Simply Slow Bacon Beef Stew

or a cold weather comfort food classic from my kitchen to yours

Not much time here now that baby land is in full swing, with our little girl quickly approaching 6 months old our free time is just as quickly dwindling.  I did want to take a moment though and "officially-ish" welcome everyone to comfort food season, the most wonderful season of all.  I adore Fall - the weather, the colors, the food - it is all my favorite things rolled up in one.  So here is a recipe that is like a great big bear hug welcome to comfort food season - slow cooker beef stew.  This recipe is really more "winter coat weather" than "jacket weather" but you need to prepare early for these things, planning is everything you know.

This recipe is not as straight forward as my favorite "dump and go" slow cooker recipes, but the extra effort to get those flavors working early is definitely a must.  There is a difference for the recipe if using slab bacon versus regular bacon, I recommend the slab bacon if you can find it, but either will give a great flavor base to the stew.  I highly recommend serving this up with some delicious baking powder biscuits (which can be made the day before for less stress).

6 slices of thick bacon, cut in half, or an equal amount of slab bacon cut into small cubes
1 – 1.5 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 large onion, finely diced or minced
1 cup carrots, small dice
5 small yellow potatoes, well scrubbed and diced
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp flat leaf parsley, 1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Hardware: slow cooker, large pot or deep pan

1. Crisp bacon in olive oil in a large pot. Add beef and brown. (If using regular bacon, remove once crispy, crumble and set aside for topping later.  Slab bacon stays in with the beef to cook in the stew)

2. Add onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes.

3. Pour into slow cooker, top with potatoes and spices, add red wine, water, and beef broth, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4. Turn the slow cooker to high.  In a small bowl, blend 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; stir into the stew and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken and integrate flavors. If needed, repeat the process again with the remaining 2 tbsp cornstarch. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Allow to cook for about 10 min for all the flavors to settle down then stir and serve.  Enjoy!

Rollin' in the Greens (spinach lasagna rolls)

or any day comfort food is a snap

The weather is cooling down here the last couple weeks, by cooling down I mean it has actually dropped below 90 for more than a few days at a time, and that is putting me in the mood for food - comfort food that is.  Fall isn't quite in the air yet, but it will be soon, and then all bets are off - I'll be strapping on my apron for my favorite cooking season.  To get warmed up for this wonderful time of year I started with a quick, no fuss Italian style dinner - spinach lasagna.  To simplify it a bit, both for serving and for leftovers, I changed it up a bit and made it into lasagna rolls.  I love this idea.  It is a small change that makes the meal a bit more fun, a bit more fool proof, and a nice change up for an any day meal.

It may seem like it takes a while to make, approximately 10 min prep-40 min cook-10 min set, but since the active work time for this is only about 10-15 min I still consider this a win.  Bonus - it can be prepped a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator, if you are using a glass baking dish just take it out and let the dish come to room temperature a bit before baking so it doesn't break.  Make ahead meals are such a stress reliever for me, I hope this one will be for you too.  Check it out:

12 lasagna noodles
1 small tub ricotta, 8 oz (I like to use reduced fat)
3 tbsp egg beaters, egg substitute, or 1 egg
½ cup mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, shredded
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp basil
8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2-3 cups tomato based pasta sauce, homemade or store bought

Hardware: 9x13 baker

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. Cook lasagna noodles to al dente according to package directions.

2. In a mixing bowl dump the following: ricotta, egg substitute (or egg), mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian bread crumbs, and spices. Mix until combined and happily consistent throughout.

3. Drain the thawed spinach and use your hands to squeeze out all the liquid you can, this is great for getting out pent up frustration. Once you have squeezed every last drop of liquid out of it, fluff the spinach up a bit to build up its self esteem again and add it to the cheese mixture. Stir well to combine and ensure that all the ingredients are well acquainted.

4. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.

5. Rinse the cooked lasagna noodles and drain. Lay out a series of noodles on a flat surface (like a cutting board). Take a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture and spread it over one noodle, add more or take some away as needed. You will want to leave about 2 inches at the end without cheese. Start gently rolling at the end with the cheese, you don't need a lot of pressure just enough to make it stick You will notice the cheese spreads down a little as you roll it but you want to make sure the very end is cheese free. Place the rolls seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with as many rolls as can fit or until you run out of usable noodles.

