Weekly Menu, January 3~ 9, 2011

Fruit Flan recipe and how-to's, click HERE.

Hello, 2011!  A  New Year is so full of promise and uncharted time to fill. There is something exciting and fresh about a New Year!

I am in a mood to cook! I want StoneGable to be filled with warm, yummy aromas! I feel a cooking frenzy coming on....

Monday
Bierocks
Baked Oven Fries
Waldorf Salad

Recipe: Bierocks (Sausage Stuffed Bread)
These look hearty and so delicious... and easy! Fresh baked rolls filled with ground beef and German influenced ingredients. They are pronounced somewhere between brock and brook, according to Wikipedia. What a great meal! Wouldn't they be fantastic for Super Bowl Sunday? My blogging buddy Nancy at Nancy's Daily Dish posted these and I was smitten! Wait till you see the great pictures! Click HERE for the recipe.
I am switching it up just a tad. In place of the pork sausage I am using sweet turkey sausage.

Recipe: Great Oven Fries
4 large baking potatoes, cut into thin strips (I use a Mandolin)
2 tsp veggie oil
garlic salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mop up moisture from potatoes using a paper towel.  Toss potatoes with veggie oil, a dash of garlic salt and pepper.

Spray large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and put potatoes in a single layer on sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning a couple of times. They should be golden brown and cooked through.

SG TIP: I make this same recipe using Sweet Potatoes for my son. Omit the garlic salt. Use kosher salt.

Recipe: Waldorf Salad
I have some leftover fruit from fruit basket gifts and celery from hors d'oeuvres so making Waldorf Salad just seemed a natural fit with this hearty meal. Click HERE and look for it on Friday's menu.

Tuesday
Sauteed Beef With White Wine And Rosemary
Corn and Mascapone Polenta
Roasted Cauliflower
Chopped Salad

Recipe: Sauteed Beef With White Wine And Rosemary
1/2 - 1 lb sirloin steak
1 TBS flour ( I love Wegman's Pan Searing Flour)
2 TBS good olive oil
1 1/2 TBS fresh rosemary, chopped
2/3 cup good white wine
salt and pepper

Cut steak into thin strips. I have a very easy way to make sure your slices are thin:
Freeze steak. Take out of freezer a couple of hours before you need to cook it. When it is slightly thawed, slice thinly. Lay out and let completely thaw. Mop up excess moisture on the steak with a paper towel.
Toss with flour to coat.

Heat 1- 1 1/2 tsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute' steak in 3-4 batches. About 2 minutes per batch. So it is no longer pink on the outside. DO NOT CROWD THE PAN. Add oil as needed. Transfer to a plate.

Saute' garlic and rosemary in 2 tsp. oil. DO NOT BURN. Add wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring wine to a gentle simmer, scraping all brown bits from the pan. Simmer until it reduces by half. Return beef and juice to the skillet and cook till just warmed through.

Serve over polenta.

Recipe: Corn And Mascapone Polenta
5 cups water
1 cup polenta (course ground cornmeal)
salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 cups frozen baby corn, thawed and drained
1/2 cup mascapone cheese

Put water in a medium size saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta and salt and pepper. Add sugar. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until thick and creamy, about 25-30 minutes. Add corn and cook until heated through. Add mascapone and stir. Adjust salt and pepper.

Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower
l large head cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash and slicer cauliflower into thin slices. Put on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. The cauliflower should be in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper and toss.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning a time or two until the cauliflower is brown and crisp.

Wednesday: Pizza Night
Artisan Pizza
Ceaser Salad

Recipe: Artisan Pizza

We love homemade pizza at StoneGable. If the weather isn't too blustery it will be made on the outside grill, if not I'll use my cast iron grill inside and finish it in the oven. Either way it is very yummy and so fun!  Click HERE for the recipe and how-to's. This post is a pictorial show and tell.

Recipe: Ceaser Salad
I am always singing the praises of StoneGable Ceaser Salad (sorry, sounds a tad braggy...oops!). But is is really very delicious. I have the salad almost weekly and have posted the recipe numerous times, but have never done a tutorial. So, I am posting a  Ceraser Salad Foodie Friday Tutorial  Thursday evening. PLEASE, try this. It is life changing... in a culinary way!!!!!

