Since November tripped into December way too quickly for my liking, I’m hurrying to markets to salvage the last bits of warm light, vegetables, and flavors that have hung around this long.  I know Mark Bittman stole our thunder on this one, with his fancy curried turkey leftovers bit on NYTimes.com, but this dish is somewhat different, a little more seasonal, and, of course, ovenless.

Also cramping our style today, Grub Street posted about the Chang/Batali session at the Strand last night that Rachel and I checked out (although we left as the audience questions started, missing the Rachel Ray appearance). The two chefs, along with Peter Meehan, appeared with Heinekens on stage and still managed to be not only funny but, at times, insightful as well.  Anyway, on to the recipe.

This is a really easy way to make really tasty chicken for very little money.  Our ingredients were 2 chicken legs, 1 bunch of baby rutabaga we picked up at the market at Borough Hall, some mushrooms we had in the fridge, and a shallot.  Plus a little wine and sriracha.  You could add anything you want to this (cilantro, tomato, pickled vegetables) but we wanted something simple and fast, that we didn’t need to buy anything extra for.

Y’Need:

2 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

5 baby rutabaga, peeled and diced

3 baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 shallot, sliced or diced

1/3 c white wine

1/3 c chicken stock or water

splash white wine vinegar

curry powder (yours or store-bought)

sriracha

salt and pepper

sliced cucumbers

hummus

pitas

Y’Do:

Season the chicken (salt, pepper, curry powder) and sear it on both sides until browned.  Deglaze the pot with white wine, reduce a minute, and add stock or water to 1/2 the height of the chicken.  Add one of the baby rutabaga, 1 garlic clove, 1 mushroom, and 1/2 the shallot, plus a squirt of sriracha.  Cover the pot and let the chicken braise for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Peel over Paper

Chicken Braising

In another pan, beat some oil and saute the rest of the shallot, rutabaga, and mushroom with a little red pepper flake.  When nicely browned, deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine vinegar.  Add a couple tablespoons of the liquid you’re braising the chicken in, and cook until the vegetables are just tender.

Vegetables

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot.  Let the liquid reduce, and pull the meat from the bones.  When shredded, add the chicken back into the reduced liquid and let simmer.

Slice some cucumber.  Plate the chicken and vegetables in separate piles.  Put extra liquid in a bowl for dipping.  Serve with the cucumbers, hummus and warmed pitas (plus some sriracha on the side) and assemble the pita sandwiches as you eat.

Pita Time

The weather is getting cold and it couldn’t be a better time for my bi-annual batch of Turkey Chili. Each time, it’s delicious in its own way, but this round may be my best to date! It was smoky & spicy with a hearty texture from the mix of Ground Turkey & Turkey Kielbasa. I topped it with shredded Cheddar and Sour Cream and paired it with Egg Noodles for leftovers.

Chipotle Turkey Chili w/ Cheddar & Sour Cream

Chipotle Turkey Chili

• Turkey Kielbasa - (1) package cut into half moons
• 85/15 Ground Turkey – (2)lbs, browned & drained
• Chili Mix – 1/2 packet of Hot, Medium, 0r Mild
• Sriracha – a few squirts
• White Onion – (2) medium, chopped
• Garlic - (2) T, minced
• Crushed Tomatoes – (1) large can
• Chicken Stock – (1) can, low-sodium
• Black Beans – (1) small can
• Chipotles in Adobo Sauce – (2) peppers from can, chopped
• Worcestershire Sauce – (4) heavy dashes
• Dried Parsley – (1) T

1. Brown the Ground Turkey in an oiled pan. Saute onion in same pan with a tablespoon of butter until translucent.
2. Combine all ingredients in a Crock-Pot or Dutch Oven.
3. Cook on LOW 3-5hours or HIGH 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally until you can’t resist a bowl!
4. Yes, it’s that easy!

Bad day? Try an Anodized Dutch Oven.

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to share a dutch oven recipe that you can do for Thanksgiving dinner!

Cranberry Stuffing

4 cups cooked wild rice

2 cups raw cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoon grated yellow onion

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients and pour in dutch oven or 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Cook in dutch oven over low heat for about 10-15 minutes or in 350 degree conventional oven for 15 minutes, until heated through. Allow to cool if using as a stuffing.

Yeild: 6 to 8 servings.

Do you have any dutch oven Thanksgiving traditions?

This recipe was taken from Sheila Mills Outdoor Dutch Oven Cookbook.

Image source: http://www.favecrafts.com

]]> http://blog.emealsforyou.com/2009/11/23/recipe-of-the-week-dutch-oven-roasted-rib-roast/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:16:23 +0000 emealsforyou http://blog.emealsforyou.com/2009/11/23/recipe-of-the-week-dutch-oven-roasted-rib-roast/

(From the Beef Entrée  Collection at emealsforyou.com)

Beef Rib Roast

For years I have been trying to get the beef rib roast that I do at home to come out just like the ones you get in a restaurant.  I understand that restaurants have access to better quality meats but if you look and only buy choice or above from a good market you should be able to get close.  It’s not only the taste but there is something about the texture that until now has eluded me.

It wasn’t until a friend gave me this new method of baking bread in a Dutch oven that I realized my problem might be solvable.  I thought if cooking bread at the highest temperature my oven could attain inside of the Dutch oven, why not give the rib roast a try.  I was pleasantly surprised that the end result was a perfectly cooked beef rib roast, tender, juicy and tasting just as good as the restaurant version.  Add to this the fact that you have none of the splattering grease usually associated with cooking the rib roast in the oven.

For the Dutch oven method, pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees with the Dutch oven inside and lid on.  After about 20 minutes carefully remove the lid, put the roast in and cover.

Hi all, Volcano Blog Writer (VBW) here!

I wanted to write about something that we’ve been doing. One of the great things about making a product like the Volcano Cook Stove is that you get to experiment with it. There are so many ways to cook on the stove that you can make just about anything. With a statement like that, you have to try it!

We enlisted the help of two people who had little experience cooking with a Dutch oven and invited them to make their own pizza. They were willing, threw in the charcoal, and started cooking. Since we’ve started, we’ve had two attempts.

1^st attempt – Wow, what a tragedy! The pizza was inedible without a doubt. The oven got so hot, it had burned the bottom of the pizza, the cheese on the pizza, and even singed the pepperoni. Nevertheless, our volunteers learned a lot about Dutch oven cooking and how hot the stove can get.

2^nd attempt – Definitely an improvement! They took more control over the heat and were able to cook a pizza inside the Dutch oven. The dough was undercooked so it wasn’t perfect, but hopes are really high for the third attempt.

The third attempt will take place this Friday. If all goes well, I’ll post some pictures of the results. I guess if it doesn’t go well, you’ll probably get a kick out of seeing those pictures too.

