Sharing Old Fashioned Desserts and Comfort Food, come on over to see what's baking!

Showing posts with label Main dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Main dishes. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Slow-baked Brisket with Bourbon Mustard Barbecue Sauce

 
This brisket is so mouthwateringly tender and delicious and has an authentic BBQ taste.  It is slow baked in the oven for a long time - 6 hours!  It will be a hit at your next party and the leftovers are even better - it just gets even more tender the next day.  We made brisket egg sandwiches the next day, they were the best thing ever!!!  I couldn't get too many great pics as this was served right on the table after cooking to a line of hungry people and went fast!   This is a great meal to make ahead, can be prepared the day before and just reheated right before ready to serve.
 
On Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits!!
Leftovers the next day
  
Recipe:
Rub
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
Spice mix: 3/4 Tbsps chili powder, 3/4 tsp ground cumin, 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 3/4 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp dry mustard powder, 3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp paprika, pinch of cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp dried thyme leaves; in a small bowl combine all the spices.
2 Tbsps kosher salt
Brisket
1 8-10 lb beef brisket with fat intact
 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Old Fashioned Coarse Grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon
2 Tbsps cider vinegar
Bourbon Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic, about 3 med cloves
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup beef stock of brisket drippings
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsps tomato paste
2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
 
To make the dry rub:  Combine the brown sugar, spice mixture and salt in a small bowl.
To make the brisket:  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Using your fingers, evenly coat the brisket with the dry rub.  Combine the mustards, bourbon and cider in a small bowl.  Spread the mustard paste evenly over the brisket.  Set the brisket in a large roasting pan, fat side up.  Add 1 cup water to the base of the pan.  Tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until the meat is tender, about 6 hours total.  Let cool on counter.  Slice/pull apart meat when cool enough to handle. if there is excess fat - trim off as desired. Layer in a roasting pan. and cover with juices from the pan.
To make the BBQ sauce:  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med heat and cook and onion until wilted, about 3 mins; stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Stir in the mustard, brown sugar, beef stock, bourbon, ketchup, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce and bring to a boil.  Decrease the heat to med-low and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 mins.
To put it all together:  After Brisket is cooked and sliced and placed in a roasting pan, cover with the bbq, reserving some if you have extra - to serve along side the meat.  Rotate the meat pieces to let the sauce fall through all layers.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, stir up the meat mixture and sauces and reheat in a 275 degree oven, covered for  about 1 hour- until completely heated through.  Stir and rotate meat once or twice during this cooking period, to insure even cooking.  Serve on a platter or right from your pan with a platter of assorted good rolls.
 

Recipe is adapted from this fabulous book by Rebecca Rather, my new go-to party planning book, packed with delicious party fare, available in my store here:  http://astore.amazon.com/rosscoubak-20/detail/B0091LILSC


The fall apart tender meat after being slow cooked and sliced- layered in the roasting pan, BBQ sauce to be added next
                Marinated with the Bourbon Mustard BBQ Sauce and ready for sandwiching up

Brisket Egg Sandwich the next day for breakfast
 
Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Black Beans, Rice and Chicken Sausage

I love one pot meals ~ they're versatile, easy to make, full of flavor and you get all your nutritious food groups in one pot! In this meal I used a package of Johnsonville Chicken Sausage with Chipotle Pepper and Monterey Jack Cheese, it added nice flavor, but you can use any flavor or plain Chicken Sausage.


Recipe
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 12 0z package Johnsonville Chicken Sausage with Chipotle Pepper & Montery Jack, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp oregano
1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook rice as package label directs.  In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over med-high heat, add the sausage, onion, pepper and garlic and cook, stirring often until sausage is lightly browned and vegetables are tender, about 5 mins.  Add the spices and sauté for 2 mins.  Stir in the beans, tomatoes and broth, cook and stir for 5 mins.  Stir in the rice and cook, stirring well for 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste, Serve and enjoy!
This recipe was adapted from All You Magazine



Friday, March 22, 2013

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I was craving a good Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day this year, and finally got around to making it this week.  My mom used to make it every year for this holiday and it was always a special treat.  I love the combination of the salty, tender meat with the soft leafy cabbage.  I added small red potatoes and carrots too for more flavor and nutrition.
 

