Winter 2.0: Time for Chili

Yup, daffodils & snow flurries. 

Remember last week when I was bouncing around in my sandals in the sunshine proclaiming that Spring was here? Well, then March started in like a lion with 50 mph winds and it snowed this morning. 

We should all be used to this already, North Carolina weather is notoriously fickle year-round. There have been years where I've worn short sleeves at Christmas and shivered through snow in my Easter dress. And I guarantee that those instances were met with drastically different weather the days before and after. It's just madness down here. 

So I'm officially withdrawing my Spring pronouncement and cancelling all spring menus until further proof of season-change is provided. I take back last week's bright surf 'n' turf salad and suggestions that you look for fresh produce and instead dive head first into warm, cheesy recipes. 

Let's start with a bowl of chili. 

I recently bragged that I was proud to have found two recipes to claim as my own; one for chicken noodle soup and the other for chili. I was saving my chili recipe so as to not give it away before my church's annual chili cook off; you know, because I was going to win. 

Spoiler alert: I didn't win, I didn't get honorable mention, but almost all of it was scraped out of the Crock Pot when we got ready to leave. It may not have won me another Summit Church title (still proud of being the Dessert Queen), but it is a tasty recipe. 

Chili is contentious. Folks like what they like and they don't want to deal with any nonsense outside of their chili definition. My dad's chili always has mushrooms, J's is made with beef and local sausage, a Texan girlfriend lives for no-bean chili. Up until recently, my chili loyalty went to whoever fed me the most (generally my dad #onlychildperks), but now I can boast a preference for my recipe. It started as a ground turkey chili, but is also good with lean beef; it's made with black beans; and you have to top it with green onions and sour cream. 

Because of my dad's kitchen sink chili - with meat, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions - I tend to drift to a chunkier style of chili. Some recipes are more watery (and I mean that in the best way possible) with fewer ingredients beyond meat and tomatoes. That's edging into soup territory for me, so I appreciate that this recipe has lots of bits and pieces and retains a heartiness. Plus, the "secret" or at the very least, unexpected, ingredient - crushed tortilla chips - thickens the liquid further and pulls all the flavors together.

Photo courtesy of Food Network magazine

Food Network magazine, who originally produced what I'm now calling "my" chili, called this recipe "Quick Turkey Chili" and they were spot on. This recipe takes hardly any time and only one pot to prepare. 

Several years ago, I was the Fellowship Coordinator at our church and I had to organize all our monthly meals, including the Chili Cookoff. I remember a lady rushed in right before church started. She'd had a family emergency the night before and was frantically making her chili in front of me. She threw canned veggies, tomatoes, spices (including a Hidden Valley ranch packet?!?) into a Crock Pot, cranked it to High and left it to simmer for the hour-long worship service. And she won. By a landslide, according to our judges. I've rolled my eyes at that performance for years, but now, my recipe doesn't take much more effort. 

First you muddle the tomato paste and spices together to make a really aromatic lump, for lack of a better word, to create a flavorful base. You then literally dump everything else in to cook off (like your raw meat) or to simmer and meld together. The starch from the tortilla chips acts as a binder and pulls everything together as it simmers. Then you add a punch of flavor with some extra green onions. It couldn't be easier. Unless of course it was... but you have to be extra thoughtful in your grocery shopping and meal prepping. 

As you may know, J & I are on different work schedules which saves us a bundle on day care costs, but also means we have to be incredibly organized in our meal planning for everyone to eat healthy, homemade food. To do so, we plan out a week's worth of lunches and dinners and make one big weekly shopping trip (goal: bi-monthly or even monthly shopping excursions). We peruse sale papers; make monthly trips to a bigger city to hit Aldi, Trader Joes, and/or Sam's Club; and try to get the best deals on what we think are smart purchases. We try to stick to our weekly lists, but especially on our monthly Asheville trips, we'll stock up on items that are on a good sale or we know we'll use.

You have to be smart and think big picture. If peppers are on sale [often Aldi will have them for $1.50/3-pack (even the more pricey colored ones!)], buy several to bring home, dice, and freeze in one-pepper-portions for later. In dishes like chili, peppers will be soft anyway, you don't lose any texture by pre-freezing (and you won't need to thaw them, either). 

Also, this recipe (and most soup recipes) makes around a half-gallon of finished product. I divide it right away into freezer-safe quart containers (these are 50 cents each at Dollar Tree or use freezer bags and lay flat on cookie sheets in the freezer, then you can stack them like books!). One quart usually feeds us for a lunch and dinner apiece (plus a baked potato) and I can immediately freeze the other quart for later. 

