The Hungry Apple

You start out with a 3-4 pound chuck roast.

That’s the seared crust we’re looking for.

Layer the seared roast on top of a bed of mushrooms.

I make a homemade onion soup “packet” that really gives this roast a great flavor.

It makes a lot so just store it in an airtight container.

Add in sauce, broth and spices and 6-8 hours later you are ready to dig in.

Parsley gives this roast a bright flavor.

I served mine over egg noodles which was one of our favorite things about the meal.

2nd’s please!

Y’all give it a try 😉

SLOW COOKER ITALIAN ROAST

ingredients: 

1 (12 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

1 large sweet onion, cut in half and sliced

1 (3- to 4-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

20 grinds of fresh pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons of homemade onion soup mix

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons cornstarch

water

(egg noodles)

instructions and directions: 

Place mushrooms and onion in a lightly greased 5-to 6-qt. slow cooker.

Sprinkle roast with pepper. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Place roast on top of mushrooms and onion in slow cooker. Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast; pour beef broth and tomato sauce over roast. Cover and cook on LOW 7-8 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Remove any large pieces of fat if necessary.

Skim fat from juices in slow cooker if applicable; stir in tomato paste, dried parsley, oregano and thyme. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to juices in slow cooker, stirring until blended. Increase slow cooker heat to HIGH. Cover and cook 40 minutes or until mixture is thickened.

Serve over egg noodles.

for onion soup “packet”:

3/4 cup instant minced onion

1/3 cup beef bouillon powder

4 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. (5 tablespoons is equal to one 1.25 ounce package)

roast adapted from Southern Living

Hope you had a fabulous weekend that felt like it lasted forever! Ours was great. We helped my brother setup house at his new place in East Nashville. We tried an awesome new dining spot too that I will post about later this week! In the mean time, start your week off easy with this Fuss Free Pad Thai recipe!

One of the great things about reading other peoples food blogs and/or recipe reviews is that those recipes more than likely already have the kinks worked out of them so that you get the best outcome on the first try.

So you will be happy to know that this is probably the 5th time I have tried to make Pad Thai and this is the 1st time that I have been satisfied. In fact it was awesome!

It is my gift to you. No let down in your kitchen. No picking yourself up off the cold tile floor because you can’t figure out why you didn’t get it right for the 4th time.

Nope, for your kitchen it is just this easy, dependable and straight forward recipe.

Good for you.

A simple sauce with no hard-to-find ingredients is quickly whisked up while the rice noodles are soaking.

Saute green onion and garlic.

Lightly beat two eggs.

Add them to the pan with the onion and garlic.

Remove them from the pan.

Combine noodles, chicken (you could also use shrimp, tofu or no meat at all) , egg mixture and sauce.

Plate and top with cilantro and cashews.

PAD THAI

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

8 ounces dried and flat rice noodles

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or shrimp, tofu, etc.)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted cashews or peanuts

Instructions and directions: 

Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, srirach and soy sauce.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add scallions and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add eggs  and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to a plate.

Add noodles and soy-sauce mixture to skillet; cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute.

Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently. Add chicken and toss.

Serve with lime wedges, topped with more scallions, cilantro, and cashews or peanuts.

Don’t you just love the light in your kitchen first thing in the morning?

Well, maybe you haven’t noticed if you aren’t taking pictures of your food, but the light is remarkable. The pictures feel so nice like you might be in an Anthropologie catalog.

No?  I got carried away didn’t I?

Regardless, here is a cheerful basic pancake recipe. Everyone needs a from scratch pancake recipe. With blueberries. Basic with Blueberries.

Dry ingredients

Mix with liquid ingredients

Fold in the berries

Flip it. Flip it real good.

I made big pancakes but you could make whatever size you prefer.

On the side.

The stack.

Let’s eat!

BASIC PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRIES

Ingredients: 

1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 cup fresh blueberries (or 1 cup frozen, thawed)

cooking spray

Instructions and directions: 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), cinnamon, vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over mix; a few small lumps are fine).

Fold in blueberries.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium.