Recipe
2 1/2 - 3 lb package of corned beef with seasoning packet and juices
about 2 lbs small red potatoes, washed, skin on
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
dash pepper
about 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 small green cabbage, I used savoy - the crinkly kind, cut into 6 wedges
Instructions
Place corned beef all the package juices and seasoning packet into large pot/dutch oven.  Add water, just enough to cover the meat.  Add onion, bay leaf and pepper
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover, simmer for 2 1/2 hours.  Than add carrots and potatoes, bring to boiling again, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Then add cabbage wedges and cover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until all vegetables are tender.  Discard bay leaf.  Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter and spoon over the cooking liquid as desired. 

Adding the veggies to the pot


Enjoy!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Rosie's Country Meatloaf

To me Meatloaf is the quintessential comfort food.  Its one of the foods that take me back to my childhood and remind me of a good home cooked meal by mom.  I love mine with a big mound of homemade mashed potatoes.  Here's my twist on a classic meatloaf, I add shredded carrots to the loaf for added flavor, moistness and nutrition and topped it with a sweet and savory glaze that's covered in crunchy fried onions ~ a tasty combination!

 

Recipe: 
Loaf ~1 1/2 - 2 lb package of meatloaf mix ground meat, I used a combination of ground pork and beef
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
2 large eggs
3/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley - about 1 Tbsp
dash of salt and pepper
Glaze ~
3/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
about 1/2 cup French Fried Onion Rings
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together all loaf ingredients with your hands until well blended.  Mound together and shape into an oval loaf into a 9 X 13 " casserole pan.  Bake for 45 minutes, then spread glaze on top.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then sprinkle onions on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until internal temp is 170 degrees (minimum 165 degrees).


Enjoy!


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Homemade Pizza

Thanks to my mother I have enjoyed fresh homemade pizza all of my life.  My job was the cheese grater ~ I didn't mind this job because I got to sneak and eat some mozzarella as I worked (I love cheese!) I guess you'd say its semi-homemade because we buy the pizza dough either from our local Italian bakery or in the frozen food section, brand "House of Pasta"  sold in a pack of 2 ~ both choices taste fresh and delicious.  It's quite simple and you could be creative with the toppings and cheeses.  Now that I'm the mom, I'm teaching my kids how to make their own pizza ~ we have make your own pizza night at my house, where I prepare the dough in the pan and set out the sauce, cheeses, spices and toppings and the kids assemble their own personal pizza.   Soon they'll learn how to stretch the dough.  Here are the kids pizzas and one topped with leftover sliced meatballs and sauteed mushrooms, the last pizza is topped with sautéed red pepper, onion, mushroom and garlic- which is delish!



1 Pizza dough at room temperature rolled lightly in flour to prevent sticking
Marinara sauce, homemade or jar works fine
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of oregano
Toppings, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position oven racks on bottom 3rd rack and upper rack. For a thick crust, Sicilian like pizza (pictured) lightly coat a 9 X 13" sheet pan with olive oil, for a thin crust, coat an 11 X 17" cookie sheet with olive oil.  For individual small pizzas - break the dough in half, stretch into rounds and place both rounds on a 11 X 17"  cookie sheet coated with olive oil.
Stretch the dough gently - I hold the dough up with the back of my knuckes,  with light pushes of your knucles rotate the dough in a circular motion until stretched out to fit pan.   Here is a video showing how:
 http://www.finecooking.com/videos/how-to-shape-pizza.aspx Lie in pan and stretch out the corners.  Spoon and spread sauce over dough- the amount you like, leaving about 1/4 in uncovered around the perimeter of the dough.  Sprinkle mozzarella over, then parmesan and oregano.  Place toppings as desired on top.  Bake on bottom rack for about 5 minutes, until underside is golden brown,  a few minutes longer for sicilian.  Then transfer to top rack and rotate pan, bake until edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbly about 5 minutes longer, a few mins more for sicilian.  Let cool a few mins then slice and enjoy!
 

                                             Enjoy!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Easy Cheesy Calzone

This is a simple recipe for delicious calzone.  I either buy my pizza dough from my local Italian bakery or buy it in a 2 pk in the frozen aisle the brand "House of Pasta", alternatively you can make your own homemade dough.  This is great as a just cheese calzone, or can be stuffed with veggies, meat, or anything your heart desires ~ be creative!  For this one I used some leftover meatballs and sauce.


1 Pizza dough at room temp on a lightly floured surface
About 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
approx 3 oz  mozzarella cheese cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp Parmigiana
1/2 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste 
Fillings if desired, I used 1 1/2 sliced leftover meatballs and covered them in marinara sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set rack to the lowest position and the second in the upper third of the oven.  Lightly coat a 9 X 13 in pan with olive oil.  Mix cheeses and spices together in a bowl.  Coat pizza dough lightly in flour to prevent sticking, stretch out to an oblong shape - approx 9X13, and lay in pan.  Cover half the dough with cheese mixture, leaving about 1/2 in border on edges.  Sprinkle toppings over cheese.  Pull other half of dough over topping and crimp the edges together.  Poke several slits in the top of dough and brush top with olive oil.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the underside, then transfer and rotate pan to the upper rack and continue baking another 15-20 minutes, or longer until a deep golden brown.  Remove from oven and let stand 10-12 minutes before cutting and serving.  

Enjoy!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant lasagna ~ a mix between lasagna, eggplant parmigiana and eggplant rollatini.  I use fried eggplant slices in place of the lasagna noodles and layer them with a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan cheeses and marinara sauce.  So you get all the goodness of a cheesy layered lasagna with the taste of delicious eggplant!
 
 
Recipe:
Marinara Sauce ~ your favorite or my recipe below
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into thin slices
Seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
dash salt
2 lbs ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper
Instructions:
Drain eggplant by placing all in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let sit over sink for about 20 mins, rinse and pat dry.  Mix 2 eggs with milk and dash of salt in a bowl big enough to dip your eggplant, put breadcrumbs in a plate large enough to dip eggplant.  Heat olive oil in large skillet, and dip each eggplant in the egg mixture then bread crumbs and fry for about 2 mins on each side, or until golden.  Let drain on paper towels and finish frying all eggplant.  Mix ricotta with 1/3 of the mozzarella cut into small squares, the 2 eggs, parmesan and parsley, salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Grate remainder of mozzarella for topping.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and start layering your lasagna in a 9 X 13 casserole pan.  Start with sauce on the bottom of the pan, then a layer of eggplant, then cover with sauce, then spread half of the ricotta over; repeat layering - eggplant, sauce, and remaining ricotta, then remaining eggplant, cover with sauce and then shredded mozzarella.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, then 10-15 minutes uncovered until cheese is bubbly.  Let rest a bit, then enjoy!
 
Slice eggplant lengthwise thinly
Set up your dipping station for frying
Frying up the eggplant!
Mixing the ricotta filling
Layering - first cover bottom with sauce
Then eggplant, sauce
Then 1/2 the ricotta
Repeat- eggplant, sauce, ricotta
Spread sauce on top of last layer and cover with shredded mozzarella
Ready for the oven
 

Marinara Sauce:
1 28 oz can Italian Plum Peeled Tomatoes in tomato puree with basil
1 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, crushed
about 2 Tbsps olive oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Heat oil in large sauce-pot heat on med heat, add the garlic and saute until lightly golden brown.  Lower the heat and add the crushed tomatoes, then add the plum tomatoes by hand - crushing each by squeezing them into pieces into the pot (be careful they can squirt juice, squeeze down into the pot)- some pieces may be large, it makes for a nice rustic marinara. Add the salt, pepper and oregano, stir and bring to a boil over med heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally.  Add the basil, and more salt and pepper if needed to taste, and simmer for 15- 30 mins more.  This will be just enough sauce to generously layer this casserole.



