It's Complicated...But Not Really...

Sometimes, food blogging can get really, really old.  You cook and cook and take photos and wonder why you're doing all this.  I started this blog because it was the easiest way to share recipes with those I knew.  It's still a great vessel for that cause, and many of you have inspired me with your own recipes.  Thanks!  Lately, I've been looking for motivation to cook.  Not just new and interesting foodstuffs, but cooking in general.  It was becoming rather dull, day in-day out, until I watched one of my favorite films.

It's Complicated.

If you haven't seen this film, make sure you do so - immediately!  Jane's kitchen alone will motivate you to get cooking, and if that doesn't thrill you, her bakery sure will!

Not only do I want Jane's (Meryl Streep) house but her bakery AND wardrobe!  This movie had me feeling good in no time flat and as a bonus, I knew what to make for dinner. Croque Monsieur.  Jane makes it for Adam (Steve Martin) in her lovely kitchen.  I like to think of Croque Monsieur as a cross between French Toast and Grilled Ham & Cheese. Aka the Ham & Cheese Toastie.  Simple and comforting.  

Let's chat about cheese:

I'd like to say that this is an affordable recipe, but for me, it was a tad pricey.  A good friend of mine suggested I use Emmental-Swiss, but my grocery store didn't have that.  I used Ina Garten's recipe for Croque Monsieur and bought Gruyere ($11) and a French cheese called Fol Epi ($10), as it is supposed to be similar to Emmental. I knew we would use up the remaining cheeses, but it's still not budget-friendly stuff.  Supply and demand, folks.

The only changes I made other than the cheeses were 1% milk and I bought a nice whole grain bread from my grocer.  It was sliced for me and I like the texture and weight of this bread.  It tastes perfect with cheese! Feel free to either stick to Ina's recipe or toy with it like I did.  The one thing I made sure I used was real BUTTER.  Don't skimp on this part, my friends.

When it comes to French cooking, use the real thing, s’il vous plaît.  

I won't be posting Ina's recipe since the link is listed above, but I will photograph the steps.  I also made a salad to go with this buttery, cheesy dish.  It is a simple tossed green salad with matchsticks of Granny Smith Apple, as well as Martha Stewart's recipe for Champagne Vinaigrette. Feel free to make the salad more elaborate.  Walnuts, grapes, cucumber - whatever you like.  I wanted the salad to be bright but not reduce the star of the show - the Croque Monsieur.  I served this with an icy cold Angry Orchard Cider.  Mmm...C'est si bon.

Green Granny Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

And

Ina Garten's Croque Monsieur

Tip:

Rinse apple slices before making them matchsticks, then when done cutting, squeeze with fresh lemon juice.

Now onto the good stuff...

Yummmmmm.....

Cheers!!

I'm going to eat one of these beauties in the morning, with an egg on top...ah...the decadence....

Well, Bless My Roots!

It may be August, but the weather looks like an Irish spring day.  Cloudy, wet, and everything is green.  On days like these, I like to honor my Irish/Scots roots and do a wee bit of kitchen magic.  A spot of music, a cuppa of Irish Tea, and I almost feel as though my kitchen looks like this one:

And the music!  Not just any songs will do.  Check my playlist out:

Old Town - The Corrs
Dimming of the Day - The Corrs
Love You Till The End - The Pogues
If I Should Fall From Grace With God - The Pogues
Black Is The Colour - The Corrs
If I Ever Leave This World Alive - Flogging Molly
Radio - The Corrs
Only When I Sleep - The Corrs
Bodhran - The Young Dubliners (video is blank)
The Long Black Veil - The Chieftains and Mick Jagger
I Know My Love - The Chieftains and The Corrs
Spancil Hill - The Corrs

That should get you started! :)

Today, you get two recipes to bring you some comfort.  Whether it be the clouds or the world that brings you down, these luscious lovelies will lift you up!  So put a kettle on and get out your slow cooker for a day of kitchen magic!  The first is a tea brack, a tea bread made without butter and oil.  My hubster likes to call it raisin bread, and it pretty much is, but I've put a nice spin on it.
The second is a classic Irish stew, made with beef and Guinness.  I've included "neeps" (turnips) and "tatties" (potatoes).  I prefer only one turnip and two parsnips.  Parsnips taste like a wonderful lemon/ginger carrot.  I prefer them over carrots.  You can use whatever you like, however, and whatever's on hand.  I know a lot of Guinness stews have raisins and caraway seeds, but I think rosemary and thyme make this stew stand up and do a fancy jig!


