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Gnocchi Class!

Gnocchi Class!

Gnocchi. One of the most delicious little bites you’ll ever taste, ESPECIALLY if they are homemade…actually only if they are homemade! I never knew I liked gnocchi until I took my first bite of the freshly made decadent little pillows. The packaged version will never 

Small Bites

Small Bites

I have done a few classes recently making all sorts of yummy small bites. I think this will be a great spot that I can continue to add to as we create yummy appetizers along the way!! I will start with the delish bites that 

A Lovely Irish Feast

A Lovely Irish Feast

We recently had an Irish cooking class and I wanted to share the recipes form our delicious meal!!

We started off with a simple Roasted Tomato & Irish Cheddar Appetizer. For the tomatoes, I generally toss about 3 Chopped Roma tomatoes with 3 T of Olive Oil, 1 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Pepper, 1 tsp Garlic Powder & 2 tsp Sugar. Roast for about 35 minutes at 375 and serve with some good Irish cheddar & crackers! Yum!

Growing up, in my house, St. Patrick’s Day Dinner was not corned beef & cabbage. My Mom’s Grandparents came from Achill Island, & Tourmakeady in Ireland. When other people were eating corned beef & Reubens, my Mom and her family were eating cottage ham & boiled dinner. The way my Mom put it was that they didn’t have any connection to corned beef, but that the cottage ham & boiled dinner was a treat that they had always enjoyed, so it became the tradition in her home too. And mine. As a kid I remember waking up to those smells on St. Patrick’s Day.

My Mom is an amazing cook and is the angel, for us, that connected the dots of food & family & love & tradition…but for me, the smell of that boiled dinner makes my stomach turn! I am a vegetarian, but that’s not even it. I can cook & smell all sorts of crazy meat & seafood dishes and appreciate the savory aromas. But there’s something about the cooked carrots & cabbage boiling for hours. That salty little ham. The caraway seeds & raisins in the Irish soda bread. No thank you. Of all the things you dream about graduating from and never going back to when you grow up and move out – that was on my top 10 list. Imagine my guilt when we came to town with our daughter around St. Patrick’s Day years ago & Mom made me my own boiled dinner in a separate pot from the ham, so I could enjoy it too. Shit.

Between that, and the fact that my husband always gets a shipload of corned beef at all the bar gigs that week, I had to adopt a whole new St. Paddy’s Day meal tradition. Oh man, this was perfect. Irish stew (vegetarian too), brown bread & homemade butter. YUM. And those smells will always make me hungry!!

Guinness Beef (or Lentil) Stew

  • Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
  • 2 Carrots. Diced
  • 1 Parsnip, Peeled & Diced
  • 3 Ribs of Celery, Chopped
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
  • 2 T Tomato Paste
  • 3 T Flour
  • 2 T Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 T Sugar
  • 4 Sprigs of Thyme
  • 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1.5 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 lb Bite Sized Yellow Potatoes (or peeled & chopped potatoes)
  • 3 lb Chuck cut into 1 inch Cubes
  • 1 Can of Guinness Beer
  • 2.5 Cups Broth (Beef or Veggie)
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Parsley
  • 1 Cup of Lentils, if Making Vegetarian Version

Begin by heating up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil & browning the beef. Brown in batches, about 2 minutes per side, then set aside. Add onion to the pan and saute 4-5 minutes. Add the next 4 ingredients and saute an additional 5 minutes. Once the vegetables are softened a bit, add the thyme & stir in the tomato paste & flour. Keep everything moving so that nothing burns, but enjoy the aroma of the sugars in the tomato paste caramelizing & the thyme opening up. After about 2 minutes, pour in the beer, sugar, worcestershire sauce & seasoning. Let simmer a minute or 2, then add your potatoes & broth. If you are making beef stew, add the beef, if you are making lentil stew, add the lentils! Let this simmer for 1 hour, check for seasoning & stir in Parsley! Yum!

In 2017, we had the privilege of going to Ireland with our daughter, Grace, my husband’s band, Mary’s Lane…and 40 more of our friends! It was breathtaking & fulfilled a lifelong dream. To experience several parts of the country, and spend a few days on Achill Island taking in the beauty and tracing my roots. Incredible. The only drawback was that I was pregnant and had morning sickness everyday…ALL day! I was a cheap date, of course, at the pubs, but the restaurants too. Brown bread became my best friend! The only meal I could handle besides, perhaps, a little tea & digestives!

