Beef Barley Soup

The extraordinarily warm days have come to a close, at least for the next couple of weeks, so I have decided to keep some warming soup in the fridge for my lunches over the next few days. This afternoon, I treated my mom, M, and A to this delicious beef barley soup - a recipe from the Wegmans collection. It is incredible. And the beef is remarkably tender. And it makes A LOT!

You need:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (about 1 1/4 lbs) boneless beef short ribs, cubed
2 c. chopped mirepoix, or 2/3 c. each chopped onions, carrots, and celery *
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cups barley
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, plus additional to taste
2 cartons (32 oz each) beef stock
4 cups water

Heat olive oil in stockpot on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add beef; cook, stirring, about 10 min until beef browns. Add mirepoix. Cook, stirring, about 10 min, until veggies are soft and slightly brown. Add tomatoes. Reduce heat to MEDIUM; cook 10 min. Add barley and thyme. Cook 5 min. Add 1 Tbsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, culinary stock, and water. Bring to simmer on high. Reduce heat to low; cook about 45 min until barley is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Inspired by Wegmans Menu Magazine

Southwest Taco Pie

Every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday in our house. I try to get as adventurous as I can, because God knows there are only so many ways to make a taco! That's why when I saw this recipe in Parents Magazine this month, I had to give it a whirl. However, note that I didn't make the homemade crust. I admit, rather sheepishly, that whenever the coupons for Pillsbury ready made crust hit the newspaper, I stock up and freeze them. I always have tons on hand. As a result, I used a ready made crust, but for those of you looking to try something from scratch, you can find the recipe here. A loved it, heck we all did, and the leftovers are headed with me to V's house this morning!

You need:

• 1 recipe Southwest Whole-Wheat Pie Dough
• 1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1 1/4 ounce package reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup drained canned whole kernel corn (I use frozen, organic corn)
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (optional)
• 2 green onions, sliced (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, fluting edge as desired. Prick the bottom of the pastry with the tines of a fork. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and is set and dry.
2. In a large skillet cook turkey in hot oil over medium heat until browned. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until water has evaporated. Stir in beans and corn. Spoon turkey mixture into baked pie shell. Top with cheese.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes more or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Remove and cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
4. Top slices of pie with tomato, lettuce and sour cream and green onion, if desired.

Inspired by Parents Magazine

Chocolate Guinness Cake

This year, for our annual B/F family St. Patrick's Day parade and dinner party, I chose to make a chocolate Guinness cake. This recipe, different from the one I made a couple of years ago, comes from Nigella Lawson's website. The longest part of the recipe was using her converter tool to convert her metric measurements to our American/English standards (I've done the work here for you). However, it was otherwise a piece of cake (all puns intended) to make. Once it's baked and iced, it looks just like a pint of Guinness!

Note, the batter looks WAY too runny to be cake batter. Don't freak out. It comes out FANTASTIC. Just be sure to butter AND line your pan with parchment!

You need:

FOR THE CAKE

• 250ml (1 cup) Guinness
• 250g (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 75g (5 tbsp) cocoa
• 400g (1 3/4 c) caster sugar (granulated sugar)
• 1 x 142ml pot sour cream (2/3 c)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
• 275g (1 1/8 c) plain flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 300g (10 oz.)Philadelphia cream cheese
• 150g (2/3 c) icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
• 125ml (1/2 c) double or whipping cream

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C (350 F), and butter and line a 23cm ( 9 in.) springform tin.
2. Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter - in spoons or slices - and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
3. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.
4. When the cake's cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand and get on with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. Or do this in a processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.
5. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Inspired by Nigella Lawson

"Whatever Ya Got" Soup

Every once and a while, I like to clean out the freezer and vegetable drawer and create a soup. This is a really easy recipe, wicked fast, and only requires pantry items that most people have around the house already. Although any stock will do, I love how beef stock magnifies the flavor of the pasta, so it's my personal choice.

You need:

1 lb. mini ravioli or tortellini
32 oz. beef stock
4 c. water
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 red pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 bag frozen (organic) spinach
1 c. grape tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp. herbes de provence


In a large stock pot or dutch over, saute the carrots, peppers, onion, and garlic over medium heat until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the spinach and seasonings. Stir. Add stock, water, beans, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and fresh bread or biscuits.

