Pretty Pink Pig Pumpkin

 

This year for Halloween the little girl I nanny was dressing up as a cow and her parents and dog got in on the fun by dressing as a farmer, sheep, and pig. I decided to make a pig pumpkin to go along with the theme. I used little styrofoam balls that I cut flat on 2 ends of balls for the feet and nose.

 

Brisket of Love

This brisket makes the perfect comfort food dinner and is a family favorite! I find it a great meal to serve for a large group and can be served over garlic mashed potatoes or on rolls. What makes it extra nice is that it can be made ahead and frozen.

Ingredients

5 lb. beef brisket flat

Spice Houses "Brisket of Love" seasoning

6 cups of beef broth-divided (I use Better than Bullion)

4 Tbls. butter

1/4 cup flour

Directions

1.  Set oven to 350 degrees

2.  Dry off all sides of brisket flat with a paper towel

3.  Season all sides of brisket liberally with "Brisket of Love" seasoning

4.  Place brisket in roasting pan, fat side up, and place in oven for 1 hr.

5.  Take brisket out of oven and add about 1&1/2 cups of beef broth to the bottom of the pan (about 1/2 

      inch of broth) and cover with foil. 

6.  Place the pan back in the oven and turn oven temp. to 300 degrees and roast for another 4 hours. If

      using a smaller or larger roast you will need to adjust time to 1 hour per pound which includes the 1

      hour at 350 degrees.

7.  Trim off fat slice and then cut into chunks and put back into juices and refrigerate over night. If you

      are making the same day putting it in refrigerator for a number of hours will help to allow the beef

      to soak up the fat and juice which is important for flavor.

8.  Make a roux by melting the butter and adding flour, stirring steadily for about 2 minutes. Gradually

     add 4 cups of beef broth, stirring constantly to create a gravy. Season the gravy with "Brisket of Love" 

     seasoning to taste.

9.  Add gravy to brisket and shred beef further to distribute flavor.

10. Cover pan with foil and return pan to oven and heat at 325 for about 45 minutes or until sufficiently 

       warmed.

11. Serve over garlic mashed potatoes or with your favorite rolls. Yum!

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

 

With Easter coming upon us, it's always nice to have a good split pea soup recipe on hand to make use of that left over Easter ham. This is a recipe shared with me by my sister Gina with a few changes. I've tried a number of different recipes over the years but this is my favorite. I think I especially like it because it isn't quite as thick as some I've tried in the past, and the flavor is delicious. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 pound dry green split peas

1 meaty ham bone

1 cup chopped onion

(optional) small bundle of fresh thyme

1 generous teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sliced carrot

1 cup chopped celery 

2 slices of bacon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Rinse peas. In kettle mix peas, ham bone, onion, Better Than Bouillon, salt, pepper, thyme bundle, and 8 cups of water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1&1/2 hours, stirring often. 

Remove ham bone and chop meat. Return meat to soup, add carrots and celery. Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Cook bacon till crisp, drain and crumble. Stir bacon, cream, and butter into soup, heat through. Makes 8 servings.

New England Clam Chowder

This is a delicious soup I found on Epicurious. It is the best homemade clam chowder I've come across and is excellent as a cup of soup with a elegant meal or as a bowl of soup for a yummy lunch. They call for russet potatoes but I often use red potatoes instead. The russets do help to make the broth a bit thicker but I like the flavor of the red potatoes a bit more. If you like the broth a bit thicker but want the flavor of the red potatoes, simply add 1/3 cup flour instead of the 1/4 cup in the recipe.

 

 

Yield

Makes 8 (first-course) or 4 (main-course) servings

Ingredients

1. • 3 8-ounce bottles clam juice
   • 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
   • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
   • 3 slices bacon, finely chopped
   • 2 cups chopped onions
   • 1 1/4 cups chopped celery with leaves (about 2 large stalks)
   • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
   • 1 bay leaf
   • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
   • 6 6 1/2-ounce cans chopped clams, drained, juices reserved
   • 1 1/4 cups half and half
   • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preparation

1. 1.  Bring bottled clam juice and potatoes to boil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
   2. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf and sauté until vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes (do not allow flour to brown). Gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. Add potato mixture, clams, half and half and hot pepper sauce. Simmer chowder 5 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Chicken Soup

 

 One of the most comforting soup around is Chicken Soup. Whether served with noodles, rice, dumplings, or Matzo balls, it never fails to soothe. This is the closest I can get to writing out my recipe. I make it each time to taste and according to what I have on hand.

