Chili-Mac: Perfect Sunday Football Fare

A few weeks ago, my son got the itch for cooking. His sisters had been watching Jon and Kate plus 8...again...and in that episode, Emeril came for a visit. He made this Chili-Mac and I think it made him hungry for it. The boy is always hungry! We Googled the recipe, got all the ingredients at the store and together we made it for dinner.  This would be the perfect make-ahead recipe for a tailgate or Sunday Football game. Before we went to New Jersey, I made this recipe and instead of baking it, I refrigerated it and took it with us. We baked it at the beach and it fed all 16 of us with couple of servings leftover. If you don't have a crowd, you can always freeze the leftovers or cut the recipe in half.

Chili-Mac
from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium onions small diced, about 3 cups

2 jalapenos, stemmed and minced, optional

1 tablespoon salt, plus more for pasta cooking water

2 pounds extra lean ground beef

5 tablespoons Mexican chili powder (I used about 3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 (28 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, broken with your hands, with juices

2 cans kidney beans, drained

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 pound medium cheddar cheese (I used a little less)

Sour cream for serving, if desired

Instructions:
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 6-quart soup pot. Add onions, jalapenos (if desired), and 2 teaspoons of the salt and cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add ground beef, chili powder, oregano, and garlic and cook, breaking up any clumps of meat with a spoon, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, and ½ cup of water, stir, and bring chili to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened to chili consistency, about 20 minutes. Taste and add 1 more teaspoon salt, if needed.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
While the chili is simmering, cook macaroni according to package directions in boiling salted water, drain in a colander, rinse under cool running water and set aside. Grate cheddar cheese and set aside.
Place a 9 x 13.5-inch or other 3-quart casserole dish on a baking sheet. Once chili has finished cooking, fold in the cooked macaroni and 1/3 of the cheddar cheese. Transfer chili-mac to the baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve each portion garnished with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

A Roadtrip, A Birthday Party and THE Best Marinade for Steak

The roadtrip was from Pittsburgh to Surf City, NJ. My two brothers and I decided we would all try to get together at the house where my parents spend a week each summer and surprise my dad with a surf and turf birthday celebration for his 75th birthday, which is actually today - Happy Birthday Dad! I just love watching the kids play at the water's edge. It was a bit chilly and windy but that didn't stop them from getting soaked. Kids don't care that it's freezing - it's just too much fun. So in the above photo, they are chasing the waves...



And now the waves are chasing them! They could do this all day - all I have to do is sit in my chair and watch all the fun!

We borrowed my in-law's RV for the trip. The house my parents were staying in had one bath and two bedrooms (3 if you count the attic) and there were 16 of us. That RV was a lifesaver! It even had just enough room in the kitchen to assemble this Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Fudge Icing for my dad's birthday surprise.

The biggest conversation piece was how I cut the cake by cutting a circle in the middle and then slicing pieces all around. The cake is quite tall and cutting it this way makes the pieces more manageable and you don't have the wedges falling apart as you serve the pieces.



The surf and turf birthday menu included lobster, filet mignon, cajun-spiced corn-on-the-cob, baked potatoes with a cheese-broccoli sauce, and a complementary Pinot Giescheno. Don't look for this vintage in the wine shop - my brother made this wine himself and it was perfect. I was in charge of the steaks and turned to THE best marinade for steaks I've ever had. We use this marinade every time we cook steak and ALWAYS get ooohs and ahhhs from our guests and requests for the recipe. This time was no exception.

Use fresh herbs if you can and marinate the steak for at least an hour or two (longer is even better). Grill the steaks to your preferred doneness, a little bit of pink is perfect. The flavor is just incredible - you won't believe the difference it makes!

Garlic and Herb Marinade for Steaks

from Cook's Illustrated May 2003
Makes enough for 2 pounds of steaks

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Place the steaks in a zip top plastic bag and pour marinade over the steaks, making sure all the steaks are covered evenly with marinade. Marinate in the refigerator for at least an hour. Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before grilling to allow them to warm up a bit. Discard leftover marinade.

Friday Favorite - Lux Egg Timer

Have you ever seen one of these? This egg timer takes the guesswork out of boiling an egg. You can find these at stores like Bed, Bath, and Beyond on their kitchen gadget wall or at Amazon.com. And they're only about 5 dollars. Here's how the timer works:



Place your eggs and the egg timer in a saucepan. Add cold water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Bring the water slowly to a simmer. As the water heats and cooks the eggs, the timer begins to get a dark ring starting on the outside. Can you see it?

As the dark ring reaches the desired mark on the timer, you know the egg is done! Drain the eggs and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Split the eggs down the middle with a small thin knife and scoop the eggs out with a spoon. Top with a little butter and some salt and pepper. Perfectly cooked eggs every time.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies and a Gift Basket

Our friends recently had their third child, a beautiful baby girl. We wanted to send a gift, but what do you send the proud parents who probably already have most of the baby things they need from the first two children? What does a mother who has three small children really need? Speaking from my own experience, I'd say the parents probably need some sleep and little peace and serenity. I can't help too much with their lack of sleep, but maybe they might look forward to a special treat with a cup of tea at naptime. So we sent a pink package filled with vanilla almond biscotti, lemon shortbread cookies, and raspberry streusel bars, a tea sampler, and a book for baby. The little pink "suitcase" can be used later for doll's clothing or to keep extra wipes or burp cloths looking neat in the baby's bedroom.



