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.

Hearty Lentils with Sausage

This is one of my favorite fall/winter dishes. I love lentils and they pair wonderfully with sausage! The idea for this recipe came from a cookbook called Easy Meals on a Budget. Yet again, I've changed and added a few things to make it a little more exciting!

No one complains when I say we are having lentils for dinner! I used canned lentils in this dish to make it go together quicker. You could substitute dried, but the dish will take a bit longer to prepare, and with two young kids in my house- the quicker the better!! I have also used red lentils in this dish in place of the brown, which also was delicious, but had a much more "mushy" consistency.

Hearty Lentils with Sausage

-serves 4 as a main dish-

1/2 Lb. Sausage, can be bulk, or links cut into rounds

(I used 3 Brat-sized links cut into rounds)

4 Slices thick cut Bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 15 oz. cans of lentils, drained

1/2 cup chopped Onion

1 minced Shallot

1/2 cup- 3/4 cup chopped Carrots

1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth

2 cloves of Garlic minced

1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

3/4 tsp. dried Thyme

In a large pot, cook your sausage and bacon. (Sometimes I'll crisp the bacon in the microwave and add it when I'm adding the lentils, it gives it a bit of a crunch that way.) Remove to a plate to drain on a paper towel.

In the same pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and a swirl of olive oil over medium low heat. Add your onions and carrots and seat until your onions are translucent. Add your garlic and shallot and saute for about a minute longer. Add your tomato paste and beef stock. Stir until well combined. Start adding the rest of your ingredients, drained lentils, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and thyme. Mix in your bacon and sausage. Move the heat up to medium and heat until lentils are heated through, and the sauce has thickened to your liking. Salt and Pepper to taste. If needed, you can always add a tad more tomato paste to thicken, or more beef stock to loosen!

I usually serve this with crusty bread for a great hearty meal.

Amazing Bison-Quinoa-Veggie Meatballs!!!

This is another recipe I adapted from the Whole Foods website. I'm always trying to sneak veggies and whole grains into my meals... and so I thought I'd give these a try. I had never made meatballs before... but I was pretty pleased with my first attempt!

These meatballs were so tender... and tasted so good. The zucchini really kept them moist. The whole wheat pasta I paired them with was excellent as well!

Bison-Quinoa-Veggie Meatballs

Serves 6-8 (depending on portion)

1 Lb Ground Bison, or Ground Beef

3/4 cup of cooked Quinoa

1 small zucchini, grated

1 small carrot, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Shape the mixture into approximately 16 balls and place on prepared baking sheet.

Roast until cooked through and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

I served these over this whole wheat flax fettucine, to add extra protein and fiber, with store bought spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Parsley and serve hot.

Pepperoni Pizza Polenta Bake

I found this recipe on my Whole Foods recipe application on my iPhone... It seemed like a kid friendly meal and I love polenta so I thought I'd give it a try. It was really tasty!!! Even the baby who is the pickiest eater in my family ate some of the polenta (Pepperoni is a different story though!!) I threw this together in about 5 minutes, let it bake for 30 minutes... and voila!!! Easy dinner!!

I left out the roasted red peppers... and made it really simple, but try different veggies, olives, artichokes, anything you would top your pizza with. I think it would be great that way too!

Pepperoni Pizza Polenta Bake

-serves 4-6-

1 18 oz tube of pre-made polenta, cut into approximately 9 slices

Marinara, Pizza, or Spaghetti Sauce

Pepperoni

Shredded Italian cheese

1/2 tsp Dried Parsley

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

Preheat your oven to 400. Spray a baking dish, place the polenta in the dish. Cover the Polenta Rounds with Marinara Sauce, then cover with Pepperoni (approximately 2 per Round) Then generously sprinkle cheese over the top. Sprinkle oregano and parsley on top of the cheese. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Serve hot.

What do you do with all those hardboiled eggs at Easter time???

It's still been quite busy here- ... I haven't had the energy or the time to be posting anything.... let alone make anything really out of the ordinary.... So it's about time to get back on track!

Anyways, our family visited my parents and little sister this past weekend, and my older son Braden dyed Easter Eggs with his "Mima" and Aunt Jessica. They turned out beautifully and my mom sent some home with me- hard-boiled. I think I am the only one who will eat a plain hard-boiled egg here, so my mom suggested Egg Salad Pizzas- and it took me back to my childhood. I can remember around Easter, I think almost every year, she made egg salad pizzas for my brother and I. I remember loving them, they were one of my favorite foods as a child. My mother copied down the recipe for me, she told me it originally came from the Ann Arbor newspaper.... a long time ago.

I made these earlier in the week, I just hadn't had time to post it. My older son loved them, the baby liked the "egg salad" part, and my husband, who had been skeptical every time I brought them up, is "now a believer" (in his words...haha). I know they sound weird- but try them! You'll see!

Egg Salad Pizzas
-serves 6- (one pizza each) or
-serves 3- (2 pizzas each)

4 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped
1/2 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese- I used a combo provolone/mozzarella
1/3 Cup Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Dried Basil
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
Dash of Garlic Powder
Dash of Black Pepper
3 English Muffins, split

1. Mix the tomato paste, mayonnaise, minced onion, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper together.
2. Add the hardboiled eggs and cheese, and mix until well combined.
3. Spread the mixture on the muffins, covering the edges.
4. Broil 5-6 inches from the top, for about 5 minutes, until the edges start to brown and the cheese starts to melt. I used my toaster oven for this, but a regular oven would also work.
5. Serve hot!

Cheesy Hashbrown Chili

I recieved the March issue of Rachael Ray Magazine in the mail over the weekend....and this sounded good, and I had all the ingredients to make it already!

Cheesy Hashbrown Chili

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 Lb ground beef
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I used my mom's canned tomatoes, chopping them myself)
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
1 Lb frozen hashbrowns (shredded)
1 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion, chili powder, and cumin, and saute until onion is tender. Add the tomato paste, mix, then add the ground beef, breaking up. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef until no longer pink.
2. Add the kidney beans, and tomatoes with their juices, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Combine the hashbrowns and cheese in a bowl. Spread chili mixture in a 9 by 13 inch pan, top with the hashbrown mixture, and then bake in the top third of the oven at 400 for 35 minutes.

Fruit Roll-ups

I made fruit roll-ups yesterday. These actually have fruit in them (unlike their storebought cousins...) They turned out pretty good, except a little sticky, probably could have dried them out a little more, but I needed my oven for something else...
After reading a lot of recipes, they were all pretty much the same:

Fruit Roll Ups

2 Cups Fruit Puree (from fresh, frozen or canned)
Honey
Lemon Juice
Sugar
Spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) if desired
Vanilla (of desired)

1. Heat oven to 150.
2. Puree your fruit (if it has lots of seeds, like the frozen bag of mixed berries that I used did, you can put it through a mesh strainer, to get some of them out) add honey, lemon juice (to prevent browning) sugar as needed, and any spices or extracts you want. If using fresh fruit you may need to add a little water.
3. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then simmer until very thick, as thick as you can get it. (took me about 45 minutes) stir occasionally.
4. Pour onto a silicone mat if you have one (or you could use heat resistant plastic wrap) and spread very thin- about 1/8 inch evenly.
5. Put in oven and let dry out, with the oven cracked atleast 2 inches. You need room for steam to escape! your fruit roll up should be still pliable but not sticky. This took me about 7 hours. Let cool and cut into shapes, or rolls, roll up in plastic wrap and store in airtight container.

I'm going to experiment with these with different fruits, and possibly toppings like coconut.