6. Pour remaining sauce evenly over top. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 min, until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and uncover, allow to sit for 5-10 min so the cheese will set.

Mini Loaves of Legumes (Vegetarian Meatloaf Muffins)

or comfort food survives a veggie conversion

I miss meat.  I dream of steaks and ribs and yes - even meatloaf - these days.  For the past year or so I have been converted, against my will, to vegetarian.  Turns out that pregnancy can do weird things to your body, and they don't all resolve postpartum.  But our sweet baby girl is well worth the sacrifice, even if I have visions of meatballs instead of gumdrops dancing through my head at night.  But that is getting a bit off track. The point is, and I do have one, that most of my comfort food loves involve meat of some sort.  I have recently started coming to terms with the fact that I am now "meat free" for the most part and that puts forth the urgent matter of where will I get my comfort food???  You can only eat so much macaroni and cheese...  And since my body was not thrilled with soy substitutes I have moved on to the arena of the legume.  It is a scary world to some I know, it was not all sunshine and lollipops in my mind as I approached it, and even though I have only tested the waters here with lentils - so far they seem like a fair alternative.  And the results of this particular recipe taste test were a definite success, even my husband gave it a good review (and his skepticism of meat alternatives knows no bounds).  Even if you are not veggie inclined I suggest you give these little cuties a try.  Who knows, you might just find something new to crave.

I started with this recipe for "vegetable balls" and modified it to fit my needs: http://www.grouprecipes.com/91887/vegetable-balls-in-barbecue-sauce.html

Here is what I ended up with...

1/2 cup dried brown lentils
1 cup white rice, uncooked
2 tbsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp house seasoning blend
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup egg substitute or 4 eggs 
2 tbsp + 6 tsp BBQ sauce
3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Hardware: medium sized sauce pot, 2 muffin tins (6 muffins each, I use silicone ones)

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. In the medium pot combine the dried lentils with 1 3/4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 8 min.

2. Add in the rice, dried minced onion, and seasoning blend stirring well to combine.  Bring back to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover, cook for 10 min at a simmer.

3. Uncover and allow to rest for 10 min.  Then add in the egg substitute (or eggs, yolks broken up with a fork first), breadcrumbs, salt, and 2 tbsp of the BBQ sauce.  Stir until well combined and consistent throughout, this makes for a happier mix.

4. Use the vegetable oil to lightly grease the muffin pans.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, because that was easiest for me, scoop out equal amounts of the mixture into each of the 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 10 min.

5. After 10 min, top each "muffin" with 1/2 tsp BBQ sauce spreading evenly (think frosting style, you want all of the top covered, you will notice that I did not do this in the picture above and I have regretted it ever since).  Return to oven and cook for another 5 min.  Remove and allow to cool for 5 min before removing, this helps them set a bit more.  This goes excellent with some form of potatoes and a nice roasted veggie side dish.

Indian Inspired Slow and Low Veggies

or baby stepping into curried foods

This recipe was a bit of a process to work out for me.  I really enjoy Indian flavors but have never tried to cook with them.  On top of that, as much as I do like the flavor base, I am not used to the spice level of many traditional Indian curry dishes so I had to account for that as well.  I do like "butter chicken" so I combined some flavors for those recipes with ones for curried veggies and found a reasonable, albeit non-traditional, place to start.  So first I tried it with just chickpeas and extra sauce, then I added other vegetables, and finally adjusted spices a bit more.  After a couple moderately successful batches, I finally have a winner with the last one!  

Making it is pretty easy, one of those just toss and go style dishes that works great once finished off for families that may have to eat at off set times, and the left overs are excellent reheated.  I think any dish that results in leftovers that are as good or better for lunch is a definite stress reducer.  Add to that the benefit of this helping clear out any existing sinus issues for me and there really is no reason not to make it every week or so.  This is how it's done:

1 can drained chickpeas
1 bag frozen cauliflower, 8 oz
2 med golden potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup baby carrots, whole or halved
1 ½ tbsp dried minced onion
1 ½ tbsp ground ginger powder
1 ½ tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp curry paste or powder
dash or two cinnamon
3 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
to taste salt and pepper
2 cups white rice

Hardware: Slow Cooker/Crockpot

1. Dump everything except the yogurt, cream, salt and pepper into the slow cooker. Stir really well to combine, the consistency should be the same throughout. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

2. Uncover, stir in the yogurt and cream. Turn to high for about 10 min. Make the rice according to package directions. Stir well again and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.

