New: November 2013 

2 pounds ground beef chuck (or ground turkey)
 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained (or 1 black, 1 kidney, 1 pinto)
 1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
 1 large yellow onion, chopped
 3 stalks celery, chopped
 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
 1/4 cup chili powder
 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
 1 tablespoon minced garlic
 1 tablespoon dried oregano
 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
 .5 teaspoon dried basil
 .5 teaspoon ground black pepper
 .5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 .5 teaspoon paprika
 .5 teaspoon white sugar

1. Heat a dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, and seeded chile peppers. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, hot pepper sauce, basil, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

New: August 2013

10 chicken tenders (2 lbs)

.75 c flour
paprika
garlic powder
thyme
herbs du provence
salt
black better

2 eggs, beaten

1 c breadcrumbs (same seasonings)

Dredge in flour mixture, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
Set on cookie sheet, put in fridge.

Heat ~.5 inches of oil in large dutch oven on high heat.

Fry tenders in batches (4-5 at a time)
Put on paper towels to remove excess oil.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small dried red chili, crushed, or pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 can (7 oz.) tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lb. linguine or spaghetti
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup toasted fine bread crumbs
Directions:
In a fry pan large enough to hold the cooked pasta and the sauce, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the tuna and parsley and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.

Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir and toss well over medium heat, adding some of the cooking water if the sauce is too dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and serve immediately. Serves 4.

New recipe to try:

• 2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices (about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long)
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and halved (or quartered, if large)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Cooked thin egg noodles, for serving
• Chopped fresh dill, for garnish (optional)

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and teaspoon pepper. Add 2 cups water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until beef is tender, about 2 hours at 350.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Ladle 1 cup cooking liquid into measuring cup; whisk to combine. Pour into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture, then sour cream and mustard. Serve beef over noodles; sprinkle with dill, if desired.


This was the old recipe and it turned out really bad. The meat was half-way between normal cooked and slow cooked so it was a really creepy gross texture.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds beef chuck roast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces butter
1 yellow onion
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef
broth
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms,
drained
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup white wine
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
3. Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.

new: August 2013

YIELD: Makes 4 servings
ACTIVE TIME: 50 min
TOTAL TIME: 50 min

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (use 2 full large shallots)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage (use from garden if in season)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream (or less)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes.
Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.
Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer.
Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Goes well with gnocchi.
Recipe from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-marsala-232152

Spicy Italian and Pork Bratwurst
Potatoes with red pepper, onion, and mushroom

I love you 

New: July 2013
1 cup white sugar 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
2 T corn starch 
1 pound fresh rhubarb, chopped (5 stalks, cut lengthwise once, then chop)
2 pints fresh strawberries, halved (this is one standard size carton)

1 double pate brisse
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar in the raw

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar. Add strawberries and chopped rhubarb. Toss with sugar and flour and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Pour filling into pie crust. Dot top with butter, and cover with lattice top crust. Seal edges of top and bottom crust with water.
4. Apply yolk to top of pie, using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with sugar. 
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), for 15 minutes, turn down to 375 F and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until bubbly and brown. Cool on rack.

1.25 c all purpose flour
1.25 c cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter chilled
dash vanilla
ice water

1. Add flour, sugar, salt to bowl, mix.
2. Add butter sticks, then cut with knife until small pea sized chunks (this will take a while)
3. Add  vanilla, ice water until everything just barely sticks together
4. Roll into two balls, flatten and cover
5. Let rest in fridge for at least 1 hr

Can freeze up to 1 month

New: May 2013

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 lb. boneless veal stewing cut (shank shoulder or round) cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green portions, halved, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 lb. asparagus, tough ends removed and spears coarsely chopped
8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. frozen peas
1/2 cup crème fraîche
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions:
Brown the veal
Season the veal cubes with salt and pepper. In dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, add the veal and cook until golden brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes total. Add the leeks and sauté until they start to soften, about 3 minutes more. Remove veal and leeks from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl.

Cook the stew
Preheat oven to 325 ˚F. Return the dutch oven to medium-high heat, add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Bring the wine to a boil and add veal and leeks. Add the thyme sprigs,and enough chicken broth to just cover the meat. Cover and cook in 325 ˚F oven for 1.5 hours.

Add the vegetables
Add the asparagus, mushrooms and peas to the dutch oven and stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Can keep warm on stove top for a couple hours now if needed. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard. Stir in the crème fraîche until it is blended with the cooking juices. Season the stew with salt and pepper.

Spoon the stew into shallow bowls over cooked gnocchi garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4.


Also works well with beef.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Slow Cooker, by Norman Kolpas (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Marcella Hazan’s Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Red Chili Pepper
serves 4 for Italian-style primi portions

1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
salt
vegetable oil for frying

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
~18 oz  good quality canned tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
large pinch dried chili flakes
1 pound spaghetti

Trim ends off eggplant and peel it. Slice into 1/2-inch slices, lengthwise.