Ever since, I have wanted to experiment & make a recipe of my own. As with any cultural dish, when I began my research, it was all over the place. Many claim you can’t make it without oats, many would never add sugar, many wouldn’t dream of skipping the wheat bran etc etc. I am sure that the recipe I share below will continue to change over the years as I learn more about its traditions and tweak my proportions. For now I am very excited to have a great recipe for brown bread that brings back such cherished memories, fills my belly for a day of sustenance, & tastes pretty damn good dipped in tea.

Brown Bread

  • 3.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 Cup Steel Cut (Irish) Oats
  • 1/2 Cup Wheat Bran Flakes
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1.5 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 Cups Buttermilk
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3 T Softened Butter

Grease your pan – my most recent discovery is that a springform pan is actually amazing for this! Cast iron is great, as are foil or glass pans – you may need to divide the dough for 2 smaller pans, depending on the size.

Mix together all dry ingredients. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together wet ingredients. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add 1 tsp of white vinegar per cup of whole milk as a substitute. Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix together by hand until fully incorporated. Dump this dough into your pan or pans. It will be sticky, but that is perfect. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes to an hour. The timing does depend on the pan you are using. In the springform, mine took right at about an hour. If the top is getting more brown than you would like, you can always cover with foil to prevent further browning. You will want the bread to cool about 10 minutes, then you’ll want to remove it from the pan right away. If it stays in the pan, the steam will make the bottom of it soggy. Yuck. The best way for it to cool is to place it upside down on either a cooling rack or cutting board. It will take a good 30 minutes for this to fully cool. You want to wait until it is fully cool before cutting, or it will kind of mush together, almost as if it weren’t fully cooked. Also yuck! Serve this deliciousness with Irish butter and give the end pieces to your favorite people, because they are pure magic.

Get ready. We have 2 more courses of carbs coming your way!! Next up, Boxty! Everyone’s love of potatoes at their best in this delicious combo of mashed & raw potatoes. I love mine extra crispy with sour cream. As I develop the nuances of my own recipe, this is the one I turn to:

Boxty by Daring Gourmet

A perfect ending to a meal!! Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce!! These are the 2 recipes I used for our class, I hope you enjoy!!

Bread Pudding by Fantabulosity

Whiskey Caramel by Gimme Some Oven

Valentine Dinner Menu 2023!

Valentine Dinner Menu 2023!

Well we sure had some fun classes celebrating Valentine’s Day this past week and, lets face it, celebrating in general! Even if you weren’t able to attend our classes (Here is the link to upcoming classes: Home Appliance Classes with Chefs Brittany & Matt) I 

Fall Harvest Meal

Fall Harvest Meal

Well I had a very fun class recently that gave me the perfect excuse to pull out some of my very favorite Fall recipes and make a night of it! After doing so, I wanted to share the recipes along, I hope you enjoy!! A 

Weeknight Meals on a Budget

Weeknight Meals on a Budget

Weeknights are busy, but we still want to get a warm, semi healthy meal on the table! I put together a week’s worth of meals for a family of 5. 1 shop list reusing several ingredients, just a little prep on Sunday and you should be in and out of the kitchen in about a half hour each evening, all for around $100! Food prices are going up and up, so planning is our best strategy to keep our grocery bill from doing the same! Most of these dishes should leave you with some leftovers for lunches, as well as some leftover ingredients to throw together another dish or 2.

This past week I teamed up with Maureen Kyle of WKYC’s Mom Squad and we hope that this helps you to get delicious food on the table faster! Let me know if you have any questions, enjoy!

Grocery List:

  • Basil (I recommend freeze dried, so that you can keep it up to a month in your fridge and continue to enjoy it in future dishes)
  • 1 Baguette
  • 16 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 2 Cans or 1 Jar Enchilada Sauce
  • Chicken (Package of 2 Chicken Breasts-alternately a Rotisserie Chicken)
  • Corn Tortillas
  • Cilantro
  • 1 lb White Rice
  • 1-8 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
  • 3 Jars Marinara Sauce
  • 16 oz Ditalini (or other small pasta)\
  • 1 Bunch Kale (Baby Kale=No Prep:)!)
  • Parmesan Cheese Block
  • Onions (3)
  • 3 Cans Cannellini Beans
  • 1 Pkg Kielbasa
  • 2 lb Carrots
  • 2 Crowns Broccoli
  • 1 pkg Cherry Tomatoes
  • 2 Zucchini
  • 1-2 Pkgs Udon Noodles (I prefer the fresh ones that are precooked)
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Fresh Garlic

Here is a quick list of items that I normally have on hand, but if you do not, you will want to grab as well:

  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Dried Oregano
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Cumin
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sugar
  • Olive Oil
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Stick of Butter
  • Lemon
  • Sesame Oil
  • Sriracha or Garlic Chili Paste

Sunday Prep:

I always like to chop a few onions and package them up for the week, it makes things so much easier. Between my cutting board not tasting like onions right away, and just having them on hand! I often will chop up some garlic as well. Many of these recipes will have us using a microplane to grate the garlic and save time as well.

