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Getting Primed for the Holidays: One-Pan Prime Rib and Roasted Vegetables

When we decided to host Christmas dinner this year, I knew immediately that I wanted to make a classic prime rib dinner. To me, nothing says Christmas better than a prime rib roast, and I had just seen a recipe in December issue of Cook’s Country that seemed perfect to try out and that would save some room in the oven as well. This is a recipe for prime rib and roasted vegetables all in one pan. The vegetables get roasted at a high temperature while the meat is resting so everything can be done at the same time perfectly.

One-Pan Prime Rib and Roasted Vegetables

1 (7-pound) first-cut beef standing rib roast (3 bones), fat trimmed to 1/4-inch

Kosher salt and pepper

Vegetable oil

2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch lengths, halved or quartered lengthwise to create 1/2-inch-diameter pieces

1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced to 1/2-inch thick on bias

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 red onion, halved and sliced through the root end into 1/2-inch wedges

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Using a sharp knife, cut through the roast’s fat cap in a 1-inch crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat. Rub 2 tablespoons of kosher salt over the entire roast and into the crosshatch. Transfer the roast to a large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours and up to 96 hours.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the roast with pepper and arrange the roast, fat side up, on a V-rack set inside a large roasting pan. Roast the meat until it registers 115 degrees for rare, 120 degrees for medium-rare or 125 degrees for medium, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Transfer the V-rack with the roast to a carving board, tent the roast loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. If there is not enough fat in the pan, add some vegetable oil to equal 2 tablespoons. Toss the carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, onion, thyme 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper with the fat in the pan. Roast the vegetables, stirring halfway through the roasting process, until they are tender and browned, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and heat the broiler. Carefully nestle the V-rack with the roast among the vegetables in the pan. Broil the roast until the fat cap is evenly browned, rotating the pan if necessary, about 5 minutes. Transfer the roast to the carving board, carve the meat from the bones and cut the meat into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and serve the roast with the vegetables.

This prime rib tasted amazing. It was buttery soft to cut and tasted amazing, as prime should. The vegetables were perfectly roasted as well to get great flavor from them. Don’t forget to save those bones once you cut them away as well. you can go ahead and make some incredible beef stock with those for soups later on.

I also made a quick chimichurri sauce to go with the beef. This recipe was with the prime rib recipe in Cook’s Country and really gave a nice bold taste to the dish as a whole. It is very easy to put together and would be great to go with any type of steak,

Red Chimichurri Sauce

1 onion, chopped fine

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes. Whisk again before serving.

You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance and just let it come to room temperature while the meat rests. It is also a great addition to your morning scrambled eggs. One more thing about the roast: don’t skip out on the salting a few days before or at least one day before. It really makes a difference in drawing out the moisture of the beef so that it is nice and dry and browns really nicely at the low cooking temperature and the final 5 minute browning under the broiler really finishes it off.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe as I still have lots to share from my holiday cooking. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

4 Comments

Posted by MikeG on December 27, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Holidays, Sauce, Vegetables

Tags: Cook's Country, Cook's Country prime rib, one-pan prime rib and roasted vegetables, prime rib, prime rib recipe, prime rib roast, prime rib roast recipe, red chimichurri sauce, roasted vegetables

It’s My Birthday (Cake)! – Bananas Foster Cake

11 Dec

Today is my birthday and since it falls in the middle of the week this year we decided to have my birthday dinner this past weekend. We made some pulled pork, homemade cole slaw,German potato salad and some barbecued baked beans for the meal itself. The only new recipe there is for the baked beans, which I will post tomorrow. For dessert, Michelle had asked me what kind of cake I would like. Normally, I would have selected a Black Forest cake as it is one of my all-time favorite desserts and takes some time to make so I don’t get it very often. However, I saw this cake in the last issue of Cook’s Country and knew right away that I had to try this one for my birthday. It is for a Bananas Foster Cake and just the look and the description of the cake made it sound wonderful.

Bananas Foster Cake

For the Cake:

4 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter,cut into 16 pieces and softened

For the Filling and Frosting:

3/4 cup dark rum

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

Salt

2 tablespoons butter, chilled, plus 20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) softened

4 ripe bananas

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch or three 8-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment paper, grease the parchment and the flour pans.

Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt on low-speed until combined. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.