Spray with cooking spray.

For each pancake, spoon a 1/3 cup measure onto oiled skillet

Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter.

adapted from everyday food

I went with my friend Carey and finally tried Silly Goose a few weeks ago, in East Nashville.

Silly Goose is a small, but open restaurant located on Eastland.

It should be noted that they don’t take reservations for parties smaller than 6, so go with a crowd! I should also mention their slogan “The Goose is Loose” because it is so funny to me. I love that.

I liked the atmosphere and all the menus are on clip boards which I thought was cute and their napkins were bandannas.

The Goose only serves wine (good to know before you go), so we both chose the Alpatagua Pinot Noir, which was great.  They also have several neat infused teas to choose from like Citrus, Mint and Ginger Green Tea.

We started off with the Karate Man appetizer.  Duck Pastrami. It was served with Honey Roasted Figs and was really wonderful without being too salty.

I had the Mexico City cous cous for my entree. It was grilled chicken with red chili cous cous, poblano peppers, cilantro, goat cheese, mango and lime juice. It was really delicious and unique.

Carey had the King Kong. It consisted of sesame cous cous, curry, mint, ginger, avacado and cashews.

I preferred hers but only because it was spicier. I will say we were both surprised because the cous cous is served chilled. It wasn’t a bad thing, just caught me off guard with the chicken/shrimp that was served warm.

Both dishes had a lot of flavor and were very different than anything else I’ve had around town.

6.5 apples! I will definitely return although if I were recommending it to a friend (which I am 🙂 ) it would be for lunch.

6.5 apples for Silly Goose.

After that we headed over to Village Pub where our server taught us to play chess. Poorly. We played poorly, his teaching was remarkable, I am sure.

To end the evening on a good note, they had Black Betty on draft.

Guten Tag!

That’s hello in German if you didn’t know. Thought I would do a German greeting in honor of today’s recipe. Sauerkraut. I know, it sounds about as appealing as taking two years of German in college (how did I pass that?) but keep reading.

First of all, I’ll tell you how I passed.

I took the class with my friend Katy as we were looking for something different I guess than say….Spanish. Which could have actually helped me in numerous ways in the future. Anyhow, things weren’t going well for anyone in the class but particularly for us. I was sure I was going to fail the final exam, after all, I couldn’t speak, understand or write more than 25 words in the German language. Feverishly, I showed up for the exam with my small group of class mates. But guess what? Our professor didn’t show. Ever. So by default we all got A’s! Talk about a stroke of luck.

Although my German vocabulary has dwindled to maybe 5 words, I figured since I am a fan of all things cabbage and Brussels sprouts, that certainly I should be a fan of sauerkraut. It’s just that I’ve never had it so it wasn’t possible.

This traditional German dish has never made it to my fork. This new year I took the opportunity to bring it to the table.

I was weary. It does have a very distinct aroma but I think  the components of this recipe made it a keeper!

Now I am not going to pretend it took the prettiest pictures but 5 non-kraut eaters ate the whole recipe so I think that is saying something.

To the sauerkraut you add onion and sugar.

I think that makes them less pungent but still unique.

Mustard, dijon mustard, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper were the building blocks for the mustard sauce.

Whisked together and ready for dipping.

The kielbasa sautes quickly in the skillet.

After you remove the sausage from the pan you saute the onion mixture with the kraut.

Once you’ve combined the two you are ready to eat.

We ate this meal on New Year’s Day so we also had greens, black eyed peas and cornbread. I’m feeling lucky already.

Kraut and Kielbasa with Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients: 

1  pounds smoked Polska kielbasa

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 cups sauerkraut, drained

3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Instructions and directions: 

Heat large skillet to medium heat.

Cut kielbasa into 3-inch lengths and cut in half lengthwise. Place in skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side turning frequently. Remove from pan.

In the same skillet over medium heat, add butter and sugar. Allow sugar to cook to a golden brown color. Add onions and cook until caramelized. Stir in the sauerkraut and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until onions and sauerkraut are wilted and colored.

