Mushroom and Burgundy Stew - Hearty and Tasty

Another tasty meal from Rachael Ray's "Week in a Day" show.  I bookmarked this a WHILE ago and just got around to making it.  It was cold this week, so I decided to give it a shot.  The original recipe
Mushroom and Burgundy Stew, didn't have any protein in it, so I decided to try it with beef tenderloin tips - they were on sale this week - YEAH!  Don't get me wrong, the ratio of mushrooms to beef cubes was 2 mushroom : 1 beef cube, plus I used baby bellas (aka cremini), so the mushroom mouth-feel was a bit meatier.

My start time: 4pm; My end time 7:30pm

Rachael Ray's Prep Time: 20-30 mins; Cook time: 45 mins

1.  I started by cutting 4 oz pancetta slices into pieces appx 3/4 inch squares - hrmmm wonder where I can get the pancetta in chunks like I see on Giada's show - it was a little difficult to separate the pieces after I had stacked and sliced them.  Add 1/4 cup olive oil to your dutch oven and warm to medium-high heat and add the pancetta pieces.
2.  After the pancetta was browned and had rendered some fat into my Lodge Color 3-Quart Dutch Oven, I added appx 8 oz beef tips and browned them on all sides.
3.  While the beef tips were browning, I wiped 16 oz baby bellas, and then halved them. Some of the beef tips were a little larger than "bite size", so I pulled them out after they were par-cooked and cut them into 2-3 pieces.
Switch cutting boards.
4.  Add the mushrooms to the pot and let cook until until brown and tender - about 15 minutes or so.
5.  Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper, marjoram, and thyme.

The mushroom-beef stew players

6. Cover and cook/simmer until vegetables are tender - about 10 minutes
7. Stir in 3 tbsp flour for 1 minute to incorporate.
8.  Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
9.  Add 2 1/2 cups dry red wine (always use wine you would drink - none of that "cooking wine" you buy in the grocery store) and reduce by half - this took me maybe 20 minutes
10.  Add 4 cups beef stock.  BGS purchased Mushroom Base for me to use with this recipe, so I added 4 tsp of the base to the beef stock and dissolved it the best I could before adding it to the pot.  Simmer to thicken.
11.  Cool completely on the stove and then store in the fridge for your make ahead-meal.

As you can see by my start and end times, I was in the kitchen longer than my tv counterpart.  I chock that up to me not chopping often and not having a great deal of counter space.  *shakes fist at the horrible kitchen arrangement*

12.  On the day you want to serve your stew, take it out of the fridge and bring it to a simmer in the dutch oven while you boil water for your noodles.  I chose whole wheat egg noodles.  Cook your chosen noodles according to the directions on the package and then drain.  Put the noodles back in the pot; add 2 tbsp butter and a handful of fresh parsley, chopped.

To serve, dish noodles into a soup plate or shallow dish and then ladle stew over the noodles.

All in all I LOVE this meal!  BGS said it was too rich, so he only ate it twice.  That's fine.  More for me :)
We got four servings from this meal - so he ate it once and I ate it 3 times.  YUM!!  BGS also said it was "ruined" by the whole wheat noodles hehe - I wasn't phased by them.

Orange-Walnut Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing and Filling

I had originally planned to make Coffee Cake Muffins Melissa's Born to Cook blog, but then I remembered I had promised BGS that I would make some orange cupcakes/muffins with cheesecake icing, so I sought out recipes and resources.  I found Orange Muffins, Fresh Orange Muffins. and Orange Muffins.

 I'm not a fan of  overly sweet icings - never have been - even as a kid -, so I found two resources for cream cheese icing that balanced the sweetness.  I found Cream Cheese Filling and All Recipe Cheese Filling and once again felt the need to improvise based on the ingredients.

For the cupcake/muffin:
2 oranges, peel on, but seeds removed
3/4 cup orange juice or mango nectar
2 cups All Purpose (AP) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

For the muffin topping:                                                 For the filling/icing
1 tbsp melted butter/margarine                                         16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar                                                        3/4 pound powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon                                                  10 oz mango nectar   
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg                                                      zest and juice of one orange
1/8 tsp ground cloves                                                       2 oz orange liqueur like Triple Sec
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)                                  2 oz dark rum
                                                                                       1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray your muffin pans with non-stick spray or or place muffin liners and set aside.    Place the orange quarters and orange juice/mango nectar in your food processor or blender and pulse until pureed.  Add the eggs and oil and blend/pulse until incorporated.
In a separate large bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar,nuts, and spices.  Add the orange mixture all at once and stir to combine.  Fill the muffin cups until 2/3 full.

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and spices and sprinkle on top of the muffins.  Put the muffins in the preheated muffins for 20-25 minutes.

While the muffins are cooking, combine the mango nectar and orange juice and orange zest to a pot and reduce to a thick syrup.  Whip the softened cheese until smooth.  Slowly add the powdered sugar, mango syrup, rum, and triple sec until combined.