If you think making this chili is fast, you won't believe how fast it is to just thaw a quart! 

Spring Forward with Fresh Eats!

Spring is upon us already in Western North Carolina. Despite a recent dip back into cool temperatures, the trees are budding, daffodils are blooming, and my baby boy is knee-deep in puddles at the park. 

I'm much more fond of the moderate seasons - Spring and Fall - and they both energize me. Fall pushes me to do all the #basic activities like apple picking, pumpkin carving (pumpkin everything, really), baking all the cinnamon-y things, and breaking out my infinity scarves and duck boots. However, Spring makes me want sweeping changes in my life. 

Saturday was a gorgeous, warm day and I took baby for a stroll downtown. As we walked, I daydreamed of all the Spring Cleaning - literal and metaphorical - that I want to do. Update the curb appeal of our house with plants, patio furniture and string lights; buy a whole new classy/cute mom wardrobe; schedule more (any?) dinner parties; commit to buying a bouquet of cut flowers every week...the list goes on and on, just like the bill. 

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture
You buy "stock" in a farm & get regular shares
 of produce throughout the growing season.
You support local farms & get the freshest produce,
often at much cheaper than supermarkets.
Area farming organizations, like ASAP,
can help you find a CSA in your area. 

Spring also changes the way I want to eat. Maybe Lenten scarcity (man, I miss deep-fried food!) is part of it; but I think the upcoming abundance of fresh produce makes me most eager to lighten things up. I want to eat brighter, more vibrant flavors, with less of an emphasis on warm, gooey comfort foods and more on flavors, textures, and ingredients that invigorate me. 

J has already jumped into this Spring eating, using Lent as an opportunity to do a Whole 30 (40+), which is already veggie-heavy, but is a smorgasbord of freshness in spring and summer. And we're signing up for our first CSA, too! 

To celebrate spring this weekend, we made one of my go-to warm weather recipes: a surf and turf salad. I know what you're thinking, "Salad. How original. Yippee for roughage." But really, this is a delicious, filling, and easy meal. And despite its fancy appearance - perfect to wow a crowd or a date - it's surprisingly affordable. 

I shared a link to this Food Network Magazine (FNM) recipe in 2016 when I was just beginning to cook with a newborn baby on my hip/screaming in my ear/precariously lolling his (giant) head around. The point of the post was sharing tips on how to manage the steep learning curve of parenthood: how on Earth do you cook healthy, quality meals AND keep the small humans alive? This salad was a lifesaver during that transition. 

The body of the salad rests on a bed of assorted greens. FNM recommends mixing baby spinach, watercress, torn frisee, and fresh chives. But you could use practically any greens you prefer (except iceberg because I refuse to consider that a real vegetable) and I swap in green onions, too. That quick swap to bagged spring mix and scallions saves several bucks and minutes. 

Next, you prepare a homemade vinaigrette. The mustard (we used whole grain/brown for Whole 30 compliance) make the dressing burst with bright flavor and pairs so beautifully with the meat. 

#TruthHurts

Now, before you snarl your nose, let me tell you to get over yourselves about the anchovies. Yes, they're bizarre little bony canned fish. And they are the butt of any pizza commentary (second only to you pineapple pizza people). But they impart SO MUCH unctuous, briny flavor. You should always have a can in your pantry to use in pastas, sauces, and dressings; just don't share your secret with your guests. 

Marinate the steak in half of the dressing for at least an hour; I find this recipe makes too much dressing for us, so I only make half. FNM calls for flank steak. Now let me be honest with you dear readers: I know diddly squat about cuts of beef. J, who just became a certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge this weekend, knows a fair amount about pork cuts; but we're both fairly clueless about beef, especially steak. We pick out steaks by appearance and yes, price, at the deli counter. With that said, I think you can "upgrade" or simplify this recipe to fit any budget. Steaks go through a well-defined sale cycle at supermarkets (think: Valentine's Day and "grilling holidays" like 4th of July or Memorial Day) so keep an eye out for sales on fancy cuts (and freeze) or grab whatever you prefer. This week, we bought small steaks and they set us back about $4. They were thin, but not papery like breakfast steaks, so it was harder to get that medium temp because they cooked so quickly; but they brought plenty of flavor. 

Refer to this; I have a serious beef-cut-knowledge deficit. 

Then, parboil some small potatoes. We've used fingerlings, new potatoes, and red potatoes. Again, choose to fit your budget and your presentation. Fingerlings - or even mini colored potatoes - look a bit fancier, but they all have a very similar taste in this preparation. 