Enjoy!!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Grands Biscuit Topping

I love one-pot/casserole meals that you can be creative with and Chicken Pot Pie is at the top of my list.  Its an easy and great way to use your leftover roasted chicken and stretch it for another complete family meal.   Add your favorite veggies and a cream mixture then top it with a flaky pastry crust to transform your leftovers into a comforting, hearty and delicious meal.  I use pie crust or refrigerated biscuit dough for the crust. This time I tried it with a thick crust made up of Grands Biscuits, if you're the type that likes a good amount of flaky topping in every bite you will love this version!  For this recipe I used leftover chicken and broccoli from the night before, chicken - pulled apart into desired bite size pieces,  and added cream of soup and additional vegetables to pull it all together.


Recipe
-Leftover Roasted Chicken, cut up into bite size pieces, about 1-2 cups - if you have less - add more vegetables
-Any combination of vegetables to equal about 2 1/2-3 cups, such as potatoes, carrots green beans, peas, broccoli- any combo will work - I used about 3/4 cup leftover broccoli florets;  then peeled and chopped 1 potato and 2 carrots into bite size pieces and boiled them until just tender.  I also chopped up 1 bunch of asparagus and boiled these for 3 minutes.
-1 can condensed cream soup, can be cream of chicken, celery or mushroom, today I used mushroom
-1/2 of the soup can of 1-2 % milk
-1/2 tsp salt  and 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
-1/2 tsp ground sage
-1 package grands biscuits - any variety, I used the flaky layers
-1 Tbsp butter, cut into very small cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a casserole dish approximately 9 X 13 ".
Place your casserole dish on top burner set to low heat.  Add the cream soup and milk and stir.  When just blended add the chicken, vegetables and spices, mix until all ingredients are blended.  Turn off heat, spread mixture evenly and top with butter cubes.

  Place Grands Biscuits on top, sqeeze them all in there, you may have to cut 1 or 2 in 1/2 to make them fit.

Bake @350 for about a 1/2 hour until pot pie mixture is bubbly - and biscuits golden brown and are cooked all the way through.  Cover biscuits with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes during baking time to avoid burning tops.



 
Enjoy!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Vegetable Pakoras

I recently discovered the great flavors of Indian food when my husband brought home an assortment from a new Indian food truck parked by his work.  We tried a few different dishes each week and loved the fresh flavors, the dishes were full of fresh veggies and herbs and nicely spiced.  But when we were just getting into it the truck was gone!  My husband found out someone bought it and it was going to be used in the city for catering parties.  My new love was gone, just like that :( :(   We will have to explore some Indian restaurants now.  But in the meantime I recreated one of the dishes at home.  It is like a fritter - chock full of vegetables and mixed with chickpea flour then deep fried.  It's so good!   I made this one with cauliflower and spinach, but you can try different combos.


 Recipe
1 cup chickpea flour 
2 tsp oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 potato
1 small cauliflower chopped
1/2 of a 10 oz package frozen spinach - thawed and drained well, or fresh spinach leaves chopped
1 onion chopped
vegetable oil for frying

Boil the potato until just tender, then peel and chop.  Mix flour, oil cumin, salt and water in a food processor for about 3 minutes to incorporate air.  Remove this batter transfer to a large bowl and let rest about 1/2 hour.   In the food processor process the cilantro, potato, cauliflower, spinach and onion until a finely chopped consistency.  Mix the vegetables into the batter until well blended.  Fill a heavy saucepan with vegetable oil about 1 1/2 inches deep, set to medium heat.  While the oil is heating form the batter into small round "meatballs" or patties.   Use a candy thermometer attached to saucepan and when temp reaches 375 degrees start dropping in the pakoras several at a time.  Deep fry until a deep golden brown, let remove and drain on paper towels, continue until all pakoras are fried.  
Serve immediately with a desired dipping sauce.  When we got it from the truck they had some type of cilantro sauce.  I used Harry and David relishes I had:  Charred Pineapple Relish with Candied Peppers and Chunky Mango Relish with Candied Peppers - they are sweet and spicy and went really nicely with these.



