Mashed Potato Artichoke Bake

 Side dishes often get short shrift on blogs, taking a back seat to decadent desserts, magnificent main dishes, and budget friendly casseroles.  But like the secretary in the background who always makes her boss look good, the side dish can make or break a meal or buffet.  I spotted this recipe on the Taste of Home website and decided to give it a try.  I’m a big fan of potatoes, mashed in particular, but was growing weary of the usual suspects when it came to mashed potato casseroles.  This make-ahead dish gets a lot of zing from the fresh dill and artichokes, and served four of us easily.

Mashed Potato Artichoke Bake
Adapted from TasteofHome.com

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min.
Yield: 4 Servings

2 medium-large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh dill
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
3/4 can artichoke hearts (NOT marinated), chopped
2 small scallions, diced
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Mash potatoes with the sour cream, milk, mayonnaise, butter and seasonings. Fold in artichokes and scallions.

Transfer to a 1-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

This post is linked to: On the Menu Monday

Return to Moose Lodge

I first familiarized you with “Moose Lodge” in this post.  After that time, various holiday tables appeared, while Moose Lodge sat quietly in the corner of the kitchen.  

Week before last while taking down the Christmas decorations I was lamenting the loss of pine branches, holiday greenery, “snow”- dusted pine cones, and the like, when my eyes rested on Moose Lodge. 

I could still enjoy the holiday feeling I thought, without being overt.  I stripped off the table, parked it right in the center, and started placing some favorite holiday decorations around it, making it wintry, but not Christmas-y. 

Here is the end result.  It’s important, I think, to use the things we love again and again in different scenarios.  It’s both practical and cozy and I can’t stop looking at it.

Placemats – Pier 1
Napkins – Cost Plus World Market
Coffee cups – Amazon.com

Salad plates – Lotus-Metlox
Glasses – My mother’s
Soup bowls - Tender Heart

Bamboo flatware – Crate & Barrel

Small Reindeer candle holders – Pier 1

Large Reindeer – Pottery Barn

This post is linked to:

Tabletop Tuesday 
Centerpiece Wednesday
 Wow Us Wednesdays
  Cuisine Kathleen's
 Open House Party
 The Charm of Home
 At The Picket Fence

Tablescape Thursday

Feather Your Nest Friday
 Show and Tell Friday
 Seasonal Sundays

Five Orange Pips Cake

 As I was reading a selection of Sherlock Holmes stories this past Sunday in honor of his159th birthday (If you missed it, not to worry, he'll have another one next year, that's the beauty of being fictional.), I got to wondering just what kind of cake he might have liked for his birthday. He and Watson spent more of their time solving crimes than at the dinner table, but did indulge in tea, thanks to the insistence of their doting landlady, Mrs. Hudson. When I turned the page revealing the next story, “The Five Orange Pips" -- the fifth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I had my answer. I'd make an orange pound cake, perfect for serving at tea!  A cake that could hold up to long delays in consumption should a case become complicated, and one that could do double duty at breakfast or provide sustenance in the afternoon.

 Holmes would insist upon a cake that was overtly orange, with intense flavor, and not one with taste lurking in the shadows. How could this be accomplished, I wondered?  Orange oil, orange flavoring, orange zest, pulp, juice...what?  And then I was reminded of the advice that Holmes gave Watson when the latter was struggling to comprehend the problem at hand. “Concentrate, Watson," he said. “Concentrate!" That was it!  Moments later a can of orange juice concentrate was thawing on the counter.  It was just what I needed to make an orange pound cake that really screamed ORANGE!

Mystery lovers, I give you the Five Orange Pips Cake. (No oranges were harmed in the making of this cake and no actual pips were used.)

Five Orange Pips Cake

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar 
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1/2 tsp. baking soda 
1-1/2 sticks butter, softened
2/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbs. finely minced orange zest 
1 Tbs. vanilla extract 
3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
5 large eggs

For the glaze: 
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted 
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan. Use the simplest Bundt pan that you can find.  Trust me on this.  I used my Cathedral-style pan and am still trying to clean all of the remnants out of it.

To make the cake

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and soda into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until fine crumbs form. Switch to the whisk attachment, and with the mixer running on medium speed, whisk in the oil, orange zest, vanilla extract, and orange juice concentrate.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time.  Increase speed to high and whisk the batter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 50-65 minutes.

To make the glaze

While the cake bakes, whisk together in a small bowl the orange juice concentrate, butter, and confectioners' sugar. When the cake is done, set the pan on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. With a thin skewer, poke the cake all the way through to the bottom of the pan in about 100 places. Pour 1/2 of the syrup over the cake and let stand for 1 hour before removing the cake from the pan, and glazing with the remaining half.