Finally, finish off with a quick grill session. I've found putting the shrimp and potatoes directly on the grill to be a total pain because they're just small enough to slip through the grate, so I highly recommend using foil packs (you won't get the pretty char), kabob-ing (which is time-consuming), or using a grilling basket. 

This makes for a delicious spread - tender steak, fresh shrimp, soft potatoes - it really is everything you'd hope for in a surf 'n' turf platter, plus vibrant greens and tangy dressing. Pair this with a slice of grilled crusty bread and a good beer or cider and you're set for Spring or Summer! 

And it's visually stunning. Spread out on a big platter or arranged in individual shallow bowls, it looks like an elevated dish, even though it only cost a few bucks and less than 30 minutes of cook time. This is what I would will serve at the Spring dinner parties I'm imagining planning. I also think it will have a place at our Easter table where I crave clean, Spring freshness fit for our Sunday best (plus peanut butter cake). 

Recipes for a Romantic Valentine's Celebration at Home

This was our third Valentine's Day together as a couple and our track record for celebrating is pretty weird.

• Year One: matinee viewing of "A Good Day to Die Hard;" fun, but not a 10 on the sexy-ometer. 
• Year Two: I ditched a sniffling, sick J to rush to my best friend's side and watched her give birth to her third daughter, aptly called Potbelly; J cooked a lovely dinner while I rushed home totally in a tizzy with a flat tire. 

 And here we are at Year Three - wanting to do something truly special without shelling out a lot of money or having to make elaborate plans. So what did we do? We cooked a delicious dinner at home that was simple, yet elegant and then tackled one of our bucket list recipes - French macarons.

Of course, the evening was not without a theatrical twist. A huge wind storm with gusts upwards of 40 mph ascended on our neighborhood and we frantically tried to batten down the hatches and get our outside cats inside. Which meant J was running around moving lawn tools and wood to keep it from blowing away Twister-style and I had to make a mid-gale run to the store for cat litter. Quite sexy, really. 

GoJoe quickly made herself comfortable & began shedding everywhere.

But even with the dramatic interlude, dinner still turned out great and we had a wonderful evening together cooking, eating, Scrabble-ing and praying our house wouldn't blow away. 

And that brings me to my first Date Night (at Home) Tip:

If you're wanting to have a special evening together, you don't need to go for something super complicated. Life happens and gets in the way and if you choose a classic, easy-to-prepare menu it will probably stand up against obstacles or be easily repaired. 

We chose dishes that we love and have mastered, but added some new twists and cooking methods. For dinner we had ribeye steak with herb butter, cauliflower puree and sweet glazed carrots. These carrots are J's speciality; my mom requests them every time we have a big family meal together. And making cauliflower puree couldn't be more simple (steam cauliflower florets, blend in food processor with 2 T butter and/or EVOO, s&p and any other flavorings you'd like). We experimented a little with the steaks.

Date Night (at Home) Tip: Valentine's Day means BIG sales at grocery stores on normally expensive items like steak, lobster, shellfish, fresh salmon etc. This is a great opportunity for Date Night and to 1. keep an eye on your store's meat counter near the end of the sale, they'll reduce "older" items on top of the sale price, and 2. stock up and freeze extra meat. Now you'll have cheap supplies for V-day and your next romantic night in, too!

In the summer time, a grilled steak is wonderful. However, after using this method, we believe pan searing and basting is the best way to cook a steak. Period. We consulted this super handy article from Buzzfeed for instructions.

Here are the highlights:

1. Forty-five minutes before cooking dab any excess moisture off of your steak and season liberally with salt & pepper. Leave on a plate for at least 45 minutes to come to room temp. 
2. Twenty minutes before cooking, start heating your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat to get it screaming hot. Yes, they are serious when they say cover your smoke detector; I'd like to add you should open a window or two...
3. Pat dry your steak again of any moisture the salt pulled out. 
4. Add 2T vegetable oil (not EVOO) to your pan and get the oil hot - shimmery and just beginning to smoke. 
5. Turn the heat to high and add your steak. Leave it alone for two minutes - DO NOT TOUCH IT!
6. Flip and sear the other side. Again, LEAVE IT ALONE. 
7. Continue flipping every few minutes until it reaches 120 at its thickest point. 
8. Lower the heat and add 3 T butter to the pan and let it melt. Then, add around 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (rosemary or sage would also be yummy - be creative!) 
9. Spoon the butter and herbs over the steak until it reaches your desired internal temp. 
10. Remove from heat and let your steak rest for at least five minutes. 

