Chocolate Snappers

Not your average chocolate cookies--these have just a bit of cinnamon in them, plus a light sugar outside to give them a nice, different, and very tasty flavor.  Addictive, even.  I'll go 9.5/10, as they aren't the very, very top, but quite close.  Plus the part where you have to try to shape them into a ball to get in the sugar to coat is not very easy (dough is a bit sticky).  Still, I will absolutely make these again--worth it :)

Link to original recipe: http://verybestbaking.com/recipes/5747/chocolate-snappers/

Ingredients:

6 T. unsweetened/baking cocoa

2 T. canola oil

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. plus around 1/2 c. granulated sugar, divided

1 large egg

1/4 c. light corn syrup

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa and canola oil, set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand/electric mixer, beat together butter, only 1 cup of the sugar, and the egg, until creamy.

4. Heat oven to 375°F.

5. Beat in the corn syrup and the reserved cocoa mixture until well combined.

6. Gradually mix in the reserved flour mixture.

7. Pour remaining 1/2 c. of sugar in a small bowl.  Do your best to make 1" diameter dough balls and drop them into the sugar, then toss to coat and place 3" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  (I was able to get only a few in much of a round ball shape; most were just dough drops around the right size.  Also, next time I will use parchment on the cookie sheets.)

7. Bake for 9-11 minutes (I went 10)--cookies will still be a bit soft in the middle. Let cookies rest on cookie sheet for at least 2 minutes before removing to finish cooling on a rack. (I waited more like 5 minutes.)  Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes with Oregano

Easy, tasty side dish!  I adapted the recipe to meet my needs, using less potatoes and about half of the seasonings listed--turned out great.  I also omitted the onions, as hubby doesn't like and I didn't have any on hand anyway.  These paired perfectly with the steak we had (NY strip).  9.5/10.

Link to original recipe: http://www.motherthyme.com/2011/09/roasted-balsamic-potatoes-with-oregano.html

Ingredients: 

1 lb. small red potatoes, cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. (note to self: I used the upper oven on convection roast setting)

2. Toss potatoes with all ingredients in a large bowl.  Spread in an even, single layer over a rimmed non-stick baking sheet.

3. Bake for 25-30 min. (I went 30 just to be sure.)  Enjoy!

Potato Leek Gratin

Mmm and extra mmmmm.  This was an amazing side dish pairing with another of my very favorite recipes, filet mignon with merlot reduction sauce.  Made this at my mom's during spring break visit and we all raved about it all night--10++!  I didn't get any pictures during cooking, as I actually had to do a lesson at that time, so it was mostly my mom cooking it.  Still, I wanted to share this recipe and record it here, as I definitely want to make it again :)
**note: link for original recipe may not be accessible without subscription**

link to original recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013511-potato-leek-gratin

Ingredients:

2 T. unsalted butter, plus more to butter the baking dish
2 large leeks, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into small half-rounds
1.5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8" thick rounds
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
2 thyme sprigs
1 c. heavy cream
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 c. grated Gruyère

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. 

2. Melt the 2 T. of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, 1/4 tsp. of the pepper, and the thyme sprigs.  Cook, stirring, until leeks are golden (around 5-7 minutes).  Discard thyme.

3. Toss the sliced potatoes with 3/4 tsp of the kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper. 

4. Add cream, garlic, and bay leaf to the skillet used for cooking the leeks.  Cook over medium heat, bringing to a gentle simmer and simmering for 5 minutes.  Stir in nutmeg and discard the bay leaf.

5. Layer half the potatoes in the prepared baking dish, then scatter the leeks in an even layer over the potatoes. Top by layering remaining half of potatoes.

6. Pour cream over the potatoes and top with the Gruyère (spread out evenly).  Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to oven.

7. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for additional 15-20 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving and enjoying!

Ham Steaks with Madeira Sauce

Ham steaks by themselves are great, don't get me wrong, but add this sauce and you've got something special.  Delightfully mmmmmm-y!  This is easy and super tasty--10 all the way.  I made these back in April of this year; consequently, I have lost the pictures, as I lost most all of my March and April pictures when my SD card failed :(  I'll post pix when I make this again, though.  I paired it with these potatoes.

Recipe comes from my favorite recipe book, French: delicious classic cuisine made easy, by Clements & Wolf-Cohen.

4 T. unsalted butter, divided
4 small shallots, finely chopped
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium beef broth
1 T. tomato paste
coarse ground pepper, to taste (I used about 2 pinches)
6 T. Madeira wine
2 large, pre-cooked, bone-in ham steaks (I used Frick's brand)

1. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 T. of the butter over medium-high heat, then add the shallots.  Cook, stirring frequently, until softened (around 2-3 min.)

2. Sprinkle the flour over the shallots and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to brown (this was around 3 min for me).

3. Slowly whisk in the beef broth, followed by the tomato paste, then add the pepper.  Bring to a simmer and keep at simmer, reducing heat as needed to keep at steady simmer.  Simmer until reduced to about 1 cup.

