On the Menu...

SUNDAY - Carnitas Tacos, refried beans and rice
No bake Chocolate oatmeal cookies

MONDAY - Dinner in LA
Pavlova for Ainsley's class

TUESDAY - Swordfish Tacos with Grilled Asparagus

WEDNESDAY - Chicken Paprikash
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-paprikash-recipe.html

THURSDAY - Black Bean Burgers
The All-American Boys Chorus Performs

FRIDAY - Pizza

SATURDAY - Spaghetti and Homemade Meatballs

On The Menu ....

Sunday - Beef Stew
http://www.foodfamilystyle.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-ulitmate-beef-stew.html
Vanilla Cake
http://www.foodfamilystyle.blogspot.com/2013/08/coconut-cake.html

Monday - corned beef hash and cabbage, green pees
Happy St. Patrick's Day

Tuesday - Grilled Salmon, beets & arugula with goat cheese and toasted pecans, peas

Wednesday - hot dogs, chili
Blue & Gold Indoor Campout Banquet

Thursday - leftbovers, or El Pollo Loco
Mom is at a Baby Shower

Friday -  Ward Fiesta - Tres de Marcho

Saturday - Grilled pizza

The Ulitmate Beef Stew

Okay I'm trying to get back into Meal Planning.  Since I was surprised in November and took over as PTA President I have let Family Dinners slide.  Then our Church hosted a big event titled "Rescuing Dinner" with the Food Nanny speaking about the importance of Family Dinner.  I already knew it but I was recommitted to get back into Weekly Food Planning.  Cooking a Family Dinner makes me feel whole.   I LOVE the time around the dinner.  I'm sick of fast food.  I hate eating at those fast food places because there are always televisions and it's hard to carry a family conversation.  We don't have cable in our home anymore and our TV is in our bedroom so it's not a focal point in our home.  So why do we frequent these places with TV's everywhere that only serve as a distraction for face to face conversation?  Lazinesss.

Okay so the first meal of the new week was requested by Charlie ... Beef Stew.  So I borrowed from a few recipes, especially Tyler Florence and came up with this.  TASTY.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
3 tablespoons butter
2 - 3 lbs beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Worcestershire
1 bottle good quality dry red wine

8 fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 orange, zest

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups chopped onions

2 Tbs tomato paste
1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2

1 bag of frozen fire roasted corn
1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh

mashed potatoes
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows, for garnish

With hot olive oil in a large stock pot brown the beef chunks with salt and pepper, and a little wine and Worcestershire Sauce.  Remove from pot and then sautee the onions in the leftover oil.  Add the thyme and the rest of the wine after about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the wine, stock, orange and simmer for a few hours.  About an hour before I added the carrots and mushrooms.  I added the peas just about 30 minutes before we ate.  

Meanwhile prepare the mashed potatoes to your liking.  Serve with the potatoes in the bowl first and poor the stew over it.  Serve immediately or the mashed potatoes will dissolve and it doesn't look that pretty.  

Now I didn't find the Horseradish Sour Cream until just now but it sounds awesome!  So I'm going to try it later!

Horseradish Sour Cream

1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chives, finely chopped, as garnish

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-beef-stew-recipe2.html?oc=linkback

Apple Crisp

Liz Liz Liz ... where are you?  I need my gourmet cooking club buddy to cook with. 


6 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Place sliced apples in mixing bowl, stir in white sugar and cinnamon and mix well.  Arrange into 9" round or square baking dish.  Combine brown sugar and flour; cut butter into mixture with a pastry blender.  Stir in rolled oats.  Spoon mixture over apples, pressing down lightly.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Levain's Knock off Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ever been to New York?  Ever found Levain's?  The cookies are so confusing.  Are they a cake or a cookie or meal?  Either one they are delicious!  This is knock off recipe.  What do you think?

Ingredients

• 2 sticks ‘cold and cubed’ unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I usually use half semisweet and half milk chocolate)
• 1 cup walnuts (Toast the nuts for more flavor, if desired. Use any kind of nut you like. I love macadamias in these)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time.. and beat until well incorporated.

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips/chunks and nuts.

3. Transfer dough to clean work surface and gently mix dough by hand to ensure even distribution of ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions, **about 4 oz each

4. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes depending on how gooey and raw’ish’ you like the interior, until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on rack and store what you don’t immediately eat in an airtight container.

These are best eaten on the day they are made (ESPECIALLY warm out of the oven – like most chocolate chip cookies). To freshen them after a few days (if they last that long), give them a quick nuke in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Also, once again, the Levain Bakery does not use vanilla extract in their chocolate chip walnut cookies.  If you’d prefer to use it, add 1 tsp along with the eggs.

Makes about 12-14 cookies

• * 6 oz portions will give you about 8-10 cookies – bake another 3-5 minutes at 375F.

Vitamix Ice Cream

Every time I try this at Costco, I'm always pleasantly surprised.

1 cup thawed frozen fruit juice concentrate (i.e. Welch's or other 100 % juice)
3 baby carrots
1 small handful cabbage (purple)
1 tblsp. protein powder or nonfat dry powdered milk
1-2 cups frozen fruit, 1-2 cups ice (3 cups frozen fruit and/or ice total)

Run VM on High 45 - 60 seconds (or until you see 4 "columns" inside container)

Cranberry Salsa

This has been our new favorite Thanksgiving Must-have.  It makes everything taste wonderful!

1 small bag of cranberries
1 half of a red onion
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cumin
jalepeno to taste

process them in the food processor until small but not liquid. 

This would also be great over cream cheese!!!!