Carrot Puree

C visited the doc today for his 6-mo well visit, and with that visit came the "clearance" to try the full array of fruits and veggies I can offer (except for strawberries and raspberries, of course). I was already making soup for dinner tonight, so I had loads of carrots in the fridge. It seemed a no-brainer to go ahead and try carrots tonight!

Just a reminder - carrots are not technically one of the dirty dozen (12 fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides when grown conventionally and/or internationally), but I still make sure to always buy organic. Unlike many other conventional v. organic choices, organic carrots are, on average, only 20 cents more a bag than conventional carrots. Unless the carrots are locally grown, go with organic.


You need:
10 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

Bring a pot of water to boil over a steamer basket. Add the carrots to the basket. Steam for 15 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two and then add to a food processor. Process until smooth. If a smoother, more liquified consistency is desired, add a little cooking water, breast milk, or formula (if using).

This recipe makes five 2oz. containers of carrot puree. Use within 24 hours if refrigerated or within 4 weeks if frozen.

King Cake

We decided to go big or go home in terms of dessert for Mardi Gras this year. Last year we picked up a couple of decorated cookies from Wegmans, but I was working, pregnant, and nauseous. This year, with a holiday the day before and daddy home with the fam, A and I decided to tackle the King Cake. Don't be frightened by the number of steps. It's actually really easy. The most difficult part is really the timing, because it needs to rise twice, so you want to make sure you time it in such a way that you can accomplish the entire task without feeling overwhelmed or finding a giant mass of dough in your house because you forgot to check it!

Needless to say, it turned out great. Our table was decorated with hats, masks, gold coins, beads, and a wicked delicious dessert. Note to moms - if you are interested in reading about Mardi Gras with your kids to prepare them for the event (if you choose to celebrate it), try Timothy Hubble and the King Cake Party or Mimi's First Mardi Gras. And be sure to remember where you put the plastic toy baby and "just happen" to serve that slice to the kids!


For the cake:
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
5 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
small plastic toy baby

For the filling:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

For the topping:
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. milk
gold, green, and purple colored sugar


For the cake, microwave the butter and milk until the bitter is almost melted, about 1 min. Stire the mixture and then microwave until completely melted, about another 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla extract and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, stir once and then let it rest for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour and sugar. Make a well in the middle and add the yeast mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold into the dry ingredients. Add the butter mixture, fold again, and then slowly add the eggs, folding to combine them as well. If you have a stand mixer, attach the dough hook, add the dough, and knead for 3 minutes. If not, transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and stretchy, about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a large, clean, lightly oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

When the dough has risen, begin the filling. Combine all of the filling ingredients together with a fork until well blended. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and roll into a 10 in by 16 in rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough. Roll, jelly roll style, up the dough and punch the seam closed with your fingers. Place the roll on a prepared (with parchment paper or butter) baking sheet (seam down) and shape it to form a circle. Place a ramekin in the middle to prevent it from closing during baking. It gets HUGE. Lightly wet the edges of the ring's ends and pinch them to seal them together. Cover the ring with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool. After about 5 minutes, insert the toy baby into the top of the cake. Cool for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the icing by whisking together the confectioners' sugar and milk. Ice the cake while it is still slightly warm and sprinkle with alternating green, gold, and purple sugars.

Inspired by Disney Family Fun Magazine

Jambalaya

This year, we made Jambalaya for our Mardi Gras dinner, a perfectly fattening dish to prepare us for the day of fasting ahead of us. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but (and I apologize for just how much information I'm sharing with you) my miserable case of mastitis kept me in bed and shivering for most of the day, other than the time it took to put dinner together for the fam. Amen to M for tackling this project with me. And A LOVED it. The andouille was a little spicy for her, so if you are making it for anyone with a particularly mild palate, replace it with a simpler firm sausage, such as kielbasa or a pre-cooked chicken sausage. Oh, and warning - this makes enough for TEN people. Invite friends or be prepared to share with the neighbors.

You need:

2 tbsp. olive oil
3 large onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 16 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth (organic, if possible, and low sodium)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
2 c. long grain rice
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 lb. andouille sausage, cut into half moons

Warm the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat (I use a dutch oven). Add teh onions, peppers, and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for five minutes more.

Stir in the tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, spices, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, chicken, and sausage. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan, for about 30 min.

Remove from the heat and let it sit for ten minutes to absorb remaining liquid. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Inspired by Disney Family Fun Magazine