Boeuf Bourguignon: Revised

Another slow-cooker favourite! This recipe literally means "burgundy beef" in French, and it is simply a delicious beef stew made with red/burgundy wine. I served this when my father and brother came over after a cold day of ice fishing. I also made it for a group of my friends for a cold and rainy cottage weekend! It's great on a chilly day, it will feed a crowd, and it's so sophisticated! I adapted this recipe from the Crock Pot website.  

Never forget the red wine in this recipe! It's what makes it so darn good. **April 2010: I have found a better way of making this - I have changed very little on paper, but the effects are tremendous. Please enjoy!**

6 strips bacon, diced
3 lbs. beef rump (or any tasty cut), cubed
1 very large carrot, sliced on the bias
1 onion, sweet, diced
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 10-oz. can condensed beef broth
2 c. red/burgundy wine
1 can tomato paste *(used to be 1 Tbsp.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme, whole
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. mustard powder *(used to be 1 tsp.)
1 bay leaf
1 - 2 lbs. fresh mushrooms, sliced
*Extras, if you like: diced celery, diced tomatoes, chopped sweet peppers.

3 - 4 Tbsp. flour
3 - 4 Tbsp. butter or oil

Cook bacon until crisp. Brown beef cubes with bacon, and add to your crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, except the flour and oil, into the pot as well. Mix gently. Cook on HIGH for 5 - 6 hours, or LOW 10 - 12 hours.

A few minutes before you are ready to serve, heat up the butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat, and whisk in the flour until it has formed a uniform paste. Stir this mixture into the crock pot, and keep the heat on until the stew has thickened significantly. Use more oil and flour if you want your stew to be thicker. *(Before, I had you add the flour before the long, slow cook - this is incorrect! You get a much nicer, thicker texture by adding your roux slurry afterward. The long cook just ends up breaking down whatever flour you added in the beginning)

Serve over lots of creamy, buttery, whipped potatoes (skin-on)!

Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin

My dad gave me a lovely little pork tenderloin the other day. I wasn't sure how I would season it. I'm not a big fan of pork, so I wanted a marinade strong enough in flavour to help me "overcome" the pork thing. On the other hand, J loves pork (and just about any other meat in existence), so I had to make something that would delight his palette as well. This is what I came up with. Adapted from a Canadian Living recipe. Serves four.

A tenderloin is a long, skinny, and (as the name implies) tender cut of meat from an area between the animal's rump and ribs. For those of you who are scientifically inclined, Wikipedia states that "the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle anterior to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys." Since it is the least-used muscle in the animal's body, it is the most tender. It literally melts in your mouth. You might even be able to cut it with a butterknife after it's cooked. If you're counting pennies, watch your local grocery flyers, and scoop up a few of these when they're on sale. They keep in the freezer very well.

2 pork tenderloins
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, to taste
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large Ziplock baggie. (Alternatively, mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl separate from the pork, and use two-thirds to marinate the pork and save the other third for serving.) Marinade the tenderloins in the fridge for at least half an hour, and up to a day.

Preheat a flame- or electric-grill to medium-high heat. Place marinated tenderloins on the grill - save the marinade juices for basting. Grill for at least ten minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached. Baste tenderloins for the first few minutes of cooking. When tenderloins are done to your desire, remove them from the grill, place them on a cutting board, and tent them with foil. Let the meat sit for 5 minutes to calm down before slicing the tenderloin in thin, 1/2-inch slices. Serve with skin-on mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus (and the extra marinade you might have set aside).

I wanted to speed up my cooking time because I was using an indoor electric non-stick grill. So I "butterflied" my tenderloin - that is, I sliced it along its entire length, about halfway through, and opened it up, thus making it flatter. It quickened my cooking time, and it was just as juicy, tender, and delicious! Plus, the marinade settled into the "V" formed by butterflying it - and made it extra saucy. Drool.

Burgers and Whole Wheat Buns

Since we have discovered that making your own burgers not only tastes better, but is less expensive and more fun than buying frozen ones, we haven't ever bought a "store" burger. Most people's complaints about homemade burgers is that they are too thick, or that they end up turning into baseball-shaped hunks of meat on the grill. I will tell you how to avoid that!

