Penne with Braised Short Ribs

About a week and a half ago I was watching Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network... and she made this dish. I stocked my freezer with short ribs, found a lot of recipes that looked amazing, had them all ready to make, and then I came down with the flu. So, here we are a week and half later and my husband and I were finally able to make them!

This dish is so savory. I had never attempted short ribs before.. but it was well worth all the "trouble" to make. My husband actually helped make most of this dish, claiming his love for braising things. When the ribs came out of the oven, they weren't even on the bone anymore and were so tender! I will definitely be throwing short ribs in the crock pot this winter!

I found Giada's recipe on Food Network, and started with that one. Look for more short ribs soon!!!

This recipe would also be delicious simmering in the crock pot all day. Just prepare as directed, and place in the crockpot all day on low instead of the oven.

Braised Short Ribs with Penne

-serves 6-

4 Lbs. Beef Short Ribs

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 small Onions, chopped

6 cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped

6 Canned Roma Tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 cup Red Wine

3-4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 cups Beef Broth

1 Lb Penne Pasta

Grated Parmesan and chopped Flat Leaf Parsley for serving

Directions:

1. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy bottom dutch oven or ovenproof pot, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the ribs and brown on all sides, approx. 8-10 minutes. Set the ribs aside.

2. Place an oven rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350.

3. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently for approx. 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil, and scrape the brown tasty bits off the bottom of the pot.

4. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. (Ours took a longer because they were cut a little larger). The meat should be fork tender and falling off the bone.

5. Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Remove and excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Transfer the cooking liquid to a blender or food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour back into a saucepan to keep warm over low heat.

6. Remove the meat from the bones, discarding the bones. Using two forks, shred the meat into the sauce, discarding any large lumps of fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Cook your penne pasta as per directions, until al dente. Add the beef and sauce mixture to the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley before serving.

Indian- Inspired Crock Pot Beef Stew

The past couple of weeks have been so busy and crazy I really didn't get time to cook anything really exciting, let alone blog about it... hopefully things will calm down now and I can get back into the swing of things.... Today I was in Kalamazoo all afternoon for an appointment, and wasn't home to make dinner, so yesterday I prepared this Indian Curry Stew, and all I had to do was pop it in the crock pot all day to simmer while I was gone. This is one I made up on the spot.... the ingredients are not all traditional to Indian Food, but I was going for an Indian- inspired Beef Stew.

Indian Beef Curry Stew

2 Lbs. Round Steak, cubed (or 2 Lbs beef stew meat)
3 medium Carrots, sliced thickly
2 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Tumeric
2 Tbsp. Curry Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
2 crushed Bay Leaves
1 1/2 inch piece Ginger, minced (I used the microplane)
pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion
1 1/2 Tbsp. Red Curry Paste
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cinnamon Stick
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice


1. Place the carrot, potato, and onion in the crockpot first, then top with the beef.
2. Mix the garlic, cumin, paprika, tumeric, curry powder, garam masala, bay leaves, ginger, cayenne, minced onion, and red curry powder together. Add the tomato sauce and water, mix to combine, then pour over the beef.
3. Cover and set to low, and simmer all day (7-9 hrs.) Add the lemon juice during the last half hour.
4. Serve over rice if desired.


It was a hectic day the day we ate this, and I totally forgot to take a picture. I would definitely use Beef Stew Meat next time, as the Round Steak did not have the consistency I desired. It was tasty though!

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs

My husband and I went out to eat last weekend for our 1st anniversary, so instead of going out on one of the busiest and cheesiest days of the year, I've decided to make a romantic dinner for us here at home, using leftover chipotle peppers from my Guisado earlier this week. On the menu tonight is Robin Millers Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs with Jamaican Rice and Peas, which I found on Food Network. I did scale my version down a bit, I did not think we needed 4 pounds of chicken! Next time I will probably use only 8 oz of tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup each of celery and carrots. Sorry this was posted late, I had some issues with the pics, still trying to get that down!