Set a colander on a plate. Stand one layer of eggplant slices upright against the inside of the colander and sprinkle both sides with salt. Stand another layer of slices against the first layer, sprinkle that layer with salt, and continue until all eggplant has been salted. Let salted eggplant stand for at least 30 minutes then blot eggplant slices thoroughly with paper or cloth towels.

Used large dutch oven and put in about 1/2 inch canola oil on high heat.

Test the oil by dipping one slice of dried eggplant into the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is ready for frying. Slip as many slices of eggplant into the pan as will fit in a single layer. Cook undisturbed to a golden brown on one side, then turn them and cook the second side. Don't flip more than once. When both sides are golden, use tongs to transfer them to the towel-lined plate. Repeat until all eggplant is done. If the oil becomes so hot that the eggplant starts to burn, reduce the heat slightly.

In a large cold frying pan, add olive oil and garlic, and turn heat to medium. Cook and stir the garlic until it colors lightly. Add parsley, tomatoes, chili (start with a little, add to taste) and stir thoroughly. Adjust heat so that the sauce simmers gently, and cook about 25 minutes, until oil separates from sauce and floats free.

Boil water and make pasta (~12 min)

Cut eggplant into strips about 1/2 an inch wide. Add to the sauce, cook another 2-3 minutes, and stir once or twice to incorporate. Taste and correct for salt and heat.

Advance prep: Sauce and eggplant can be made up to 4 days in advance. Keep eggplant separate from sauce. Reheat sauce while pasta cooks, and add eggplant just before combining sauce and pasta.

This is adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, but I replaced with Julia Child béchamel because I can never get it to thicken properly the per Marcella's instructions

2 oz dried porcini
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
3-4 whole Italian tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 -3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1.5 lbs large white or cremini mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
11 De Cecco Lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, almost at a boil
salt and pepper

.75 lbs ham, thinly sliced into strips (just used sliced ham "off the bone" and subsequently julienned)

Add dried mushrooms to 2 cups of warm water. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove mushrooms and squeeze out excess water and grit. Pour soaking water through a cheesecloth or paper towel lined wire strainer and set aside. Roughly chop mushrooms.

In a large sautee pan, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring regularly. Add chopped reconstituted mushrooms, tomatoes, parsley and mushroom soaking water. I boiled down rapidly because I'm inpatient, but you're supposed to gently simmer off liquid. Add fresh mushrooms and pepper turn up the heat to medium high and stir regularly. The mushrooms will release liquid. Cook until liquid is absorbed again and mixture is generally dry. Taste and correct for seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles for 4 minutes leaving slightly al dente. Drain and set aside on cloth towels to prevent sticking.

Preheat oven to 400F. Make the béchamel. In a sauce pan melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, bring heat to low and whisk in flour with no coloring. Pour in almost boiling milk all at once and whisk rapidly. Turn up heat, let boil, all while whisking, then turn back to simmer. Add salt.

Assembly lasagne in an 8x8 dish. Cover bottom with a thin layer of béchamel, then add layer of noodles, scatter with a layer of mushrooms, using about 1/4 of the mushrooms. Top with a quarter of the ham, then 1/5 of the béchamel. Top with another layer of noodles. Do 3 more layers like this. The last layer should end with three noodles, then the last of the bechamel.

Bake for 15 minutes covered with lid, remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Shown with Grilled Red Snapper.

Adapted from Julia Child.

Chop thick ends of asparagus. Peel with vegetable peeler (sometimes going over the same location several times until all the thick skin is gone. Tie all sprigs together with two pieces of twine, place in boiling, salted water in pot large enough to accommodate sprigs horizontally. Bring back up to boil, turn down heat to slowly boil for 12-15 min. Remove from water and dry a bit on cutting board with paper towels. Grill for ~7 min, flipping once on high heat with melted butter in frying pan.

1. In large bowl combine:

• 1 small white onion (chopped)
• 5 stalks of celery (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 1 red pepper (chopped)
• 1 yellow pepper (chopped)

2. In sauce pan, boil for 2 min:

• 3/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• Salt & pepper to taste

3. Pour liquid over veggies/beans. Cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

To make as a meal, leave out majority of sugar, add in some spices (red pepper flakes, thyme, etc) and toss with pasta.

Adapted from Julia Child.

Fondue de poireaux (Leeks)

In large enameled dutch oven, heat:

2 T olive oil
4 lamb shanks (~3/4 lb EACH) sprinkled with salt and pepper. cook two at a time if needed until browned on all sides (12 min) transfer to platter

In lamb juices, sautee until tender:

1 large yellow onion
16 oz white mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
1/3 c chopped basil
1 T chopped rosemary
1 large pinch of crushed red peppers
1/2 to 1 handful of soaked porcini mushrooms

Return lamb to pot.

Add 
0.5 c dry red wine (or white wine), boil until liquid is evaporated
porcini mushroom water
2 c beef stock
1.5 c crushed tomatoes (canned)

Return to boil
place in preheated oven at 325 ˚F
cook ~2 hrs

Take out, remove meat and place on dish to let cool (10 min)
Rapidly boil down sauce on stove top
Return fork pulled meat, att 2 T flour to thicken

Ingredients
3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
Kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
1 clove garlic, smashed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in asaucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.