I love the leftovers from this dish but I like to add a small pat of butter between the rice and veggies before storing. This adds a nice creaminess to the dish when reheated.

Roasted Veggie Soup

or a creamy and flavorful bowl of garden goodness.

A Summer home with my baby girl should have resulted in more cooking on my part, but I failed to take into account healing.  Seems that healing is very important after childbirth.  Well I learned my lesson after a few failed attempts at things like weeding the garden and going for long walks early on, sometimes the extra pain is just not worth it.  So this season was spent on easier meals (i.e. semi-homemade) and tried and true recipes.  One chance I did take to experiment was with some left over veggies from the farmers' market and my rather bare garden this year.  I had always thought about trying my hand at roasted red pepper soup but I didn't have just red peppers wasting away on the counter so I thought "ah what the heck, let's just toss it all in and see what happens."

I absolutely love roasted garlic soup so using that as a base was a must for me.  But since I undertook this endeavor during our several month long heat wave, I made it a bit less creamy than the exclusively garlic version.  This turned out great and really didn't need a whole lot of seasoning with all the vegetables involved, but if you want a bit more flavor I would toss in some Italian spices since they would get along nicely with the flavors already there.  This does take a little bit of "at home" time to prepare so you may want to do it on a day when you'll be hanging around the house for a bit.  Don't let that deter you though, the extra care is definitely worth it.  Check it out:

red bell pepper - 2 (or one red and one orange)
garlic - 2 heads
leek - 1 medium
chicken stock - 4 cups 
heavy cream - ¾ cup
Parmesan cheese - ¼ cup 
olive oil
salt & pepper

Hardware: cookie sheet, medium pot, immersion blender or food processor.


1. Prepare the peppers.  Turn the oven to broil.  On a cookie sheet, place the peppers and brush lightly with olive.  Broil the peppers, turning periodically, until blackened on all sides.  Remove and allow to cool.  Place in a paper bag and shake to help remove the blackened skins.  Once the skins are removed, cut the peppers taking care to remove the seeds and dice up then set aside.

2. Prepare the leeks.  Cut the tops and bottoms off the leeks, keeping only the white & light green areas, and slice in half lengthwise.  Wash the leeks well and then cut them down into small "moons" and set aside.  Add the leeks to the cookie sheet after the peppers are removed and brush with olive oil.  Broil a couple minutes, watching so they don't burn, until they start to caramelize.  Remove and set aside.

2. Prepare the garlic.  Cut the tops off the garlic heads just to expose the tops of all of the bulbs. Place in a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle tops with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Close the foil around them in a sort of packet, leaving some space between the tops and the foil, and place in the oven at 350 degrees F.  Roast until soft and fragrant, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove, allow to cool, and squeeze out the garlic into a bowl.

3. Heat the chicken stock to a simmer, stir in all the veggies and cook for 15 min.  Remove from heat and blend until smooth with either the immersion blender or food processor.  Strain to remove any stubborn bits.

4. Return to medium  heat and add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until heated through.  Serve with garlic Parmesan croutons.

Parmesan croutons (this is one of my favorite quick recipes, I have been known to make a big pan of these and just chow down on them solo):
Day old bread, hamburger buns, or hot dog buns
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Cut or tear the bread product up into bite sized pieces and toss in olive oil to coat.

2. Cook over medium high heat, flipping pretty regularly, until starting to toast.

3. Sprinkle Parmesan over top while the bread gets crispy.  Allow it to sit on the side that is touching the pan for a couple seconds so it will adhere to the bread better.  (if you are having problems getting it to stick, press down with the flat side of the spatula similar to how you might while making grilled cheese)  Once it is golden brown, toss in soup and serve!

Build Me Up Brown Sugar Zucchini Bread

or the breakfast bread of garden champions.