I hope to try some more Indian dishes and share them with you :)

Monday, September 3, 2012

Summer and Spring Fresh Pasta Salads


These salads were inspired by the spring and summer offerings at my local farm stands.  I love visiting farm stands in the spring and summer and getting my hands on the freshest and tastiest pickings.  In the spring I found arugula and asparagus, in the summer I found lots of colorful cherry and mini heirloom tomatoes  and found a way to make them into a fresh, delicious and colorful pasta salad.  Be creative and mix up your own variety of veggies and cheeses to your liking :)  Here's a few of my creations:

Spring Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, Marinated Mozzarella and Sundried Tomatoes, Fresh Arugula and Caesar dressing, used Gnocchi Pasta


Spring Pasta Salad with asparagus, arugula, tomatoes, mozzerella and olives
 Roasting the Aspargus
 
Spring:  First I roasted up 1 bunch of asparagus.  Snap off the hard ends and place standing up in a small pot of boiling water, cook for 5 minutes.  Then cut into about 1" pieces and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Drizzle with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil, and sprinkle on to taste: garlic powder, seasoned bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.  Roast for about 10 minutes on 400 degrees until golden and lightly crispy, tossing once half way through to distribute all the goodness.  Let cool.  1 container of ripe cherry tomatoes quarted.  Add can of drained olives if desired.
Summer:  I used 1 container of cherry tomatoes quartered and 1 pint of orange mini heirloom tomatoes whole.  
For the mozzarella balls I used the kind marinated in herbs and sundried tomatoes, cut mozzarella balls in half and cut sundried tomatoes into small pieces.
Then  wash and dry 1 bunch of arugula and chop up.  Take 2 containers of marinated mozzarella balls, setting aside the mozzarella marinade to dress the salad.  You can use 1 1lb of any pasta, I used Barilla Celentani.
Mixing in the ingredients
 

  Then put all these lovely ingredients into a very large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, add a few tablespoons of the marinade from the cheese and creamy Caesar dressing to taste.    Toss all together and you have these fresh pasta salads.  I love the combination of the crisp arugula greens with the soft flavorful mozzarella,  pasta,  and  tomatoes.
Asparagus, mozzarella and tomato
 
Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Root Beer BBQ Sauce and Coleslaw

I needed an additional main dish to add to the hamburgers and hot dogs for our labor day BBQ, but I wanted something easy I could prepare the night before.  I found this great recipe on Betty Crocker's website and just made a few minor changes to feed a crowd.  It turned out to be a hit, with barely any left, this will definitely be a keeper.

Recipe
3 Deli Rotisserie Chickens - I found the savory herb flavor - but any will work
1 1/2 cups root beer
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup yellow mustard
4 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 lb purchased good coleslaw - I found mine at Waldbaums Deli
12 assorted rolls, I used Kaiser, Egg with Poppy seeds, Onion, and Potato, sliced in half.

Pull and shred the chicken meat, removing all skin and bones, it will yield about 8-9 cups of chicken.  In a large saucepan, heat all sauce ingredients to boiling over medium heat, stir frequently.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the garlic cloves and add the pulled chicken.  Stir until all chicken is evenly coated.  Heat over low heat, stirring until heated through.  If making the night before, cool mixture down to almost room temp, then cover and refrigerate, and it will continue to marinate all night.  When ready to serve reheat on stove top on low heat, stirring,  add to it a couple of squirts of prepared BBQ sauce for extra moistness.  Serve with the basket of assorted rolls and coleslaw for topping ~ the cold,tangy and crunchy coleslaw compliments the sweet and smoky chicken so well!

This batch was made with a combination of leftover roasted chicken and 1 rotisserie chicken (the carrots from the pan were added too)
 

Enjoy!

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