Add half of the egg mixture, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the remaining egg mixture and beat until it is incorporated, about 30 seconds. The batter may look slightly curdled. Give the batter a final stir by hand.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake until the tops are light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 to 22 minutes for 8-inch pans and 20 to 25 minutes for 9-inch pans, rotating the pans halfway through the baking process. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, discarding the parchment paper, and let them cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.

For the caramel: Cook 1/2 cup of the dark rum, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the spatula leaves a 2-second trail when dragged through the sauce, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the caramel and 2 tablespoons of the chilled butter together in a small bowl until combined; set both caramels aside and let the mixed caramel cool completely.

For the filling: Peel and cut 2 of the bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add the sliced bananas and the cinnamon to the remaining warm caramel in the skillet and stir gently to combine. Set this aside and let it cool completely.

For the frosting: Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, mix the remaining 20 tablespoons of softened butter and 1/8 teaspoon of salt on medium-low speed until it is smooth, about 10 seconds. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to mix until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of dark rum and the vanilla and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

To assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Spread half of the banana filling over the cake. Top with the second cake layer and the remaining filling. Top with the final layer of cake and frost he top and the sides of the cake. Just before serving, peel and cut the remaining 2 bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices and shingle them around the top edge of the cake. Pour the reserved caramel-butter mixture over the bananas, allowing the excess to drip down the sides of the cake. Serve.

All I can say about this cake is that it tastes amazing! If you like bananas foster, and I love it, then this is the cake for you. you get great banana flavor from the filling of the cake and the frosting is out of this world with the rum in it. The caramel just tops everything off, adding amazing texture and flavor to the whole thing. This is my new favorite cake and I would have it again and again (and I have for dessert the last few nights). The only change we made is that we did two 9-inch layers instead of the three 8-inch layers. Other than that, we followed along and did everything. You absolutely must try this cake out!

That’s all I have for today. Check back again next time for some more recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

6 Comments

Posted by MikeG on December 11, 2013 in Cakes, Cooking, Dessert

Tags: bananas foster cake, bananas foster cake recipe, Cook's Country, Cook's Country bananas foster cake, yellow cake recipe

I Promise, My Last Turkey Recipe for a While – Turkey Pot Pie with Stuffing Crust

06 Dec

You have my word that this will be the last turkey recipe I post for a while. We are working on a lot of other things right now, trying to get Christmas organized, the tree up, Sean’s birthday and it seems like and endless amount of other things but I will get to some new recipes next week, I promise. Anyway, this is a new recipe and was one I had never tried before that makes good use of cooked turkey or chicken. I got this recipe from Cook’s Country and it is for a very simple turkey pot pie with a stuffing crust.

Turkey Pot Pie with Stuffing Crust

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken or turkey broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen vegetables, thawed, or leftover vegetables

4 cups shredded cooked turkey

3 cups prepared stuffing or leftover stuffing

1 egg, lightly beaten

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and the celery until they are soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken or turkey broth and the cream and simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the frozen or leftover vegetables and the turkey and cook until the mixture is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the stuffing and the egg in a large bowl. Place the stuffing mixture between pieces of parchment paper and roll it into an 11-inch circle. Remove the top layer of the parchment paper and cut the stuffing into 6 wedges. Arrange the wedges evenly over the filling and bake until the stuffing is golden and crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Instead of cutting the wedges, which seemed like some unnecessary work to me, I just spread the stuffing on top of the turkey mixture and baked it this way. I really liked the way it all came out and it made great use of all of the leftovers we had from our turkey meal. If you don’t have any leftover stuffing, you can easily just use some boxed stuffing for this recipe and make it the same way. I used all kinds of leftover vegetables in this one, like peas, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Everything thickened up really nicely and it made for a great one pot meal that was done quickly.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. we’ll be trying some new things out this weekend, including some cupcakes, a cake, baked ziti and more so I will lots of recipes to post to go along with those I haven’t gotten to yet. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 6, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Leftovers, One Pot Meals, Poultry, Turkey

Tags: Cook's Country, holiday leftovers, turkey pot pie, turkey pot pie with stuffing crust, using leftovers to make pot pie

A Simple French Dish – Chicken with Vinegar Sauce

21 Nov

Chicken seems to lend itself very well to easy weeknight meals no matter what pieces you happen to use. For many people, the easiest thing to do is take some boneless chicken breasts and make something from them, whether it is an easy casserole, a simple stir fry or just baking them in the oven with some potatoes or vegetables. While I like a boneless chicken breast now and then, I think you get so much more flavor out of bone-in pieces that it is worth having to wait a few extra minutes while they cook for what you get. The fact is that these pieces are often a lot cheaper than the boneless breasts anyway. Many times, I buy a whole chicken, cut it into pieces and use that for several meals. Depending on the price of the whole chicken, this can be even cheaper than buying the parts. In any case, this is one of those quick and easy weeknight recipes that can make good use of chicken parts or a cut-up chicken. I got this one from Cook’s Country for a simple yet elegant chicken with vinegar sauce.

