Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Lentil Soup


Tonight was  perfect night for soup. One of our favorites is Mark Bittman's Lentil Soup. But we added something extra to the soup. There was meat left over from the Osso Buco. Oh what a nice thing to find on your soup spoon!

Monday, November 28, 2016

The Frittata

Getting back to basics. The Frittata Sandwich. This time I used zucchini, yellow squash, onion, red pepper and pancetta. Yeah the pancetta was a nice addition. This time I did not use any cheese. Hardly noticed that is was not added.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

The Return of the Stuffed Artichoke

I do love this recipe. And when the artichokes are only 2 for $4.00 at Bishops you can not go wrong. The recipe is from Food Blogga. A delicious dinner!

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Slow Cooker Pork Osso Buco

I have a new favorite slow cooker recipe. Slow Cooker Pork Osso Buco,  from The Gluten Free Homestead. Today I had a lot of things to get done. I was so glad I found this recipe. The recipe called for 8 hours on high. I lowered it to warm after 6 hours and then put it back up to low for the last 45 minutes. The meat fell off the bone. The sauce was delicious. I can only imagine what this would taste like with veal...

Ingredients-
2 pounds pork shank osso buco tied with butcher's twine
2 tablespoons of butter for searing the pork (or coconut oil if you prefer)
1 stick of butter for gravy, optional
1 onion, diced.
1 carrot, peeled and diced
¼ cup flour
3 plum tomatoes, diced.
1 bay leaf
1 cup bone broth, homemade
½ cup white wine
¼ teaspoon sage
½ teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Method-

Rinse meat under cold water and dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Add flour to a shallow dish. Dredge seasoned pork in the flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. When the butter foams, add the pork to the skillet. Cook until golden, searing the meat for 4 minutes on each side and transfer to your slow cooker.
Deglaze the skillet with the wine. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and pour into the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes and their juices, bone broth, onion, carrot, celery, sage, oregano and a bay leaf. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.
Transfer the shanks to a plate, cover and set aside. Strain the juices from the slow cooker into your skillet. Mash veggies to extract liquid as much as possible. Skim the fat off the top of the gravy.
Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in one stick of butter.

And I can tell you they were good to the last drop!

Friday, November 25, 2016

Dun Dun Dun Dun!

You know that tune - Dun Dun Dun Dun! Well, I am happy to finally announce that this blog address is now www.sowhatareyoumakingfordinner.com. That's right finally I have redirected the Blogger address over to my own domain. This has been a long time coming. I played around with using WordPress but could not find a template that I liked as much as the one I use with Blogger. Finally, I decided to just to a redirect. Keeping the same template. And still using blogger. I have been using it for so long know that it is too easy to stop using.

If anyone finds any problems with the switch PLEASE contact me at kramertcat@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving

 
This year I am thankful for the fact that I did not have to do any cooking for Thanksgiving. Well, the cookies don't count. My sister, Lenore, and her husband, Ralph, once again pulled out all the stops for an amazing feast! Antipasto, Wedding Soup, Turkey, Stuffing, Peas, Squash, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and fruit and nuts! Did I take photos of everything? Of course not. Too busy playing with Elenora and Luca! Hope everyone had a happy and filling Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce

Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce. I can not remember the last time we had this. This was always on the menu when we first got married. Breaded chicken breasts which was cut into tenders. Baked and served with homemade honey mustard sauce.

 
We had roasted Acorn Squash as a side. This was a perfect work night meal.

I made our side dish for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's tomorrow. Doesn't everyone have Chocolate Chip Cookies on Thanksgiving? 

And today would have been my Dad's 100th birthday. Still think of him at least once a day.
Happy Birthday Dad!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Tuscan Kale Soup

I found tonight's recipe on Memorie di Angelina. Tuscan Kale Soup . I made this yesterday. The recipe called for polenta to be added to the soup before serving. Well traffic as it was I didn't have time for that step when I got home tonight. I might have been able to add it but did not feel like standing at the stove for 20 minutes. The soup was not bad. But honestly next time I will use canned beans. Not crazy about the dried beans. They just don't seem to get soft enough.



Friday, November 18, 2016

Pasta with Vegetables

This is a very easy meal. Slice red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, leeks, and scallions. Saute all the vegetable except the scallions in olive oil and a knob of butter. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper. Add a little white wine and reduce it to half the amount. Add the scallions to the pan. Cook the pasta then add the pasta and about a 1/4 cup of pasta water to the saute pan. Yeah, add another knob of butter. And that is it!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Chicken Soup For The Cough

I have been pretty lucky the past few years and have avoided this nagging cough. I used to get it like clockwork twice a year. It seemed like I was always coughing. Well, it is back this year. It sounds worse than it really is. The perfect dinner for this ailment is Chicken Soup. Homemade broth, sauteed onions and carrots, spinach and noodles. I squeezed a little lemon juice in the pot at the end.

