Beef and Barley Stew (Slow Cooker)

I thought spring was finally here. On Saturday I was sitting outside soaking in the sun, drinking a beer, and rocking sandals. I thought winter had finally said her goodbyes. But no, I was wrong. Apparently we might get snow tonight. Really? Really? Really?

A ray of sunshine from behind the snow clouds-- I can share this beef and barley stew with you. It is a hearty delicious meal that is perfect for winter days... no matter if it is January or April.

Beef and Barley Stew
Ingredients:
1 lb chuck steak, fat trimmed and cut into about 1/2 inch pieces
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
10 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
14.5 oz can petite cut diced tomatoes
3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the carrots and onion to the pan and cook until browned about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Dump into slow cooker. Add the meat, broth, tomatoes, and thyme. Cook on high about 3 hours (or low 6 1/2 hours). Stir in the barley and cook for 1 hour on high. Stir in salt/pepper and serve.

Serves about 6.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

When I was a little girl, I was a figure skater. I would spend early mornings before school at the rink. And evenings for team practice. Saturdays I would volunteer to teach even littler kids. It was great.

I think I need to dust off my skates. Our weather warmed on Saturday afternoon resulting in freezing rain and a whole lot of melted snow. Of course when it refroze Saturday night, we got an ice rink on every surface. Like an inch of frozen solid ice on the parking lots and sidewalks. That makes walking (even in boots) difficult. Hence the need for ice skates.

These stuffed peppers are hearty and delicious for the cold weather. They may not protect you from the inevitable slipping and falling on your behind, but they will make you feel safe and warm at your kitchen table.

Italian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
1/3 lb ground beef
1 medium tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped peppers (red, banana, green, etc)
1 baby eggplant, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
handful of basil, roughly chopped
1/3 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup bread crumbs
handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
2 whole green bell peppers, tops removed, cored and seeded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.

Brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Drain fat. Add the tomato, onion, chopped peppers, eggplant, and garlic. Cook until the veggies are softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the basil and tomato juice and stir to combine. Stir in the bread crumbs. Remove from the heat.

Place the whole green peppers in a baking sheet sitting up. Fill with the beef mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 40 minutes.

Serves 2.

Lasagna Soup

Oh hey there fancy pants!

I have been wearing my fancy pants for almost all of November and fancy pants apparently do not allow for blog posting. Actually, I kid, it is the job interviewing and flying all over the country that does not allow for blog posting. I do [almost] officially have a job as a professor starting Fall 2014. I'll tell you details at a later point once I dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

For now I'll just share with you a comforting fall or winter soup. I love lasagna but with an always busy schedule I rarely have the time to assemble and bake the whole casserole. This soup completely lives up to the flavors of tomato, cheese, and pasta that I crave but without the time commitment. I filled it with a little bit of ground beef and a ton of mushrooms because that is how I prefer my lasagna, but feel free to do your thing.

Lasagna Soup (adapted from Paula Deen)
Ingredients:
1/3 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups chicken stock (homemade or low sodium store-bought)
2 cups water
28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese, about 2 cups

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic over medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned. Drain. Stir in the mushrooms, thyme, brown sugar, stock, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the broken noodles and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

Preheat the broiler. Ladle whatever soup you are going to eat into ovenproof crocks/bowls. Sprinkle each with about 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Broil about 6-inches from the heat for about 3-4 minutes until melted, browned and bubbly.

Serves 6-8.

Beef and Black Bean Chili (Slow Cooker)

Seriously busy time in my life right now, y'all! Hence the lack of posts. Luckily, I've been able to make some yummy food that I cannot wait to share with you; unfortunately, I haven't had time to type up the recipes, come up with witty stories, and post them.

So here's a post-- very bare bones in terms of an introduction but yummy food nonetheless. This is an alternative to your "normal" chili that I would certainly suggest if you are a black bean lover. The beans and meat soak up a lot of the liquid so be prepared for a thick chili. Perfect for a cold windy day... especially since it will be cooking all day in the crockpot!

Beef and Black Bean Chili (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
1/3 lb top loin steak, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (or beef stew meat would work as well)
1 1/2 cups tomato juice (low or no sodium)
2 cups water
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed
1/2 large red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
sour cream, for serving

Directions:
Combine the steak, tomato juice, water, black beans, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours (or high for 5-6 hours). Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Serve garnished with sour cream.