We also want to precook our chicken. From fresh or frozen, you can poach your chicken on the stovetop to prepare it. Bring water to a boil, and add in chicken breasts. Turn down to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes. It will be ready for chopping or shredding and using all week! Alternatively, you can purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred the breasts for our meals, and use the rest for sandwiches and lunches!

I also recommend cutting your vegetables ahead of time to save on prep. Cut the broccoli into small florets, cut zucchini in half lengthwise and into 1/2″ slices & cut 3-4 carrots into 1/2″ slices. All of this should only take about 30 minutes & we are ready for Monday!!

Chicken (or Vegetarian) Enchiladas

Prep time: 15 minutesCook time: 25 minutesTotal time: 40 minutes

Description

Delicious enchiladas are a great weeknight option. Add a side of Mexican rice and some chips and salsa and you’re in business! If you would like to add in some extra nutritional value, I like to mash up a baked sweet potato and spread a bit of that on the inside of each enchilada before stuffing. (You could add baking a sweet potato to our list of Sunday prep, if you are doing the full menu).

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Sprinkle 2 T of cheese, and some chicken to the center of a tortilla & roll up. Lay into a 9 x 13 pan, seamside down. Repeat. Over and over and over again! You want to pack them in fairly tight to fit as many as possible
  3. Once you have your pan completely filled (give a count and make sure it is the amount you think your family needs – I would say about 15 for a family of 5 is good)
  4. Pour the sauce to completely coat the top of the enchiladas. (Any open areas can dry out.) Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. You can top with cheese if you have any extra. Ready to serve, while they are baking, start your rice!!

Notes

  • While the enchiladas are in the oven, start your Mexican rice.

Mexican Rice (Note, double this recipe, if you would like to serve it with Sheet Pan Dinner on Wednesday)

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat. Add the dry rice and sauté for 1 minute while constantly stirring.
  2. Add all dry spices (I suggest premeasuring them together into a bowl, so your rice doesn’t burn.) & garlic, sauté 1 more minute.
  3. Pour in water & tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
  4. Once boiling, stir and lower to a simmer. Add sprigs of cilantro on top & cover with lid. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, then it is ready to serve!

Tuesday: Pasta Fagioli with Baguette & Lemon Butter

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Begin by sautéing onion in 2 T olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with Salt & Pepper.
  2. Add in garlic & saute 1 minute. Pour in all liquid ingredients.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, except for basil, and let simmer about 30 minutes. While it is cooking, make lemon butter!

    For Lemon Butter:
  4. Place softened butter in a bowl, grate lemon zest and garlic over the top.
  5. Add basil, salt & pepper & mix thoroughly. It is ready to spread on Baguette!!
  6. Taste soup for seasoning, top with grated parmesan cheese & serve with bread & butter, yum!

Wednesday: Sheet Pan Sausage & Vegetables

A Sheet Pan Meal with Some Different Veg:)

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 375
  2. Toss together the sausage & veggies in a large bowl.
  3. Coat with olive oil & toss with seasonings
  4. Bake on parchment lined sheet tray for 25 minutes, serve over rice!

Thursday: Asian Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Sauté onion in 2 T vegetable oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add all vegetables and cover – let cook 2-3 minutes, until veggies have softened a bit.
  3. Add sauce and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes
  4. Toss in noodles & chicken and cook 2-3 minutes, until heated through. Check for seasoning – add more soy or heat as needed. Stir in herbs and enjoy!

Friday: Calzones

Here is an opportunity to use up leftovers!!

Cut your premade dough into equal parts. Roll into circles, using a floured surface. Once rolled out, add in marinara, cheese and any toppings of your choice. Seal the edges and bake at 400 on parchment lined trays for 10-12 minutes, checking for doneness. Enjoy!!

Can Also Make Personal Pizzas!!
Grilling Season!

Grilling Season!

Grilling season is upon us! We sure had a lot of fun welcoming the season with a big grill event at Home Appliance! Smokers, sous vide, and grill marks, oh my! Here are the recipes for all of the dishes (and cocktails) that we served, 

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, when Mexico came out victorious over France. In the United States, it has evolved over the years as a celebration of Mexican culture & heritage. For me it is my wedding anniversary as well! We 

Spring is In The Air!!

Spring is In The Air!!

I can’t say that Spring is my favorite season, but it is certainly the one that stirs the most excitement. I know that may not make a lot of sense but living in Northeast Ohio, there is nothing more hopeful than those first tastes of Spring. The sun on your face, a flower bud, the perfect green grass poking through after months of ice and snow. And all of the fresh flavors! We have spent the winter eating California & Florida produce and can finally enjoy some native wild foods as well as watch the farmer’s markets come to life with our local bounty.

The recipes below are just a handful of favorites. Ways to enjoy some of the very first items to ‘spring’ up first, this season. If you have any questions, please let me know, enjoy!!

Mint Pea Soup

Serving Size:
4
Time:
30
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 Onion, Chopped
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
  • 4 Cups Vegetable Broth
  • 4-5 Cups Green Peas (I used both Fresh English Peas, simmered in the broth, & Defrosted Sweet Peas)
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Mint
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Parsley
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Basil
  • Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
  • Salt, Pepper, Good Olive Oil, Creme Fraiche & Parmesan for Serving

Directions

  1. Begin by heating up a little olive oil & do a quick sauté on your onion & garlic. Season these with salt & pepper.
  2. Add this & other ingredients, up to the garnishes into your Vitamix, or high-powered blender. Blend for 5 minutes on high, until heated. Taste for seasoning. I tend to add a bit more salt, pepper & lemon at this step.
  3. serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a few dollops of creme fraiche, a few shaves of parmesan and a couple of cracks of pepper, yum!
Ramps (Wild Garlic)

Ramp Butter

Serving Size:
6
Time:
10
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • 3 Ramp Bulbs, Chopped
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 1/4 Cup of Parsley, Chopped
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions

  1. Mix together all ingredients. Place onto plastic wrap in the shape of a log. Roll plastic wrap around the butter and shape into a cylinder.
  2. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or freezer for 1/2 hour. Open and slice into medallions to serve over your food. Can be frozen (double wrap and bag it) for up to a year. Enjoy!

Sous Vide Steak & Asparagus Risotto

Serving Size:
4
Time:
3 Hours total, 1 Hour Active
Difficulty:
Moderate

Ingredients

  • 4 Steaks, 4 T Olive Oil, 4 Cloves of Garlic sliced, 4 Sprigs of Rosemary, Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Cups Arborio Rice
  • 6-8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth (warming on the stove)
  • 1/2 lb Asparagus, Steamed, Cut into 1 inch Pieces
  • 2 Shallots, Chopped
  • 4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
  • Thyme, from 4 Sprigs
  • 1 Cup Sauvignon Blanc
  • 2 T Butter
  • Zest & Juice from 1 Lemon
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/3 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions

  1. Begin by setting your sous vide circulator to 130. Next season and vacuum seal your steaks into individual bags with all of your aromatics. Let come to temperature over the course of about 1.5 hours.
  2. For risotto: Heat up a few T of olive oil and sweat your shallots for a few minutes, then add garlic & thyme.
  3. Toss your rice in with an additional 2 T of olive oil. Stire to coat and let your grains toast for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Pour in wine and let reduce by half.
  5. Making sure that you are no higher than medium heat, begin adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time. Stirring continuously, when your broth no longer pools in the center of the pot, add the next scoopful.
  6. Continue to stir, add, stir & add for about 15 minutes. At this point, you can watch/taste for doneness of the rice.
  7. When you are getting close with the rice, it’s the perfect time to remove the steaks and get a quick sear on each side. Set them aside to rest.
  8. Add in the remaining risotto ingredients, tasting as you go, so as to not over season. Serve with steak & ramp butter on top, enjoy!

Pie Crust Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 2 T Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Stick of Cold Unsalted Butter, Cubed
  • 4-5 T Ice Cold Water
  • Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, place the 1st 4 ingredients. Using the pulse feature, pulse the mixture until the butter resembles gravel or is the size of green peas.
  2. 1 T at a time, begin to drizzle the ice cold water through the tube while pulsing. Add only enough to bring it together, you do not want it to be sticky or dry.
  3. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 375. Roll out dough and cut into shapes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 6-8 minutes!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet

Recipe from Sur La Table

Serving Size:
6
Time:
2 hours Total
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 Cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Cups Water
  • 1 lb Rhubarb, Cut into 1 inch Pieces
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 lb Fresh Strawberries, Hulled & Sliced
  • 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, sugar, rhubarb, vanilla & salt. Simmer until rhubarb softens and the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
  2. In a blender, combine all ingredients and puree until smooth. Strain over a fine mesh strainer and churn to sorbet in an ice cream maker. Enjoy!
Italian Dinner Party

Italian Dinner Party

Who doesn’t love a home cooked Italian meal? The epitome of warm & comforting. The aromas of a sauce that’s been simmering for hours, fresh basil & grated parmesan cheese have the power to draw anyone in. I love hosting dinner parties, but I don’t