1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a dash of hot pepper sauce
Mix everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Slightly modified from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living
Serves 4
3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, preferably of approximately equal thickness
salt & pepper (don’t be too generous or the sauce will be too salty)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or 1 Tbs olive oil and 1 Tbs avocado oil)
1/4 cup chicken broth (I use filtered water and a 1/4 teaspoon of Penzeys chicken base)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or oregano (optional)
Sean = yes
Sam = yes
8 oz ground beef
8 oz button mushrooms, chopped or sliced, sauteed
1/2 a large yellow onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
sour cream as desired (1/4 cup?)
rice, noodles or toast
In a 3 quarter non-stick pot melt 1 Tablespoon butter and cook the onion slowly until very soft.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef in large bite-size pieces with plenty of salt and pepper. Drain off excess fat.
Also meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a small skillet in 1 Tablespoon butter until tender.
When the onions are soft enough, add the flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes. Then add the mushrooms, beef broth, cream, and Worcestershire sauce and beef and heat through. Add the sour cream if using and heat but do not boil. Serve with rice, noodles, or toast.
from “Smitten Kitchen Keepers: new classics for your forever files” by Deb Perelman
serves 4-6
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (omit for Sean)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a couple of tablespoons of white Modena vinegar)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 bay leaf
water, as needed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound dry fettuccine, or 1 pound fresh
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, to serve
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, to serve
Build the sauce:
Heat a medium-to-large heavy pot or Dutch oven (4-5 quarts) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, and once it is warm, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; season well with salt and black pepper and/or pepper flakes, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned all over. Don’t worry if anything sticks. Add the pork, season it generously with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up with your spoon, it until it has browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the wine (or vinegar) and scrape up any stuck bits; cook until the wine disappears (1-2 minutes). Add the broth, milk, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer; then reduce the heat to the lowest simmer, leaving the lid off. Congratulations, you’ve now reached the “walk away” portion of the recipe.
Cook the ragu:
Here’s how the next 1 to 1.5 hours will go: Keep a glass of water by the stove. Check in on the sauce from time to time, adding more water if needed to keep it loose, but not enough to submerge the meat (which would boil, not braise–shudder). Taste it from time to time, and add more seasoning if needed. The sauce is done with the meat tastes tender, butter, and rich; this takes 60 to 90 minutes. There’s little harm in going a little longer (up to 2 hours) if real life is more interesting. Do a final taste for seasoning, and cook any remaining liquid down to a saucy puddle. Remove from heat; discard the bay leaf. Add the cream, and stir to combine.
To finish:
Cook your pasta 1-2 minutes shy of done in well-salted water. Before you drain it, ladle a cup of the pasta water int a glass by the stove. Drain the pasta, and add it directly to the ragu, along with a quarter to a half of the reserved water. Cook the pasta and sauce together until the pasta is as as done as you like it, adding more pasta water if needed to keep it moving. Serve in wide bowls, finished with Parmesan and parsley as desired.
Sean = yes
Sam = OK
1.5 cups dry elbow macaroni
1 lb ground beef
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup heavy cream (this was too rich. I will try half-and-half next time)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just tender – do not overcook. Drain in a colander and set aside.
While the water is heating up and the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. After it is brown, season with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
In a small pan, cook the onion in olive oil until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
To the pan that the pasta was cooked in, add the seasoned cooked beef, onion, tomato sauce, half-and-half, and 3/4 cup of each cheese (save the other 1/4 cup of each cheese for the top. Stir well until the cheese is melted. Then add the pasta and stir again until well combined. Pour into an 8×8″ casserole dish (no need to grease it) and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.
Sean = yes
Anna = yes
Ma = yes
Sam = didn’t try
Based on the recipe in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime” by Ree Drummond.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder mixed seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
another 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 14-oz jar green enchilada sauce (I used Safeway’s O Organics brand)
6 flour tortillas
2 cups grated cheese: jack, pepper jack, cheddar, or a combo
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the spice mix:
Mix the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl or ramekin.