Chicken with Vinegar Sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half crosswise, drumsticks, and/or thighs), trimmed

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of the chicken broth in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Whisk in the cider vinegar, honey and the remaining chicken broth; set the mixture aside.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until it is just smoking. Cook the chicken, skin side down, until it is well browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, skin side up.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat accumulated in the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk the broth mixture to re-distribute the cornstarch and add the mixture to the skillet, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. bring the mixture to a boil and return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices on the plate. Move the skillet to the oven and cook until the chicken breasts register 160 degrees and the drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent it loosely with aluminum foil to allow the chicken to rest while preparing the sauce. Return the skillet to medium-high heat (be careful because the skillet handle will be hot from being in the oven), bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter, tarragon and any accumulated juices from the platter holding the chicken into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

The real key to this dish, in my opinion, is making sure you get good crispy skin on the chicken when you are browning it in the beginning of the recipe. If you can get that, you end up with a great looking and tasting meal. The sauce has some nice acidity to it from the vinegar but it also has great flavor from the broth and the chicken itself. The whole meal can be made in under 30 minutes, which is perfect for a weeknight dinner. I served it with some white rice and corn and it went very well. The sauce also added some great flavor to the rice.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I still have a few Thanksgiving ideas to share, so keep checking for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 21, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: chicken with vinegar sauce, cider vinegar sauce, Cook's Country, Cook's Country chicken with vinegar sauce

A Little Break From Thanksgiving For a Pork Chop Casserole

20 Nov

I am taking a little break today from all the holiday recipe ideas I have been making and posting to write about the entrée I made this past weekend for dinner. I had just received the latest issue of Cook’s Country magazine a few days ago and they always have such great recipe ideas in there that I end up using many of them in our daily cooking. This is true of the pork chop casserole I made on Sunday. Pork chops are not something I would normally consider as a great idea for a casserole dish, but this recipe made them perfectly and it tasted amazing.

Pork Chop Casserole

4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Salt and pepper

4 (8 to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1-inch thick, bones removed, trimmed

1 head green cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 onion, halved and sliced thin

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Process the white bread, Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor until coarsely ground, about 8 pulses. Set the mixture aside. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until they are well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a cutting board, halve them crosswise, and place them in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

Add the cabbage, carrots, onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the now-empty Dutch oven and cook, covered, until the cabbage is wilted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook the vegetables until the onion is browned and the moisture from the pan has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, thyme and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sage and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and the cream, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until it is thickened, about 1 minute. Pour the cabbage mixture over the pork chops and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake until the pork chops are tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, and continue to cook the casserole until the top is browned, about 15 minutes. Top the casserole with the bread crumb mixture and continue to bake the casserole until it is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the casserole cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I know it may seem silly to use blade pork chops with the bone and then remove the bone, but there is a reason for it. The blade chops generally have more fat than the other chops you see in the stores, and these most often have the bone in them. More fat not only means more flavorful meat in this case but it is also less likely to dry out while cooking in this method. I loved the flavor the casserole had with the mix of the pork and the cabbage and the bread crumb topping added just the right amount of crunch without there being too much of it. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and I’ll be making this one again. I served this with the winter squash bowls and some roasted balsamic potatoes to round out the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I have a couple of breads I have tried recently that might be good for Thanksgiving coming up – some french bread and some focaccia rolls. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 20, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pork

Tags: blade pork chops, cabbage, Cook's Country, Cook's Country pork chop casserole recipe, pork chop casserole, pork chop casserole recipe, pork chops

An Easy Holiday Appetizer – Broccoli Dip in a Bread Bowl

14 Nov

You want to try to remember to have some appetizers on hand for your holiday or Thanksgiving meal to keep everyone happy before the big meal comes out. There are lots of things that you can do that are easy, like making a simple antipasto platter, some shrimp cocktail, crackers and cheese or even just some onion dip and chips. One thing that can be a little different and look fancy is this recipe I got from Cook’s Country for broccoli dip in a bread bowl. It is really easy to make and you can make the dip a day or two in advance and then just put it all together right before you serve it.