VBW

Dude from the Boy Scouts emails and wants to know if I will put on a Dutch Oven cooking class for the University of Scouting. My mom would be proud, her only son, teaching at a University. OK, maybe it’s not that big of a deal. For those of you who don’t know the joys of Dutch Oven cooking, it is a cast iron or aluminum pot that you use with coals to produce some scrumptious victuals. I fine tuned this skill during my five-year stint as a ScoutMaster, no beanie weenies for this boy.  

So I wander to the North side of Cowtown for the day of training. Haul the ovens, charcoal, handouts, and food to prepare, and unload the whole affair. No big deal. Set up my little kitchen, make coffee, and wait on the students.

The University is really designed to get the newest adult volunteers trained in many of the aspects of Scouting, and as such is usually targeted at beginners and novices. I set up my training and cooking for first timers, realizing that I might have one or two more experienced folk in the crowd.

You can tell right off that these are not experienced Scouters. I ask them what the Scout motto is. The answer of course is “Be Prepared”. Well then, what is the Scout Leader motto? “Be Prepared, To Eat, At all Times”. None of them are carrying requisite cup, plate, or utensil. What a bunch of greenhorns. Why in the hell would you go to a cooking class not prepared to chow down? Rookies, sheesh. I saved their pitiful butts by producing bowls and forks.

Double the number of attendees show up, which totally wrecks my handout math, but thankfully I have enough food probably for the crowd. I start my spiel, and before I get the first point made, a gentlemen pipes up from the peanut gallery, “Well, I do it this way………..”. Hmmmmm, I thought I covered that in the opening prologue with the “not everybody does it the same way, many different ways work, and like all of you cook differently at home, you will develop you own style outdoors. My way is only one way”  Ok, I acknowledge that his input will work.

You friends of mine already know that I am an egotist, and have no lack of self-confidence. Perhaps even a braggart at times. Redneck expression is: It ain’t braggin if you can back it. Some of you know I can cook a mean meal outdoors. Wicked mean.

We move on, and before we get the second point made, my helper has chimed in again. This time he is explaining why the technique I just taught won’t work. Now, in my younger less diplomatic days, I would have replied that perhaps it would be better if he taught and I critiqued, but since it was a Scouting event, I just acknowledged his contribution again.

We launch into something easy like whop biscuits (canned biscuits for you non Southerners, you whop the can on the counter to open them). Cause if you learn how to cook biscuits outdoors and have the top and bottom evenly brown, then you will be the friend of every adult in camp. They will kneel and worship the hand that fed them hot uncharred biscuits.

Wouldn’t you know, my helper chimes in AGAIN. My brain thinks Dude, WTF. But, I just smile, and walk the class through the basics. It helps that just as I finish the biscuit manifesto, I lift the lid on two ovens to reveal and distribute PERFECT bix.

The sous chef is still pointing out other alternatives for cooking of the biscuits, but the crowd ignores him and is asking engaged questions. Well, as well as you can ask with your mouth full of hot bread.

Soon as that is finished, I walk them through an easy prep entre. Forty garlic tenderloin. Simple recipe. Braise tenderloin, add about twenty whole, not smashed garlic cloves, one can of chicken broth, fresh Rosemary and cook for 45. That raises some eyebrows about the garlic, but that concern is put to rest as soon as the lid is lifted on the entre. Can you imagine for a sec what heavenly aroma that was, around 11:30 on a Sat morning under a blue bird November sky. Mercy.

Sharp knife, that wasn’t really needed, produces morsels to pass around. Much ooing and aahing amongst the converts. No comments from the self-appointed assistant.

We move on to the last demo dish. Now, I have had multiple marriage proposals from campers female and male alike over this item. It’s a simple Lemon Poppy Seed affair, cooked not as a muffin, but more as a large cake in the Dutch Oven. Meant to be scooped out by fork , or don’t tell, grubby camp hands.  I was lucky and it turned out perfectly done, top, bottom,  and middle. The women swooned, and the boys with the bellies eyed one another with caution whilst balancing manners with lemon lust.

Afore mentioned helper is silent, trying not to spill crumbs.

Take that amigo. Got any more suggestions. Don’t bring a stick to a gunfight, cowboy. Hard to argue with the evidence.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Duck is an amazing thrifter. He has amazing skill and amazing luck. Practically our entire house is furnished and decorated from thrifted or free furniture, artwork, cookware, appliances… I could go on and on. The best was when we needed a new sleeper-sofa. Duck picked out the exact one he thought would work best for us from the Ikea catalogue. Then he used his incredible powers of thrifting to find both pieces – the mattress and the frame – from separate people on craigslist, one for free and one for a fraction of the original cost.

His most recent conquest is our very shiny, very beautiful, very orange Le Creuset Dutch oven (well, according to them it’s a French oven, but I think they’re just being snobs). We’ve been wanting a Dutch oven for a long, long time, but even used they still sell for hundreds of dollars. I’m not even going to say how much (or little, rather) Duck found this one for, but I will say the woman we got it from was fully in her right mind and understood what a treasure she was bestowing on us, and when she showed us her stunning, brand-new set of cobalt blue Le Creuset cookware we felt quite equanimous about accepting from her our incredible bargain.

We lugged it home (they tell you and they tell you, but still nothing prepared me for how heavy this baby actually is) and thunked it proudly on the stove. Where it sat, admired, for several days.

“Do you remember why we wanted a Dutch oven?,” I finally asked Duck as we basked in the warm glow from our stovetop.

“I just like how they look,” he told me, gesturing to the vibrant enamel glaze that starts out fiery orange at the bottom of the pot and then fades up to almost sunrise yellow.

“But what did we want to cook in it?”

I remembered that at some point I decided I needed a Dutch oven, that there was something I just couldn’t cook without it, but now more than a year later I had no idea what that was.

Duck shrugged. His job was done. The prize had been attained. But as I wracked my brain and scoured the internet, I had to wonder – had we just gotten the world’s best deal on the world’s heaviest paperweight?

(Here’s the thing, in case you’re wondering if I’ve never cracked a cookbook in my life. I know what you use a Dutch oven for, but, you see, we’re vegetarians.)

Finally I came across a recipe online for Wine Braised Lentils over Toast, with credit given to Deborah Madison from her cookbook Vegetarian Suppers. This is one of my favorite cookbooks, and so when I saw that, memories clicked back into place. Debbie M. to the rescue again, this time incarnated as the Queen of the Meatless Dutch Oven.

So, without further ado, I present you with a meal plan designed for a week of glorious, vegan, gluten-free celebration of that enameled treasure of the stovetop, that weighty jewel of the kitchen, the Dutch oven.