I am also including a recipe for whole wheat burger buns. They are delicious! Make sure you make these buns a few hours in advance; they need at least 1.5 hours to rise. Bun recipe adapted from Canadian Living.

These two recipes will make enough burgers and buns to feed a crowd, and they're also easy to freeze. Separate hamburger patties with waxed paper and throw them in a Ziplock baggie, and freeze. Put cooled buns in an old bread bag or a Ziplock bag and freeze them as well.

Hamburgers:
2.5 - 3 lb. lean ground beef
3 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. onion powder
4 - 5 large cloves garlic, minced
Optional: 1 small onion, pureed
2 - 3 portobello caps, pureed

In a very large bowl, mix all of these ingredients together extremely well. Use your hands - it's more thorough. This recipe is very cohesive, yielding a burger patty consistency that you can really flatten out. The idea is to use lots of eggs and bread crumbs, and to make any additions very finely minced or pureed. Large chunks of diced onion or mushroom will literally act as "separators" and prevent the patty from sticking together. So grab a handful of your mixture, and make it as flat and as round as you prefer. Yields about 12 - 15 patties.

Cook on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until desired doneness. Or, flame-grill on your barbeque on medium heat. Everyone has a way of cooking their burgers - I prefer them flipped once only, done medium-rare.

Buns:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. warm water (slightly warmer than room temp)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (one envelope)
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. whole wheat bread flour
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (approx)
Sesame seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. of the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar, milk, salt and butter in a saucepan just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and let it stand until lukewarm. Add this to the yeast mixture.

Using an electric mixer, add the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the all-purpose flour until you have a stiff dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning the dough once to coat completely with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draught-free area until doubled in size, about 60 - 90 minutes.

Punch down the dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log and cut into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, pinching the bottoms and smoothing the tops until you have a bun-shaped ball. Place on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and let them rise in a warm, draught-free place for 30 - 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes, on the centre rack or higher, until golden brown and buns sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. My last batch turned out crunchy on the bottom because I placed them on a lower rack level. Let buns cool on a rack, and enjoy them with your homemade hamburgers! Yields 16 buns.

Tuna Melt Pasta

I'm not a tuna fan. At all. But J sure is, and he loves my tuna melts! So, I adapted my typical tuna melt on toast recipe into a quick and easy pasta dish.

1/2 bag of your favourite pasta
2 c. fresh or frozen raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, peppers ... the sky is the limit)

3 Tbsp. butter or cooking oil
2 - 3 cloves of fresh grated or minced garlic
1/2 lb. peeled shrimp, tails off
1 tsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, sea salt, fresh black pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 c. beef broth
Dash of worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 tins flaked tuna, drained (go by how tuna-y you want your sauce)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese


You will need a large pot for your pasta, and a large non-stick skillet for your sauce. Boil the pasta water with some salt and olive oil. The salt gives flavour, and the olive oil prevents the pastas from sticking together when you pour it outinto your colander. When the water starts to boil, is also when you should begin making your sauce. It is very quick.

Throw your pasta and your vegetables into the boiling pot. When pasta is al dente, drain.

While pasta is boiling, heat up/melt your butter or oil in the skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for a few seconds, then throw in the shrimp and cook them (if they are already cooked, and not frozen, add them with the tuna later on). Coat the sauteing shrimp in the powders, salt and pepper, then whisk in the flour until it is completely incorporated into the fat.

Whisk in milk, wine, worcestershire, and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and whisk until it is thick. Taste it at this point and make sure your sauce is tasty enough - add more spices if you like. Stir in your can(s) of tuna (and shrimp if they are cooked and room-temperature), and simmer until it is heated through. Whisk in the cheeses (feel free to use different types of cheese than those listed) until they are melted, and sauce is nice and gooey!

Serve this creamy sauce over the pasta and vegetables, nice and hot. There you have it: quick, easy, and cheap comfort food!