Serves 3-4.

Double Decker Taco Supreme

Fast food.

What are your thoughts?

I think fast food has its pluses and minuses. Obviously the speed and availability are the top two reasons to eat fast food. On the other hand, it is the caloric overload and altogether lack of nutrition that says maybe you should avoid fast food on a normal basis. When you are traveling and in need something quick and easy, almost everyone will stop to get fast food. Honestly, I don't eat a lot of fast food mostly because I enjoy cooking so much. And if I'm going to pick dinner up on my way home, I usually fall back on Panera or Jimmy Johns (are those considered fast food? I don't know). I'm not going to tell you I never eat fast food; that would be a lie. I enjoy a french fry or a spicy chicken sandwich or a roast beef sammy every now and again. But the fast food restaurant that I love the most is good ole T-bell.

To celebrate our one month of dating anniversary, Scott took me to Taco Bell. Although it may seem a little funny to you, it was a sweet gesture because I hadn't been to Taco Bell since I moved to NC about 9 months previous. We also both picked up Taco Bell and skyped while watching a Duke basketball game to celebrate our 5 year anniversary since we live halfway across the country from each other. It has become one of "our" restaurants. Ha ha. This ecard is so appropriate for us:

Anyway, I love the Taco Bell double decker taco supreme. I have loved it ever since I was a little girl when joined the menu temporarily. At some point it became a permanent menu item which means I almost always purchase one when I go there. Last week when I made the refried beans, I figured what better way to use them then to recreate my beloved DDTS at home. So delicious. I cannot even describe it. You'll have to make it to understand.

I even splurged on Taco Bell mild sauce to push it completely over the top. I was quite surprised I didn't have any little packets floating around my apartment... To tell you the truth, if I had closed my eyes I would have sworn I had just pulled out of the drive-through. Note: do not make them to far in advance because similar to T-Bell DDTS, the hard taco will get soft if it sits for too long. Eat immediately after assembly for the perfect crunch and soft combo.

Double Decker Taco Supreme (inspired by Taco Bell, obviously)
Ingredients (per taco, although how you could eat only one, I'm not sure):
1 hard taco shell
1 fajita sized tortilla, cut to about the size of the hard taco shell
2-3 tbsp refried beans, homemade or canned, warmed
taco meat*
shredded or torn lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
diced tomato
sour cream
Taco bell sauce

Directions:
Microwave the tortilla for 30 seconds on high to soften. Microwave the hard taco shell on high for 45 seconds. Place the tortilla on a plate and spread the refried beans in an even circle. Top with the hard taco shell and press the tortilla to stick. Fill with taco meat, lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream and sauce. Serve immediately!

*Make your favorite taco meat with either ground beef or ground turkey. This is what I do-- for 1/2 lb meat (which will be about 6 tacos), brown over medium high heat. Drain off fat. Add 1/2 cup water, 1 rounded tbsp taco seasoning and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Cook until thickened.

Sirloin Tip Roast

Let's talk New Years resolutions. Are you a "I'm going to work out everyday" person? Or did you decide you were going to avoid fast food and eat more salads? Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Did you resolve to make your bed every morning? Or maybe look for a new job? Finish your education?

Me? I'm not a huge resolution person. BUT I do have desires for 2013. They include publishing a number of papers, taking a preparing future faculty course, and applying for jobs this coming fall. Wow. Lots to do for my career.

I also decided it would be fun to add some goals for the blog. I'm planning on checking more things off on that bucket list. AND I'm starting this new series; I'm calling it "Science Sundays". Here I will explain some aspect of science behind food, cooking and baking. Then, of course, I'll have a recipe to highlight what I'm talking about. I'm not promising a Science Sunday every week but I'll shoot for at least a few each month. This will be fun for those of you who care to learn a little bit about science and it will be fun for me to bring my two loves together.

So let's get started!

I'm kicking off the first few weeks of Science Sunday talking about the major food molecules that we need to consume on a daily basis. First up is protein! As we all probably know, protein is a characteristic of food from animals such as milk, eggs, meat and fish. Additionally, we can find protein in a variety of beans and nuts. The basic building blocks of proteins are amino acids; which are linked end to end via amide bonds.