Broccoli Dip in a Bread Bowl

12 ounces broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2/3 cup whole Greek yogurt

1 (8-inch) round bread (whatever type you like)

Combine the broccoli stalks and 1 tablespoon of water in a bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave it until the stalks are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the stalks to a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain thoroughly. Transfer the stalks to a clean dish towel and pat dry. Combine the broccoli florets and 1 tablespoon of water in the same now-empty bowl. Cover the florets and microwave until just tender, about 3 minutes.Transfer the florets to a colander, rinse them under cold water and allow them to drain thoroughly. Transfer the florets to a clean dish towel and pat them dry. Keep the stalks and the florets separate.

Combine the stalks, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a food processor and process until the mixture is finely ground, about 30 seconds., scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the florets and pulse until the florets are finely chopped, about 4 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the Greek yogurt, and refrigerate the dip for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Using a paring knife, cut into the top of the loaf of bread at a 45-degree angle, about 1 1/2 inches from the edge. Continue to slice around the bread at a 45-degree angle in approximately a 5-inch circle. Remove the cut top of the bread and cut it into bite size pieces. Make vertical slices through the perimeter of the bread bowl at 1 1/2-inch intervals, stopping just shy of the bottom crust. Transfer the broccoli dip to the bread bowl. Serve, using bread pieces and crudites to dip.

I did make one slight change to the recipe itself. Instead of using mayonnaise I used some sour cream and I think it came out just fine. The slices into the bread bowl allow people to pull out pieces of the bread to dip into the dip itself. The goal is that you won’t actually have anything leftover from the whole set up, though I did have some extra broccoli dip left that did not fit into the bread bowl, so we have been able to have that with some cut-up vegetables like carrots, celery, peppers and the like. I think you could also easily substitute spinach for the broccoli in this if you prefer to have a spinach dip to serve. In either case, I really liked the texture thanks to the yogurt and the flavor of the broccoli and shallots was great. You really do need to blanch the broccoli for this to work out well. Raw broccoli would be too woody and I think frozen broccoli is just too mushy to use.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. There’s still lots to come that you can use to help plan your Thanksgiving. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 14, 2013 in Appetizers, Cooking, Holidays, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: Bread Bowl, broccoli dip, broccoli dip in a bread bowl, broccoli florets, Cook's Country, Thanksgiving appetizers

A Breakfast Special: Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

06 Nov

Michelle likes to make a homemade breakfast on Sundays and this past weekend was no exception. She had asked me what I felt like having and I had suggested biscuits and sausage gravy. I know it is far from the healthiest breakfast out there, but it tastes really good and it is something we almost never have. I found this recipe from Cook’s Country that was simple and quick to make and didn’t use any ingredients that we didn’t already have in the house, which made it even better to try.

Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Biscuits:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Sausage Gravy:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 pounds bulk pork sausage
3 cups milk
Salt

For the biscuits: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and shortening in the food processor until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk until combined.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth, about 8 to 10 kneads. Pat the dough into a 9-inch circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds of dough and arrange them on a prepared baking sheet. Gather the remaining dough, pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick circle, and cut out the remaining biscuits. You should have 8 biscuits in total.

Bake until the biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and let them cool.

For the sausage gravy: Combine the flour, fennel, sage, and pepper in a small bowl. Cook the sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the sausage and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and serve over split biscuits. The biscuits can be stored in a zipper-lock bag for 2 days to be used again later on.

It’s a very simple meal that makes a great breakfast. You could just have this alone with your coffee, tea or juice or serve it with an egg over easy or scrambled eggs and you have a really nice breakfast for a weekend. We actually made extra so there was some left over for me to have another day. I just heated some of the sausage gravy up and added a little milk to it to loosen it up and had some with a biscuit. It was pretty darn yummy.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. As always, there’s still lots to come, including more Thanksgiving ideas and recipes to use. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 6, 2013 in Biscuits, Breads, Breakfast, Gravy, Pork

Tags: biscuits, biscuits and sausage gravy, breakfast, Cook's Country, Homemade Biscuits, homemade biscuits with sausage gravy, sausage gravy

Thanksgiving Planning: Baked Ginger Sweet Potatoes and Mashed Butternut Squash

04 Nov

Since I won’t be cooking the actual Thanksgiving meal myself this year, I thought I would get the month started early and try to make a bunch of Thanksgiving side dishes all month long so you have some new things to choose and try for your Thanksgiving meal this year. I recently made two side dishes that would be perfect to use for Thanksgiving. The first is a very simple baked ginger sweet potatoes dish that I got from Chow.com. it is very simple to make, with a wonderful glaze that adds some great flavor to the potatoes.