Add kielbasa to pan of sauerkraut and onions. Toss together and cook for 1 minute or until kielbasa is heated through. Transfer to a platter, garnish with parsley and serve with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

10 twists of freshly ground pepper

Instructions and directions: 

This is going to sound silly, but maybe you will agree?

When I make dinner at home on a Friday or Saturday (the best days of the week to me and the days we are most likely to eat away from home), I try to make the meal particularly fun. Like, giving dinner a theme for example.  For instance this night, in addition to the main course, we had guacamole and Mexican beer,  where normally we wouldn’t have an appetizer and we would just drink whatever we would normally drink.

I know, it gets crazy at my house.

There is a certain fast food Mexican chain that I haven’t eaten at in years. While I rarely miss not making a run for the border, I will have to admit I think about the Mexican Pizza they serve,  from time to time.

To satisfy this craving, I came up with my own Mexican spin on an Italian favorite.

“Run For The Border” Mexican Pizza!

Get the tortillas crisped in the oven.

Combine enchilada sauce ingredients.

Bring to a boil.

Using your new Christmas gift-thanks Dad!

Blend the ingredients to create a sauce.

Who knew enchilada sauce was so easy, right?

When the beans and meat are finished cooking, gather ingredients and start stacking.

Beans

(if your tortillas aren’t perfectly flat, no worries. They will flatten out a little when you put them back in the oven.)

Meat

Tortilla and enchilada sauce

Cheese

Bake

Sprinkle

You are going to be exited and surprised by this pizza.

It is really reminiscent of the real thing! But much better for you.

Check out all those layers!

MEXICAN PIZZA

8 flour tortillas

cooking spray

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup onion, diced

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon house made taco seasoning

6 ounces cheese, grated (i used a combination of sharp cheddar and Monterrey jack)

1 large tomato, diced

2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

1 can re-fried beans

1/4 cup cilantro, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons chicken broth

1 cup enchilada sauce (recipe to follow or you could use store bought, if you prefer)

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400. Between two parchment lined baking sheets, line up the 8 tortillas. Spray each side of each tortilla with cooking spray. Bake for about 8 minutes or until tortillas are crisp, turning half way through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile in a small stock pot, mix re-fried beans with 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and let warm.

Brown lean ground beef and onion until no pink remains. Season with 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt.

Over 4 tortillas spread 1/4 cup (or desired amount) of bean mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup ground beef.  Place one tortilla on top of each of the tortillas with beans and meat. On those 4 tortillas, spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on each. Sprinkle with desired amount of cheese, split between the 4 pizzas.

Bake for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with cilantro, green onion and tomato.

for the enchilada sauce: 

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons chili  powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

pinch of sugar

Instructions and directions: 

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. When the mixture begins to boil, blend with an immersion blender or in a standard blender.

Hope you are having a great weekend! It is sunny and cool here and with all the rain and cloud cover we have been having it practically feels like Spring.

From time to time I find new favorite things that I feel the need to share with people, both food and non food.

Who better than all my cyber friends out there! I named this post “That’s My Favorite” because I never exaggerate 😉 which means I can have multiple favorites at one time.

If you have a favorite thing you think I would like, do tell!

That’s my new favorite reason to shave my legs. The Dollar Shave Club. This monthly membership is no joke.  This razor is just as wonderful as the expensive name brand razor I was using before but at 1/2 the price. You can cancel your membership at any time and it couldn’t be easier to sign up!

That’s my favorite beer right now.  Blackstone Oatmeal Stout. It’s dark, so you have to like dark, but it is oh so good.

That’s my favorite new way to soft lips. Jack Black Lip Balm. Tiffany introduced it to me in Colorado and I fell.in.love. I have mango but there are all sorts flavors to choose from. Grapefruit is another good one!

That’s my new favorite kitchen tool. Cuisinart BPA Free Immersion Blender.  It was a gift and good one too. It makes blending salad dressings and soups super easy without having to use a regular blender.