Thursday
Taco Quiche
Refried Pinto Beans with Scallions and Cheddar Cheese
Mexican Explosion Salad

Recipe: Taco Quiche
Can you think of 2 words that sound as delicious together? I am very excited to make this easy and yummy sounding recipe!  My blogging friend Maryjane at The Beehive Cottage offered up this fabulous recipe. And a big thank you and shout out to her husband who actually made the Taco Quiche. Click HERE for the recipe. Don't you LOVE a man who cooks!

Friday: Slow Cooker Day
Taking A Chance~ Beer And Onion Braised Chicken Carbonnade
Wide Egg Noodles

Recipe: Beer And Onion Braised Chicken CarbonnadeI saw this recipe on my Epicurious ipad App and thought it looked interesting. I am converting it to a Slow Cooker meal and modifying it according to the suggestions in the reviews... and throwing in some carrots so I don't have to make a veggie. Won't you take a chance with me? I've only ever cooked 1 thing that was totally inedible. To see the post on the worst dish I have EVER made (to this point) and the funny story that goes along with it click  HERE.

I love that the recipe calls for allspice in it, as I have 3 containers of it in my pantry. I need to use it every chance I get... anyone need allspice?

1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS olive oil
4 large chicken thighs with skin and bones
3/8 tsp ground allspice
1 1/2 cups onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour-just guessing here
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I'm using an exotic blend)
1 cup baby carrots
3 tsp dark brown sugar
4 small bay leaves (I'm using 2 large)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup dark beer (I think I have Sam Adams in the outside refrigerator)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Melt butter and add olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to the skillet and saute until the skin is brown for about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add onions and 2 tsp of brown sugar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and saute until deep golden brown stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add bay leaves, mustard and remaining tsp of sugar and gently stir. Add to slow cooker. Add mushrooms and carrots to slow cooker.

In a jar with a lid, make a slurry using flour and beef broth. Add slurry, beer and balsamic vinegar to the slow cooker. Gently stir the ingredients to incorporate. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, this is a guess. Make sure chicken is done through.

Serve this in a large shallow bowl on a bed of wide noodles.

Saturday
Pan Seared Tilapia With Lemon
Shallot Braise Brussels Sprouts
Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Recipe: Pan Seared Tilapia
14 cup flour
2 tsp. grated lemon  peel
1/2 lemon very thinly sliced
salt and pepper
3 TBS olive oil
4 tilapia fillets

Mix flour and lemon peel on a plate with a dash of salt and pepper. Coat fish and set aside on a parchment covered baking sheet.
Heat 1/2 TBS olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add fish, 2 at a time. Cook until opaque and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil and set aside. Cook second batch of fish and put on covered plate with first batch.

Recipe: Shallot Braised Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts are fabulous when done well, and a mushy mess when they are cooked poorly. When I was a wee child I lived in Scotland for a time and went to a Scottish boarding school in Edinburgh. I ate the very British version of Brussels Sprouts, YUCK! I did not eat them again until just a few years ago at my sister's. They were divine! She braised them and the flavors were complex and the texture perfection!

Brussels sprouts need to sit on the vine and experience a very good frost to bring out the natural sweetness in them. Get them now, if you wait much longer they will not be as good.
3/4 cup shallots, finely minced
1 box, or about 6-8 oz. brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup chicken stock
1 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp parsley, chopped

Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and saute' until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add brussels sprouts and saute' until slightly browned. Add broth and cook over medium high heat for about 8 minutes, until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Remove from heat and add butter. Season with sat and pepper. Plate. Top with tilapia and parsley.

Recipe: StoneGable Rice-A-Roni

This recipe is just as delicious as the boxed kind we all love, but more healthy. Click HERE and look on Friday's menu.

Sunday: Slow Cooker Soup Day
StoneGable Bean Soup
Corn Bread

Recipe: StoneGable Bean Soup
What makes this bean soup stand out from other bean soups, is the addition of lemon juice. It gives it a tang and brightness that is spectacular! Click HERE to give it a try! You will love it!

I am joining Lisa at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Click HERE for delicious recipes.