Baked Ginger Sweet Potatoes

3/4 cup apricot preserves

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 medium orange)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 pounds medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and arrange an oven rack in the middle position of the oven.

Place the apricot preserves, orange juice, butter, ginger and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until the butter and the preserves are melted and smooth, about 6 minutes.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle them with about 1/3 of the apricot mixture, and, using your hands, toss the potatoes to coat them well with the mixture. Shingle the slices in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Drizzle the potatoes with another 1/3 of the apricot mixture and bake the potatoes uncovered for 10 minutes. Drizzle the potatoes again with the remaining 1/3 of the apricot mixture and bake uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender and the glaze has thickened, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

The sweetness of the potatoes is enhanced even more by the apricot preserves and orange juice and the ginger adds a nice little bite of spice to the dish. It’s a great tasting dish that goes well not just with your Thanksgiving meal but with any weeknight meal of something like chicken or pork chops.

The second side dish I had made recently is another orange vegetable that is perfect for your Thanksgiving table. It is a very simple mashed butternut squash recipe that I got from Cook’s Country that has a great earthy flavor thanks to the spices it uses in the recipe.

Mashed Butternut Squash

4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons butter

2 apples, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)

1 onion, chopped fine

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the squash, vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a bowl. Spread the squash out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast the squash until it is tender and starting to brown, about 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through the roasting process.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the apples, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, covered, until the apples are soft, about 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples and onion are golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and cook until the mixture is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, cover and set the pot aside while the squash finishes roasting.

Add the roasted squash and maple syrup to the Dutch oven with the apple mixture. Mash the mixture with a potato masher until it is mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

The mashed squash has great consistency and flavor and will go well with your turkey and other side dishes if you want to make something a little bit different. The apples really help to add some great depth of flavor to the dish and the maple syrup just gives it a final touch that we all really enjoyed. I actually served this with the slow cooker pepper pork chops I made the other night and the whole meal was fantastic.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I have lots more ideas for your Thanksgiving side dishes, a good turkey recipe, a wonderful lemon cake I making for Michelle’s birthday, a great burger recipe we tried yesterday, some simple battered shrimp and a whole lot more. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on November 4, 2013 in Cooking, Holidays, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: baked ginger sweet potatoes, Chow.com, Cook's Country, mashed butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving meal, Thanksgiving side dishes

A Weekend Treat: Cinnamon Buns

26 Oct

Ever since I got the issue of Cook’s Country magazine with the cinnamon buns on the cover I have been wanting to give the recipe a try. Granted, it’s not something we eat very often, but they just looked so delicious and the recipe seemed so simple that I just had to give it a try. I had always thought that making them would take a long time and I think a lot of people just find it easier to get the prepackaged rolls with the little glaze packet and make those instead. I can tell you that the time it takes to make these is relatively quick, well worth the effort and cheaper than it costs for a package of those rolls.

Quick Cinnamon Buns

Filling:

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dough:

1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature

4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup confectioners’ sugar. sifted

For the filling: Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the mixture resembles wet sand; set aside.

For the dough: Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper. pour 1/4 cup of milk in a small bowl and microwave it to 110 degrees, about 15 to 20 seconds. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar and the mixture sit until it is bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and the remaining 5 teaspoons of granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 1 cup of milk until the dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Transfer the dough to a well-floured counter and knead it until a smooth ball forms, about 2 minutes.

Roll the dough into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle with the long side parallel to the counter edge. Brush the dough all over with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the far edge. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, then press the filling firmly into the dough. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen the dough from the counter. Roll the dough away from you into a tight log and pinch the seam to seal it.

Roll the log seam side down and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Stand the buns on their ends and gently re-form the ends that were pinched during the cutting. Place 1 bun in the center of the prepared pan and the others around the perimeter of the pan, seam sides facing in. Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Discard the plastic wrap and bake the buns until the edges are well browned, about 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen the buns from the sides of the pan with a paring knife and let cool for 5 minutes. Invert a large plate over the cake pan. Using potholders, flip the plate and the pan upside down; remove the pan and the parchment paper. Re-invert the buns onto a wire rack and set the wire rack inside a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and let them cool for 5 minutes.

