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Prime Rib – Reverse Sear Method

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Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh Rosemary
  • 2 Tbsp Thyme
  • 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 can/box of Beef Broth
  • 1 standing rib roast (prime rib), ~7 pounds
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • As much coarse salt that will stick to the meat

Pre-season meat 24 hours in advance. Place on a baking sheet and let sit uncovered overnight in the fridge. Then, 30 minutes to 1.5 hours before you are ready to cook, let it sit out on the counter and get to room temperature.

Preheat oven to lowest possible temperature setting, 150°F or higher if necessary. (Some ovens cannot hold a temperature below 250°F) Place roast, with fat cap up, on a V-rack set in a large roasting pan. Add onions and celery to the bottom of the roasting pan, and enough beef broth to cover the bottom of the pan.

Place in oven and cook until center of roast registers 120-125°F for rare, 130°F for medium-rare, or 135°F for medium to medium-well. At 250°F, our 7lbs roast took ~3 hours using convection broil.

While it cooked we made sure to baste with the pan juices every half hour or so. We also ended up covering with aluminium foil about half way through cooking due to the top getting plenty browned.

Remove roast from oven and tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Keep in mind that temperature will rise by about 5°F while resting. We took it out of the oven at 129°F and after resting it had reached 134.5°F which was perfect.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to highest possible temperature setting, 500 to 550°F.

Ten minutes before guests are ready to be served, remove foil, place roast back in hot oven, and cook until well browned and crisp on the exterior, about 5 to 10 minutes. (We didn’t do this and the outside ended up really good without it. Using convection broil puts a good crust.) But be careful not to overcook! Remove from oven, carve, and serve immediately. Sharpen knife before slicing.

Take pan juices and transfer to a small pot. Add some more beef broth and simmer until it reduces slightly. The Au Jus should be runny, so it does not have to reduce by much. Taste and add seasonings as necessary. Strain out onions, celery, and skim some fat from the top before transferring to a gravy boat for serving.

Homemade Pasta

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ½ cup semolina flour
  • 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • water (I use about 1/2 cup)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and the semolina. Create a well in the center and add the eggs and egg yolks.
  2. Using a fork, break up the eggs then gradually start to draw flour from the edges of the well into the mixture.
  3. When the dough gets too firm to mix with the fork switch to mixing with your hands. Continue to work in flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands; you may not need to incorporate all of the flour.
  4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and pliable. If it isn’t a little pliable add some water until its still a firm ball, but has some give when kneeded.Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  5. If using a rolling pin: Divide the dough in half. Dust your surface with flour and sprinkle a bit on your rolling pin as well. Roll out the dough as thin and as evenly possible, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Use a paring knife to cut your dough into even ribbons, then set aside, dusting the cut pasta with more flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  6. Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, checking for doneness after just 1 minute; fresh pasta cooks very quickly. As soon as it is just al dente, no more than 3 or 4 minutes, drain, reserving some of the cooking water if desired for saucing the pasta. Toss with your sauce, loosen with some of the reserved cooking water as needed and serve immediately.

(If not cooking pasta noodles right away, let them dry on a baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes, dust well with flour so the strands will not stick together, and loosely fold them or form into small nests. Let dry for about 30 minutes more, then wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. It can also be transferred to a sealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 3 months; do not defrost before cooking. This recipe makes enough pasta for two meals for my family of 4. I divide in half and cook one half of the dough and freeze the other.)

This is what mine looked like before cooking:

French-style chicken and potatoes

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Sauce:

  • 1TB butter
  • 2 TB flour
  • 2 TB milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • Large pinch of: onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt

Chicken & Potatoes:

  • Olive oil
  • chicken thighs
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • yellow onion, diced
  • chicken stock
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • carrots, diced
  • red potatoes, cut into chunks
  • fresh rosemary
  • fresh thyme

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Make condensed chicken soup: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour. Stir to create a paste. Whisk in milk. Gradually whisk in chicken stock, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large oven safe pan over high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down. Cook for 3 minutes or until skin is light golden. Turn. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  • Return pan to heat. Add garlic and onion and carrots. Cook, stirring until it starts to get tender. Add sauce, more chicken stock, and sugar. Add potatoes, rosemary and thyme. Stir to combine.
  • Return chicken to pan. Cover. Transfer to oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until chicken is dark brown and cooked through.

The recipe also calls for 1/2 cup white wine and 1/4 cup dijon mustard, but I left it out. 