My plan was to put the icing inside and on top of the cupcakes, but I didn't have of those spiffy cake decorating tips, so I had to settle for just putting the icing on top.  The Icing is deliciously non-sweet, but my cupcake/muffins are dense and moist (not in a good way).  I spose that's what I get for improving on a baking recipe......BGS likes them, though.  That's what REALLY matters :)

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Super Bowl Dinner: Tofu-Cheese Stuffed Shells, Homemade Oregano Bread, and Salad

     Since BGS is trying to eat healthier - again - he found some tofu recipes for us to try.  This one sounded like the "easiest" and also the one that was  the mostly likely to please his anti-tofu palette.  So I made Tofu Stuffed Shells, which is mildly impressive since I've never made stuffed anything before, let alone stuffed shells!  I tried to get him to agree to using whole-grain pasta shells, but that was a no-go.  I figured I would let it slide since he was inviting tofu back into his life :)  What goes better with pasta than bread to sop up the sauce?  Homemade sauce at that!  That's where the second part of our meal comes in.... I made yeast bread for the first time ever!! I made salad, too, but that's I've made it tons of times before.  BGS' latest diet suggests, logically, that he should eat a medium-large salad before starting his entree.  It's been about a week since starting this latest urge to lose weight and so far I think I have seen him follow the "rules" a grand total of once....1/7....not the best ratio, but I suppose everything takes time...that's what my doctors keep telling me at least.

Speaking of doctors, I've already consulted mine about adding more leafy greens and soy/tofu to my diet so they can adjust my meds accordingly.  As long as I eat a consistent amount of the vitamin K foods - consistent from one week to the next - I shouldn't have any problems.  I will be checking more often as I gradually increase the quantity back into my diet.  Ok, enough with the verbiage!  On with the food!!

I actually started making this meal Friday night...yes Friday.  I knew I wanted to make bread on Sunday, so I wanted plenty of time to work through that learning process rather try and do two new things all in one day.
Today's players for the stuffed shells:  whole milk ricotta, zucchini, carrot, onion, tofu, Monterey Jack cheese
1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add your shells and cook 8-10 minutes until al dente and drain.  While those are cooking ...
Let's start the filling:
     1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
     1/3 cup shredded carrot
     1/4 cup shredded zucchini
     3 Tbsp chopped onion
     8 oz container firm tofu
     1/2 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese*
     1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
      1 egg white
     1/2 tsp dried oregano
     1/2 tsp dried basil
     1 tsp minced garlic
     1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
3.  In a small saucepan mix the carrot, zucchini, and onion.  Pour in just enough water to cover the veggies and cook over medium heat until tender.  Once cooked, drain.

Sorry for the blur -
the camera couldn't decide what to focus on

4.  In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork.  You want it to have the same texture/size as cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.  Stir in the drained carrot-zucchini-onion mix, Monterey Jack, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ricotta cheese, egg white, salt, pepper ,1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil flakes, 1 tsp minced garlic.  Mix well and set aside

Pre-bake

Now the ingredients for the sauce:
    2 (8 oz) cans diced tomatoes
    1/3 cup tomato paste
    1 tsp dried basil
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1/4 tsp garlic powder
    1 tsp minced garlic
5.  Mix these ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
6.  Scoop 1 Tbsp of the filling into each of your cooked shells and place them in an un greased 2 qt casserole.  I ended up with 2 layers in my CorningWare French White 2-1/2-Quart Oval Dish, so I spooned about 4 tbsp of the sauce on top of the first layer.  After placing the second layer of shells, pour the remaining sauce over the shells.
7.  Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and sprinkle over the top of the sauce.
8.  Cover and bake 25 minutes or until heated through.


I cooled the finished dish on the stovetop to avoid extra condensation when I put it in the refrigerator

Flash forward to Sunday.  Bread day!

Today's Players: - this dough can be made in a bread maker or in a stand mixer with the bread hook attachment, which is what I did.
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (yes, it does come ungranulated)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp active dry yeast - I used 1 whole packet of Fleischmann's yeast, which is
cornmeal for dusting the bread stone
1 egg white, slightly beaten

1.  Add flour, oil, water, sugar, salt, oregano and yeast to your work bowl - set your  bread machine to the dough setting or turn your stand mixer on low
2.  Mix until a dough ball forms around the hook or until your bread machine stops mixing
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
4. Sprinkle cornflour/cornmeal onto a baking sheet
5. Punch the dough down and form into an oval or long loaf
6. Cover with a tea/clean kitchen towel and cover for 25 minutes
7. After the 25 minutes are over, the dough should be doubled  - mine wasn't, so I left for another 25 minutes....still nothing :(
  I looked at the yeast packet and it said if the room was below 85 degrees (my house is never above 73 degrees) to place the dough on a cookie sheet and place a pan of 85+ degree water underneath the cookie sheet.....I did.... I even covered the setup with 2 tea towels to keep the steam in....left for abt 10 minutes....came back and the dough was dripping/falling through the cookie sheet into the pan of water *sigh*...extract the oozing dough from the cookie sheet/water and put it on a different with tiny squares instead of slats...recover and walk away for 15 minutes.....still nothing...*sigh*
I give up....I put the bread in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.
   You are supposed to bake it until you hear a hollow sound when you knock on the bottom....I was too hungry to knock, so I pulled the bread and sliced it.  It tasted good. A bit doughy, but still tasty.

   Round out the meal with a salad and you have a tasty homemade Italian supper.


*the recipe said shredded Monterey, but I couldn't find it on it's own and was too lazy to shred it myself;)