Since we were going for super decadent steaks, I also prepared an herb butter earlier in the day. This is an incredibly easy way to impart extra flavor and juiciness to a steak. I stirred half a stick of softened unsalted butter with about 3 T of chopped fresh thyme (removed from the twiggy part); rolled it into a log in plastic wrap and returned it to the fridge. When plating your hot steak (or mashed potatoes or anything you'd like herb butter on) place a 1/4" medallion on top and let it melt all over the food.

Date Night (at home) Tip: Even if you're eating take out, never underestimate how much a cute tablescape can "set the mood." Take the time to set the table with nice plates (use the good china, why else do you have it?!), pretty glasses, and unscented candles. I even broke out our cloth napkins and my cat napkin rings! A little effort goes a long way - that goes for dinner, romance, manners and so many other areas of our relationships! 

For the "entertainment" portion of our evening, we decided to attempt to make French macarons.

Via pastrygene.com

These are allegedly one of the hardest, most finicky pastry recipes out there. Food Network magazine (where we got our recipe) actually devoted an article to their difficulty and explained the immense struggles of their test kitchen in preparing the meringue sandwiches. So, we were nervous. But we'd seen a boy on MasterChef Junior make them, and he's 15+ years younger than us and that was somehow comforting.

After making them I will say that it's more trouble to find inexpensive almond flour than to make the macarons. They are undoubtedly time consuming and it takes some skill to make uniformly shaped wafers, but if you can make meringue you can do this! And, pretty much anyone can make meringue.

P.S. They're gluten-free, filled with fruit preserves
& use very little sugar. I think these count as healthy.. 

Last year, in my frantic excitement over a new niece, I flubbed the chocolate souffles I had planned to accompany J's V-day menu. I actually was "cooking" the mixture on the stove for 5+ minutes before I realized the eye was off. But this dessert was a success!

We made the blueberry cheesecake and pineapple versions featured in the FN recipe. And they were delicious. Furthermore, I don't know why I haven't been blending cream cheese and jam all these years! The wafers are crispy and light with very subtle flavor and the creamy filling is so sweet but still delicate. This is tea party food at its finest! I can only imagine how big of a hit these beauties would be at a brunch!

Quick tip: Macarons don't store well as sandwiches,
 so if you're not eating them right away, hold off on the filing.
Fill immediately before serving. 

While they were delicious, it's more important to me how much fun we had together making them. We were talking while we measured, dancing as we mixed and playing Scrabble when they were in the oven. It was good, quality time together sharing something we both enjoy.

And that's my final tip:

Date Night (at home) Tip: You don't have to be cliche or meet archaic romance standards. Do something you enjoy. That could be something you share a passion for, like cooking, or have your partner teach you about something they love but you know little about, say salsa dancing. It's all about sharing experience and joy. 

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and hope this article inspires more romance (or at least better food) in your life.

XOXO,

J & A

Bouef: It's What's for Dinner

I haven't "mastered the art of French cooking" (far from it, actually), but I may have aced my first go at Julia Child's bouef bourguignon. 

Jordan works every other weekend at what we'll call The Sandwich Shop (a cute local deli) and I take those opportunities to try my hand at hard core housewifery. I run silly errands (like getting my car washed on a 60% chance of thunderstorms day) and other relevant ones, like going to our local farmer's market, clean the house and attempt to have a wonderful dinner waiting for when he gets off of work. 

Last weekend, my dad found a copy of the 1970s era cookbook From Julia Child's Kitchen at a flea market for $3. I've been reading a lot about her this summer, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking is on our wedding registry, but this is my first Julia recipe. 

I tried to make the experience as authentic as possible with pearls, of course, and by using as many fresh and local ingredients as possible, like Julia would have found in neighborhood French markets. 

I served this with a cauliflower puree (with the sauce on top) and it was a great meal. The cookbook indicates several make-ahead-and-stop-here points, where you can halt and finish or re-heat later. I think this would be a great dish for a dinner part and can apparently be made (or at least started) up to two days in advance. 

Here's the original recipe with my notes in italics. And of course, "Bon Appetit!" 