4. Stir in the Madeira wine and simmer for additional 2-3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat the other 2 T. of butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Add 1 ham steak (unless you have a skillet that is large enough to handle both at the same time--I don't!) and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning once.  Transfer to a plate and repeat for second ham steak.

6. Top ham steaks with sauce and enjoy!!

Boeuf Bourguignon

I cannot believe that I somehow missed blogging any version of this before; I made this last year about 2 1/2 months after we moved.  Boeuf bourguignon (Burgundy beef) is a classic French dish, which I am fairly certain I have made at some point.  Anyhow, this version comes from the book French: delicious classic cuisine made easy by Clements & Wolf-Cohen (I have made and blogged many of the recipes of this book already).  It's very good--I would give it a 9.  I plan to try other recipes for boeuf bourguignon, so this rating is subject to change...eventually, when I get time.  There is no picture of the end product because I forgot--I let it sit overnight for the flavors to meld and simply forgot to get the end pic.  I assure you that all in my house enjoyed it (apart from my kiddo, who would not try it lol).

Ingredients:

6 oz. thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into small pieces
3.5 lbs. stewing beef, cut in large chunks
3 T. butter, divided
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 whole carrot (or 6 baby carrots), finely chopped
around 4 oz. whole baby carrots (I didn't measure--see pix)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 T. flour
1 bottle (750mL) red wine, preferably Burgundy (Bourgogne)
1 1/2 T. tomato paste
bouquet garni (I usually use rosemary, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf)
2 1/2 to 3 c. beef broth
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
10 oz. pearl onions
1 lb. small button mushrooms, quartered
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a heavy dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the chopped up bacon pieces and cook until starting to crisp.  Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and drain on an paper towel lined plate.

2. Drain off all but 2 T. of the rendered bacon fat.  Increase heat to medium-high and add a single layer of beef (do NOT crowd!) and brown on all sides.  Transfer to a plate and continue in batches until all beef is browned.

3. Pour off all fat from the pot and reduce heat back to medium.  Add only 1 T. of the butter.  Once the butter has melted, add the chopped onion, chopped carrots and whole baby carrots, and garlic.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Add the wine, tomato paste, and bouquet garni.  Bring to a boil, scraping the base of the pot.

6. Return the beef and bacon to the pot and pour in the broth until all meat and veggies are covered (press them down in).  Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, keeping mixture at a simmer.  Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

7. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt only 1 T. of butter over medium heat.  Add the pearl onions and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.  Set aside on a plate.

8. In same pan, add last remaining 1 T. of butter.  Once it has melted, add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until golden.  Set aside with the pearl onions.

9. After the 3 hours of simmering, add the onions and mushrooms to the pot.  Re-cover and let cook for 30 minutes more.

10. Discard the bouquet garni and stir in the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Chianti wine reduction for steak

I made this back in February of 2017--not sure why I didn't blog this part, as I did get the mushrooms in the picture blogged.  At any rate, it's been too long since I made it to give a proper rating, but I'm rather sure I really liked this one.  When I make it again, I'll have to update this :)

link to original recipe:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/ribeye-steak-with-chianti-sauce/

Ingredients:

1 c. Chianti
1/2 c. beef stock
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. shallots, chopped
1 tsp. Italian parsley, chopped

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring Chianti to boil.  Lower heat to take it back down to a simmer and keep it simmering until reduced by half.

2. Add the beef stock, balsamic vinegar, and shallots.  Continue simmering until it is reduced by half again.

3. Stir in parsley and lower heat to keep sauce warm, no longer simmering.

4. Serve atop steaks and enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Pesto

Well, actually, the way I made it, should be called "Baked Mezzi Rigatoni with Pesto".  And it was pretty good--I would go 9/10.  The ricotta dominates a bit much, whereas there needs to be a tad more red sauce.  The seasoning is just right, though.  I will likely try making it again, only with some slight changes.

Link to original recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-with-pesto

Ingredients:

8 oz. ziti (or similar pasta, such as mezzi rigatoni)
1.5 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 c. ricotta
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella, divided
1/3 c. grated Parmesan, divided
1/4 c. pesto (I used Kirkland (Costco) brand)

Instructions:

1. Lightly butter or oil an 8"x 8" baking dish.

2. Cook the pasta in pot of boiling water for only 7 min--it will not be completely done, this is intentional.  (note to self: the pasta I used had a normal al dente cook time of 10 min.)  Drain and rinse with cool water, set aside.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 5 min.  Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

4. Add the tomatoes, salt, and bay leaf.  Reduce heat slightly and cover with a splatter screen.  Simmer for 10 min.  Stir in the pepper, then remove from heat.

5. Heat oven to 350°F.

6. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 c. of the mozzarella, half of the grated Parmesan (1/6 c.), and the pesto.

7. Pour half the cooked pasta into the prepared baking dish, then top with about a third of the tomato sauce.

8. Top the tomato sauce with the ricotta mixture, spreading as best you can to make an even layer (this is not easy).

9. Pour remaining pasta over the ricotta layer and spread evenly, followed by the remaining tomato sauce.

10. Top with the remaining 1/6 c. Parmesan and 1/2 c. mozzarella.  Bake in oven for 30 min.

11. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 min. before serving.  Enjoy!