This post is linked to:

Sweets for a Saturday

Sugar and Spice

Thai-Style Carrot Soup with Chrysanthemum Leaves

I told myself that, with the onset of 2013, I was going to expand my horizons and begin to incorporate new, unfamiliar ingredients into my cooking and baking.  So, while paging through the new cookbook from Melissa’s Produce, 50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes, I stumbled across an ingredient that really wowed me:  Tung Ho, a.k.a. Asian edible Chrysanthemum leaves.  High in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, they have a subtle but unique flavor, with floral and pine overtones.  Wonderful when tossed in salads, they also make an excellent, attractive, edible garnish.  For that reason I had to try the recipe on page 115 of the book, Thai-Style Carrot Soup with Chrysanthemum Leaves.  A lover of carrot soups, this one is my new favorite.  I did make a couple of small changes because I like complex, heat, and love Thai peanut sauce, so I added a ½ teaspoon of curry powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin, and tripled the amount of peanut butter.  Oh, boy, is this good!  I could hear someone moaning while I was eating my soup, and then realized it was me.  Delicious and healthy -- what a great way to start the year.

Here is the recipe straight from the book, but do buy the book, a world of exotic cooking awaits.

Available in April 2013 from Amazon

This post is linked to:

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Aztec Hot Chocolate

I love recipes that can be put into the Crockpot and forgotten about while I get other things done.  Taking down the holiday decorations has been a real chore this year because of the added stress of caring for my ailing mother, so I was pleased to find this recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website.  Hot chocolate that will slowly warm, scent the house, and be there waiting for me when I need fortification and to put my feet up is all right in my book; this was just the ticket.  Smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet, I’ve never experienced a cup of hot chocolate quite like this one.  The melding of flavors is so perfect that no one particular ingredient stands out, instead they all blend together to create a creamy, delicious, warm and spicy cup of adult cocoa that calms and excites at the same time.

Aztec Hot Chocolate

4 cups milk

2 cups half-and-half or whole milk

1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate pieces

Dollops of whipped cream (optional)

Ground cinnamon (optional)

In a large bowl combine milk, half-and-half, coffee powder, the 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the ground chipotle chile pepper. If desired, cover bowl and chill for up to 24 hours. Transfer mixture to a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in chocolate pieces. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 hours, whisking vigorously once halfway through cooking time. Serve immediately or keep warm on warm setting or low-heat setting for up to 2 hours.  Before serving, whisk well. To serve, ladle beverage into heatproof mugs or cups. If desired, garnish each serving with whipped cream and/or sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

This post is linked to: On the Menu Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Try a New Recipe Tuesday, Foodie Friday, and Seasonal Sundays

Black & Tan Beer-Braised Beef and Onions

The holidays are, thankfully, behind us, and it’s time to press on with the New Year.  Once January hits I start thinking about Super Bowl (even though it’s now been pushed into February – the 3^rd this year --thanks to additional playoff games, and added revenue.  It’s just WRONG! But I digress…)

I discovered this recipe on New Year’s Day about four years ago while rummaging through Gourmet magazines.  Since then, it has become a staple of the Super Bowl buffet.  It’s “make ahead” (two of my favorite words), always delicious, and men love it.

Black & Tan Beer-Braised Beef and Onions

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

3 pounds yellow onions

1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

2 bay leaves

1 (12-ounce) bottle of Guinness

1 (12-ounce) bottle of Harp

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 sprig of fresh thyme

Halve onions lengthwise, then slice lengthwise 1/4 inch thick.

Pat beef dry and season all over with 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown beef on all sides, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Cook onions with bay leaves and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the remaining tablespoon oil in pot, scraping up brown bits from bottom and stirring occasionally, until onions are well browned, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut a round of parchment paper the diameter of the inside of pot (near the top). Set parchment round aside. (I actually used a Dutch oven for this without the parchment – I’ve done it both ways – and found the results were the same.)

Add beers and vinegar to onions and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add beef, thyme sprig, and meat juices from plate and return to a boil.

Cover with parchment round (if using) and lid and braise in oven until meat is very tender when pierced in several places with a meat fork, about 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered, 20 minutes. Slice meat. Skim off fat from sauce and discard thyme and bay leaves.  Reheat if necessary.

Serve braised beef with onions and sauce.*

*As the beef in this recipe improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead (up to 4 days) and chilled in sauce (covered once cool). I refrigerate it at this point.  When I’m ready to serve it, I discard the solidified fat, remove meat from the sauce, slice it, place it in a shallow baking dish, and drizzle it with about a cup of beef stock. I then cover it tightly with foil and heat in a 325°F oven for about 45 minutes. The gelled sauce that remains I reheat in a saucepan, adding just a splash of brandy, and serve it on the side.

This post is linked to: On the Menu Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Try a New Recipe Tuesday, Foodie Friday, and Seasonal Sundays