Potato Salad

This is yet another recipe from A Homemade Life. I know potato salad is usually for warmer weather, but who says you can't have it as a side dish next to say, pot roast? It is filling and delicious. The recipe called for hard-boiled eggs but I didn't feel like doing all that. I added coarse ground mustard to the ranch and mayo dressing, as well as dried dill because I didn't have any fresh on hand. It was truly delicious and even better the next day! I used baby Yukon gold potatoes, aren't they pretty? They almost shimmer underwater. You can bookmark this recipe for the summertime or make it with your next roast! Enjoy!

Potato Salad

1 lb baby potatoes, scrubbed (I sliced some lengthwise and half wise just to change it up)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mayo

4 tablespoons ranch

1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard

2 tablespoons fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried

1 Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender when pierced, about 15-20 minutes.

2 Drain them and set aside to cool.

3 Slice the potatoes however you like and put in a large bowl.

4 In a small bowl stir together the mayo, ranch, mustard and dill. Pour dressing over the potatoes and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight if serving next day.

Pot Roast

This is my first pot roast, however, pot roast as I found out, is basically braising meat over low heat over a long period of time. I've mostly braised brisket or short ribs, but this time I used a cut of meat that was foreign to me – eye round roast. I've always seen it at the grocery store but never cooked with it. It's a somewhat tougher piece of meat and that's why it must be cooked long and low. Long and low –yummm. The meat was tender and falling apart at some parts, especially the bottom. I love the fallen apart saucy mess at the bottom of the crock pot, I usually eat that first while slurping up the sauce.

This recipe has very minimal ingredients: water, red wine, soy sauce, sliced onions and brown sugar.  Oh and garlic, can't forget that. Mine came out a tiny bit salty because I salted the meat and added soy sauce, which already constitutes enough salt. So, don't salt your meat beforehand. All you do is dump the water, red wine, soy sauce, onions and brown sugar in the crock pot with the meat, set on low and 10 hours later you will have a saucy roast beef. It is best eaten the next day, but the day of is fine as well.

Pot Roast

2.5 - 3 lbs eye, top or bottom round roast

1 cup red wine

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves

1 Slice onion into half moon slices and throw it in the bottom of the crock pot. Take one of the garlic cloves and slice very thin, put aside. Mince the other clove and throw in with the onions. 

2  Pour in the wine, water, soy sauce and brown sugar over the onions and garlic.

3 Pierce a few slits around the meat and insert the garlic slices in each one.

4 Drop the meat in and cover. Set on low for 8- 10 hours.

Banana Bread with Chocolate

I recently bought "The Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg, the author of the blog Orangette. I was a big fan of her blog – simple photos, interesting compositions and witty writing. The book was no disappointment. Her recipes are woven throughout memories of her father and family. 've had banana bread before, but never like this. It is so moist, delicate and it doesn't scream banana, it is mild and delicious. This particular recipe originally included ginger, but I'm not a huge fan so I left it out. This was really easy, even for me, and lasts up to 5 days, covered in aluminum foil on the counter. It is especially yummy heated up in the toaster for breakfast. If you try it with ginger, let me know how it goes! Enjoy!

Banana Bread with Chocolate

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups unbleached flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or chocolate bar broken up into shards

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, about 3 bananas

1/4 cup well-stirred whole milk plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard loaf pan (9x5 in) with cooking spray.

2 Melt butter in the microwave. Set aside.

3 In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate and whisk well to combine.

4 In a separate bowl, lightly beat the the eggs. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir to mix well.

5 Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently. Do not overmix, but there should be no unincorporated flour.

6 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

7 Bake 50 minutes to an hour until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown. Cool the loaf for 5 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Note: Molly says this bread freezes very well, wrap it in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil.