Monday
Wine braised lentils over toast with Tuscan kale and pearl onions (Vegetarian Suppers)

Tuesday
Butternut squash green curry with mushrooms, eggplant, and tofu (Vegetarian Suppers)

Wednesday
Brussels sprouts and mushroom ragout with herbed vegan, GF dumplings (Vegetarian Suppers)

Thursday
Braised fennel with saffron rice timbale (Vegetarian Suppers)

Friday
Grits and greens with spinach, chard, scallions, parsley and dill (Vegetarian Suppers)

Saturday
Moroccan chickpea stew with harissa and apricots

Sunday
Greek-style braised green beans
Gigantes in savory tomato sauce (using canned gigantes beans)
Tzatziki

This week I have the honor of hosting the weekly Gluten-Free Menu Swap, and of course I self-servingly chose Dutch ovens as our theme! Check back as the day goes on for more wonderful gluten-free menu plans from all over the web.

Heather at Celiac Family is getting her Thanksgiving planning in gear (hmm, I should be doing that, shouldn’t I?) and on top of that she has a delicious, ambitious week planned. Butter chicken, boneless pork ribs, and GF pizza will all be new recipes this week, capped off by a Leftovers Buffet that’s sure to be gourmet if the rest of the menu is any indication of the contents of Heather’s fridge!

Kim at Gluten Free Is Life is enjoying glorious weather and a perfectly Fall menu. Bourbon chicken, honey-baked lentils, and sweet potato hash browns just conjure up crisp, clear days with lots of running around outside followed by tummy-warming suppers. She also just celebrated her anniversary – Happy Anniversary Kim & Aaron!

Deb at Green V-Neck is miserably hung-over but still managed to put together a fabulous vegetarian, gluten-free menu with international flair. A little visit to the British Isles with lentil and rice shepherd’s pie, all kinds of Indian goodness with rajma masala and bean curry, and some Mexican heat to banish that hangover for good with her taco salad and black bean soup with guacamole. Hope you feel better soon, Deb!

Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness is still hampered by her kitchen remodel, but she pulls off a spectacular menu as well. (Maybe our theme this week should be “triumph through adversity”!) More fall flavors, with turkey and celery in chestnut sauce, rosemary salmon, and something I’d never heard of before that has now become the new object of my obsession – hazelnut butter cups. Yum!

Esther of The Lilac Kitchen is trying to get more veggies back into her meal plan, and she succeeds wildly this week with a mouth-watering menu that includes sweet potato rostis, bean and veg stew, and butternut squash gratin. And just so things don’t get too wholesome, there’s an amazing white wine and cream sauce in there as well…

For a huge compendium of menu plans (most not veg or GF), check out the Menu Plan Monday round-up over at OrgJunkie.

Oh! And if you’ve been meaning to share a favorite bean, lentil, or other pulse or legume recipe for the Steady Pulse event, it’s not too late! Just send it to me by tomorrow (Nov. 17th) and it will still make it into Wednesday’s round-up and of course into the final Recipes You Can Count On compendium.

Another post in the series “Living with and Loving Cast Iron”

Are you new to Dutch ovens but excited to try one for your next camp out?  The following recipe is so easy that I hesitate to even call it that.  It is also not my own creation but rather a recipe that’s been circulating for years.  This recipe is for the small 2-quart Dutch oven, but you can multiply it to use a bigger Dutch oven.

Begin by assembling ingredients:

1 small cornbread mix (I like Hodgson Mill’s whole grain mix when I use a mix instead of making from scratch)

butter or oil, eggs and buttermilk or milk to make the cornbread, according to the recipe

one or two cans of good chili (We use vegetarian chili, but you can use whatever you want.)

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

If you are using a camping Dutch oven outside, start your coals.

Begin by coating the Dutch oven lightly with oil.  If you are camping and want easy clean-up, you can coat with oil and then line the Dutch oven with aluminum foil and then grease the aluminum foil too. Now open the can(s) of chili and pour it into the bottom of the Dutch oven.  Sprinkle on the cheese.  Now mix up the corn bread according to package directions and spread it on top of the chili and cheese.  Take a knife and poke through the corn bread batter to the chili in several places.  You want them to get to know each other, but don’t marry them.

Now place your Dutch oven on top of about 5 coals. Spread about 8 coals on top.  Use more coals if you are using a larger Dutch oven. Every ten minutes or so, rotate your Dutch oven on the coals on the bottom and turn the lid (very carefully to avoid getting ash in the food!) on top.  Check periodically to see if the cornbread is browning.  After about 30 minutes, you’ll have an all-in-one meal for 2-4 people.

By the way, if you use powdered egg white and milk, you can keep the ingredients for this cornbread-chili-cheese bake on hand for months with no refrigeration.

I used to watch Jamie Oliver when he was The Naked Chef on the Food Network, but only watched his new show, Jamie at Home, once. In that episode he made game pigeon, which did not really look appetizing to me. I never tried any of his recipes, but admired his use of homegrown (or local/seasonal) ingredients. When I read this article last week, I knew I had to take a look at his new cookbook, Jamie at Home. While browsing through it at the book store, I saw a lot of unkosher recipes, and some graphic pictures of dead hanging rabbits and other animals. I did find a few recipes that looked delicious and very easy, and decided to give a chicken recipe a shot at home.

I actually got the recipe from the food network site (it’s the same as the one in the book), and changed it a bit (or a lot) to make it a little easier. Maybe I’ll try the original one next time…

This is my first time using fresh oregano – it is a strong herb, but has a good flavor. And it made the house smell great!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs, skin on
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 5 white potatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• About 6 sprigs of fresh oregano
• 6-10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• Olive oil
• Red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water and boil until soft.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, heat a skillet (I used my dutch oven) on high heat. Coat the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides (it took me 2 batches). Remove to a plate or bowl with a slotted spoon.
4. Cut the tomatoes in half.
5. Drain the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes.         
6. Bash up most of the oregano leaves with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle (or with a spoon in a small bowl if you don’t have one. Add 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar and some pepper and give everything another bash.
7. Add the chicken, tomatoes, potatoes, oregano mixture, and the rest of the oregano leaves back to the dutch oven.  Toss together carefully.
8. Bake for 40 minutes.

This was amazing and very easy. The potatoes were soft and flavorful from the tomatoes and chicken. The chicken was tender and juicy. The garlic cloves were soft and sweet, and although not part of Jamie’s original recipe, definitely my favorite part of the dish. Next time I’ll serve this with some rice to spoon the sauce over.