BBQ Meatballs (from my childhood)

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Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt

Sauce:

  • 1 Tbsp Worcester sauce
  • 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup Ketshup
  • 1/3 cup water.

Directions:

Mix ingredients for meat balls, shape in balls and brown. Drain on paper towels and wipe grease from skillet. Return meatballs to skillet. Mix sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Simmer for a few minutes. My mom served over rice…But any sides you like would work.

Pulled Pork Enchiladas

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I recently made Carnitas and my family got tired of the leftovers so I had to get creative. I made enchiladas with what I had leftover and they turned out really good…

Ingredients:

  • Carnitas – shredded
  • 1 can of enchilada sauce
  • 1 can of diced green chilies
  • 1 bag shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • tortillas
  • fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl combine pork, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 tablespoon snipped cilantro. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl combine the remaining enchilada sauce and the diced green chili peppers. Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada-green chili pepper mixture in the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
  3. Divide pork mixture and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese among tortillas, placing meat and cheese near the edge of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Place filled tortillas, seam sides down, in the prepared baking dish (place tortillas close together); top with the remaining enchilada-green chili pepper mixture. Cover with foil; bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until heated through and cheese is softened and starts to brown slightly.

Beef Bourguignon*

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  • 1 Tb. olive oil
  • 8 oz. bacon, diced
  • 2 1/2 lbs. chuck beef cut into one-inch cubes
  • S+P
  • 1 lb. carrots, sliced diagonally into one-inch chunks
  • 2 yellow onions, sliced
  • 2 stp. chopped garlic
  • 1 bottle dry red wine (like a Pinot Noir)
  • 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
  • 1 Tb. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 4 Tb. unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 Tb. all-purpose flour
  • 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Add bacon and cook over medium about 10 minutes, stirring a bit until it is brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a large plate (but leave bacon grease in the pot).

Dry the beef cubes with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.  In single layer batches, sear the beef cubes on all four sides in the olive oil/bacon grease (about three to five minutes).  Remove the cubes to the plate with the bacon and keep this up until all the beef is browned.

Add carrots, onions, a tablespoon of salt, and two teaspoons of pepper to the pot.  Cook for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the meat and bacon back in the pot.  Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to cover the meat.  Add the tomato paste and thyme.  Bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, cover the pot with a lid, and slide in the oven for about two hours until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender.

Take the pot out of the oven and onto the stovetop. Combine 2Tb of butter and the flour with a fork.  Stir the product into the stew to thicken.

Sauté the mushrooms in two more tablespoons of butter until lightly browned, and add to the stew.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes.  Season to taste.

To serve, toast thick slices of bread, then rub them with a cut clove of garlic.  The garlic melts into the hot bread like magic.  For serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.  (You could also serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles) Serve in shallow bowls.

*Leave out the wine and it’s beef stew. You can even add some cubed red potatoes near the end. 

Crockpot Butter Chicken – Dairy Free

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  • 3 lbs boneless skinless organic/free-range chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (approximately 1 ½ -2 inches)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3 garlic cloves lightly crushed but whole
  • 1 large white onion small dice
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1-6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-15 ounce can coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup fresh lightly chopped cilantro leaves
  • Chili flakes.

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat and one tablespoon coconut oil. When oil is shimmering, add onions and sauté for 1 minute until starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
  2. Add garlic and ginger and sauté another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add spices, tomato paste, sugar, coconut milk and flour and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes while you prepare chicken and sauce thickens.
  3. Add sauce to cold crockpot and then add chicken. Stir to cover chicken in sauce. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours then low for 2 hours. Remove lid and stir to incorporate, then pour into a serving dish.

Baked Ham

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Ingredients

  • 1 (12 pound) bone-in ham, rump portion
  • 1/2 cup whole cloves
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 cups water, or as needed

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350
  2. Place ham in a roasting pan, and press whole cloves into the top at 1 to 2 inch intervals. Pack the top with a layer of brown sugar. Pour enough water into the bottom of the roasting pan to come to a 1 inch depth. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil or a lid.
  3. Bake for 4 1/2 to 5 hours in the preheated oven (about 22 minutes per pound), or until the internal temperature of the ham has reached 160 degrees. Make sure the meat thermometer is not touching the bone. Let stand for about 20 minutes before carving.