Lemon-Scented Rice with Lentils & Sautéed Onions

I love rice. But, I find that I don't eat it as much as I would like, probably because it is shoved in the back of the pantry and I never think to make it. When I was in Israel, I ordered a delicious meat platter — I don't remember what type of meat— and it came with this amazing rice. Soft buttery white rice dotted with lentils and sautéed onions. It was such a delight to eat. The memory popped into my head the other day and I decided to recreate it at home. I ate it as a hot snack on a cold rainy day and it was the most satisfying bowl of rice. I adapted it slightly and added lemon juice and lemon zest for more zing in the rice. This is a great side to quickly heat up for a weekday meal or lunch — and It's even better the next day.

Lemon-Scented Rice with Lentils & Sautéed Onions

1 cup basmati rice, or any rice you choose : 2 cups water

1/2 onion, chopped

1 cup green lentils : 3 cups water

1/2 lemon juice and zest

Parsley sprigs as garnish, optional

1 Wash rice under cold water until water runs clear. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice and bring back to a boil, cover.

2 While the rice is boiling, bring another saucepan with 3 cups water to a boil. Add lentils and bring back to a boil.

3 Both will take about 20 minutes until tender and all the water is absorbed.

4 Heat a small skillet with olive oil and sauté the chopped onions until golden. Place onions on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

5 When all ingredients are ready, let cool and mix in the onions into the rice and stir well. Spoon some lentils into the rice and stir. I like more rice than lentils but you can choose whatever ratio you like.

6 Zest 1/2 a lemon into the rice mixture, along with its juice. Stir all together.

Serve with other half of lemon and parsley sprigs optional.

OMG! Cinnabon Cake!

For some reason I've been gravitating toward baking recipes more and more. Ever since I made churros last week, I was like "Hm. I could do this!"  I realize the churros recipe last week was a simple recipe but it was huge for me. I think it's because I am buying new cookbooks and I always ignore the last third of the book – the dessert/baking chapter. It would be a waste of money not to use the whole book, right? Right. Well, I am definitely taking baby steps into the baking world and this cinnabon bread is the perfect recipe for an amateur baker like me. It was featured on kitchn.com, blogged by Framed. Since I looooove cinnabons, it instantly caught my eye. I'm so glad it ended up being a relatively simple and easy recipe (and I had most of the ingredients on hand, too!) This tastes exactly like a cinnabon you would have at the mall, icing and all! ooey gooey cinnamon-y delicious! Instead of individual cinnabons, it is one big cinnabon cake you can cut into and serve warm, drizzled with icing. Perfect for guests, if you don't eat it all first!

Cinnabon Bread

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp active dry yeast

2/3 cup warm milk

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Cinnamon topping

3 tbsp butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

1. Lightly butter a 8x8 round or square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt,

3. In a measuring cup, warm the milk and dissolve the yeast in the warmed milk. Stir in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the same measuring cup and into the flour mixture.

4. Mix until smooth and pour into prepared dish. Let rest for 15 minutes.

5.  While the dough rests, mix together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until crumbly (I used my hand to mix together).

6. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough and press lightly down into the dough.

7. Place pan into a cold oven and heat it to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes until set.

8. Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the icing.

9. Serve warm with lost of icing!

Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I haven't posted a pasta dish for a long time, but don't worry I've still been eating it regularly– my favorite way, of course. I've also been eating a lot of mushrooms lately. Mainly just sauteed in butter with shallots –yum! I thought to add these indulgent flavors in a cream sauce over pasta. I used shiitake, but any mushrooms or a combination of mushrooms, would work. This was such an easy and quick sauce to make — just melt some butter, saute some minced shallots until softened, throw in the  chopped mushrooms, pour in the half and half or cream, season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. By the time your pasta is cooked, the sauce is ready. Enjoy!!

Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce

2 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 8 oz package of shiitake mushrooms, or any variety, roughly chopped

1 cup half and half

salt 'n' peppa

1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Pasta of your choice, cooked al dente

1 Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat with shallots until softened. Add in minced garlic.

2 Throw in the mushrooms and cook until golden and soft. Pour in the cream, make sure the heat isn't too high, you don't want to boil the cream.

3 Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the parsley and stir.

4 Pour over pasta of your choice and garnish with fresh parmesan cheese!

I am sending this pasta dish over to ascientistinthekitchen for presto pasta night!