The sequence of the amino acid side chains is important, but the overall 3D shape of the protein is important to whether or not we can eat it and contributes to the flavor. When a protein is in a natural state, it is globular and there are interactions between individual amino acids that are not directly connected to one another. When we cook the protein, the internal bonds are broken and the shape is changed in a process we call denaturation. Visualize it like this-- say you had a long piece of string. If you randomly ball up that piece of string, you have the "natural" state of the protein. Now throw that ball up in the air and the string unravels. You have just cooked your protein and denatured it. Most proteins can be denatured at temperatures around 104 F (or 40 C). However, we don't need heat to denature proteins; we can use other things like salt, acid, base, alcohol, and stretching motion (like whisking). Once the natural state of the proteins are denatured, they don't just stop there, new bonds are formed as they continue to cook.

So let's denature some proteins. We made this sirloin tip roast for Christmas Eve dinner. It seems like a perfect example of cooking proteins. So enjoy the amino acids as you do some chemistry in the kitchen!

Sirloin Tip Roast (adapted from food.com)
Ingredients:
Sirloin tip roast (5 to 8 lbs-- ours was 7.3 lb)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1/2 cup red wine (we used Pinot Noir)
Dijon mustard
0.75 oz package au jus mix

1 1/2 tbsp dried minced onion
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried tarragon
salt and pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Water and cornstarch, for making gravy

Directions:
Let the roast set at room temperature for 1 hour prior to cooking. Mix together the au jus mix, minced onion, garlic, basil, rosemary and tarragon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Rinse and pay dry with a paper towel. Generously rub salt and pepper on all sides of the roast.

Cover the bottom of a large pan with olive oil. Heat over medium high heat until very hot. Place the roast in the hot pan (being very careful because the oil is hot!) and sear on all sides until nicely brown and some of the fat has been rendered. It should take 5-8 minutes.

Place the roast on wire rack sitting in a roasting pan. Poke 15-20 slits into the roast (enough for the garlic cloves) using a sharp knife. Push the slices of garlic into the slits. Pour the water and wine over the top of the roast. Generously brush the roast with Dijon mustard. Season the roast with salt and pepper again. Then sprinkle the mixed seasonings evenly over all of it, rubbing in slightly.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours until roast is a little bit less than you desire (if you want medium, remove from oven when medium rare). Make sure you use a meat thermometer pushed into the center of the roast to determine the temperature. Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to continue to cook.

Pour all of the juices into a small saucepan, add a water until you get to the amount you need for the gravy and bring to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and add to pan. Stir until thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Carve roast and serve with gravy.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

I know the saying is "America runs on Dunkin"

But today the truth is "Julie runs on Dunkin". I had an early morning (think 7am) date with the car dealership for an oil change. Of course I picked up a large coffee on my way to drop it off.

I went back this afternoon to pick up the car and this necessitated another stop at Dunkin Donuts for a medium coffee.

For those of you counting that 36 ounces of coffee today. Certainly needed after only about 6 hours of sleep last night. It has kept me alert and fairly productive today so that's a good thing, right?

Completely unrelated, but another fun fact about today. It is in the high 70s and b-e-a-utifully sunny outside.

Duh duh duh duh duh I'm loving it.

Oh wait. Wrong restaurant.

Anyway.

This beef and broccoli stir fry is great. Broccoli is probably my favorite vegetable for stir fry because it soaks up the sauce so well. Mushrooms are probably a close second. That's why I loaded this up with both of them. Be creative with the veggies that make you tick. Feel free to substitute vegetable or chicken broth for the beef broth if you don't have it on hand.

As always with stir fry, your meal will be ready in as much time as it would take you to run out and get another cup of joe from Dunkin.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1/3-1/2 lb top loin steak (or other steak), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
approximately 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
approximately 1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/3 cup sliced onion
1 tbsp diced onion
1 garlic clove, diced
1 pinch sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sriacha sauce
2 cups cooked rice, for serving
sliced green onion, for topping

Directions:
Whisk together the egg white, 1 tbsp sherry and 1 tbsp corn starch. Pour over the beef in a bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 min to 1 hour. Drain off excess marinade.

Prep all of your vegetables while the meat marinates. Also, cook rice as indicated on the package.

Whisk together the beef broth, 1/2 tsp corn starch, soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp dry sherry, hoisin sauce and sriacha. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat in a wok (or large skillet). Add the beef and cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the beef to a plate and wipe out the wok.