Trina's Leftover Turkey Casserole (and Carcass Broth)

The extended family went home, the kids got all the things they ever wanted for Christmas, everyone's had a busy (but fun) holiday. The only thing is, you've got half a turkey still kicking around in the fridge. Carve it up, save all of the meat you possibly can, and make some stock out of the carcass. Here's how:

- Put the carcass in the biggest pot you own. Cover it with water, add salt and pepper to taste, slice up half an onion into fat rings, and find some raw carrots, and throw those in the pot, too.
- Bring contents of your pot to the boil, and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple of hours. No need to stir, or even monitor it, really. Go watch a movie and your stock will be done cooking.
- Get some 2L pop bottles or glass mason jars or juice bottles washed and ready. Grab a funnel.
- Strain the stock from the pot through a sieve into another (very large) bowl. Get a cup with a spout and handle, and pour the strained stock into your cleaned bottles.
- You will have a lot of meat "bits" leftover in your sieve. Feed those bits to the cat - he'll love you for it!
- Freeze the plastic bottles, glass doesn't do too well in the freezer. Use the stock in soups, gravies, or anywhere that plain water seems a little, well, boring. For example, boil your rice in broth instead of water!

Why do we make stock out of the carcass? Because the bones, more specifically the marrow in the bones, hold a tonne of flavour. When boiled for a long time, the flavour is imparted into the water, and you have a delicious, savoury broth!

Now that you've made the most of your old turkey bones, it's time to make a delicious casserole out of all that meat. Casserole dishes come in all shapes and sizes, and so do families, and let's face it - how much turkey meat you have leftover can greatly vary as well. So I won't put measurements in. Just eyeball everything. It's only a casserole!

Layer bottom-to-top:
- Turkey, cut into pieces - choose your favourite type of meat, light or dark, or both.
- Pour enough leftover gravy over the turkey to make the bottom layer very moist.
- Splash this bottom layer with Worcestershire sauce for some zip.
- Sprinkle a bit of red or white wine here for more flavour!
- Sprinkle mushrooms, sliced, over the turkey.
- Then add diced carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli (hey - anything that needs to be used up)!
- At this point, you may choose to stir the veggies, gravy, and turkey together. Or not. It's up to you!
- Leftover mashed potatoes, turnips, or yams make a good addition here. They should be pre-cooked.
- Top all of this with leftover dressing/stuffing.**
- Now, the piece de resistance, smother the top of the casserole in cheese! I like a mixture of Gruyere (for its strong taste), Mozzarella (for the gooiness), and more Parmesan (for crunch).

** Now, I don't like stuffing, so I make a bread-topping that's just as tasty. Cut a few slices of bread into cubes, place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar (just enough to lightly coat the bread cubes). Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and coat the bread cubes with it. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese, dried sage, rosemary, freshly ground pepper, onion and garlic powders, mustard powder, sea salt, and mix all together. Place this mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.

Place your casserole in the oven, covered with its lid if it has one, or covered loosely with tin foil at 375 F until everything is bubbling and hot. Remove the lid or tin foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Remove from oven and let the dish sit out for about 15 minutes to make it easier to cut and lift out of your dish. Serve hot, with a crisp Caesar salad on the side.

I hope my casual style of writing here has given you the feeling that the recipe itself is extremely casual. It is not baking, so the measurements need not be precise. Just season everything to taste, and don't forget the cheese on top! It's the best part.

Ribeye Steak with Garlic-Mushroom Sauce

My Aunt sent me this recipe via email, and I finally made it last night. According to J, it was "excellent!" and he is never so enthusiastic about food! The ribeye steaks are extremely tender - don't skimp out on your cut of steak. Go ribeye or go home. My Aunt's recommendation: "From someone who's made the recipe many times - take the sauce off the heat as soon as it turns syrupy.  If you don't, it will disappear!" Source of recipe: Unknown.