  This is the second installment in my recipe series.  The Dutch Oven Cookbook is where I am getting all these recipes that are becoming my favorite things to make.  Decided to make this because it’s easy and not too fatty.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1/4 cup olive oil*

1 cup peeled and finely diced yellow onion

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced*

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1 cup diced celery*

One 12-ounce jar of your favorite salsa

One 28-ounce can diced plum tomatoes with sauce

Two 14.5-ounce black beans, rinsed and drained

One 14.5-ounce can corn, drained

1/2 teaspoon chili powder*

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin*

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated pepper Jack cheese, for garnish

  ♦  Heat the olive oil with the onions and garlic in a 51/2-quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the ground turkey and brown lightly, crumbling with a fork as it cooks.  Add the red pepper and celery.  Then add the salsa and simmer uncovered for five minutes.  Add the tomatoes with sauce, black beans, corn, chili powder, and cumin.  Season with salt and pepper.

    This is the new best thing I’ve ever made, it’s perfect for this time of year.  I love making this chili because it’s quick and it taste so labor intensive.  I like to cook 6 strips of bacon first to season the pot, because I do this I don’t use the *1/4 cup of olive oil.  At the end I cut up and put the bacon in the chili.  *I use 9 cloves of garlic.  Celery for me in this recipe is not appealing, I have made it twice and used celery both times and didn’t like it, I am currently storming to think of what I could replace it with.  *For the cumin and chili powder the amount you will use depends on your spices.  A good French bread makes a great addition to this chili.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.    

More pictures today!!!  A double picture post day!  Are you excited??  You should be!  This is gonna be GREAT!!

But with a build up like that, you might just be disappointed.  Like, “I clicked the more link for that?  Pictures of walls and pots?  And pot bellies?  God, I’m going back to Texts from Last Night and What Would Tyler Durden Do.”

Well, I’m sorry to let you down.  But the drunken candids are drying up!!  And I never read the little book that came with my super awesome camera to learn how to focus on the fly.  How come only drunk pictures come out in focus??  Maybe I need a drunk camera so that my sober self can take pictures.  So now, you’re left with pictures that are potentially cool but incredibly out of focus… or in focus, but a little boring.

Now that you are fully aware of the averageness you are about to embark on, let’s begin.

See, potentially cool, but incredibly out of focus.  But I had to get this picture, I was driving home from work, and the sun hadn’t quite set, and there was this florescent pink glow on the horizon that was either extraterrestrial or a new football stadium on Rosebud Creek.  I kept looking and looking for what promised to be the greatest moon ever, and as I came down the hill into Colstrip, there she was!!  I pulled over and started taking pictures.  But none of the pictures captured the monsterous size of the moon this night, nor the topographic textures that could be seen with the naked eye.   Darn it.  You’re just gonna have to take my word for it.

For more eh…

A few nursery progress pictures for you.  Here I am using some power tool to remove something in the closet.  We tore the closet out to make room for two cribs in our dime-sized second bedroom.

Lookin’ pretty good from the back, huh?

And then… POW!! There it is!!  17 weeks of double Ds and double trouble!!  I’m a little embarrassed that my smile is so darn cheesey in this picture, but I really am probably the happiest girl in the whole wide world right now.

So here’s what Kristen and I were working on…  We taped off half the wall, and mudded the top half with joint compound to create a textured look.  A chair rail will divide the wall, and the panelling on the bottom half will give a sort of faux-wainscotting look.  What else can you do with trailer house paneling?  Allan had wanted to take it all out and put up insulation and drywall, which would have been awesome, but due to the financial pickle we find ourselves muddling through, that wasn’t an option.  We’re just gonna have to be quiet when the babies sleep.  Well, I’ll be quiet, cause I’ll probably be sleeping too.

So, I’m laying in the bedroom watching Baby Story and Allan’s in the living room watching NCIS and he says, “Hey!  Grab the camera quick!”

So I grab the camera and run down the hallway like, “What?  What?  What is it?  Train wreck?  Bear?  Did the neighbor finally lose his mind and strip completely down?”

I get in the living room and no one is looking out the window.  Nothing is crawling on the floor.  Just a man and his dog, sitting together all photo-ready.  “Take me and Diesel’s picture.”  And I was more ready to snap this photo than anything we would’ve sent to the newspaper.  Diesel’s getting pretty old.  He’s getting gray and walks with a limp.  When he plays or goes for a walk, he doesn’t get around very well the next day.  We’ve started him on Glucosamine for joint health, and none of us go for walks anymore cause I can’t bear to break his old heart while Poppy and I walk off together.  He gets a lot more pets and rub downs now.  It’s kinda hard to try to make someone who loves to run and jump and dig happy with squeaky toys and massages, so I feed him way more.  Food always makes me feel better.

And here’s the kids with me.  I wonder if they have any idea what is in store.  I’m trying to love them as much as possible right now, cause I have a feeling that come this spring, they are going to think their names are “Go Away” and “Lie Down”.

I would also like to point out how small that love seat looks behind my enormous breasts.  I’m not a boy, but I think that is awesome.

So for the past six weeks, my auntie, my momma and I have been taking a dutch oven cooking class.  It has been soooo much fun!!  I can’t wait to try this out at home.

Halouski… Misspelled and mistranslated as cabbage and noodles.  A recipe from my Pennsylvania auntie!!

Here’s all the ovens cooking… There’s prime rib in one of those… Really one of the best prime ribs I’ve had in a long time!

Here’s the finished side dishes.  We pretty much just gorged ourselves every night.  This was the last night, so everyone brought a guest and we made extra everything and even homemade ice cream!  It was awesome!

The www.camp-cook.com forum is having another cook off competition: Chili & Cornbread.  I entered my Chili recipe last weekend (see it here) and this weekend is my cornbread recipe.

For this recipe, I followed the tastes of Senior Management.  She likes all things Pumpkin.  Having found a pumpkin Cornbread recipe at Real Mom Kitchen I decided to adapt the recipe for a 10″ Dutch Oven to be cooked over coals.

This is my new favorite cornbread.  Contrary to what you may think, it doesn’t taste like desert at all.  But the pumpkin adds moisture to the cornbread so that it doesn’t turn your mouth into a desert (which is why I usually don’t like cornbread at all). So here is my version of Real Mom Kitchen’s version of pumpkin Cornbread.

Pumpkin Cornbread (Gluten Free)

1 1/2 C Corn Flour
1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked and processed)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 Tbs molasses

1. Preheat dutch oven with a ring of about 17 briquettes around the outside of the bottom of the DO.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.
4. Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and blend batter with a few quick strokes.
5. Pour a thin pool of vegetable oil on the bottom of the DO.  When the batter hits this, it will fry it quickly and make a nice crust.  Plus, you can easily get the cornbread out of the DO when it is done.
6. Pour batter into the DO. Bake -with the lid on – for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.  Put an additional 15 briquettes on the lid of the DO to brown the top.

You could eat this cornbread with jam, jellies, cheese, or just butter and honey.  They are great.