If using raw boneless skinless chicken breasts:
Coat both sides of the chicken with the spice mix.Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil, then cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until done in the middle. Remove to a plate. Shred when cool enough to handle.
If using cooked chicken:
Shred your chicken, sprinkle with the spice mix, and set aside. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil.
Everybody:
Cook the onions and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in the skillet over medium heat, turning down to medium-low after they get going. Cover, stir frequently, and let cook until they are as brown and soft as you like.
In a large bowl, mix the shredded seasoned chicken, the golden onions, and about 1/3 of a cup of the enchilada sauce.
Pour about 2/3 of a cup of enchilada sauce in a 9×13″ baking dish and spread it around to coat the entire bottom of the dish.
On a cutting board or large plate, lay one of the tortillas. Place 1/6th of the chicken in a line in the middle. Top the chicken with about a 1/4 cup of grated cheese. Roll up and place seam side down at one end the baking dish. Repeat, filling the baking dish with the enchiladas touching each other. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly. Let rest for a few minutes to set. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, Mexican-style coleslaw…
Sam = yes
Ma = yes
Sean = hasn’t tried yet
Anna = no thank you
3 cups broccoli florets, halved
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup light sour cream
10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup (or make your own sauce if you have time)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional: 3 Tablespoons breadcrumbs, mixed with 1 Tablespoon melted butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a medium-sized casserole dish. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 cup of cheese, milk, soup, sour cream, and seasonings. Stir in the broccoli and chicken. Pour into the casserole dish. You can top with buttered bread crumbs if you like. Bake for 18-20 minutes until bubbly and hot.
Serve over noodles, rice, or toast.
Sean = yes
Sam = yes
Serves 4 for a first course.
1 large carrot, rough chopped
2 ribs celery, rough chopped
1/2 yellow onion, rough chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
4 cups chicken broth (I use filtered water + Penzey’s chicken base)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
4 mushrooms, very thinly sliced
2 green onions, dark green part only, very thinly sliced
In a medium-sized saucepan with a lid, combine the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic with 1 Tablespoon of water and cook over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add the chicken broth and soy sauce. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, let simmer 30 minutes. Strain broth to remove all the vegetables. Keep the broth over low heat with the lid on until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls, top with mushrooms and green onions.
Sean = yes
Sam = yes
3 tacos per person is a good serving
leftover steak, sliced very thinly across the grain when cold, sprinkled with salt & pepper, and set out to warm up to room temperature
optional seasoning: Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming is a great choice
Trader Joe’s Mini Sonora-style Tortillas (street taco size)
cheese: grated medium cheddar, jack, or pepper jack
toppings of your choice:
caramelized onions
cabbage or slaw (shaved red & green cabbage, grated carrot, thinly sliced green onions, lime juice, cilantro, rice wine vinegar & oil, salt & pepper)
pico de gallo (drained)
taco sauce
avocado or guacamole
sour cream
crumbled queso fresco
cilantro
Get everything ready (mis en place!) because this moves quickly. I make one person’s tacos, serve them, and move on to the next person.
Put one small skillet and one large skillet (both preferably non-stick) on the stove over medium heat and let them warm up.
Put one person’s serving of beef into the small pan. Add seasoning and/or onions if using on this serving. (Tip: If some people do not want seasoning on their beef, make their tacos first.)
In the large pan, place two tortillas side by side. Turn them over after about 20 seconds and top with cheese. When the cheese is melting and the beef is warm/hot in the other skillet, transfer a few pieces of the beef onto half of each tortilla. Remove to a plate and add any other toppings, fold tortillas to close.
Repeat and devour.
for 2 lbs of steak, trimmed
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Penzeys Northwoods seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
Blend the marinade ingredients in a zip-top bag, add steak, seal the bag, set it on a small baking tray in the fridge and let it marinate 3-4 hours. When ready to cook, remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off, and discard the marinade.
Can be cooked in a skillet (cut in half, medium-high heat, 3 minutes per side, rest 10 minutes) or under the broiler (high setting, 4″ from heat, 3 minutes per side, rest 10 minutes). Cut into 1/3″ slices to serve.
Kristin's Favorite Recipes 