Smoked Paprika & Parmesan Grilled Fries

The first time I made grown up fries on my george foreman grill, I used olive oil,  sea salt and oregano and fresh thyme. This time I went a spicier route with smoked paprika. Have I mentioned how much I love this spice? It is similar to paprika but much bolder and smokier, especially delicious when used on roast chicken. I was sure the smoky flavor would pair perfectly with my grilled fries. I didn't use measurements on this side dish, just threw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl and tossed. On top of the golden fries, I grated lots of fresh parmesan cheese. YUMMM! Crispy, smoky and cheesy. I couldn't get enough! Smoked Paprika & Parmesan Grilled Fries 3 Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin medium wedges olive oil, enough to coat smoked paprika, enough to coat salt 'n' peppa fresh parmesan, grated 1 Heat your george foreman grill to High. 2 In a large bowl, toss peeled and sliced potatoes with some olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. 3 Arrange potatoes in one even layer and close the grill. Grill time will take about 20 minutes, until there are grill marks. 4 Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese

Churros

I recently found this recipe on a new blog, the sophisticated gourmet. The photos brought me back to disney world where I last had churros, about 15 years ago. I loved the crunchy cinnamon/sugar crust on the hot tender doughnut. Did you know churros are spanish doughnuts? I didn't. Anyways,  I know I hate to bake but this was the type of baking I could actually pull off. It has minimal ingredients and I happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry – except ground cinnamon, which was strange, so I grated some whole cinnamon sticks instead and it turned out absolutely delectable. The only difference between disney churros and mine were the insides. Mine turned out more custardy than airy, but it was still very good. This recipe only made 6 or 7 churros, depending on how short you cut them, so they were gone pretty quickly. These were pretty simple to make, even for an amateur baker like me, so give it a try!

Churros

1/2 cup water

1 oz salted butter

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup flour

1 large egg at room temperature

vegetable oil for frying

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Bring water, butter, 1 tablespoon sugar and lemon zest to a boil in a medium saucepan.

2 Remove from heat and stir in the flour, return to heat, and continue to stir until a smooth ball forms. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for a few minutes.

3 With a mixer, I used a handheld, on medium speed add the egg and continue to beat until a smooth, about 2 minutes.

4 Heat 2 inches of oil in a pan until hot but not smoking. You can flick some flour in the oil to see if it sizzles, if it does than the oil is hot enough.

5 While the oil is heating, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.

6 Spoon the dough into a pastry bag, I used a gallon ziploc bag and snipped the tip. Hold the bag a few inches above the hot oil and pipe a few lines, as short or as long as you'd like. I didn't try and make them look perfect. You can always cut them later if they are too long.

7 Fry the churros until golden brown, turning only once. Drain oil off on a paper towel and roll in the prepared cinnamon sugar mixture.

Fried Egg Sandwich – the perfect hangover breakfast

I recently bought the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics and once I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. New years day was the perfect opportunity after a long night of celebrating until 4 am! I surprisingly woke up at a reasonable hour, and this was exactly what I needed — fried cheesy bread topped with a fried egg. I used multigrain bread instead of white because thats what I had at home. I also used sharp white cheddar instead of gruyere or fontina, and arugula instead of fresh oregano. This sandwich is easily adaptable to whatever you have lying around the kitchen, so be creative! That's the beauty of sandwiches after all.

Fried Egg Sandwich

serves 2

4 slices of bread, I kept the crusts on but you can cut them off if you'd like

3 eggs

splash of milk

a few slices of white cheddar

a few arugula leaves

salt and pepper

chives optional

1 Prepare two sandwiches with a few slices of cheddar, some leaves of arugula, and salt and pepper. 

2 In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg with a splash of milk. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat.

3 Dip the two sandwiches into the egg mixture and let the excess drip. Pan fry the two sandwiches until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Set sandwiches aside on plates.

4 Crack the two remaining eggs into the pan, until the white is set but the yolks are still runny.

5 Top the sandwiches with the fried eggs and serve. Garnish with chives (optional)