on the lower rack, and bake until golden brown, 22-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets, front to back and top to bottom, halfway through the baking time. Remove buns to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe source: adapted barely from Cook's Country Magazine

Vietnamese Banh Mi Steak Sandwich

Spring break is in full swing at my house. We are enjoying the proverbial "staycation" at the moment. These kind are ideal in some ways, but it can be a lot of work staying home with energetic kids.

 For instance:

I experienced complete mental taxation this afternoon was when my 7 year old came in to me with a huge, and I mean GIGANTIC spider that he caught while playing outside. He comes into me, smiling ear to ear like that spider is just the greatest thing ever. I tried to be a good sport about it but inside I think I was having a mini heart attack. (..mind over matter.. mind over matter..mind over matter..)

I flipping hate spiders!

So all day he had his spider box, lovingly collecting grasses and other little insects to add to it. While I tried to remain supportive and cautiously kept my distance. Thankfully the spider is back outside where he belongs now.

But other than that, today was an unexpectedly gorgeous day here. My husband got out and mowed the grass for the first time this year and we also pulled our patio furniture out of the garage. And that inspired me to make us an early dinner that we could all enjoy in the back yard together. Spring is in the air big time today and I love it!!

My happy countenance definitely helped this meal come to be.

 My kitchen was like an obstacle course this afternoon.

I had my 11 year old son working a delicate feat of lego brilliance all over the kitchen table.
While my little 7 year old shadow was running a restaurant right next to me, complete with setting up all kinds of little tables and props all throughout my kitchen.

And of course he needed to make food too.

On the prix fixe menu at Chez Jacob there were freshly peeled oranges, red grapes, pretzels and orange juice, (he is a man with a simple palate).

On a side note, he did make sure I was wearing my apron though, which I always seem to forget to do. So thanks for that, son.

To top things off, my 10 month old german loves to lay literally right under my feet when I am trying to prepare food. She has done this pretty much since the day we brought her home as a puppy. It's sweet...and annoying at the same time

My kitchen was in total chaos.

But in my heart I kept thinking, "this is what life's all about".

I couldn't have been happier.

Vietnamese Banh Mi Steak Sandwich

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

For the pickled carrots and daikon radish

1/2 c. peeled, matchstick-cut carrots

1/2 c. peeled, matchstick-cut daikon radish

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. rice vinegar

1 T. sugar

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. red pepper flakes

For the spicy mayo

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 T. siracha hot sauce, or as much as you personally prefer, I like it fairly spicy

salt to taste

For the rest of the sandwich

1 baguette (I like to use a take 'n' bake baguette from the bakery of my local grocery store), split for sandwiches

1 lb. flank steak

salt & pepper

2 t. canola oil

english cucumber, sliced thin on an angle

cilantro leaves

Instructions:

1. Make the pickled carrots and daikon: Place carrots and daikon in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan combine water, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Bring just to a simmer. Pour pickling liquid over the vegetables. Set aside while making the sandwich. (At least 30 minutes, longer if you can.)

2. Make the spicy mayo: Mix together ingredients for the spicy mayo, seasoning to taste with salt. Set aside.

3. Sear the steak: Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Add the steak and brown well on the first side, 3-5 minutes. Flip steak over and reduce the heat to medium, cook steak about 5-8 minutes longer (125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for medium rare). Transfer steak to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

4. Assemble sandwiches: Drain the pickled vegetables well. On each side of a roll, spread some of the spicy mayo. On the bottom half, add a layer of cucumber, then steak, then pickled vegetables, then cilantro, then top the top half of the roll. 

5. Dig in!

Pan-Seared Strip Steak with Cowboy Steak Sauce and Spicy Potato Wedges

Fridays are usually my busiest day of the week. That's the day I run all my errands. Typically I give myself a pass to not post anything on Friday. But this week I felt in a bit of a panic to get a post up. This afternoon was the official kickoff for Spring Break for my boys and starting tomorrow afternoon my husband will be on vacation for the next week. Yay! This is rare in our house, to all get time off together. So it was a major stock-up day at the grocery store, buying up everything I could to keep my three guys satisfied all week long. It isn't until I need to do one of those shopping trips that I realize how much they eat outside of the house. I must have bought at least twice the amount I usually do in a week.

Anyway I felt like I better post while there was inspiration to because I know next week could get busy. And in the spirit of having all three of my men around me I thought I'd kick-off vacation week with some guy-friendly food.

Pan-Seared Strip Steak with Cowboy Steak Sauce and Spicy Potato Wedges

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

For the Cowboy Steak Sauce:

1/2 c. strong coffee

1/3 c. raisins

2 T. barbecue sauce

2 T. ketchup

3 T. worcestershire sauce

2 T. vinegar

1 T. dijon mustard

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (2-3 t.)

For the Spicy Potato Wedges:

1 t. smoked paprika

1 t. garlic powder

3/4 t. cumin

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 c. canola oil

2 lb. russet potatoes (3-4 large), each cut into 8 wedges

1. T chopped fresh parley

For the Steak:

4 1/2-inch thick strip steaks 

salt and pepper

2 t. canola oil

Instructions:

1. Make the steak sauce. In a medium bowl, add coffee and raisins. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until it comes to a boil, 1-3 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, letting the raisins soften. In a blender combine remaining ingredients for steak sauce and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about a week or can be frozen for about a month. Makes about 1 cup.