Here are a few pics:

i feel like i haven’t written in over a week-sad! i suppose school does eat up most of my time, and general married stuff too, so hopefully i can find a way to blog telepathically. i really feel that life would be pretty damn awesome if i could! anyways, the weather has been uncharacteristically warm these past few days; today is supposed to be 63 or so, and i wish i had the proper supplies to grill! oh well. here’s a run down of whats been going on in my kitchen the past few weeks, and hopefully i can give you 2 recipes:)

missed you!

mini vegan thanksgiving!

chickpea cutlets (a main staple in this house) from the veganomicon, and bryant terry’s citrus collard greens, and spiced mashed potatoes from the november addition of the vegetarian times. super, duper, yummy.

banana oatmeal pancakes from vegan planet, i didn’t have all purpose flour so i used 1 cup whole wheat and whatever the other half was (lol) i substituted oat flour. i also skipped the naner slices (warm mushy banana= ick) and added a generous amount of fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon!

this is how i feel some days:)

sweet and sour tifu from vegan yum yum

sweet and sour tofu from the yegan yum yum blog! it lived up to its name, and i most definitely suggest going the broccoli almond route!the first pic is the tofu being pressed under every heavy condiment/canned good i had! ha!

easy west african peanut soup from vegweb.com

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=10092.0

i added 1 extra cup of soymilk, 1 extra carrot, and cooked it in a crock pot for 8 hours on low. before serving i pureed the soup w/an immersion blender, and added the scallions last. sriracha was a tasty addition!

Deconstructed Pasta aka Lasagna for lazy people

serves 6-8

1 lb rigatoni, rhombi, or another fun shaped pasta

2 zucchini, halved and sliced

8 oz button mushrooms, or crimini, quartered

1 medium red onion, 1/2 inch dice

1 bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package firm tofu

2 tbs nutritional yeast

1 tbs cashew butter

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tsp each: parsley, thyme, basil
1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 can (3 tbs) tomato paste

heat the oven to 350

this recipe is quite large, i needed to use my dutch oven to fit it all! if you don’t have a dutch oven, make only half, or find a really big lasagna pan:)

in your dutch oven, (or big frying pan) combine the onions and some olive oil and begin to saute over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. add the garlic, bell pepper, and the zuchini. cook until the veggie have softened up and begin to brown and set aside. meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and make the tofu ricotta. cook the pasta until 3/4 of the way done. for the tofu, combine the nutritional yeast, cashew butter, and tofu in a food processor. blend until smooth and grainy.

in a medium bowl, combine the can of tomatoes, tomato paste, seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste.

to assemble:

to whatever jumbo pan you choose, put down 1/2 the tomato sauce, follow with 1/2 the noodles, 1/2 the veggies, and half the cheese. finish with the rest of the veggies, the rest of the noodles, the tofu, and then the sauce. sprinkle with pine nuts. cover and bake until bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. this won’t stay layered as you serve it, but that ok:)

feel free to up the sauce ratio if you like.

a big ol' pile of pasta!

 Cooking the paprika with the onions brings out the smokiness of the spice. I like my paprika to be spicy and smoky rather than sweet so added  peppers and cayenne.

I love the fall weather because you finally feel like preparing slow cooked meals that meld flavors and fill your home with delicious aromas!  Gone are the days of dining on grilled meat and side salads.  This is the time of year you can experiment with more flavors and not feel like you’re wasting oven or gas energy on a hot day. 

I have prepared this Chicken Paprika with skinless breasts but you can easily substitute a whole cut up chicken with skin if you’re not worried about extra calories.  To create a quick weeknight meal, cook the onions the night before and add everything but the sour cream/flour mixture to a crock pot.  Set the pot to go on low for the 5 hours before you arrive home.  Then add the remaining ingredients.

Chicken Paprika

• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 large or 3 small yellow onions, chopped
• 2 TB Smoked Spanish Paprika – purchase a good quality paprika for best results
• 7 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless (you can also use 2 chickens with this recipe with skin and bones)
• ½ TS Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (or Green or Orange), chopped
• 1 Poblano Pepper, seeded and chopped
• ½ can chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes (use juice too)
• Salt, to taste
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 TB flour
• Noodles, rice or potatoes to serve with.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat.  Wilt the onions for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with Paprika and cook, stirring for 1 minute. 

Add the chicken, broth, tomatoes, peppers, and Cayenne.  Season with salt.  Bring the heat to a boil, reduce to medium/low, then simmer – DO NOT BOIL – partially covered for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the sour cream and flour together and set aside in a bowl.

When the chicken has cooked for 50 minutes, remove to a separate bowl.  Cook the sauce over medium heat, uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce it.  Pour some of the sauce into the sour cream and flour mixture and whisk it together.  Slowly whisk the sauce/sour cream mixture back into the pot.  Adjust seasoning and return chicken to pot.  Serve over noodles, rice or alongside potatoes.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the types of food we cook and eat changes from season to season.  And if you feel the same way I do, you won’t be surprised that we’ve got a couple of fantastic recipes coming to you for November.  The first is one you’ll be proud to serve for your holiday dessert (not that you’ll need a special occasion to want to make this one!) and the second is one that will make you want to curl up on the couch with a good book while you’re waiting for it to cook.  I hope you enjoy these two recipes as we head into the hard-core holiday season!!

P.S. – If you’re participating in A Week with the Barefoot Contessa, don’t forget to send me your photos and info for the round-up post!

~~~~~

Suzie from Munch + Nibble

has chosen Crème Brulee

which can be found in Barefoot in Paris on page 222

and should be posted on Thursday, November 12th.