Bouef Bourguignon: Brown beef stew in red wine

Serves 6-8 I halved the recipe to make us two good meals

- Optional, but recommended for flavor, a 5- to 6-ounce chunk of fat-and-lean fresh side pork, or salt pork or bacon chunk (I used sliced salt pork, simmered in 2 quarts of water to remove extra salt)

- Olive oil

- 3-4 lbs. beef stew meat cut into either 2-inch cubes or 3-inch strips

- Optional 1 sliced carrot (I used it)

- 3 cups strong young wine, such as Macon, Mountain Red, Gamay (I used the Kitchen Sink red table wine we already had and only 1 cup for the initial deglazing)

- 2 or more cups excellent homemade beef stock; or canned beef boullion plus any available beef bones and scraps (I used organic, low sodium beef stock)

- 1 imported bay leaf (we'll assume mine are imported, I don't know where they're from!) 

- 1 tsp thyme

- A 2-inch piece of dried orange peel, or 1/3 tsp bottled dried peel (I happened to have an orange and used a slice of fresh peel)

- 1 moderately large tomato and 1 Tbs tomato paste

- 2 or more cloves of garlic (I used minced, which I had on hand, rather than buy a fresh clove)

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Beurre manie for the final sauce: 3 Tbs flour blended with 2 1/2 Tbs soft butter (I did not halve this, as I seemed to have a lot of broth left to thicken; blend it with a fork to make a paste)

- 18-24 fresh white pearl onions

- 1/2 lb button mushrooms, stems removed

Cut the optional pork into lardons (sticks 1/4 in x 1 1/2 in long); saute slowly in 1 Tbs of oil in the frying pan for 5 minutes or until lightly browned, then remove lardons and set aside. Heat the fat they have rendered and/or enough oil to film the pan, to very hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, dry the beef with paper towels and add as many pieces to pan as will fit in 1 layer without crowding (they mus have room or they will steam rather than brown). Brown nicely on all sides, regulating heat so fat is always very hot but not smoking. Add more oil if needed (I added 1-2 more Tbs), and when one piece of meat is browned transfer it to casserole (I used a La Crueset-style dutch oven) and add another piece of beef until all are browned. Stir in the optional sliced carrot and brown briefly (2 minutes), then transfer with a slotted spoon to casserole. Pour browning fat out of frying pan and discard; pour a cup of wine (my preference) or stock into pan, bring to simmer, scraping up coagulated browning juices, and pour this liquid over the beef. 

Set casserole over heat; add the optional wine and enough stock (or boullion/scraps/bones) barely to cover the meat. Add the bay, thyme and orange peel; wash the tomato and chop it roughly, and add it to the beef along with the tomato paste and the unpeeled garlic cut in half. Bring to the simmer, taste, and salt if necessary (maybe because of the low sodium broth, I added at least a Tbs of extra salt). Cover and cook at a slow simmer either on top of the stove or in the oven (I used the stove top and constantly adjusted heat to keep it simmering but not boiling) - for oven cooking, start at 350 degrees, then lower heat in 20 to 30 minutes to 325 or even 300 degrees. 

The stewing process for me lasted about a 90 minutes, but according to Julia is based on cut of meat. She says "it must not overcook and fall apart when served, but it must be tender enough for a pleasant chew." At 60-minutes in, I started the next tasks. 

(After peeling the pearl onions) Pierce a cross 3/8 inch deep in root ends to prevent them from bursting during cooking. Place in a heavy saucepan, add 1/2 inch of water, a pinch of salt and the browned lardons. Cover and simmer slowly, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until onions are just tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside. 

Leave (mushrooms) whole if 3/4 inch across or less; halve or quarter lengthwise if larger. Film a frying pan with oil, heat to very hot but not smoking, and add enough mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan; toss (shake pan by handle) over high heat for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add them to the cooked onions and proceed with the rest of the mushrooms (if any in the same manner). 

When beef is tender, set a large colander over a sauce pan and pour contents of casserole into colander. Wash out casserole and return meat to it. Press juices out of remains in colander, and discard residue. Skim fat off cooking liquid in saucepan, and taste liquid very carefully for strength and seasoning. You should have about 3 cups of delicious meaty rich stock. Boil down rapidly if weak, to concentrate flavor adding a bit more stock or boullion or wine, herbs, garlic or tomato paste if you feel them necessary (5 minutes-ish). Remove from heat blend the beurre manie into the liquid with a wire whisk (beat until you see no more lumps and butter has melted). Bring to the boil, stirring, as it thickens into a light sauce (2 minutes tops), check seasoning. 

Arrange the onions, mushrooms and lardons over the beef in the casserole along with any onion cooking juices. Pour on the sauce and let simmer 5 to 6 minutes, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce to blend flavors. Stew is now ready to serve, or may be set aside and re-heated.