Among beef-eaters in South Louisiana, rib-eye reigns as the “king of steaks”. Well-marbled beef is cut into slabs 1½ to 2-inches thick. Grill, broil or pan-grill to individual perfection. Pan-grilling is a favored method of cooking meats in Cajun-Creole country. This is probably due, in part, to the fact that we do wonderful things with the browned bits of meat glaze left in the bottom of the pan. Here two Cajun-Creole favorites, mushrooms and garlic, are added. The whole garlic cloves acquire a mild, nut-like taste during cooking that gives a delightful flavor bonus. Serve steaks with a green salad and potatoes for a sample of Cajun-Creole Saturday-night supper fare.

4 x 15-oz beef rib-eye steaks, cut about 1 inch thick

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Garlic-Mushroom Sauce, see below

Garlic-Mushroom Sauce:

1 lb. small button mushrooms

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

½ c. Burgundy wine

16 medium garlic cloves, peeled

2 c. brown veal stock or beef broth

Salt to taste

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Pat steaks dry on paper towels; season both sides with salt and pepper. In a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter and vegetable oil. When oil mixture is very hot, add 2 steaks; cook to desired degree of doneness. Using tongs, turn steaks every minute during cooking. For rare steaks, cook a total of 5 to 6 minutes. For medium steaks, cook 7 to 8 minutes. For well-done steaks, cook 9 to 10 minutes. Repeat with 2 remaining steaks; keep warm. Prepare sauce. Spoon sauce over steaks. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

To prepare Garlic-Mushroom Sauce, using a damp paper towel, wipe mushrooms; set aside. Working quickly, place skillet over medium-high heat and melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce; stir to blend. Sauté, tossing mushrooms and garlic constantly, until well browned, about 4 minutes. Add wine; swirl pan. Scrape up browned bits from bottom. Cook, stirring quickly, until wine is reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock; reduce to a glaze, about 10 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini

Tim's bugging me to "get going" on putting up veg recipes. Here is a vegetarian delight! Even J loved it, and he's Mr. Meat! I'm posting this completely out of season, so save this one for a gorgeous summer evening when the zucchinis are ready to be picked.

Here's the story: My friend Justin brought over an enormous zucchini from his organic farm. I hadn't the faintest idea what to do with it. He suggested stuffing it. I used half of the zucchini to make muffins, and the other half on this.

Stuffing:
Optional: 1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, cooked, chopped
3 - 6 cloves chopped garlic
12 fresh grape tomatoes (yellow and red), quartered
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 of a kolrabi, julienned
10 green beans, chopped
1/4 c. bread crumbs
3 - 4 Tbsp. cream cheese

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl until very well combined. Stuff this mixture into a zucchini, prepared thusly:

Half the zucchini lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, but leave lots of flesh remaining. On the skin side, slice just a bit off the bottom so the zucchini sits flat. They should look like boats. You can do this with smaller zucchinis, as well. Place the unstuffed zucchinis skin side up, on a cookie sheet and broil at 500 F for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until they are sweating. Remove from oven, turn flesh side up, brush with oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Now, stuff your zucchinis with the veggie mixture, and sprinkle them generously with freshly grated parmesan and some more breadcrumbs. Bake at 425 F until stuffing is bubbling, parmesan is melted, and top is nice and crunchy, about 40 minutes!

Serves two, with one-half of a very large zucchini.

Peach BBQ Ribs

I like to eat something sweet with my pork. Whether it's bacon, sausages, ham, or ribs, I feel that pork just isn't complete without a sweet element. In this recipe, I use in-season peaches to sweeten the BBQ sauce. This recipe needs to be started well in advance, so consider starting this recipe the day before you plan to serve the ribs.

Sauce:
2 large peaches, chopped (I left skin on)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. BBQ sauce (use your favourite)
1/4 c. beer
1/4 c. ketchup
1 Tbsp. grated fresh garlic
1/8 c. maple syrup

Mix all of these in a large mason jar or other suitable closed container. Let it sit for as long as possible to let the flavours meld and mingle - overnight is ideal.

Ribs:
Rub your rack(s) of ribs in salt and pepper. Wrap your ribs, bone-side up, in a double layer of tin foil and braise at 325 F for about 1.5 hours (or until cooked through).

At this point, the ribs can be refrigerated, so you can prepare the sauce and cook the ribs the night before, and then slow-cook the ribs the next day.

