My favorite Captain and our Memorial Day menu

We had a great Memorial Day! The weather was warm which was great for all the yard work my husband was able to get done and it allowed us to grill out and enjoy our dinner on the deck (with Ally playing in her exersaucer just inside the screen door). We were able to pull out the fire pit after Ally was in bed and enjoy some smores and a glass of wine....great way to wrap up what for us was a 4 day weekend!

My favorite USAF Captain and our baby girl

Our menu for Memorial Day consisted of Marinated Veggie and Beef Kabobs and New England Baked Beans. I've never made baked beans from scratch....Bush's baked beans have served us well for quite some time, and I now know why baked beans are so convenient out of a can...it's time consuming to make them from scratch! The taste was worth the effort, just may not be something I do again in the near future.

Marinated Veggie and Beef Kabobs (ToH)

1 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup olive oil

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

4 tsp Italian seasoning

1 Tbls garlic powder

2 tsp seasoned salt

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 beef top sirloin steak (1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1-inch cubes

8 cherry tomatoes

1 large red onion

1 medium green pepper

1 yellow summer squash

1 medium zucchini

In a small bowl, combine first eight ingredients. Pour half the marinade into a large resealable bag. Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Pour remaining marinade into another large resealable plastic bag; add tomatoes. Cut remaining vegetables into 1-in pieces; add to bag. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate beef and vegetables for at least 2 hours. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade from beef. Drain vegetables, reserving marinade for basting. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread beef and vegetables. Grill, covered over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness, basting frequently with reserved marinade and turning occasionally.

New England Baked Beans (ToH April/May 2010)

1 lb dried great northern beans

1/2 lb thick-sliced bacon, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups ketchup

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Sort beans and rinse with cold water. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add enough water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour or until beans are softened. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. return beans to Dutch oven; add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are almost tender. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 2 Tbls drippings. Saute onions in drippings until tender. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid; place in an ungreased 3-qt baking dish. Stir in onion mixture and bacon. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender and reach desired consistency, stirring every 30 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid as needed. Serves 12 (2/3 cup each).

Finally posting some new recipes!!

Wow...it has been a busy couple of months! After Ally was born toward the end of October, the majority of weeks leading up to Christmas have been filled with company. It was great having so many family and friends come visit us...and I have to say, I think all our visitors got a taste of our Wyoming winter with snow! I was blessed with a number of meals brought to our family after the birth of our little girl and didn't have to actually cook a meal until the beginning of December! Since then our meals have been very "low-key" and the crock pot has been doing the majority of cooking. I find I generally have a little more time in the morning to get something prepared for dinner versus finding the time when we are ready to eat dinner. So, to get (myself) back in the swing of things (posting on a more regular basis), I am going to share a crock pot recipe that I recently tried. (Sorry--the next few recipes will not include pictures as my camera is full of baby girl pics :)...and remembering to photograph a picture of dinner (when I MAY only have 10 minutes to eat-uninterrupted) isn't high on the priority list at the moment.)

Beef with Apples and Sweet Potatoes
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 lbs)
1 can (40 oz) sweet potatoes, drained
2 small onions, sliced
2 apples, cored and sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme leaves, divided
3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
1 Tbls cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbls cold water

Trim fat from beef and cut into 2-inch pieces. Place beef, sweet potatoes, onions, apples, beef broth, garlic, salt, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8-9 hours. Transfer beef, potatoes and apples to platter; keep warm. Let liquid stand 5 minutes to allow fat to rise. Skim off fat. Combine cornstarch, remaining 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper, cinnamon and water until smooth; stir into cooking liquid. Cook 15 minutes on HIGH or until juices are thickened. Serve sauce with beef, sweet potatoes and apples. Serves 6.
**Personal Review- this was a nice alternative to the traditional pot roast. Don't forget the cinnamon at the end, as I feel it's what really made the sauce.

Stew-pendous Beef Stew

I had been wanting to make beef stew for quite some time. It just reminds me of good comfort food, and since we've been hit with our first major snow fall here in Wyoming this past weekend, I figured it was a good time to make a hearty soup. The recipe doesn't say anything about making this a day ahead and warming it up the next, but that is what I chose to do. I made the stew the evening before I had intended to serve it and put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors really blend together. It was wonderful re-warmed and the leftovers continued to get better. The only thing I would do differently next time, would be to let the potatoes and carrots cook a little longer. They were still a little "crisp" for my taste. Beef Stew

2 lbs stewing beef (cut into 1 to 1 1/2-in cubes)

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

2 Tbls olive oil

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

1 cup chopped celery

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp herbes de Provence (mixture of basil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory)

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large thin-skinned potatoes (such as Yukon gold), unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 large carrot, chopped