I like a challenge.  So this week I took on a food that my hubby is not very fond of in an attempt to change his mind - zucchini bread.  He was persuaded to try it by the aroma that filled the house when he got home and the taste test certainly did not disappoint.  I win!  *resounding applause fills the house*

Now, I was never a fan of zucchini bread growing up but it was more on principle since it was threaded with unnerving flecks of green that I did not believe had any place in bread.  I have since made my peace with the presence of the offending vegetable and decided that it was time to convince others to do the same.  This recipe has a nice hint of the earthiness of zucchini without it being overwhelming, if you really want the zucchini flavor you may want to increase the volume in this recipe but I haven't tested the bake times and texture with that adjustment so you do so at your own risk...  The brown sugar really provides a nice richness to the bread and a hint of molasses undertone that really adds to the aromatic appeal while it is baking.  You can add any number or type of mix-ins to the base recipe if you like nuts or other type of flavored "chips" aside from semi sweet chocolate, just try not to make it too crowded or the ingredients will start to battle each other (and nobody wants to be a part of an ingredient throw down, everyone loses in the end and the kitchen is just a disaster).  This is excellent as either breakfast or dessert, I highly recommend warming it a bit when enjoyed after it has cooled and been stored as it restores it to its fresh out of the oven glory nicely.  Check it out:

Flour - 3 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 2 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla - 3 tsp
Egg Beaters - 3/4 cup
Vegetable Oil - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 1/4 Cups
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Zucchini - 2 cups grated (about 2 medium sized)

Optional per loaf, to "build it up":
Mini Chocolate Chips - 1/3 cup
Dried Cherries - 1/2 cup

Hardware: 2 loaf pans, greased and floured
Preheat oven to 325 F

1. Mix in a large bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg.

2. Make a well in the center and beat the following together within that well: egg beaters, vanilla, vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar.

3. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl together until well blended.  Stir in the grated zucchini.  I like to separate the batter at this point and make two different variations.  I pour half the batter into the first pan and then add the optional cherries and chocolate chips into the remaining batter before pouring it into the second pan.

4. Bake for 50-60 min, until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Place on cooling rack for 20 min to set.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (if it isn't devoured sooner).

Slow and Comforting Vegetable Soup

or how I survived the loss of our fridge, a freezer and pantry based soup

So, balancing our new little angel and our temporary financial constraints of me being off work for FMLA to care for her has been challenging.  Add into that the time it took me to heal, the time it took to develop a new routine, and a few unexpected events and you have a recipe for a seriously delayed return to my beloved cooking blog.  Fortunately I have been cooking, so once things sort themselves out a bit more I do actually have recipes to share.  Today's recipe comes to you straight from our most recent unexpected event - the untimely demise of our fridge's control panel.  We have been without our full size fridge and freezer for five days now and let me tell you, it has certainly made me creative in using up what we have on hand.

This recipe quite honestly surprised me, I had my doubts up until I had a bowlful in front of me.  It started with a turkey I made yesterday that had been residing in our freezer before the catastrophic event.  Said turkey yielded a tasty stock overnight in the slow cooker.  The 101 F day outside today kept me away from the stove, so it made perfect sense to carry on in the slow cooker for dinner tonight as well.  I raided the remaining freezer vegetables we had in our small back up freezer outside (I had to clear out more room for breast milk storage for our little one), then I raided the pantry.  What I came up with is not really a standard vegetable soup mix, but it definitely did the trick.  And nothing perks up a frustrating day like an easy comfort food dinner.  The key to the broth balance in this soup is the starch from the cannelloni beans and tortellini, it adds a nice touch to the light tomato base that is started by the stock and crushed tomatoes.  You can of course mix up the vegetables based on what you like or have on hand, but I suggest sticking with the starch providers for optimal results.  Check it out:

13 oz (1/2 of a large can) crushed tomatoes
2 quarts turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen green beans
1/2 can drained cannelloni beans
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Italian Spice Blend
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 cups dried four cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese

Hardware: slow cooker (crockpot)

1. Pour the first five ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well to combine.

2. Add in all of the seasonings and onion then stir again.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. When there is an hour left in the cook time, stir in the tortellini.  Cover and cook for the remaining hour.

4. Stir well and serve topped with a bit of shredded or shaved parmesan cheese.