 Ingredients

 Left over rotisserie chicken or 2 baked large chicken breast, with bone in and skin on

2 to 3 tbls. olive oil 

1&1/2 cups diced onion

1&1/2 cups diced carrot

1&1/2 cups diced celery 

1&1/2 cups peas

8 oz. sliced mushrooms, optional

5 cloves of garlic, divided

16 cups water

12 tsp.(or to taste) Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor

2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt to taste

Course ground pepper to taste

Egg noodles, rice, or package mix for matzo balls

 

Directions

Saute onions, celery, and carrots in olive oil for about 6 minutes in a large soup pot. (If using dried herbs, they should be added with the vegetables when they are sauteing.) Add 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic and saute for another minute. I place my precooked chicken, skin, bones and all,  in a large colander and put it in the pot with sauteed vegetables, making sure to have the vegetables to the side of the colander. I use the colander so I am able to remove the chicken from the vegetables without worrying that the chicken will fall apart when I remove it from the pot. If you don't have a large enough pot, you can just put the chicken in the pot and remove the chicken as best as you can without leaving pieces behind. I then pour the water over chicken and vegetables, bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Remove chicken and then remove all of the meat from bones and skin and return to the pot. Now is the time to add the Better Than Bouillon to the pot, along with the peas, fresh herbs, and sliced mushrooms if you are using them. I simmer for another 15 minutes and then season to taste with added fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and sometimes additional bouillon.

 

 

 

 

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast With Gravy

 

A favorite of mine to make in the cold month is Beef Pot Roast. I am finally taking the time to write out the recipe to share. I love how the meat is so tender when it is done that it falls apart and the gravy is full of flavor. Hope you enjoy!

 

Ingredients

 3lb. (about) beef boneless English roast or chuck roast

 2 tbls. olive oil

 1lb. to 1&1/2lbs. small potatoes, cut up into pieces

 1 bag of petite carrots

 1 medium onion, diced

 6 cloves of garlic, minced and divided

 1&1/2 cup frozen peas 

 8 oz. package of sliced mushrooms (optional)

 1 cup dry red wine (I use a red blend)

 1 bundle of fresh rosemary and thyme

 4 cups (about) of beef  Better Than Bouillon (enough to cover meat and vegetables)

 6 tbls. butter

 6 tbls. flour

 salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Salt and pepper roast and sear on all sides in olive oil before placing in slow cooker.  Mince 4 cloves of garlic on roast along with diced onion. Add all the other ingredients with the exception of the peas, mushrooms, butter and flour. Cook on low for 8 hours, add the peas and mushrooms about a half an hour before end of cooking time. Remove roast and shred. Melt butter in small sauce pan and then add butter to make a roux. Gradually add broth from slow cooker and simmer until you have a thick well blended gravy. Add gravy to remaining broth and vegetables and stir well. Add salt, pepper, and 2 cloves fresh garlic to taste. I also sometimes add a tablespoon or less of beef bouillon to gravy. I often take the potatoes out and make them into garlic mashed to eat with the gravy, beef, and vegetables.

 

 

 

Baby Shark Fruit and Jello Jiggler Treat

I came up with this appetizer treat for my grandson's Baby Shark birthday party. I started out by drawing a shark pattern to use so I could cut it out of the pan of blue jello jigglers,https://www.food.com/recipe/jello-jigglers-for-cookie-cutters-111982. I chose an extra firm recipe because I figured it would make cutting the shark out easier than the normal recipe. I used fruit dip for the shark's tummy https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/cream-cheese-fruit-dip/ ,oreo mini cookie opened up for the eye with decorator gel for the pupil, mint leaves, grapes, mandarin oranges, blue berries, and grapes. I laid the mint leaves on the pan before pouring the jigglers in the pan. When the jigglers were set, I used a knife to cut around my shark pattern and filled that all in with the blueberries and dip, and then added the other fruit on top of the jigglers, pressing them in slightly so they wouldn't roll around if I had to move the pan, and wallah! it's done!