That’s my new favorite thing about the grocery store.  Reusable Produce Bags  from Flip and Tumble. I am so good about remembering my reusable grocery bags when I go to the store,  but I always feel silly using the produce bags because that seems wasteful too and like it cancels out using the regular bags. So I usually just end up with produce rolling all over my cart and down the scan belt much to the dismay of the person working the check out line. Problem solved.

That’s my favorite wake me up! Twinings Chai Tea. Since I do love full disclosure, I prefer their Pumpkin Chai, but it is really hard to find, unless you want to pay $14 for a box online. Thank you Lee, best $14 box of tea I’ve  ever come across-you really shouldn’t have.

Want to make a first course impression with incredible flavor? Then have a seat, I’ve got just the thing.

This Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Fig Jam Vinaigrette is a crowd pleaser. With the creamy goat cheese, the sweet vinaigrette and the mild shallot flavor it is a treat but still satisfies the picky eater. I made it as part of our Christmas dinner and everyone enjoyed it.

Slicing goat cheese can get very sticky  Dental floss cuts easily and delicately through the goat cheese so you can get 8 discs of cheese out of each log.

Just hold it tightly in two both hands and press down.

Panko bread crumbs help give the crispiness to this cheese.

The cayenne pepper in the breadcrumb mix adds a little zing to go with the sweetness of the dressing.

Cooking these while they are very cold and the pan is very hot, helps keep them together.

A little dressing goes a long way and coats the greens.

Viola!

Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Fig Jam Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons fig jam (or jam of your choice)

10 ounces spring mix lettuce

2 four ounce logs of goat cheese, very cold

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups seasoned panko bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons of olive oil, for pan frying

1/2 cup spiced pecans, roughly chopped

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Instructions :

In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, shallot and jam. Stream in olive oil and set aside. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Using a piece of dental floss, divide each goat cheese log into 8 discs (16 total . Lay pieces on a plate lined with wax paper. Put in fridge until ready to coat.

Mix together panko and cayenne pepper on a plate. Season with salt and pepper.

Season eggs with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, pour dressing over spring mix. Divide mix among 4 plates.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, remove discs from the fridge. Dip each disc into the egg and then into the the panko. Place immediately in pan. Repeat.

Fry each disc about 2 minutes per side.

Top plated lettuce with 4 discs of fried goat cheese.  Sprinkle with pecans.

I’ve fallen in love with Colorado.

Mind you, this isn’t the first time this has happened but every time I visit I fall all over again.

We were there for total and complete fun. Nothing more and absolutely nothing less.  Our friends Jonathan and Tiffany live in Boulder and are most gracious hosts.  Tiffany and I grew up together and hanging out with your best friend of  26 years as a 32 year old might be as sweet as it gets.

When they picked us up at the airport we went straight to my favorite Denver restaurant, Root Down. This place rocks.  The atmosphere is up beat and the food is creative & delectable. Yes, delectable.  I can’t say enough good things.

I love the lighting at this place too. Not great for pictures but great just the same. They have the best matchboxes too, since that matters.

The Bar Area

The Decor

The Drinks

The Hosts (aren’t they cute?)

Devils on Horseback: Smoked Prociutto Wrapped Peppadew Pepper, Stuffed with Apricot Goat Cheese & Ponzu Sauce

Sweet Potato Falafel: / Lemon-Tahini Yogurt, Israeli Salad, Sesame Seeds & Chile Oil

Arepas: Corn Cake, Mozzarella, Poblano-Pistachio Pesto, Achiote Crema & Pico de Gallo

Scallops: Plantain Hash, Lemon-Habanero Tartar Sauce, Fines Herbes & Crispy Red Onions

The Special

After dinner we headed to the Ogden Theater to check out Trampled By Turtles. Bluegrass meets Heavy Metal. I’m a fan.

The next day started off with a group effort of blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon.

Then we headed off to get fitted for our snow gear. We rented our skis at Boulder Ski Deals. If you are in the Boulder area and need skis, I highly recommend this place. It is easier than fighting the crowds on the mountain and they are really helpful.

Later on, Happy Hour at  The Corner Bar was followed by dinner at The Med.