~~~

Lisa of Lime in the Coconut

has chosen Company Pot Roast

which can be found in Back to Basics on page 117

and should be posted on Thursday, November 26th.

~~~~~

I’ve always enjoyed eating superior food cooked in a Dutch Oven.  My father used it as his only cooking pot whenever he was outdoors and frequently at home.  I used to almost pray that mom would be gone for an evening so he could cook ‘trail fare’ for dinner.

Don’t get me wrong.  Mom was an excellent cook and loved preparing meals for the family, but Dad – well, Dad cooked ‘Man’ food in the Dutch oven or cast iron pans.  Even today, the whiff of cooking onions or garlic immediately restores a scene in my mind of a six-year-old young man, salivating at the smells and staring into the steaming contents of a Dutch oven.

Just writing about it caused the flashback memory and like any good Pavlonian dog, my mouth is watering yet again.

Today, when my family and I cook using our Dutch ovens, we frequently hear the same refrain:

“Delicious!”  “Devine!”  “Oh My Gosh!”

How did my ancestors stay so thin with food this good?  Tracing the cooking preferences of my male ancestors for four generations, I’ve found that they were all Dutch oven masters.  My early pioneer ancestors designated the Dutch oven as their only cooking pot when crossing the American plains.  They never lost their love of them.

When I visited Grandpa as a youngster, he would roast potatoes in a fire when time was of the essence, but when we wanted to enjoy a good meal, his Dutch ovens were the tool used to create the feast.

Of course our family has continued the tradition.  It wasn’t hard to convince our wives that cooking with the ovens was ‘Man Territory’.

The Dutch Oven: Utah’s Official State Cooking Pot

The IDOS (International Dutch Oven Society) wrote about the history of the Dutch oven in Utah years ago:

“In 1997, the Utah State Legislature approved House Bill HB203, designating the Dutch Oven as the State Cooking Pot. The following information was generously sent to the Utah State Library by the International Dutch Oven Society located in Logan, Utah. Utah is not only the headquarters of the Society but the site of World Championship Dutch Oven Cookoff which is a major event of the Festival of the American West. (Held on 2 August in Logan, Utah this year.)

When the early pioneers came to Utah they used a number of things such as lumbering prairie schooners, teams of massive oxen, mossy wooden water barrels, and heavy dresses which almost dragged on the ground. For most of us, such common pioneer artifacts are difficult to relate to or use in our lives today. However, there is one very popular pioneer indispensable which thousands of Utah families are using in their everyday activities. It not only looks the same but is still made basically the same way–the tried and true Dutch oven.

Explorers like Jim Bridger and Peter Skene Ogden used the kettle versions on the trail but appreciated the standard three-legged, flat top with a rim version together with its “lite” breads, tasty fruit cobblers and delicious stews when they wintered in. Mount ain men who rendezvoused in Cache Valley in the 1820’s used them and Osborne Russell in his Journal of a Trapper writes about how much they appreciated having some greasy, grizzly bear meat to cook because the cast-iron pots needed re-seasoning after boiling roots for meals the previous eleven days.

Pioneer trains gearing up near Independence, Missouri were given a list of essentials with the Dutch oven at the top of the list, the people-powered handcart companies chose to include the heavy pots for their long pull to Utah and the miners digging in the canyons around Bingham, Price and Cedar City counted the black pots almost as essential as their picks.

It’s been asked why Dutch ovens are used by more Utah families than other states and perhaps it’s because for Utahans, families have a special significance and particularly their pioneer forbearers. It’s a unique and generational bonding experience for families to gather around a campfire after a meal from the same kind of Dutch ovens and tell the stories about and history of their pioneer ancestors.”

If you, no, when you decide to acquire your own ovens, buy the best.  Stick with Lodge ovens and ONLY use Kingsford charcoal.  Be sure to avoid any charcoal that his any fuel infused in the briquettes.

The formula to create a 350 F oven temperature is simple.  If you have a 12” oven, put the number of briquettes equal to the size of the oven minus two under it and plus two on the top.   So, for a 12” oven, 10 briquettes would be under and 14 on top for most meals.  If you are cooking bread and cookies, you’ll want to move one or two of the briquettes to the top from the bottom.

Never clean your Dutch oven with soap.  Heat them in hot water and wipe them clean.  Eventually, a highly prized black patina will develop that is better than Teflon and won’t cause any chemical health problems.   Remember that the pores of the metal open up a little when the oven is hot and washing it with soap will not only ruin the black patina but the soap will be trapped in the pores as the metal cools and contracts.  Your next meal will taste a lot better without the flavor of Dawn detergent.

Be sure to wipe your oven very dry after every use.  You may want to coat the surfaces with a light spray of Pam after it is cleaned.  Our family lives in a low humidity environment and we don’t have to worry about rust on our ovens when we store them properly.  Consider the humidity factor in your own storage plan.

We’ve found that with a little thought, anything we can cook in our home ovens can be cooked in our Dutch Ovens.  And the taste?  Well, there aren’t many leftovers to put in the refrigerator.

Here are a few basic ‘good eatin’ recipes that we enjoy.  Sorry, the top award winners aren’t in this group.  They are guarded by lock and key and my poor memory of where the key is kept.

DUTCH OVEN POTATOES

6 large potatoes

5 carrots

2 medium-sized onions

1 lb. mild cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

salt and pepper

Peel and slice potatoes and carrots, 1/4 in. thick. Slice onion rings 1/4 inch thick, cut into fourths. Place potatoes, carrots and onions into 12-inch Dutch oven with 1/8 inch oil on bottom. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Add soup and stir thoroughly. Cook for 10 minutes. Add grated cheese over top of potatoes. Cover to melt cheese. Serve.

BARBECUED SPARE RIBS

4-6 slabs spare ribs

Brown ribs in Dutch oven. Mix sauce ingredients together. Warm to dissolve brown sugar and spices. Cover ribs with sauce. Cook for 90 minutes.

Sauce:

1 medium onion

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tsp. mustard (wet)

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper

CHICKEN STIR FRY

4 chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces

broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms, green onions, pea pods

1 can water chestnuts (drained)

Cook vegetables in a little oil until tender. Add water chestnuts.

Add 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil and cook 3-5 minutes.

Thicken with 1/4 cup soy sauce mixed with 3 tbls. corn starch.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK OR CHICKEN

1 lb. chicken breasts or lean pork

1 egg yolk

1 tbls. corn starch

1 tbls. water

flour

Cut meat into bite-sized pieces. Mix together egg, salt, cornstarch and water. Add meat and let stand 10 minutes. Remove meat pieces, dip into flour, deep fry several minutes in hot oil until lightly browned. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Continue cooking meat pieces until all are browned. Wipe out Dutch oven.

Vegetables:

1 large carrot, sliced

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

1/2 onion, cut into large pieces

1-8 oz. can pineapple chunks (drain, save juice)

Sauce:

pineapple juice plus water to equal 1 cup

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbls. corn starch

Mix together and set aside.

Into clean Dutch oven, heat 1 tbls. oil. Add onion, carrots and peppers. Stir fry until vegetables are tender. Push vegetables firm center, add sauce. When mixture boils, add meat. Mix all together. Cook 3-5 minutes. If too thick, add a little water. If not thick enough, mix a little cornstarch with water making a thickening. Add until desired thickness is achieved.

The www.camp-cook.com forum is having another cook off competition.  This is the second competition that I’ve entered.  The last one I entered was desert (see my posting here).  I enjoy these cook-off weeks because of all of the new recipes and activity on the forum.  Sometimes the cook-off week facilitator gives prizes (iron cookware etc) which is cool and adds to the fun.  However, I am most excited about an avalanche of new recipes to make.