2. Prepare the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add in canola oil and blend until smooth. Add potatoes and toss until thoroughly combined. Spread in an even layer onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 1 hour, flipping the potatoes halfway through baking time. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to finish.

3.Make the steaks. Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the steaks and cook without moving about 3 minutes per side or until steaks reach desired doneness. You may need to cook the steaks in 2 batches if your skillet isn't beg enough to fit the steaks without touching each other. Remove steaks to a platter and tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve steaks with sauce and potato wedges.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Twice-Baked Potatoes

I LOVE it when I can make a dinner work double-duty for me. Admittedly it doesn't happen all that often in my house though. With a meat-and-potatoes husband and 2 growing boys under my roof, leftovers tend to go go quick around here. I made corned beef and cabbage over St. Paddy's day weekend and knew ahead of time I wanted to make these twice-baked potatoes with some of the leftovers. So I had to move with a quickness and call out dibs on the leftovers before anyone else could get their hands on them.

My inspiration for these potatoes came in part from the Irish dish colcannon, which is basically mashed potatoes with cabbage, a little ham or bacon and often times an obscene amount of butter. (Yum!) And who doesn't love twice-baked potatoes? Marry those two dishes together along with super flavorful and tender chunks of corned-beef, the results were delicious!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Twice-Baked Potatoes

~serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish~

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes, 8-10 oz. each, scrubbed clean

oil for rubbing on potatoes

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 t. salt 

1/4 t pepper 

1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. milk
1 T. whole-grain mustard

1 1/4 c. rough chopped corned beef

2 c. leftover cooked cabbage

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Rub each potato lightly with oil. Bake the potatoes until completely tender, about an hour. Remove potatoes from the oven but don't turn the oven off. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes.

2. Halve each potato lengthwise and scoop out the potato flesh into a large bowl using a soup spoon, being careful to leave about a 3/8 inch layer of potato flesh in the skin (this keeps the potato skin stable). Return the hollowed-out potato skins to the oven to dry out and crisp up slightly, about 10 min. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Mash the potato flesh until mostly smooth using a fork or a potato masher. Add the melted butter, salt and pepper, mix to combine. Add the sour cream, milk and mustard, mix to combine again. Add the corned beef, cabbage and 1 c. of the cheese, mix thoroughly.

4. Mound the filing into the potato skins on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Return to the 400 degree oven, bake 10 min. Keeping the oven rack in the middle position, turn on the broiler and broil until the cheese turns spotty brown, 3-5minutes. 

Guinness-Braised Short Ribs

This year for St. Paddy's day I was pretty certain I wanted to make Guinness Stew. But then I got to thinking, since this is my first official food holiday since starting my blog a couple weeks ago, I should do something a little more special. So I became inspired to rework a rustic Guinness Stew into a more refined Guiness-Braised Short Ribs.

I love short ribs. They have so much potential for deliciousness. Braised in a flavorful liquid, the meat becomes unctuous and fork-tender and the bones and fat impart a lovely richness to the sauce. The main pitfall to watch out for when cooking short ribs is avoiding a ultra greasy sauce. I combat this in a couple of ways. First I prebake the short-ribs for about an hour in a super hot oven. This renders a lot of initial fat (I ended up with a good half cup), and at the same time browns the short ribs up nicely, developing great flavor. The other step, which in my opinion is a crucial one, I let the braising liquid fully cool overnight in the refrigerator before serving. The excess fat solidifies and you can easily remove it the next day before reheating. And if you are at all familiar with what happens to soup and stew after they hang around for a day or two, often times they taste better as they sit & this is certainly the case here.

I also decided, in the spirit of my refined St. Paddy's day feast, instead of stewing all my veggies together in the braising liquid, I'd make a separate side dish of glazed parsnips, carrots and pearl onions. I hope you enjoy these recipes. We certainly did.

Guinness-Braised Short Ribs

~serves 6~

Serve this dish over mashed potatoes along with Glazed Parsnips, Carrots and Pearl Onions (recipe follows).

Ingredients:

5 lb. beef short ribs

3 med. onions, chopped

2 med. carrots, chopped

2 T. flour

1 1/2 c. Guinness beer

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 T. minced fresh thyme

1 T. light brown sugar

2 bay leaves

2 T. apple cider vinegar

salt & pepper

freshly minced parsley

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place ribs, bone-side down in a large roasting pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, drain off fat, ( a bulb tukey baster works well) reserving 2 tablespoons. Continue to roast 15 more minutes, 1 hour total. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.

2. Remove ribs to a large plate, set aside. Immediately add the Guinness to the roasting pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the drippings left in the pan from the roasted ribs. Set the roasting pan with the beer aside.

3.Heat the reserved 2 tablespoons beef drippings in a large, oven proof dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots, saute, stirring occasionally until vegetables soften, about 12 minutes. Stir flour into vegetables, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beer from the roasting pan, chicken broth, chocolate, thyme, brown sugar, bay leaves and cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil. Add the ribs and return to a boil. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to simmer for 2 hours (ribs should be tender and starting to fall off the bone).

4. Transfer the ribs to a large plate. Strain the braising liquid through a fine mesh strainer, into a large bowl, pressing on the cooked vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Cover ribs and liquid with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. (Ribs can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

5. When ready to serve, spoon off the solidified fat from the braising liquid. Pour into the dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium heat adjusting the seasoning to taste. Add the ribs to the simmering sauce to reheat   (this should take 10-15 minutes). Serve the sauce over the ribs, garnishing with parsley.