Caramel Shortbread Cookies

It's less than 3 months until Christmas.  These will be a great addition to my Christmas baking list.  I found the recipe in the September/October issue of allrecipes Magazine.  The photo in the magazine resemble pieces of a Twix bar.

For crust:
2/3 C. butter, softened
1/4 C. white sugar
1 1/4 C. flour

For topping:
1 stick butter
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 C. sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 inch with parchment paper.

Stir together butter, sugar, and flour in a bowl or pulse in a food processor until crumbly.  Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.  Bake until pale golden, about 25 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk in a heavy 2 quart saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently until stiff, about 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes.

Pour caramel over crust and spread evenly.   Let cool until it begins to firm, about 30 minutes.

Microwave chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl 1 minute, then stir.  Microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate over caramel and spread evenly to cover.  Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Cut into roughly 1 inch squares.

Bistro Beef Stew

I am laughing as I add this recipe to the blog.  It was in the mid to upper 80s today and I am sitting here in front of a fan in summer pajamas.  But you know as well as I do that beef stew weather will be here soon enough.  It's also known to stay a while in the suburbs of Chicago.  I'll be making this soon, I am sure.

3-4lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 C. dry red wine
1/4 C. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 C. low sodium beef broth
2 tbsp. herbes de Provence
1 tbsp. each Dijon mustard and steak sauce
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
2lbs. red skinned potatoes, quartered
10 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 C. frozen pearl onions
1/2 C. frozen green peas
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley
Lemon zest

Brown beef in 2 batches in 1 tbsp. oil per batch in a large skillet over high heat, 4-6 minutes per batch; transfer to a 6qt. slow cooker.

Deglaze skillet with wine, scraping up any brown bits.  Stir in flour, tomato paste, and garlic; cook 1 minute.  Whisk in broth until smooth, then add herbes de Provence, Dijon, steak sauce, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper.

Add potatoes, carrots, and onions to sauce, then pour over beef.  Cover slow cooker and cook beef until fork tender on high setting, 5-6 hours, or low setting 7-8 hours.  Stir in peas and lemon juice.

Garnish stew with parsley and lemon zest.

Per serving: 450 calories, 12g. fat, 130mg. cholesterol, 467mg. sodium, 34g. carbs, 5g. fiber, 48g. protein

Biscuits and Gravy

I honestly think that I was born in the South in a former life.  There are many Southern dishes that I LOVE.

 Chris made biscuits and gravy the other morning for breakfast.

Now, he didn't wake up at the crack of dawn and toil over homemade biscuits...that's another Sunday.  We got our biscuits out of and exploding tube with a dough boy on it. LOL

He started with browning a 1lb package of Tennessee Pride bulk breakfast sausage.   Do not drain the sausage!

Mix in 1/2 of 1/3 of a cup of flour in while browning the sausage until it absorbs.  Repeat the process with the rest of the flour.  Add in 3 cups of milk; stir until it thickens.  Add one more if needed.  He seasoned it with 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika and salt to taste.

This is another taste as you go recipe.

We served it over the biscuits with a sunny side up egg on top.  Unfortunately, I was digging in before I realized we hadn't taken photos!!  Next time!

PS--the gravy is also delicious on English muffins.

Tuscan Soup

Winter is going to come eventually.  *sigh*  I am looking forward to having a little more spare time in the not so distant future so I can give more than a passing stab at cooking decent meals.  I also think I will tweak this recipe a bit.  I am not sure I need 2 C. of heavy cream.  Don't get me wrong, I am sure it is DELICIOUS with the cream but I want this to be an everyday recipe, not something I just make for special occasions!!

1lb bulk Italian sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 strips thick sliced bacon, diced
2 C. diced onions
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
7 C. low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
2. C. heavy cream
1 bunch kale, ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley

Brown sausage in oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat until cooked through.  Strain sausage through a sieve, then rinse under running water to remove additional drippings; drain and transfer to a paper towel plate.  Drain excess drippings from Dutch oven.

Cook bacon in same Dutch oven until crisp.  Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate; drain and discard all but 2 tbsp. drippings.  Add onions, garlic, flour, Italian herbs, and pepper flakes; cook over medium high heat until onions soften, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and potatoes; increase heat to high.  Bring soup to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about  10 minutes.  Crush a third of the potatoes in the pot.

Stir in sausage, cream and kale; cook to heat through and wilt kale.  Off heat, stir in parsley.

Roasted Grapes

Yes, you've read the title right.  These should be good on salads or as snacks.

3 C. seedless red grapes
2 tsp. canola oil
2 fresh thyme or Rosemary sprigs
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Toss all ingredients together and roast at 450 degrees just until grape skins start to split, about 15 minutes.