This week’s cook off is divided into two categories: Chili & Cornbread – A classic Dutch oven combo.  My first step into the contest is a home-made chili (gluten-free cornbread may come later). I decided to stretch myself and create my own chili recipe.  I’ve cooked chili several times from recipes and thought I could produce an edible concoction just from scratch out of my head.

I decided to bend and break the rules of chili a bit and mix up the ingredients.  I also wanted to include as many home grown veggies & foods as possible.  I think the most unexpected ingredient that I included is Quinoa.

Quinoa is a unique grain -originally from South America- that has all of the amino acids.  Senior Management and I use it in gluten-free baking all the time.  I like it because it is light and doesn’t get mushy but still manages to fill.  It seemed like a great chili additive and fits my unique dietary needs.

Quinoa Adobo Chili (Gluten Free)

This recipe is designed for a 14″ dutch oven and produces a nice thick chili.  If you like your chili thinner, I’d add another cup of water.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 onion
1 cup corn (I used frozen that Senior Management preserved this summer)
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate
6 cloves garlic
¾ lb ground turkey (Vegetarian Option: TVP)
2 cans of black beans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 quart of tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes from our garden)
3 cups water
2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1 zucchini (I used shredded frozen zukes from our garden)
2 tbsp of adobo sauce with 2 constituted chipotle peppers (this adds a nice smokey flavor)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

1. Pre-heat the 14″ dutch oven with a solid circle of briquettes on the bottom.
2. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer until clear water is running through it.  Toast the quinoa for about 3 minutes in a cast iron skillet.  When toasted, add 2 cups of the water to the skillet, cover, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.  The quinoa is done when it starts to split open.
3. Chop the pepper, zucchini, and onion.
4. Thoroughly rinse the black beans in a strainer.
5. When Dutch oven is hot, add the olive oil & onions.  Saute the onions until they start to change color then add the garlic (pressed) and turkey (or TVP).  Cook the turkey until it is no longer pink but still not done (about 2 min).
6. Add the Cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper, and chipotle adobo sauce.  Stir mixture for about 3 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes, black beans, bell pepper, quinoa, zucchini, and the remaining cup of water.  Mix well.
8. Move 1/2 the briquettes to the lid of the Dutch oven to form a ring.  Reform the bottom briquettes into one ring.
9. Let mixture simmer for about 15 min then mix in the chocolate and let it simmer for another 5 min.
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a slice of lime.
11. Eat it.

For a first attempt at making my own chili recipe, I am pleased with it.  It is nice & fresh, light but hearty, and had just the right smokey flavors that I like.  I may like my chili a bit spicier but Senior Management prefers it just like I have detailed here.

Here are a few pictures to feast your eyes on:

I’m still not sick of using my dutch oven, and decided to braise some meat in them. I chose short ribs, a meat that can hold up more than two hours of cooking. This is a delicious dish for Friday night, but if you’re up for it, it’s easy enough to impress some friends with or make it for a special weeknight.

I found the recipe while browsing epicurious, and I’m glad I did! I’ll definitely be making this again, with a few adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle dry red wine (I used Merlot)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A few peppercorns
• 4 lbs beef short ribs (I used two packages from the butcher, each with 5 ribs – it was only about 3 lbs.)
• 10 shallots, trimmed, halved if large
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise (next time I’ll probably only use 3)

Directions:

1. Boil wine with a few peppercorns and two cloves of garlic in a 2-quart saucepan until it reduces to about 1 cup.
2. While wine is reducing, pat ribs dry and cut into 1-rib pieces (this wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be!).  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a dry 5-qt pot over moderately high heat until hot, then brown ribs well in batches (I did it in two) on all sides, about 8 minutes for each batch. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Reduce heat to medium and brown shallots in the fat remaining. Transfer to another bowl.
5. Stir in wine (don’t forget to strain out the garlic and pepper!) and mustard. Add all the ribs and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, 45 minutes. I rotated the ribs about halfway through, just to make sure they all simmered in the wine.                                  
6. Stir in the shallots and tomatoes, and continue to cook, covered and without stirring until the meat is tender, about 40 minutes. Serve in the dutch oven or a serving dish.

I served four people with this, with only one rib leftover (it was eaten for lunch) – we all loved it. The meat was soft, though hard to eat if you didn’t use your hands. The sauce was great. It had lots of flavor, and we spooned it over the ribs and over some boring vegetables (it did make them more interesting). I’m glad I didn’t make less of it because it was delicious over brown rice and roasted vegetables for lunch the next day, too. I’m definitely making this again, with fewer onions and tomatoes.

What are your favorite dutch oven recipes?

..then it must be the best!

My dear friend, Terri, got me the perfect bridal shower gift: a cookbook, Bride & Groom First And Forever Cookbook.
After settling all our wedding gifts and goodies into the kitchen (most of the gifts were FOR the kitchen, hehe) , I now had time to use all my new gadgets and thumb through this amazing collection of perfectly portioned recipes.
I love, love, love this cookbook and all its gourmet-ish recipes. I mean, who wants to just “throw” together beef bourguignonne on a Tuesday night. Uh, no! I love this book because it does showcase elegant food but makes it totally accessible… and really, I am not the greatest cook, I just read directions really well.
So basically since we started our “weekly menu,” I began tagging things I want to try and their recipe for “Beef Burgundy” was certainly calling my attention. At first, I really wanted to try making it because I saw that movie, Julie & Julia… and two, it just seemed like the ultimate comfort food and to beat a dead horse, I love fall and being here with no “fall,” it makes me homesick for cooler days ..and so a hearty comfort food was what I needed. What I didnt realize after I had prepped all my ingredients, I did not have a DUTCH OVEN. (WTF!) So, my oblivious as* went to Target where I found a porcelein one for $45 and almost barfed. I found one for $29.99 and then, was totally happy

This recipe wholeheartedly and absolutely came from the cookbook. I take no credit for the wonderfulness that came from my 3 hours slaving to make this dinner, although I had to change the recipe tiny smidges because of ingredient technicalities. I cannot sing its praises enough, this meal was comforting and if only I had more people to share it with. I took some to my office and just short of shoving it down my coworkers throats, I tried to get them to try it (But sadly, one of them does not eat pork. Bacon is used! ) If you have 3 extra hours on your hands and you want to tackle a culinary classic: please, please, please try this recipe!:

Beef Burgundy
from Bride & Groom First And Forever Cookbook, adapted by me.

4 bacon slices, roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef stew meat, such as beef chuck or bottom round, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces baby portabellos, cleaned and sliced (the original recipe called for shiitakes)
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups good-quality red wine, such as Burgundy (..I dunno if $6.99 is “good-quality”…?…)
2 cups beef broth
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
fresh rosemary sprig -4 inches long-
