My son and DIL made dinner tonight

Korean food

Roast Beef Dinner with Sourdough

Italian Beef Pot Roast (Crock Pot)  So easy, so good.

1 - Chuck Roast (*wait until they're on sale)

1 pkg. Brown Gravy Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Italian Dressing Mix (dry)

Open and mix all the packages of dry mixes. Put chuck roast into the crock pot (no need to sear or brown), sprinkle all the dry mix on top, pour 1/2 c. water around edges, cover and cook on low for 8 - 12 hours (or high for 4 - 6 hours). 

Charlie loves this salad

Ingredients

1 (10 to 12-ounce) package baby spinach, washed and dried Used mixed greens

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted   Used pecan pieces

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced

Dressing:

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar  Used pineapple balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions

In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, almonds, strawberries, and cucumber and toss together.

For the dressing:

In a small glass bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, oil, and poppy seeds. Whisk together in the glass bowl or shake if using a jar.

Dress the salad right before serving.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Carrots peeled and put in water to cover with about 3 or 4 Tbls. honey for a few hours then boiled for about 10 minutes.

Peas nuked from frozen

Mashed Potatoes

about 10 red new potatoes, peeled, boiled then mashed with butter, milk, salt and pepper and sour cream. About 2 T. butter 4 T. sour cream and 1/4 C. milk.

Gravy

Pan juices with butter, flour and water to make about 1 1/2 C. plus additional Better than Beef to taste.

This is the recipe I started with but used less flour and didn't use cornmeal

SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH YEAST

1 1/2 CUPS LUKEWARM WATER

5 1/2 TO 6 1/2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1 TABLESPOON SUGAR

1 TABLESPOON SALT

1 TABLESPOON ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1 TABLESPOON VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP SOURDOUGH STARTER

CORNMEAL TO SPRINKLE ON PANS

Making the Sponge:  In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water.  Let this sit for 10 minutes or so until bubbly.  Add the starter and stir.  Gradually add 3 cups of flour, stirring until well mixed and smooth. 

Cover this sponge and set aside in a warm, draft free place for 4 to 5 hours.

Making the Dough: Stir down the sponge. Stir in 1 cup of flour, the salt and oil.  Gradually add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.

Turn out the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. let the dough rest while  you clean and grease your bowl.  Continue kneading another 3 or 4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Add only enough flour to the board to keep the flour from sticking.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

Shaping and Baking:  Knock the dough down and shape it into two long French or Italian style loaves.  Place them on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet and let them rise for another 1 to 1/2 hours.  

Toward the end of the rising period, place a baking pan on the oven bottom (or the lowest rack) and preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. 

Just before baking, slash the tops diagonally every couple of inches, about 1/4 inch deep, and brush with cold water.

Pour 2 or 3 cups of water into the pan, put the loaves on the rack above the steaming water and bake for about 25 minutes.

The crust will be very hard when you remove the bread, but in 5 minutes it will be soft and chewy.  To make the crust crisp and chewy, turn off the oven and leave the bread inside for an additional 5 minutes.

Grilled Chicken, Artichokes and Orzo

Chicken grilled, artichokes boiled then grilled and served with clarified butter and aioli and orzo with mushrooms.


Artichoke instructions are from Cat Cora but I made aioli by starting with mayonnaise and adding some lemon juice, red pepper flakes and a garlic clove mashed into a paste with some coarse salt. left out the capers because Charlie and Cassie don't like them. It was good.  Grilling the artichokes didn't add much if any flavor.  I think steamed artichokes will be good for the next time. Cutting them in half and scooping out the inedible heart was a good idea.

Orzo cooked according to package directions, but with chicken stock,  drained, added to a skillet with mushrooms already cooked in butter and tossed over heat to combine. Needed salt.  There wasn't enough salt in the chicken stock.

Chicken breasts store bought already seasoned and ready to grill.

Instructions

1. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. 

2. To make the aioli, combine the egg yolks, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Process at medium-high speed to blend, then very slowly add the oil in a thin stream through the pouring tube while the machine is running. When the mixture has thickened, turn off the machine, add the chilies, capers, salt, and pepper, and pulse until well mixed. If the aioli is too thick, add a little water. Refrigerate while the artichokes are cooking. 

3. Fill a stockpot halfway with water and add the 2 tablespoons salt and the lemon halves. Bring to a boil. Add the artichokes, cover, and cook for 35 minutes. When ready, a large leaf should come off easily when gently pulled. Drain and let cool. 

4. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise and scoop out the center choke (the fuzzy section and the purple leaves). Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice on each side of the halved artichokes. Sprinkle all with the 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper. Place the artichokes on the grill, cut side down, and grill for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and grill for 1 minute longer. 

5. To serve, place the artichokes on individual plates. Spoon the aioli into small ramekins and give an individual serving to each guest, or set one big bowl of aioli on the table and let everyone dip in.