Slow Cooker:
Place ribs into your slow cooker in any way they fit, and cover them with the peach BBQ sauce. Pour enough beer into the slow cooker to cover the bottom. Cook on LOW for 8 - 10 hours, and serve with more BBQ sauce.

It will fall off the bone! You will need lots of napkins. Enjoy!

Trina's Meatballs

My version of good old Italian meatballs. This is a slow-cooker recipe. I have never been fond of Swedish meatballs, that is why I prefer these! I have a hungry family, so I make 2 lbs. worth of balls - this way I get lots of leftovers. By all means cut the recipe in half to suit your needs, and add any extra spices or herbs to suit your taste.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
4 eggs, whisked
Fresh chopped sage to taste, I use about 1/8 c. Feel free to use dried sage
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. garlic powder (fresh is, of course, OK too)

Squish all of these ingredients together. I use my hands, it is far more thorough. Squish until very well-combined. Prepare a skillet over medium heat, melt some bacon fat or butter. Form little 1-inch diameter balls and brown in the skillet. After each ball is browned, add to your slow cooker. They need not be cooked through, just very nicely crispy-brown.

When you have finished browning all of the balls, prepare the tomato sauce:

1 jar of your favourite tomato pasta sauce
Chopped veggies of your choice. I use sweet peppers, mushrooms, onions
1/2 c. beer or red wine (whatever your preference, or whatever you have lying around)
1 Tbsp. sugar
Fresh basil
... anything that tastes good!

Add these items into the slow cooker with the balls and stir carefully (you don't want to mash up all the meatballs).

Cook on HIGH for 3 - 4 hours. Serve on crusty rolls with provolone and mozzarella cheese topped with parmesan, or over spaghetti.

Trina's Baked Beans

Good old cowboy beans! Tasty, and not the least bit bland. Be careful - when you're done enjoying these beans, things might get a little ... stinky ;) This takes some preparation and should be started about one day in advance of when you would like to serve.

- Soak dried white navy beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Put the soaked beans in a pot, cover with water, and boil for ten minutes. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for an additional hour or two in the hot water. Drain and rinse, and add to slow cooker.
- Add: 1 small can tomato paste, and 3 c. water (Add more water if you like the sauce a little "juicier").
- Add 1/4 c. each of: BBQ sauce, prepared mustard, maple syrup, sugar.
- Add to taste: onion, garlic and bouillon powders, and salt.
- Most importantly (or this can be left out for Veg's) ... add a pound of chopped, uncooked bacon. Mmmm!

Bake on HIGH for at least 6 hours, or LOW 10 - 12 hours.

Serve warm with cornbread, or any other homemade bread. Can easily be reheated.

Sauerkraut Stew

This is a delicious slow-cooker meal, inspired by Oktoberfest. Filled with kraut, browned pork, sausage, potatoes and carrots, it is hearty and heart-warming. This is one of my own creations.

Since this is a stew, play around with ingredients. This is not a set-in-stone recipe.

Marinate your pork: I used pork chops, but you can use any tasty cut. The tough bits will break down almost completely in the slow cooker anyway. Cube the pork into bite-sized chunks and marinate in a bowl, overnight, in worcestershire, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic.

- Saute 2 - 3 pounds of marinated pork, cubed, in butter until brown on all sides. Dump in slow cooker.
- Cut up 6 Oktoberfest sausages. I used mild. I'm sure spicy would be yummy too. Add to cooker.
- Add 1 large jar or can of sauerkraut (your favourite kind, I used wine-fermented), juice and all, to pot.
- Add diced carrots, cubed potatoes (I prefer skin-on), a diced onion.
- Add generously, to taste: worcestershire sauce, salt, spices (rosemary, thyme, sage, pepper), mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, red wine vinegar.
- Add heaping tablespoon full of beef bouillon, dissolved in 1 c. hot water.
- I like to make this dish a little bit sweet to balance the "sauer": a few tablespoons of sugar (or maple syrup), or cut up an apple.


Stir everything up, and cook it on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 - 12 hours.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream, and with some nice rye bread.