The next morning we were in the car before sunrise and headed to Keystone.

After we were snowed out,  we hit up Kickapoo Tavern for some good eats and a disappointing Denver Broncos game.  Then we went back to our condo that we rented (which I would also recommend)  and watched another disappointing Green Bay Game.

After some more skiing the next day we were introduced to The Southern Sun restaurant in Boulder. I hereby award this place “Friendliest Restaurant on Earth”. They have more than one location but I can’t call them the C word that rhymes with plain because it takes away from how unique they are.

No one server is assigned to your table. Everyone stops at each table as they need help. This was a fantastic plan and it worked perfectly. We got to meet so many nice people this way too!

It’s unassuming. Looks like a good spot. I took it as a good sign that there was a wait at 3:30 on a Sunday but I really didn’t anticipate how heavenly this place would be.

I had the Date Night Burger. Best burger ever. I am going to do my very best to recreate this at home one day.  Bacon, poblano peppers, goat cheese and dates.

New favorite! Sriracha in Ranch.

Their burritos are huge and awesome.

Veggie Sandwich

Cream of Brussels Sprout Soup? Ummm, yes. Yes they did and it was fabulous.

Mike is the assistant GM at this spot and he has the customer service skills of a God. They have their own great beers plus other peoples beers too.  We asked a few questions and rather than leave it to chance he brought us a taste of all of our favorite options and his favorites too. I had the Porter . It was creamy and smooth with just enough bite.  (Hope this description doesn’t make the beer experts cringe).  I am going to give this review its own post separately too. You have to go here.

Just because it seems important, I should mention how crazy wide the variety of beer is in this state.

The last day we were there we took a great tour of Coors Brewery. I can’t say I have ever been a fan of their beer but their tour is great and they have a fun and friendly tasting room.

Flashback

All the varieties

Beer making

I have always wanted to see a show here.

Although it was 8 degrees on this day and there were no musicians, it was absolutely amazing and we are planning a return trip this summer to do it up right.

Until then Colorado!

What is easy, fun and good for a crowd?

I’m glad you asked. The answer is Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup and a Creamy Cilantro Salad.

If you’re like me and you’re out for lunch, if Tortilla Soup is on the menu it’s about to be in front of you.  I love all the different variations, especially the ones that are cream based, but those are a treat and at home I try to stick to the healthier stuff. Healthy and delicious? Where do I sign up you ask? Right here!

Our dinner guests this night assured us that no taste was compromised in the name of good for you.

I have always felt awkward waking up to put things like chicken, green chilies and cumin together first thing in the morning but listen people, if you do this….the rest of the day is a breeze. None of that dreading dinner time you might do or trying to decide what do have. So give in.

Gather the guys together.

Dice and mince.

Combine.

Pour and cover.

Wait. Wait some more. And some more.

While you’re waiting, why not try a new salad dressing! You’ve already got the cilantro for the soup, so you might as well.

Combine: milk, olive oil mayo, sour cream, cilantro, a jalapeno, green onion, cumin, lime juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a blender or with your immersion blender. That was fast!

Store it in the fridge and when dinner is ready you just pour over a salad.

We are accomplishing so much here today.

Back to the soup.

After the soup is ready, shred the chicken with forks. The least messy way to do this is in the crock pot itself.

Then you serve and garnish. We chose cilantro,  lime, sour cream, tortilla strips (the highlight of the grocery shopping this day) cheese, avocado and green onion.

Soup.

Soup and Salad.

You forgot about the salad already didn’t you. It’s just you’re lucky day I guess.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1-15 ounce can of sweet whole corn kernels, drained

1-15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 can rotel (i used hot)

5 cups chicken broth

1 yellow onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon  ground cumin

2 teaspoons sea salt

20 grinds of fresh pepper

for topping: monterrey pepper jack cheese-grated, tortilla strips, sour cream , avocado, lime, cilantro

In the crock pot, add all ingredients (not including toppings)

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Before serving, shred chicken breasts with forks

Serve and top with your choice of toppings

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Ingredients:

adapted from http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net