Heat another 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat in the wok. Add the garlic and diced onion. Cook, stirring until softened, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and salt and stir to mix. Add in the broccoli, mushrooms and onion slices and stir fry until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Add the beef back to the wok. Add the sauce and stir everything until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve the beef and broccoli over cooked rice topped with sliced green onion.

Sandwich Week- Day Two- Roast Beef Horseradish Sandwich

According to Rachael Ray, this is "the absolute best roast beef sandwich".

Although, I suppose I changed it up a little bit, so maybe it isn't the "absolute best" anymore. But in my professional opinion, it is pretty darn good. The horseradish sauce really makes this sammy. The horseradish plus the roast beef topped with a little bit of spinach makes it quite delicious. I think you could add some sharp cheddar cheese to round out the flavors completely; although, it certainly doesn't need it.

If you have some leftover steak, you could slice it really thin and sub it for the roast beef. You'll just be thanking me (and Rachael) for the sauce!

Oh, and as a tip, chop your fresh chives (hopefully from your little indoor herb garden that is somehow flourishing this year) using kitchen shears. A little bit of time-saver, plus you can cut them right into your bowl and avoid having to scrape them off a wet cutting board. :)

Roast Beef Horseradish Sandwich (adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray, December 2010)

Ingredients:

For Horseradish Sauce (makes enough for 3-4 sandwiches):

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

1 tbsp prepared horseradish

2 tbsp unsweetened all-natural applesauce

2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper, to taste

For Assembly (per sandwich):

1 wheat ciabatta roll, cut in half (or other desired crusty bread)

4 slices of thinly sliced deli roast beef

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Handful of spinach leaves

Directions:

Combine all the horseradish sauce ingredients. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Heat the roll in a toaster oven (or regular oven) at 350 F for about 3-4 minutes until warmed and slightly browned. 

Assemble the sandwich by first spreading a liberal amount of the sauce on half of the roll. Arrange the roast beef, onion, parsley and spinach on the roll. Top with the other half of bread.

Mexican Beer Steak Fajitas

Ok, y'all, I had a great birthday weekend. Scott came to visit and despite the fact that he wanted to take me out for a nice dinner, I convinced him that it was really more of a birthday treat for me to spend the weekend cooking meals for us. It didn't really take a lot of arm-twisting on my part because he eats out A LOT now that I've moved away so home-cooked meals are a treat for him as well. Let me tell you, cooking for other people is one of my love languages (for those of you who have read "The Five Languages of Love", you are probably about to start arguing with me that cooking is not technically a love language. I know, I know, but go with me, I'm taking creative license on MY blog. Deal. :) ).

Now I'm excited to share with you the meals we enjoyed this weekend. On Saturday late afternoon, after we spent a bit of the day at the pool, we had a Mexican feast revolving around these steak fajitas. I marinated the steak in beer before hand. I had been planning on using Corona but then Meijer had a mix-pack of Mexican beers for sale last week. So, I picked Dos Equis instead. Totally turned out great. And to make things even more enticing, the cooking part is soooo fast and easy.

You should try it. :)

And wait until you see the homemade salsa and guac we had with it. Stay tuned.

Mexican Beer Steak Fajitas
Ingredients:
3/4 lb top loin steak, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
1 bottle of Mexican beer (I used Dos Equis, but Corona would work well I'm sure)
juice of 1/2 lime
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of bell pepper, sliced thinly (any combination of colors)
3/4 cup onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper (more or less to taste)
salt, to taste
flour tortillas
sour cream and shredded cheese, for serving

Directions:
Between 12-24 hours before you are cooking the fajitas, combine the steak strips with the beer, lime juice and garlic cloves in a large bowl or marinade container. Chill in fridge for 12-24 hours, stirring or flipping at least 2-3 times throughout.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Using tongs add the steak and garlic to the skillet and season with the freshly ground pepper; cook until the steak is browned through, approximately 5-6 minutes, stirring a lot. Remove the steak to a plate and discard the garlic. You should still have a little bit of liquid in the pan that cooked off of the steak. Add the peppers and onion and cook with stirring approximately 4-5 minutes. You want to still have some crisp to the peppers. Add the steak back to the pan and season with salt.

Serve divided among flour tortillas garnished with sour cream and shredded cheese, as desired.