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 cup frozen green peas

2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle beef lightly all over with seasoned salt. Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large pot (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add half the beef cubes and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly browned. Remove from pot and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbls olive oil and beef cubes. Set browned beef aside. Add onions, celery, and garlic to same pot (you may add a bit more olive oil or 1/4 cup beef broth to pot to prevent sticking). Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in herbes de Provence. Add beef broth, tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes. (Make sure it's a low simmer and that mixture is not boiling or it will burn.) Stir in potatoes and carrot. Cover and simmer for 45-50 more minutes. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbls water until smooth. Add to stew. Mix well and continue to cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened. Stir in peas and parsley and cook just until peas are heated through, about 2 minutes. Serves 6.

cleaning out the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator

It was time to do some cleaning out in the kitchen to make room for meals that I have been freezing in preparation for the baby to arrive next month. A while back, my husband picked up Udon noodles at the store and they have been sitting in the pantry just waiting to be used. I enjoy lo mein, but had never attempted to make it myself. I also had a steak in the freezer that needed to be used, along with some fresh cut vegetables in the refrigerator. So, by changing this recipe a bit, I cleaned out some space and ended up with a good meal! (The main thing I changed was omitting the mushrooms and replacing it with cut up carrots and sugar snap peas.)

Pan-fried Udon Noodles with Beef, Broccoli and Shiitakes (or mixed vegetables of your choice)

1 package dried udon noodles (usually sold in 8.8 oz packages)
10 ounces chuck steak, sliced for stir-frying
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup + 1 tbs mirin (keep divided)

3 Tbls regular soy sauce
2 tsp sugar (more to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbls minced ginger
½ pound broccoli, cut for stir-frying
1 ounce dried shitake mushrooms (omitted)
1 tbs sesame seeds, toasted

If using dried noodles, boil them first for about 3 or 4 minutes less than indicated on the package. You’ll cook them further when you stir-fry them. Drain and rinse them with cold water. Allow them to drain well and toss them with a little oil if you aren’t ready to us them right away. Soak the mushrooms in boiling water until they soften up. Squeeze them dry and set aside until needed. In a small bowl, combine the sliced beef, cornstarch and 1 tbs mirin. Mix well and allow to marinate for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the other ingredients.Make the sauce by combining the remaining mirin, tamari and sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Once all your ingredients are ready, heat a wok over high heat. When hot, add about 1 to 2 tbs oil. When it gets really hot, throw in the marinating meat and garlic. Quickly stir-fry until just no longer pink, but not until done. Remove from the wok and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary then add the ginger, broccoli, and mushrooms. On top of that add the cold, drained noodles. Stir-fry without over-stirring for about 2 minutes. The noodles should begin to take on some color and the broccoli should begin to soften. Once the noodles are warmed through, add about half of the sauce and allow the noodles to absorb it. Covering the wok helps this go a little faster. Then add the beef back in and the remaining sauce. Once the sauce is absorbed and the beef is cooked through, you’re done! To serve, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Serves 4.

Buttermilk Pot Roast

This is a wonderful recipe! I typically cook my pot roast in the crockpot, and will still revert to that method at times for convenience purposes, but I would have to say this recipe is a definite keeper and will probably be made several more times this coming winter.

buttermilk pot roast (ToH Dec/Jan 2009)
2 Tbls Dijon mustard
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 1/2 lbs)
4 1/2 tsp onion soup mix
1/4 tsp pepper
8 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
8 medium carrots, halved
8 small onions, cut into wedges
1 cup buttermilk

Spread mustard over roast; place in a Dutch oven. Sprinkle with soup mix and pepper. Arrange vegetables around roast; pour buttermilk over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to platter and keep warm. Skim fat from drippings; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup; serve with beef and vegetables. Serves 8.

Short Ribs

I actually tried this recipe back in February and it was my first time using beef short ribs. It was okay, but nothing compared to the crockpot ribs I make.

Short Ribs (ToH Oct/Nov 2008)
5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 tsps grated lime peel
1 1/2 tsps ground mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper

Place ribs in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours or until tender. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain ribs; place on a broiler pan. Brush with some of the barbecue sauce. Broil 4-5 in from the heat for 5-10 minutes on each side or until sauce is bubbly. Serve with remaining sauce. Serves 7.

Aunt Mary's Cheese Ball

I'm not a huge fan of cheese balls, but I do like ones with a cream cheese base. My Aunt Mary has made a corned beef and cream cheese ball for several years. When I got married, I asked her for the recipe and have made it every holiday season since. I am attending a potluck this evening and thought the cheese ball would be perfect.



Aunt Mary's Cheese Ball
3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
3 pkgs corned beef, diced
2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
dash garlic powder
dash onion poweder
1 Tbl worchesture sauce

Mix all ingredients until well blended, reserving half package of corned beef to cover the outside. Refrigerate until ready to serve.