Cranberry Tea Brack
Makes 1 loaf
(adapted from Homemade: Irresistible Homemade Recipes for Every Occasion by Clodagh McKenna)

Ingredients:

2 cups dried fruit, I used raisins and cranberries
1 1/4 cup tea, I used Republic of Tea's Comfort and Joy
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 egg
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie spice
Vanilla sugar (optional)

Instructions:
Soak fruit for at least two hours in tea. The original recipe calls for them to be soaked overnight, but I found them bitter, so I only soak them for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a bread pan with butter or olive oil cooking spray.

With a wooden spoon, quickly stir egg and sugar in a large bowl, until the combination has turned a lemony yellow and is a tad frothy.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, and spice.  Stir just until most is incorporated, but it will look mealy.

Add fruit and tea mixture.  Stir just until combined.

Pour into prepared pan (sprinkle with vanilla sugar if so desired) and bake for 55-60 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

Guinness Stew with "Neeps" and "Tatties"

Ingredients:

Peel and chop the following:
2 onions
1 turnip
2 parsnips
2 cloves garlic
(do not chop or peel) 1.5 pounds baby yellow potatoes
*
2 pounds lean stew meat
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup flour
salt and fresh black pepper
*
4 cups low-sodium beef stock
1 (12 oz.) bottle of Guinness Stout
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp. tomato paste
*
1/4 cup cold water
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions:
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and place one sprig of rosemary in the oil.

Toss the meat with salt and pepper, then toss with the 1/4 cup of flour.  Place meat in heated skillet with rosemary and brown on all sides.

Place peeled and chopped veggies in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Pour in the stout and nearly all of the stock, reserving about 1/2 cup to de-glaze the skillet.  Add rosemary, thyme, and tomato paste to veggies.

De-glaze skillet, stirring meat around to make a sort of gravy.

Carefully, with oven mitts, pour the beef and gravy over the vegetables and stout. Add any remaining stock to slow cooker.  Stir carefully.  Simmer on high for an hour, then cook on low for five more hours.  Stir the cornstarch into the cold water and pour in the last five minutes of cook time to thicken.

(If you do not have a slow cooker, brown meat and then add veggies/stout/stock/tomato paste mixture into a large Dutch oven and roast - covered - for four hours at 325)

Greek Pizza & More

I love pizza night.

Sure, it means I have to make the dough and then roll out each pie.  But it's so worth it.  This is pizza the way we like it, without all the grease and the cheese that makes you question if it's really cheese.  Every time we order delivery pizza, I feel a little sick afterwards.  Making your own pies means controlling the chemical additives and junk that the pizza companies would rather you not know about.

Tonight was Greek Pizza night, and I threw in a Spanish one for the heck of it.  Bell peppers, tomatoes, black olives, prosciutto, feta, chorizo - all you need is a glass of vino and you're good to go!

I order my pizza flour from King Arthur Flour Company.  Trust me, this flour is worth it.  Your pizza dough will be smooth and elastic.  It will also be the perfect combination of crunchy meets chewy. If you cannot find the 00-style flour, buy a decent bread flour.  All-purpose flour just won't cut it.

You can find my recipe for pizza dough here.


The toppings we used were:

8 oz. Boar's Head Feta Cheese (I crumbled the entire block)
1 bell pepper sliced thin
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 slices purple onion, chopped
Small can sliced black olives
Parmesan, grated
McCormick's Greek Seasoning (no salt)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 link Aidells chorizo, sliced
3 oz. prosciutto, torn to pieces

The pizza dough recipe listed above (use the link) makes three pies.  Use the toppings knowing you'll need to split them three ways.  I wanted to do a chorizo/Granny Smith apple slice pizza, but I figured my family would not appreciate that.  At least it wasn't my usual fave - bell pepper and anchovy!

Use 1 tbsp. olive oil instead of pizza sauce

The last toppings are Parmesan, seasoning, and olive oil drizzle 

Bake on a pizza stone at 445 for 15 minutes

Finished Greek pizza

Some chorizo pizza goodness!!

Bottom line:  make these pies how you prefer.  The dough takes about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish.  If you use the right flour, it takes seconds to roll out.  With a little planning, you can make meals you and your loved ones will be proud of.  Much better than delivery regret!