For the glaze: Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and whisk in the butter, milk, vanilla and salt until it is smooth. Whisk in the sugar until smooth. Pour the glaze evenly over the tops of the buns, spreading the glaze with a spatula to cover the buns.

While the total time of the recipe is about 1 1/2 hours, this is a lot quicker than other traditional cinnamon bun recipes that can take up to 3 hours to complete. I think you get the same great results from this recipe and the buns were very tender and tasted great. They smelled awesome the whole time they were cooking and everyone couldn’t wait for them to come out of the oven. Of course, the three of us split a warm one with glaze on it right away and it was wonderful. I would make this again for a dessert or even as a great brunch item when you may have a brunch party.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I still have a bunch of new ones to try and I am always finding some new and fun things to do. I may even do a few Halloween themed recipes this week that might be fun. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

4 Comments

Posted by MikeG on October 26, 2013 in Biscuits, Breads, Dessert

Tags: cinnamon bun recipe, cinnamon buns, Cook's Country, quick cinnamon buns

Sunday Dinner on a Saturday, Part 1 – Sunday Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast

06 Oct

For many families, having a roast on Sunday is something of a tradition. I can remember having the meal as a child either at my parents’ home or at my grandparents’ home fairly regularly. Unfortunately, really good cuts of beef for roasts have gotten very expensive, making the roast something that does not happen very often. Even just getting a cut like an eye round or top sirloin can be quite expensive unless it happens to be on a good sale. The chuck eye roast is not one I typically buy because it is quite fatty. it’s fine if you are going to cube it up for a beef stew or even use it to grind for your own hamburgers, but it can be tough to turn a quality roast dinner into this cut of beef. That is why when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Cook’s Country magazine, it intrigued me enough to want to give it a try. They take the chuck roast and transform it into a tender roast fit for a Sunday meal.

Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast

1 (5- to 6-pound) center-cut boneless beef chuck-eye roast

5 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup prepared horseradish, drained

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Separate the roast into two pieces along the natural seam of the roast and trim the fat to 1/4-inch thickness. Tie kitchen twine around the larger roast at 1-inch intervals. Cut the smaller roast into 1-inch cubes. Combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, and granulated garlic in a bowl. Rub the surface of the tied roast evenly with half of the spice mixture and wrap it in plastic wrap. Transfer the beef cubes to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; add the remaining spice mixture to the bag, seal, and toss to coat the beef cubes. Refrigerate the tied roast and the beef cubes for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the tied roast on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Return the now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add the cubed beef and brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook, stirring constantly, until the beef is evenly coated, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the pan is dry, about 1 minute. Add the beef and chicken broths and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Uncover the skillet and place the browned roast on top of the cubed meat. Return the skillet to the oven and continue to cook, uncovered, until the cubed meat is fork tender and the roast registers about 150 degrees, about 1 hour longer. Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Using a potato masher, mash the cubed meat until it is shredded into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer the shredded and gravy to a separate dish to cool completely and use for another meal.

While the roast is resting, make the horseradish sauce. Whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, horseradish, Dijon mustard, garlic and pepper until it is smooth.

Remove the twine from the roast and slice thin. Serve the roast with the horseradish sauce.

There are a couple of things about this recipe. The cubed meat and gravy can be used for another recipe that I plan to make tomorrow that is included with this recipe in Cook’s Country. It is for roast beef po’boys and is simple to make. I did save 4 tablespoons of the drippings and also used that to make a side dish of Yorkshire pudding, the recipe I will post tomorrow. Even at rest at 150 degrees, the roast when sliced was still pink in the center and juicy and flavorful. While this is a little bit hotter temperature than usual for a medium-rare, with this cut of beef it does help to make the beef flavorful and not chewy. The twine does help to hold it together for slicing nice roast slices instead of it falling apart.It is a nice Sunday recipe to try with an inexpensive cut of beef to help save you some money and you do get extra meals out of it as well. I served this with a braised cauliflower, roasted potatoes and the Yorkshire pudding. I’ll be posting the recipes for the cauliflower and Yorkshire pudding tomorrow.

That’s all I have for today. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the roast after I took it out and sliced it, so I don’t have one of it to show. I apologize for that. Check back next time for the other recipes from this meal. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!