It tasted crisp, clean, light, and nourishing. I had 2 bowls for dinner and plan on more for lunch tomorrow.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

A nice salad for a Monday night. This recipe is from Ina Garten's book, The Barefoot Contessa. This will be lunch for a number of days this week! The butternut squash was from Lenore and Ralph's garden.

Ingredients-
1 (1 ½-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.


Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Short Rib Pot Pie

This summer we became fans of Grilled Bones Short Ribs. When I saw the Boneless Short Ribs on sale at Ferraro's I first thought of grilling them but then I remembered this recipe from last year that was on the cover of Bon Appetit, Short Rib Pot Pie.
The crust is a basic Pate Brise. The Bon Appetit recipe suggested the dough be made in a food processor. I really didn't need to have more things to wash as today was a busy cooking day.
So needless to say the crust was delicious. But the filling? The short ribs simmered in red wine and rosemary for 3 hours. The result was just delicious. It is just starting to get cold here so this will be made again when the temperatures really drop.

Ingredients-
Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water

Filling and Assembly
3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2” pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 10-oz. package frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
2 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs thyme, plus 2 Tbsp. chopped thyme

Method-
Crust
Sift the flour, and salt together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is like coarse meal.
Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.
Knead dough lightly, adding more water by the tablespoonful if needed, until no dry spots remain (dough will be slightly shaggy but moist). Form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
DO AHEAD: Crust can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.

Filling and Assembly
Season short ribs with kosher salt and pepper; toss with ½ cup flour.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, shake excess flour from ribs and cook, turning occasionally, until deeply browned, 8–10 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.
Add onions to same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; season with kosher salt and pepper and, using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.
Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened in color, 5–8 minutes.
Add wine, rosemary, and thyme sprigs, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid is reduced by half, 8–10 minutes.
Add 6 cups water to pot and bring to a boil.
Return short ribs to pot; season with kosher salt and pepper.
Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until short ribs are almost falling apart and liquid is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon, 2½–3 hours.
Add onions and chopped thyme to pot and stir to break up short ribs; season filling with kosher salt and pepper. Remove herb sprigs.

Preheat oven to 375°.
Transfer filling to a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. 
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8” thick.
Place over filling and trim, leaving overhang. Tuck edges under and crimp. Cut a few slits in crust. Alternatively, you can use 8 individual dishes.
Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake pot pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, 50–60 minutes (35–40 minutes for smaller dishes). Let sit 5–10 minutes before serving.
DO AHEAD: Filling can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat gently before assembling pie

And today we have some behind the scenes photos at So What Are You Making For Dinner?
Lucy, the brains behind the operation -

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Sauasge, Eggplant Balls, and Mario Batali Sauce


Yes I have jarred sauce in the pantry. Ah but not just any jarred sauce. There are 3 brands that I will pick up when they are on sale. Lidia's, Rao's and Mario Batali. Tonight, being the first night I was back in the kitchen since that little virus issue, I wanted to make something very easy. I had Eggplant Balls in the freezer and a little Sweet Italian Sausage. And there was Mario Batali's Marinara Sauce.

I browned the sausage and added a little white wine to the pan. I reduced that and scraping up browned bits of sausage. I added the sauce to the pan and heated it up. I seasoned the pan with oregano and crushed red pepper. I then added the Eggplant Balls and heated them through.

I made Fettuccine noodles with just butter as a side.

This was quite good. The sauce, for a jarred sauce, was nice. Not garlicky, which we all know we do not like!

Monday, November 7, 2016

And The Best Sister Award Goes To

This past weekend I was taken down by a virus that is going around. So I was banned from cooking for a few nights. That is when Lenore came to the rescue. I came home from work on Wednesday night feeling blah and by Friday at 8AM I was at the doctor's office. By noon on Friday, there was a knock on the door and my sister appeared with a large dish of Neopolitan Baked Pasta and her amazing Chicken Cutlets. I don't know who was happier, Archie or me. Archie loves Chicken Cutlets.
The pasta dish had spinach, ground beef, and mushrooms. I was not sure if Chris would like it because he is not a fan of mushrooms. Well, we made quite a dent in the dish! It was so very, very delicious. And Lenore said it is our Goddaughter Elenora's favorite.

And those family favorite Chicken Cutlets!

 Thank you Lenore!!!