Week 45 - Too Soon to be Senile

I'm standing in the grocery store seeing the list in my hand that says, "12-oz jar raspberry jam." I investigate the brands, the prices, the sizes and then almost grab a 16-oz jar of strawberry. Whoopsy daisy. Then I specifically remember grabbing a 14-oz jar of red raspberry (I had to double check the berry because a few jars were out of place) and dropping in my basket. But somehow between the jam aisle and my kitchen it had reverted to the big jar of strawberry. It's magic. Or I really am losing my mind already.

This was my second "good but not great" recipe for this week (still getting caught up). It would be a good potluck dish but not an especially memorable one. Maybe it's because I cheaped out and bought a generic chocolate chip instead of Hershey's or maybe it's because I used strawberry instead of red raspberry jam but either way I was not overwhelmed. I was also annoyed that cutting 2 sticks of butter into dry ingredients takes for-stinkin-ever and I was ready to be done in the kitchen.

Whatever the reason, my final verdict on this one is, "meh, it was OK." And I think the fact that a dessert is still sitting uneaten on our counter after 5 days speaks for itself.

HOLIDAY RED RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE BARS

Source: Best-Loved Hershey's

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour - 1 C. sugar - 3/4 C. finely chopped pecans - 1 egg, beaten - 1 C. (2 sticks) cold butter or margarine - 1 jar (12 oz.) seedless red raspberry jam - 1 2/3 C. chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, pecans and egg in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of prepared pan. Stir jam to soften; carefully spread over crumb mixture in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Crumble reserved crumb mixture evenly over top.

3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars.

Week 44 - House of the Flying Noodles

This meal was my first experiment with rice noodles and, while they are inexpensive and easy to prepare, there will be pieces of rice noodle behind my stove for years to come. When the recipe says, "break noodles in half and pull apart slightly," I have images of spaghetti breaking cleanly and diving right into the water. What really happens, though, is that teeny tiny pieces of rice noodle fly six ways to Sunday and they don't want to "pull apart slightly." They take force (or finesse, which I don't have) and it's not pretty.

Having said that, they do cook quickly and they're nice and light which is why it was so surprising that this recipe is VERY filling. This would be a great summer picnic dish but we were caught off guard by making a cold dinner (if I had read the whole recipe ahead of time I might have been prepared for this). It was good but not dazzling and it would feed a lot of people. The leftovers, however, were terrible. That was the most disappointing thing about this dish but since the ingredients were cheap I guess it's not the end of the world.

RICE NOODLES WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Source: Betty Crocker's Pasta Cookbook

8 oz. uncooked rice stick noodles - 1/2 C. creamy peanut butter - 2 T. soy sauce - 1 tsp. grated gingerroot - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper - 1/2 C. chicken broth or water - 4 oz. bean sprouts - 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips - 2 green onions, sliced - 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Heat 2 quarts water to boiling. Break noodles in half and pull apart slightly; drop into boiling water. Cook uncovered 1 minute; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, gingerroot and red pepper with wire whisk in small bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth. Place noodles in large bowl. Add peanut butter mixture, bean sprouts, bell pepper and onions; toss. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Week 43 - Playing Catch-Up

I'm running a week behind on my recipes right now and I thought I could catch up last week but, alas, no luck. But at least I was able to squeeze one in so if I can manage 2 this week then I'm in good shape.

With the weather continuing to cool down I am having trouble getting out of soup mode. I was actually searching for portobello recipes when I came across this and I am so glad that I did. Easy ingredients, easy prep and easy cooking. That's my kinda recipe. I was nervous that the broth might be a little heavy and gravy-like but that was not the case at all. We ate it with some warm artisan bread from the grocery store bakery and it was perfect.

SIRLOIN AND PORTOBELLO STEW
Source: foodnetwork.com

1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes - 1/3 C. all-purpose flour - 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil - 6 C. chopped portobello mushroom caps (about 6 medium), gills removed if desired - 2 C. frozen pearl onions, thawed and patted dry - 2 plum tomatoes, chopped - 2 C. frozen cut green beans, thawed - 1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium beef broth - 2/3 C. red wine - 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried - 1/2 tsp. salt - 1/4 tsp. ground pepper

Place steak in amedium bowl and sprinkle with flour; turn to coat. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the steak (reserving excess flour) and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned on most sides and still pink in the center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add mushrooms, onions and tomatoes to the pan and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until teh vegetables have released their juices, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Add green beans, broth, wine, thyme, salt and pepper; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the broth has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes.