Totally Simple Thai Beef

Totally Simple Thai Beef

2 pounds beef chuck roast

1 (8-ounce) bottle peanut satay sauce (Thai Kitchen is gluten free, or you can make your own with this recipe ---and if you're gluten free, you will of course use a GF soy sauce...)

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (full fat is best)

1 (16-ounce) package baby carrots (no chopping, Dana!)

cooked basmati rice for serving

1/4 cup chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the beef into the bottom of your cooker, and add the peanut sauce and the whole can of coconut milk.

Flip the meat over a few times to get it good and saucy. Add baby carrots (my dad says you have to rinse them off first). Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and pretty much falls apart. Stir well to distribute sauce, and serve over hot rice.

Garnish with a sprinkle of peanuts, if you'd like.

The Verdict.

Super tasty. The kids LOVED the meat, and ate quite a few of the carrots. The carrots cooked, but didn't get super soggy since they were on top of the meat. The baby is 9-months now, and I needed to use a bit of force to cut the carrots into finger food chunks with the edge of a fork for her.

Dana, I think your father-in-law will be happy!

From here.

Pasta, Meatballs, and Breadsticks

Pasta with fresh Tomatoes and Rosemary
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1 lb pasta
6-7 fresh tomatoes (abt 4 cups), cored and diced
2-3 cloves of Garlic
2 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary, about 5″ long, minced
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Parsley, minced for garnish

1. Heat EVOO in a heavy saute over low heat. Gently saute the whole garlic cloves until each clove is just golden brown and easily pieced with a fork. Remove garlic cloves and on a cutting board mash cloves with a fork. Return mashed garlic to the saute pan.

2. Fill a large pot with water, salt and a dash of EVOO and heat over high until boiling. When the water boils cook pasta according to package directions.

3. While the pasta water is heating, add diced tomatoes and rosemary to the saute pan with the garlic and simmer for about 20 minutes. If you are serving meatballs, add the meatballs the last 5 minutes to heat.

4. When the pasta is done, remove the meatballs from the sauce and set aside. Then the past to the simmering tomatoes, toss and heat for about 1 minute.

5. Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar over the top of the pasta and sauce and gently stir. Plate, top with meatballs, garnish with minced parsley and serve.


Easy Meatballs
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
2-3 Green Onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, egg, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and salt.

2. Combine with hands until mixture is uniform, do not over mix. I wear surgical gloves when mixing with my hands.

3. Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball.

4. Pour about 1/2 inch of Olive Oil in straight sided, wide saute pan and heat over medium heat.

5. Add the meatballs to the pan, working in batches if necessary, and brown meatballs, turning once. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.


Taboolee Soft Breadsticks
Recipe adapted from the Kitchen Ladies of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church

1 3/4 c flour
1/2 c cracked wheat
Water to cover cracked wheat
1 packet of yeast or 1/2 oz of fresh yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 green onion, minced (I used 3 TBL minced fresh chives)
5-6 fresh mint leaves, minced
1 c fresh parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice or lemon zest
1 egg
Drop or 2 of water
Variations: 1/4 c pine nuts

Makes 1 loaf of bread or 9 Soft Breadsticks

1. Measure out 1/2 c Cracked Wheat and put it in a 1 c measure and fill it with water. Let this sit about 45 minutes until wheat has softened and absorbed most of the water.

2. In a bowl or a KA mixer add your yeast and 1/2 c warm water. Mix until yeast is completely dissolved.

3. Add flour, softened cracked wheat including any water not absorbed, salt, mint, parsley, garlic, onion and lemon juice or zest and pine nuts. Mix for about 5 minutes until dough forms a soft ball.

4. Oil a bowl or container with olive oil. Place dough in container and then flip dough over so that all sides are covered with olive oil. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours until dough has doubled.

5. Remove dough from bowl and tear off golf ball sized pieces. Roll into an 8″ torpedo shape. I used the same technique to form the soft breadsticks that I use for my hot dog buns and it is wonderfully demonstrated in the below video:

6. Place breadsticks on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise again.

7. With a fork, whip the egg and add a drop or 2 of water. Brush each breadstick with egg wash.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18-20 minutes.

From here.

Crockpot Cranberry Barbecue Chicken

Crockpot Cranberry Barbecue Chicken
Katie (Katiedid) from Recipzaar

3-4 lb chicken pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c celery, diced
1/2 c onion diced
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 c barbecue sauce

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and bake on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Before serving, you may want to pull the meat out and thicken the sauce with flour or corn starch (optional).