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sugar
about 20 packaged peeled baby carrots
1 cup fresh pearl onions, peeled, or frozen petite whole onions, thawed
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Fry the bacon in an ovenproof 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat until lightly browned and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
Set the pot over high heat. Add the meat and cook until browned on all sides. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms, onion, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, rosemary, bay leaf, brown sugar, and bacon. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a simmer.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and pearl onions. Bake, uncovered, until the carrots and meat are tender, about 30 minutes more. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

(I made their “Creamy, Dreamy Mashed Potatoes” to serve with. UH-mazing.)

Copyright 2009 by Ozarkhomesteader.  See details on fair use at the end of the post.

Acorn squash is a wonderful, sweet nugget packed with nutrients to keep you healthy through the winter.  Its high natural sugar content is both a gift and a curse for cooks.  Should you highlight the sweetness or bring out the savory?  Today I’m bringing out the savory by melding the flavors of French onion soup with the winter squash.  For two people you’ll need

• 1 acorn squash, cut in half and seed scooped out (Retain for later roasting.)
• 1 red onion
• 1 sweet yellow onion
• a little olive oil
• chicken broth (or vegetable broth  for vegetarian option)
• dried bread cubes, equal to one or two slices (If you don’t have any on hand, cut bread into cubes and dry in an oven on the lowest heat setting possible.)
• one or two ounces gruyere, swiss or other sweet, nutty cheese, grated

Begin by placing the acorn squash, cut side up, in a casserole dish or cast iron Dutch oven.  Fill the cavity where the seed used to be with water, put a lid on the casserole/Dutch oven, and back the squash at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.  (I also sprinkled with a little spicy seasoning.)

Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions and toss in a little olive oil.  When the acorn squash comes out of the oven, reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and put in the onions for about 20 minutes.
Being careful not to penetrate the acorn squash rind, scoop out the luscious orange flesh.

When the onion is roasted, mix it in with the squash flesh and add a bit of chicken broth to get the whole thing moving.  Put the flesh-onion-broth mixture in the squash rinds and add enough broth, stirring to mix as you add, to bring the mixture almost to the rim of the rind.  (If you have extra flesh mixture, that’s okay.  Just set it aside for a snack on another day.)

Now add the dried bread cubes.

Finally sprinkle on the cheese.

Put back in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melting and the mixture underneath is hot.  Serve and enjoy!

If you prefer a soupier mix, you have two choices.  You could use bigger bowls than the squash rinds.  You could also set aside more of the pumpkin-onion mix for a snack and add in more broth.  At our home, though, we liked this dish best with a thick consistency, more like a savory English pudding than soup.

Copyright 2009 by Ozarkhomesteader.  I always appreciate good press.  You are welcome to excerpt a tiny portion of this post.  Be sure to include the full URL as well as the credit to Ozarkhomesteader.

Ready for Archery - Click picture for more pics

Camporee was a blast.  There were a lot of young Scouts and the Senior Patrol Leader caught the flu on Thursday evening so he missed the event.  However the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader stepped up to the task and took on the role of leader and did an outstanding job of it.  In fact most of the time he was out standing in the field at each of the events.    The Troop got one of the highest if not the highest campsite inspection score in the Camporee.  They scored about average in the Patrol and Troop competitions.  They lost some points in the Troop competition because the leaders were new at this also and caused some points to be lost.  They didn’t make as many points in the Patrol competition because this was the first time most of the Scouts had been exposed to a Camporee and competitive events.  They did a great job of pulling together and working as a Patrol to rack up some points though.  All of the leaders were very impressed and proud of them.

They did build an awesome gateway though.  The boys had a great time lashing it together and Dave did an awesome job of leading them in their effort.  Once Troop 220’s gateway went up there was one further down that was in the process of going up.  When they saw Troop 220’s gateway they added another pole to theirs so it would be taller.  Too funny.

Another highlight of the event was the Hobo stew that the leaders prepared that night for the Webelos that showed up after lunch.  The leaders got the stew in the Dutch Oven around lunch and began the process of cooking it all evening long while the boys were involved in the c0mpetitive events.  Later that evening they also put the ingredients for upside down peach/pineapple cobbler in another Dutch Oven.  When dinner time rolled around there was some serious feasting going on.  Man was it good!

The funniest thing to happen at the Camporee happened to me in the middle of the night on Saturday.  Each Troop was stacked in on top of one another so I wound up sleeping on the backside of the nearby Troop and next to a couple of tents of Scouts.  Sometime while it was dark I suddenly heard one of the Scouts yell out in his sleep, “There’s nothing that can kill a Scout!”  Now what he was dreaming or what lead to that dream would definitely be something worth hearing.  Sometime later I heard him just wrestling around in his sleeping bag and suddenly he yelled out in his sleep, “How do you get out of this?!” It was way too funny.

What with the exciting competition, good food, excellent gateway and funny stories, everyone declared it a successful Camporee.

For about the past 60 years my family has been taking an annual camping trip as a sort of mini family reunion & our friends. The locations have varied over the years as one generation passes the baton to another but the camping is always memorable.

This year, the camping trip was relatively close to home (no pun intended). Farragut state park, ID hosted this year’s family & friend gathering. Senior Management & I were lucky enough to have our work schedules work out so we could attend again this year. The family & friends have larger RVs than our little jPod so a traditional campground was called for. When we arrived, I realized that this was the first time the jPod has actually seen a “typical” camp ground.

We arrived on a Friday night in the middle of a torrential rain & hail storm. It was getting colder (40 degrees Fahrenheit). Yet we had a long extension cord & a space heater. The heater ran for about 2 minutes & it was too hot in the jPod for a normal human being. Senior Management loved the temperature.

One new feature to the jPod since my last post is the addition of the slide out Camp Chef Oven. I managed to get it installed before our departure & it worked really well. Senior Management cranked out some tasty meals from the back of our little jPod.  As the pictures (below) show, the galley is functional but not completed.  I’ve focused on camping & teaching recently.  Winter work will be done on the jPod.  Winter is rapidly approaching too (it was 16 degrees last night).  I have added some pictures to the Galley part of this website that indicate some progress with the camp chef oven.

It was interesting being the smallest RV in the campground. We kept getting inquisitive looks & subtle pointing & whispering. I’ve heard the stories of teardrop owners who were trying to sleep in their tear while curious campers stopped by & examined their rig (thinking no one was there). I expected this bold camper attitude. Only one man was brave enough to come by & look. I was happy to show him around & we traded stories for a while.

There may have been other observers while we were gone hiking for several hours on Saturday.

Saturday night we had a mini DOG (dutch oven gathering). We had some amazing cornbread, scalloped potatoes, chicken & wild rice, & a cherry chocolate pudding. It was amazing.

Sunday morning, we packed up our things and got back home so I could prepare to teach for another week.

It was another great trip.

Here are a few pics: