Shredded Beef Ragu

The slightly overcooked egg noodles and the lack of natural light when I took this photo do not do this simple, but delicious dish justice!
I had some stewing beef thawed with just a bit of time to throw something in the crock pot to ensure that hungry, studying teenagers had fuel for the long night ahead by the time I returned home from work. This ragu literally took me less then 10 minutes to assemble.

I tossed about a pound of stewing beef, a large, finely-chopped onion, 3 large cloves of grated garlic, a 19 oz can of petite-cut diced tomatoes, a cup of red wine, a beef bouillion cube and large spoonful each of tomato paste (likely 2 spoonfuls of paste) and pesto into the crock pot, turned it to high, and left it to simmer for about 4 hours or until the beef could easily be shredded apart with two forks.  After pulling all the beef apart, I added some salt and pepper to taste and a spoonful of brown sugar to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes and served the shredded beef over buttered egg noodles with some grated parmesan cheese.

This was very hearty and likely would also be really yummy over potato gnocchi or polenta.  It was somewhat reminiscent of the Beef Short Ribs and Gnocchi served at the Bauer Kitchen in Uptown Waterloo served over buttery gnocchi with heaps of mushrooms that would be a tasty addition.  I think a dark beer in place of the red wine could work here too.

Some fresh baked crocodile bread from the City Cafe Bakery and this was a warm, satisfying meal that came together effortlessly.

Edamame Grain salad

I have not posted anything for a while despite the fact that, of course, most nights we make and eat something. So, in theory, I should have plenty of material to post, but I have lacked time and inspiration lately.  A friend said they had been on to look up a soup recipe and it nudged me to get back to it and post something good today! So thank you for that!
I am always on the look-out for make-ahead meals, meals that keep well in the fridge or freezer and meals that produce leftovers that can be taken for lunches or morphed into "second dinner" at some point later in the week. I searched the internet for some grain bowl-type meal and, after looking at several recipes, came up with this Edamame Grain Salad.  It meets all of the above criteria and it is going to be a new favourite in my rotation.  It turned out really, really delicious!  It is chock-full of fresh, healthy ingredients, it was relatively quick to prepare, it tasted good at room temperature or warmed, and it made a generous quantity which, of course, can be altered to suit your purposes (but if you are going to be chopping any way, I say make lots for later!).
 I started by preparing about 6 servings of Uncle Ben's 7 Grains. A combination of barley, rye, oats, spelt, wheat grains and wild and long grain rice.  I really like this particular product as there are no additives or flavorings; just the grains.

It takes about 25 minutes to cook, but it just simmered away while I mixed the dressing and chopped my veggies.  Once fully cooked, drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
You of course can add whatever add-ins you like; I chopped a handful each of green onion, grated carrot, slivered snap peas, chopped broccoli florets and finely chopped red onion and mixed them into the cooled grains.  I also steamed about a cup of edamame and tossed them in as well.

I found my dressing inspiration here.  I really did not make any modifications to the dressing recipe.  I whisked a 1/4 cup each of soy sauce and unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, a large clove of grated garlic and a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger.

I poured the dressing over the grains and veggies and done! A sprinkle of chopped peanuts or chopped roasted almonds would work really well here, but I was planning to send this for school lunches tomorrow so I did not add any nuts.  I added a sprinkle of chow mein noodles for some crunch instead.

This was tonight's side along with some oven-roasted sticky chicken, but for a completely vegetarian meal, some broiled tofu or veggie dumplings would be really good as well.

We recently tried the PC Vegetable Potstickers Dumplings and they are excellent.  Very flavourful, vegetarian filling and they hold their shape once steamed without falling apart or sticking to the steamer.

Ginger Molasses Crinkles

I did not make many Christmas cookies this year and by many I mean none other then a batch of mom's gingerbread men.

Finding myself with a little more time this week to enjoy some baking, I have been baking and bringing goodies when we go out despite the fact the big day has come and gone.

Hands down one of the best Ginger Crinkles you will eat, Dinner With Julie's Molasses Crinkles are spicy and chewy and enjoyed by our family year-round.

I often add grated fresh ginger root and candied ginger finely diced to the batter, but these are next level cookies even without the addition of the extra ginger.

Fresh baked this morning and packed in this adorable gingerbread house box; I'm hoping they will still make a yummy gift on December 29th!

Love ginger?  This fruit infusion from David's Tea is a warming blend of ginger, apple and safflower petals.  
It smells exactly like ginger beer and is wonderfully soothing.  I'm enjoying it daily sans illness, but this would likely make a comforting warm drink when you have a sore throat or are feeling under the weather.

Might be a nice addition to this Hot Toddy recipe over at Food 52.

Quinoa Salad and some Festive Family Funk

After all the sweets & treats, feasting & over-eating during the holidays, I find myself craving some nutrient-dense food. Quick-to-prepare and easy-to-grab-and-go food because we are still enjoying a relatively schedule-free, low-key week making plans on the spur of the moment as opportunity presents itself, and we don't want to spend time making anything too elaborate.

If you do find yourself with a little extra time to waste, do check out the Festive Funk Family for some, well ... funky fun.  It's a bit addictive.

This morning I prepared some quinoa for a protein-rich salad that we can enjoy later with some fresh fruit and a handful of roasted, spiced nuts compliments of Michelle (thank-you!).

You can read all about quinoa's super powers here.

Make too much?  Try one of these recipes to use up your leftover quinoa.  If you like oatmeal for breakfast, #8 with a splash of warmed milk is really delicious!  My personal favourite use for leftovers.

To make this salad, boil 2 cups of water. Once boiling, add 1 cup of quinoa that has been rinsed in a fine mesh strainer under cold water.  Simmer the quinoa with the lid on for about 12 minutes, remove from the heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes more.  Fluff with a fork and done.

While your quinoa is cooking, whisk 1/4 cup canola or olive oil (or a combination of the two) with 2 tablespoons white vinegar, a teaspoon each of curry powder, honey and chili-garlic hot sauce (optional) and a spoonful of mango chutney (also optional).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to mellow.

For your additions: Chop a couple of green onions, grate a small carrot, chop a stalk of leafy celery (top included), chop a handful of almonds and toss into the cooked, cooled quinoa with a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and some dried currants, raisins or cranberries and some chickpeas.  Amounts are totally flexible here.  Drizzle your dressing overtop, stir, and allow it to sit for a few hours in the fridge (if you have time) to allow the flavours to intensify.
This stores well for several days. Quite hearty on its own, but a nice accompaniment to some grilled vegetables or chicken as well.
This salad also tastes great with fresh basil, diced mango, red onion, red pepper and black beans as your additions with the same dressing.

Would love to know if anyone has ever attempted popped quinoa?  Apparently quinoa can be popped similar to corn kernels for a healthy, but messy treat?!  I'm curious... If you are feeling adventurous, you can find the directions here.

Home Day

Today is home-day.  All the crafting and wrapping, cooking and baking is behind us and we are enjoying a quiet day in. No plans, no schedule, just putter and munch, read, nap, watch movies, "play with our new toys", and munch and nap some more!
I woke up and put on a pot of split pea soup to simmer on the stove.  I guess it should be turkey soup given yesterday's turkey-feasting, but Big Sister scored the turkey bones without even so much as an arm wrestle from me (you deserve them after all your many hours spent on handmade gifts!) and I had a ham bone in the freezer just waiting to be used.
We have lots of delicious leftovers in the fridge and freezer, and cookies and treats abound.  A pot of soup to round out the goodie-to-nutritive-food-consumption ratio seemed in order.

This is really easy, but does take time to simmer and thicken, so it's perfect for a day you don't plan to leave the nest.

I chop a large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, a large carrot, and a couple of leafy stalks of celery along with a small sweet potato and throw it all into a large pot with 2 cups of split peas, a couple of chicken bouillon cubes and six cups of water. If you have a ham bone, throw that in too, but this is really delicious even without.  If you don't have a ham bone, you could also throw in some leftover cooked ham or leave it out entirely for a vegetarian meal.  Simmer until the meat is falling off the bone and the split peas are soft and vegetables are tender. More stock or water can be added if your soup is too thick.
I often toss in a handful of spinach or chopped swiss chard at the end of the cooking time and continue to warm until the greens are wilted.
Leave simmering on low and enjoy at your leisure ... between your treats and sweets and mile high leftover turkey sandwiches, of course!

Mom's Gingerbread Men

I made my first batch of gingerbread men cookies using mom's tried and true recipe.  These boys are spicy and sweet and bake up soft and delicious every time!  You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to roll and bake.
The dough can handle a fair amount of kneading and rolling if you have little people helping that want to play and roll and flatten several times before actually cutting out any shapes!
I don't usually ice mine, but you certainly can decorate them up with icing, sprinkles and small candies.  I usually just give them two eyes and a belly button and a sprinkle of raw sugar before baking them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown at the edges, but are still soft.

Cream 1/4 cup each butter and shortening with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Stir in 1/2 cup molasses and one large beaten egg mixing to combine.  Add some grated orange rind if you like.
Mix dry ingredients and add to above:
2  1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Combine dry ingredients with creamed butter and sugar mixture until a smooth soft dough forms.
Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks.  Wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to roll and cut.
Bake at 350 as instructed above.

A batch of dough with some small candies and sprinkles and  instructions for icing all packed into a box and tied up with a few cookie cutters makes a creative gift for someone you love.

Pasta? Not Pasta Fazool?!

I'm afraid the story behind this recipe is not going to be a real selling feature.  But give this recipe a try! Seriously! Despite anything you might hear from my family, it is a delicious and super-quick meal for a busy week night, and I'm sure, like the rest of us, you have one or two of those busy nights ahead of you most weeks too.
I came across this recipe many years ago and made it one too many times for my family's liking!  It got to the point where I didn't exactly stop making it (despite their protests!), I would just try to disguise it and make it anyway.
The first one home would walk in the door after school and smell something strangely familiar... and shout up the stairs MOM...what's for dinner? To which I would sheepishly respond... pasta... and they would shout back (a littler louder now) pasta?!  What kind of pasta? and I would say... I don't know...just pasta... to which NOT PASTA FAZOOL?!! would ultimately follow. Fazool was a new four-letter word in our house.

Pasta E Fagioli

Saute a large diced onion, a large diced carrot and a celery rib or two in a little olive oil.  Some diced bacon or pancetta thrown in along with the veggies is really delicious and essential when trying to persuade your family that this IS something they love to eat often, but can be left out for a vegetarian meal!
Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and continue to saute until everything is starting to soften and pancetta is crisping.
Pour in 2 cups of whatever stock you have on hand: beef, veggie or chicken along with a 14 oz tin of petite cut tomatoes, 1/2 cup small pasta (ditalini is perfect here) and a can of navy beans mashing 3/4 of them first with a fork and pour the rest in whole.  The mashed beans thicken the soup and add a nice punch of protein. A big spoon of basil pesto and a glug of red wine is also very agreeable.
Simmer until the pasta is soft, but not mushy adding more liquid if you like although this is more like a stew then a soup.  Serve in big bowls with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of crusty buttery croutons if you have them. FAZOOL!