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf
Dottie (hokiesmom)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper, eggs, onion flakes and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Mix together well and place into a 5x9 inch loaf pan. 

Push the meatloaf down into the pan forming a well for the sauce around all the edges. 

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, white sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. 

After meatloaf has cooked for 40 minutes, remove from oven and pour sauce over the top of the meatloaf. 

Return to oven and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 more minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Asian Barbecue Chicken

Asian Barbecue Chicken
~*~Sandy~*~

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Grill: 20 minutes
Other: 4 hours

Turn and baste the chicken frequently while it grills so the sweet sauce doesn’t burn.

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp curry powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 skinless chicken thighs (with bone), 4 to 5 oz each (or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
Garnishes: lime wedges, green onion tops

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large, resealable plastic bag; add chicken to bag. Press the air out of the bag, and seal tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade; place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, and boil gently for 1 full minute. Lightly spray both sides of chicken with cooking spray. With the lid closed, grill the chicken over Direct Medium heat (400º to 450ºF) until juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 15 to 20 minutes, turning several times and basting frequently with the marinade. Garnish if desired.

Jamaican Curry

Jamaican Curry

1/4 cup vegetable oil
6-8 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp allspice (see step 1)
3 pounds goat (can use lamb or beef if you can't find goat)
Salt
2 onions, chopped
1-2 habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and chopped
A 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
1-2 cans coconut milk
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried thyme
3-4 cups water
5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Make the curry powder. If you can find Jamaican curry powder, definitely use it. If not, use regular curry powder and add the allspice to it. You will need at least 6 tablespoons of spices for this stew, and you can kick it up to 8-9 depending on how spicy you like it.

Cut the meat into large chunks, maybe 2-3 inches across. If you have bones, you can use them, too. Salt everything well and set aside to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and heat until fragrant.

Pat the meat dry and brown well in the curried oil. Do this in batches and don’t overcrowd the pot. It will take a while to do this, maybe 30 minutes or so. Set the browned meat aside in a bowl. (When all the meat is browned, if you have bones, add them and brown them, too.)

Add the onions and habanero to the pot and sauté, stirring from time to time, until the onions just start to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle some salt over them as they cook. Add the ginger and garlic, mix well and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

Put the meat (and bones, if using) back into the pot, along with any juices left in the bowl. Mix well. Pour in the coconut milk and tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of the curry powder. Stir to combine. If you are using 2 cans of coconut milk, add 3 cups of water. If you’re only using 1 can, add 4 cups of water. Add the thyme. Bring to a simmer and let it cook until the meat is falling-apart tender, which will take at least 2 hours. Longer if you have a mature goat.

Once the meat is close to being done – tender but not falling apart yet – Add the potatoes and mix in. The stew is done when the potatoes are. Taste for salt and add some if it needs it.

You might need to skim off the layer of fat at the top of the curry before serving. Do this with a large, shallow spoon, skimming into a bowl. Also, be sure to remove any bones before you serve the curry.

The stew is better the day after, or even several days after, the day you make it.

Serve with Jamaican rice and peas, a coconut rice with kidney beans.

Serve 8-12 

From here.

Herbed Chicken Tenders with Tomato Sauce Recipe

 Herbed Chicken Tenders with Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:


Chicken Tenders

2 lbs chicken tenders (about 12 pieces)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning herbs**
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Tomato Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1 chopped garlic clove
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

*You can make a substitute for buttermilk by adding a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 1/2 cups of milk and letting the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
**A mixture of dried herbs often used in Italian cooking such as marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil

Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the tomato paste, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes more. The tomato paste should darken to a brick-red color.

Add the tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Cook this for 5 minutes if using tomato sauce, 10 minutes if using crushed tomatoes.

Put the sauce into a blender and purée until smooth. Hold your hand over the blender lid to keep it from popping off, and start the blender at a low setting and work up to the highest.

The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

The Tenders

Soak tenders in buttermilk for 15-30 minutes. While the tenders are soaking, make the sauce (see sauce directions above).

Mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and salt in a shallow bowl.

Heat oven to 500°F. Line a roasting pan with foil. Brush the top of the foil with vegetable oil to help prevent sticking, or use a Silpat sheet. One by one, remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk and place in the bowl with breadcrumbs, coating them on all sides with the breadcrumbs. Place on the roasting pan.

Drizzle a little melted butter over each chicken tender. Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, and the pieces are lightly browned.

Serve with a bowl of the sauce for dipping.

Serves 4-6.

From here.