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

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3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
24 mini sandwich rolls
1 pound thinly sliced cooked deli ham
1 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. In a bowl, mix together butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and dried onion. Separate the tops from bottoms of the rolls, and place the bottom pieces into the prepared baking dish. Layer about half the ham onto the rolls. Arrange the Swiss cheese over the ham, and top with remaining ham slices in a layer. Place the tops of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Pour the mustard mixture evenly over the rolls.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until the rolls are lightly browned and the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes. Slice into individual rolls through the ham and cheese layers to serve.

Beef Wellington

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For the Duxelles:
3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:
1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (Filet Mignon)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices prosciutto
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Green Peppercorn Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 cup brandy
1 box beef stock
2 cups cream
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved

Directions  (preheat oven to 450)

To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef – saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.

Green Peppercorn Sauce: Add olive oil to pan after removing beef. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme; saute for 1 to 2 minutes, then, off heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match. After flame dies down, return to the heat, add stock and reduce by about half. Strain out solids, then add 2 cups cream and mustard. Reduce by half again, then shut off heat and add green peppercorns.

Filet Mignon with Brandy Caramel Mushroom Glaze

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Ingredients

  • 4 (8-ounce) filet mignons
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 7 tablespoons brandy
  • 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  1. Season beef with salt on all sides. Place coarse pepper in a shallow dish and dip the cut sides of the filets into the pepper, pressing lightly to coat.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sear on both sides until well browned, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to an oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.
  3. While the steaks are cooking in the oven, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the same saute pan used for the steaks. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and reserve.
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the garlic cloves and 6 tablespoons of the brandy to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any browned particles from the bottom of the pan. Return the skillet to the heat, being careful that the brandy does not flame up. Cook until reduced by half; this will happen very quickly. 
  5. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and the brown sugar, stirring to combine. 
  6. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is sauce consistency and coats the back of a spoon. 
  7. Add the reserved mushrooms to the pan and season with the salt, and pepper. 
  8. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining tablespoon of brandy. Serve immediately over warm steaks. 

Lamb Osso Bucco

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Ingredients:

1 pound lamb leg steak or similar cut of lamb
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced lengthwise
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
sea salt + pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Thoroughly pat dry the lamb steaks. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat three tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. When shimmering, add the lamb steaks and sear, without disturbing, for about five minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Remove steaks and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the onions and saute for about two minutes. Add the carrots and celery and saute for about seven minutes more, stirring. Add the garlic and the tomato paste and stir again.
Next, deglaze the pot with the red wine. Add the wine and scrape the bottom with a wood spoon to dislodge any delicious crisped bits on the bottom. Add the chicken stock and stir.
Return the lamb steaks to the pot, nestle the sprigs of rosemary and thyme within, and cover.
Transfer to the oven and cook for about 1.5 hours, until the meat is falling-apart tender. Check on it halfway through, flipping the steaks.

Italian Meatballs

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1lb ground beef
2 slices of bread (torn in little pieces) or oatmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/8 tsp pepper
2tsp worstershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup parmesean cheese

mix all ingredients together, roll into balls and cook on a stove, once fully cooked, pour spaghetti sauce over the top and let it heat up on the stove. Is best with some spinach casserole..

Turkey

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I just followed this recipe exactly except I didn’t have any chicken bouillon so instead of bouillon and water, I used chicken broth.

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 pound) whole turkey
  • 6 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 4 cups warm water
  • 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 2 tablespoons seasoning salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add to pan if they are anyone’s favorites.
  2. Place turkey in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey.
  4. Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.

Meatloaf

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To 1 lb. ground beef add:
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 slices of bread toasted and crumbled
approx. 1/2 cup of milk (add slowly and add more if needed)

Mix well with a fork. Place in a baking dish and shape into a loaf. Bake at 400 degrees for an hour.

Chicken Rolls

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4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 bunch Green onions
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup Milk
Salt & pepper
For gravy:
1 can cream of chicken soup & ½ can milk, salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken breasts and finely chop them; while cooking, chop green onions. Mix soft cream cheese, onions, milk and salt & pepper. Mix in chicken. Then, roll out 8 crescent rolls on floured surface. Add large scoop of chicken mixture to each roll, then fold edges of dough over mixture to cover it. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are light golden brown and crispy. While baking, make gravy. To make gravy, stir can of cream of chicken in with ½ can of milk and salt & pepper in sauce pan. Cook on low-medium heat, stirring often. (Really good with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and fresh melon.) Serves 4-6 (makes 8 rolls).