These shortbread cookies are a perfect teatime snack. I used the recipe for basic shortbread from Martha Stewart's Cookies and added a little lemon zest (orange would be good too). I rolled the dough out and used a cookie cutter to cut fluted rectangles. They had a nice, sandy texture and terrific flavor. Keep an eye on them and bake them until the edges are just beginning to brown.

Recommended tools: Microplane zester, Silpat baking mat or parchment paper

Lemon Shortbread Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
zest of one lemon

Sift together flour and salt into a bowl. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of bowl when needed. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and lemon zest; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Shape dough into a small, flat round and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F with rack in the center of oven. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness, using a small amount of flour on the work surface and rolling pin to prevent sticking. Cut into desired shapes and place cookies on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Bake until cookies a just starting to turn golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on the cookie sheet.

Vanilla Almond Biscotti

Biscotti are one of my favorite things to make. I love to dip them in morning coffee or afternoon tea. Sit down on a chilly afternoon with some tea and biscotti, and you will feel instantly pampered and calmed.  Since the days are getting a bit colder, I'm beginning to crave this biscotti again. Use a long serrated knife like the one in this post to cut the baked biscotti logs into slices before they go back into the oven for a second baking.

For my gingerbread biscotti recipe, click here.

Vanilla Almond Biscotti
adapted from Gourmet, January 2009
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons brandy
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole almonds with skin
3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir together sugar, butter, brandy, and extracts in a large bowl, then stir in almonds and eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Chill dough, covered, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Using moistened hands, halve dough and form 2 (16-by 2-inch) loaves on an ungreased large baking sheet.
Bake until pale golden, about 30 minutes. Carefully transfer loaves to a rack and cool 15 minutes.
Cut loaves into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife.
Arrange biscotti, with a cut side down, on a clean baking sheet and bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, turning the biscotti over about halfway through baking time. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to one week.

Coconut Cookies with Nutella Filling

These cookies taste like macaroons, but with a satisfying crunch. They are so good by themselves and even better with a dollop of Nutella between them.

One year ago: Lemon Thyme Tea Cookies

Coconut Cookies

recipe from Irina at Pastry Pal

1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 stick (168 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (240 6) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (80 g) unsweetened shredded coconut

Nutella for filling. if desired

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream butter until smooth.
2. Pour in the sugar and the vanilla extract and beat that in for another 30 seconds.
3. Add eggs one at a time, and allow each one to mix in completely before adding in the next.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add it to the bowl with butter and sugar.
5. Stir it in and fold in the shredded coconut
6. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds on to a parchment lined baking sheet. Space them about 2 inches apart since they spread like they mean it.
7. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the edges turn golden, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy as they are or fill with Nutella.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread You Can Make in 5 Minutes!

Well, the 5 minutes claim is a bit deceiving. I made this recipe from the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I've tried 3 recipes from this book so far and they have all turned out great. My post for the basic boule can be found here. The hands-on time probably is about 5 minutes, the rest is waiting for the bread to rise or bake - with no kneading necessary. I made the dough for this bread a few days ago, let it rise 2 hours on the counter and placed the dough in the refrigerator until I had time to bake it - you can leave it in the fridge for up to 7 days. On baking day, pull the dough out of the fridge, shape it, roll it, fill it, and let it rest for a while in the loaf pan. Then place the loaf in the oven and wait for the delicious aromas to waft through the house! So, yes, it does take about 5 minutes to make the dough, and 5 minutes (maybe 10) to assemble on baking day, but you really cannot leave the house and go to work while the bread is rising or baking. You can, however, set the timer and go do other things around the house while the bread is doing its thing. A total of about 2 hours on dough-making day, and 3 hours on baking day for this recipe. This bread is fabulous toasted with a little butter.



Buttermilk Bread Dough
adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

2 cups lukewarm water
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt ( I will use a bit less next time)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand)

1. Mix the yeast, salt, and sugar with the water and buttermilk in your heavy-duty stand mixer.
2. Mix in the flour all at once using the dough hook attachment.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours. (I transfer the dough from the mixer bowl to a large dough bucket for rising and refrigerating.)
4. Refrigerate and use the dough within the next 7 days.
5. (Follow the instructions for cinnamon-raisin bread below at this point or continue with these directions if making a plain loaf.) On baking day, lightly spray a 9x4 loaf pan with cooking spray. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Elongate the ball into an oval.
6. Drop the dough into the prepared pan. You want to fill the pan slightly more than half full.
7. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dust the loaf with flour and slash the top, using the tip of a sharp knife. Brush the top surface with melted butter.
8. Bake the bread near the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Remove from the pan. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

1 1/2 pounds buttermilk bread dough (recipe above)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup raisins
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

1. Spray a 9x4x3-inch loaf pan with baking spray. Set aside. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 1/2-pound (cantaloupe size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
2. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to an 8x16-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick, dusting the board and rolling pin with flour as needed. You may need to use a metal dough scraper to loosen rolled dough from the board as you are working with it.
3. Using a pastry brush, cover the surface of the dough lightly with egg wash. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Evenly distribute the raisins in a single layer over the dough.
4. Starting from the short side, roll it up jelly-roll style. Pinch the edges together, tucking the ends under.
5. Place the loaf seam side down in the prepared pan. Allow to rest 1 hour and 40 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.