Ingredients

* 2 Egg Yolks
* 1 Clove Garlic (minced)
* 2 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
* 2¼ Cup Light Olive Oil
* 1 Tablespoon Oil-Packed Calabrian Chilies (chopped, roasted; or 2 or 3 Red Chilies)
* 1 Teaspoon Capers (drained)
* 2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (plus 3 tsp)
* 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
* 1 Lemon, Halved (plus 3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice)
* 3 Large Artichokes (½ inch of woody stem removed, but the rest remaining)
* 6 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

For Valentine's Day: Chocolate Raspberry Torte.

Really rich and chocolately.. No flour

Chocolate Raspberry Torte          12 servings

1 cup unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate ( 4 bars of Ghirardelli)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed is best.. used Droste 

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 eggs, separated and at room temperature

TOPPING

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam 1 12oz jar Smucker's 

3 cups fresh raspberries -Takes 3 packages

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, spray oil on the parchment and dust with flour. Over low heat, melt butter with chocolate. Remove from heat. Combine sugar with cocoa and whisk into chocolate. Whisk in sour cream, extract and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks and fold into chocolate one third at a time. Turn mixture into cake pan, set it in a large roasting pan, and pour in enough hot water to go 1 inch up sides of cake pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes; the center will appear soft and the sides firm. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Refrigerate cake overnight.

The next day, remove cake from pan. Invert a plate on top, then flip pan over. Peel off parchment paper. Spread raspberry jam over top, then smother with raspberries. To make clean slices, use a knife warmed in hot water, then dried with a towel; clean knife and repeat for each slice.

Chicken Cordon Bleu, sort of.

I didn't follow a recipe but I pounded out a chicken breast, added a layer of laver, cooked spinach, thin ham, and Dutch cheese, wrapped and tied, then marinated in vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning and oil, then browned in a skillet and finished in a 325 degree oven.

Also had sweet potato yams baked with apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter and asparagus steamed and dressed with melted butter, Greek salad dressing and honey.

Charlie was putting in new exhaust fans in the bathrooms and a return air vent in the ceiling in the room under the kitchen so the pipes can get warm air and keep from freezing in this cold weather. He also installed a tablet stand in the kitchen. Since the electricity was off and on all morning, I went to the store. Before I left, I asked Charlie if he had any ideas for dinner and he said Lasagna. When he doesn't say he doesn't know, he usually comes up with something that is a lot of work. At least I used this occasion to get a regular lasagna pan. The casserole dish I have been using all this time is not deep enough. Anyway here is the lasagna we had for dinner. I should have let it cool a little more before I cut it.

Lasagna

Béchamel

 1 C. heavy cream

 1 C. chicken stock

3T. butter 

3 heaping T. flour 

add salt to taste 

+ a little nutmeg 

Melt butter, stir in flour.  Add heated chicken broth a little at a time.  Add heated cream, whisking often, bring to boil and let thicken.  Set  aside.

Meat filling

1 med. onion,chopped

3 cl. garlic, minced

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (1 3/4 lbs)

3T. fresh chopped italian parsley (used spinach)

3 T. fresh chopped oregano

1 1/2 lb. mild or sweet Italian sausage ( substituted 4 wursts, skinned. Cassie does not like sausage and both of them don't like Eckridge Italian sausage)

1 1/2 C. grated Pecorino Romano cheese

salt and pepper

Oil for frying

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft.  Add meats and cook until done but not browned.  Stir in cheese, parsley and oregano.  Set aside

Cheese filling

1 1/3 C. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C. fresh chopped basil

1 1/2 -2 packages fresh mozzarella

16 oz. whole milk ricotta 

Marinara pasta sauce (from a Jar)

Package shredded mozzarella

12 lasagna noodles, cooked 

Preheat oven to 400.  Put some marinara on bottom of lasagna pan.  Put 4 lasagna (3 noodles per layer is all the pan would hold) noodles on bottom, overlapping each one.  Add half the meat mixture, 1/2 the béchamel, 1/3 the parmesan, 1/2 the basil, 1/3 the ricotta and 1/3 the marinara

Make second layer like the first and top with last 4 noodles.  Top with last of the sauce, and last of the ricotta.  Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Turn oven up to 450.  Remove foil add shredded mozzarella and cook until browned and bubbling, about 15 minutes.  Broil a couple minutes at the end if needed for browning. 

Chili for supper tonight

Norm's Chili 

1 lb hamburger 

1 lb. ground pork 

1 onion, finely chopped 

8 oz tomato sauce 

1 Tbs. sugar 

2 Tbs. chili powder 

1 ounce red wine vinegar 

1 1/4 C. picante sauce 

1 bay leaf 

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt 

1 T. paprika 

1 can red beans, not drained 

1/2 tsp. pepper 

1/4 tsp. cumin 

1/4 tsp. cayenne 

1 bottle beer 

1-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder 

dash or two Tabasco 

Saute meat, when almost done, add onions and garlic. When onions are tender, add rest or ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove lid and let cook down if necessary. Refrigerate overnight and remove fat and reheat. 

Note: if desired.... 

If cooked without beans, serve them and grated raw onion on the side as a garnish. 

Toppings

thinly sliced green onions

sliced  jalapeño

green olives, halved

sour cream 

grated monterey jack

pinto beans

saltines