We paired this with hand shaken margaritas, made by my husband. We sat down for dinner after the children had gone to bed- what a difference to have a quiet dinner at home! I think I'm going to make it a point to have one quiet dinner with my husband every 2 weeks. It was very refreshing!



Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs

2 Lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
3/4 Cup Chopped Carrot
3/4 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Onion, sliced thinly
1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
1 Chipotle Pepper with 1 tsp Adobo Sauce
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 Avocado, diced
Lime wedges for garnish
Cilantro if desired

1. Arrange Onion, Celery, and Carrot in the bottom of your slow cooker. Trim the Chicken Thighs of excess fat. Season Chicken Thighs with Salt and Pepper, and arrange on top of the vegetables.

2. In your food processor, combine tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles, and garlic. Pulse until well combined, then pour over the chicken.

3. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high. Serve with Jamaican Rice and Peas, Avacodo, and Cilantro.

Jamaican Rice and Peas

1 1/2 Cups White Rice
1 14 oz Can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
3/4 Cup Water
1 15 oz Can Red Beans, drained
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp finely grated Lime Zest
Salt and Pepper


In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except salt and pepper. Set to high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer as long as your particular rice directions say, usually about 20-25 minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Crock Pot Carne Guisado

This past fall my husband and I went down to the Hispanic Festival in downtown Grand Rapids to eat some mexican food (which we both LOVE). One of the dishes we had was called Carne Guisade, which was slow cooked beef with potatoes in a smoky tomato-ey sauce. I have been unsuccessful at trying to find a recipe that is similar...so here is my try at making it! We were both VERY happy with the way this turned out! It was very yummy! If you like a little more spice, add some more of the chipotle peppers, I was feeding this to a 6 year old, so I didn't want to add too much spice.... Definitely going to do this one again!

Crock Pot Carne Guisado

2 Lbs beef rib steaks, cut into 1/2- 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 red potatoes, peeled, and cubed
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from a small can
3 bay leaves
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder
salt and pepper

1. Combine the beef, onion, garlic, and potatoes in the crock pot.
2. In a food processor, combine tomato sauce, peppers, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Pulse until blended.
3. Add the tomato sauce to the crockpot, stir to combine, add a little water if needed, add the bay leaves, and set to High for 2 hours (I always start out on high to get it going). Then switch to low for 6 hours.
4. Serve with rice, or with all sorts of taco toppings, or make into enchiladas, using the sauce as enchilada sauce.

We warmed some corn tortillas, topped them with rice, then the guisado, sour cream, guacamole, cheese

My husbands masterpiece:





And I added chopped tomatoes, and black olives, making it look more like nachos:

Crock Pot Brunswick Stew- Kristin Style

We like Brunswick Stew- there is a BBQ restaurant here called Smokey Bones that makes a good one with bits of all their smoked meats. After reading a lot of different recipes, I've come up with my own..... not as traditional with okra and lima beans, or lots of smoked meats... and have cooked it in the crockpot. I tend to do this a lot when working with my crockpot nowadays (just throw some stuff in there and call it something clever!) Here is my version:

K-Style Brunswick Stew (in the Crock Pot)

5 slices Bacon, crisped and chopped
1 Cup Cubed Ham (I may use a ham shank next time)
1 Lb. Chicken Breast, cut into small pieces
1 medium size Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of Celery, finely chopped
3-4 smallish Red Potatoes, cubed
1 can Corn, with liquid (will use creamed corn next time)
1 15 oz. can Stewed Tomatoes
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
2 Cups Chicken Broth
3 Tbs. BBQ Spice Rub
1 Tsp. Worcestshire Sauce
4-5 drops Tabasco Sauce
1 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
3-4 Tbsp. BBQ Sauce
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Oregano
1/2 Tsp. Sage
2 Bay Leaves
Fresh Ground Pepper

Throw everything in the Pot, cook on high for a couple of hours, then low until ready to serve (about 8 hrs total) Beware: when throwing things in the pot- it tends to make a lot!! But when I crockpot I like to make enough for a couple of meals. I love the way the house smells all day!