Polar Bear

Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. When I spotted a recipe for a boozy coffee drink using both of those flavors I had to try it. The thing is, because math is not my strong suit, I ended up doubling the called for quantities when it came to the crème de cacao and peppermint schnapps, which ended up being a rather happy mistake, I can tell you. This is so good! If you’re looking for a way to stay warm this winter, this will do it.

Polar Bear

1½ oz. peppermint schnapps
1½ oz. white crème de cacao
4 oz. espresso
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder

While you’re brewing the espresso, pour your liquor into an Irish coffee glass. Get a festive one like I have, you can find them here. Once the coffee has brewed, pour it over the liquor, spritz on some cream, and dust with cocoa powder.

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Beef Daube

 

“Marianne, One of a Kind,” [France] is a TV show featuring French actress, Marilou Berry as outspoken and unorthodox investigating judge, Marianne Vauban, who loves a quirky crime, and her food. It was through the viewing of this series that I became acquainted with Beef Daube, more or less a Provençal French stew, a dish she enjoyed most gustily in Season 1, Episode 2 “Truckers.”

Photo MHz Choice

 As she savored every bite she had this to say, “Oh, my! The sauce!” and “The baby carrots are amazing!” She was not wrong. I honestly don’t think I have ever tasted better carrots. The beef itself was superb!

As you can see the list of ingredients is lengthy, and I’m not going to lie, it took me a bit of time to do this. But, it is well worth it because it is absolute heaven. Marianne was right.

Beef Daube

Adapted from thekitchn.com

 3 lbs. boneless chuck roast

2 T. olive oil

1½ t. kosher salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 1-lb. bag baby carrots

4 lg. cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 T. tomato paste

1 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. flour

6 Melissa’s French Echalion Shallots, peeled and halved

3 whole cloves

1 orange

1 (750-milliliter) bottle Burgundy

1 small bunch Melissa’s fresh thyme

1 small bunch Melissa’s fresh rosemary

Chopped fresh parsley, for serving, optional

Cooked wide egg noodles or fresh pasta, for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 325° F. Arrange the racks such as to be able to accommodate your Dutch oven with the lid on.

 Cut beef into 2-inch cubes.

 Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dry the meat with paper towels and season with the kosher salt and pepper. Sear the meat, undisturbed, in batches for 6-9 minutes until the underside develops a dark brown crust. Transfer the meat to a clean bowl as it is seared. When all the meat has been seared, deglaze the pan with a half cup of water.

 Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the carrots are glossy and the garlic is lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and flour; stir to combine.

 Stick 3 whole cloves into the flesh of a shallot half. (This will make the cloves easy to remove before serving.) Add to Dutch oven, then using a vegetable peeler, peel 2 large strips of zest from 1 orange into the Dutch oven.

Add all the meat and any accumulated juices then add the entire bottle of burgundy. Tie 1 small bunch fresh rosemary and 1 small bunch fresh thyme together with a small piece of kitchen twine then add to the Dutch oven; stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat will easily pull apart with a fork, 3 hours. Check at 2 1/2 hours. If the meat has started to go dry, add more wine to cover. Put lid back on Dutch oven, put it back into the oven and bake another half an hour.

Remove the bundles of herbs, strips of orange, and whole cloves before serving. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper if needed.

 If desired, finely chop leaves and tender stems from 1/2 bunch fresh parsley. Serve with cooked egg noodles and a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.

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Texas Roadhouse Roadkill, my version

 

Have you noticed, like I have, that all of a sudden there seem to be a lot of recipes for Texas Roadhouse Roadkill all over the Internet? I’ve been to Texas Roadhouse only once. It was about 13 years ago, and I honestly have no idea what I ate. It had just opened locally, was jam-packed, and the only impression I got from the place was that I just wanted to get out of there. I will admit to being intrigued with this recipe, so much so that I decided to make it myself, altering it so it met with my standards. I did so by adding the additional step of dipping the patties into an egg wash and then into Italian breadcrumbs. I think that makes beef patties cooked on top of the stove so much better. They seem more like a chopped steak than they do a hamburger. Try this recipe and let me know what you think. The end result does look like a plate of roadkill, but it is awfully good.

 Texas Roadhouse Roadkill, my version

2 lb. ground chuck
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. Montreal steak seasoning
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
½ c. Italian breadcrumbs
2 T.  butter, divided
1 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 8-oz. pkg. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1-2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, Worcestershire, steak seasoning, black pepper, and mix until well blended. Shape mixture into four oblong potions about ½” thick.

Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water until frothy; pour into a shallow bowl. Put Italian breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl. Dip each patty into the egg mixture, and then into the Italian breadcrumbs, turning to coat. Place coated patties on a plate.

In a 10” – 12” skillet, melt 1 T. butter. Add oil, heating until hot. Sauté onions and a sprinkling of salt for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn out vegetables into a bowl.

Place pan back over heat and melt remaining tablespoon of butter until sizzling, but not brown. Put the crumb-coated patties into the pan and cook for five minutes. Flip to the other side and cook five minutes more. Pour sautéed onions and mushrooms over the top of the burger patties. Cover each one with a generous amount of shredded Monterey jack cheese. Put a lid on the pan and cook until the cheese melts.

 Serve immediately.

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Salisbury Steak with Porcini Mushroom Gravy

 

I collect Salisbury steak recipes in the same way that I collect meatloaf recipes. For me, there is nothing more comforting than chopped meat. It’s surprising, considering what they are, that there are so many different varieties of both. This recipe is a riff on Bobby Flay’s Salisbury steak. I ramped up the flavor by using dried porcini mushrooms instead of the button mushrooms that he had suggested. What a wonderful difference in taste. This Salisbury steak, with its porcini sauce, is woodsy, earthy, beefy, and very comforting.Salisbury Steak with Porcini Mushroom Gravy

 1 lb. ground chuck

1 egg, beaten

2 T. grated Parmesan

2 T. Italian breadcrumbs

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 .5-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried porcini mushrooms

½ white onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 c. beef stock

1 T. tomato paste

1 t. Worcestershire

2 T. heavy cream

 Hydrate mushrooms according to package directions, drain; and set aside.

 Mix together beef, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, salt, and pepper until combined. Form into 4 oval-shaped patties.

 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, and, once hot, add the patties.

 Cook for 5 minutes, and then flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes; remove from pan.

 Add onion and mushrooms to the skillet, and cook until the onions are tender. Add the Worcestershire, tomato paste, and beef broth. Simmer for a few minutes, and then add the heavy cream.

 Add the patties back to the skillet, and spoon the sauce over the top.

 Simmer for about 5 minutes, and then serve over pasta, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes.

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4 B’s Creamy Tomato Soup

 

The 4B's restaurant chain was established in 1947 by Bill Hainline and his family (his wife, Buddy, and their children, Bill, Jr. and Barbara) in Missoula, Montana. The name, as one might guess, comes from the first letters of their names. While the chain served traditional American food like soups, salads, sandwiches, they were most known for their famous cream of tomato soup.

Source: Pinterest

 The original recipe from back in the early 70’s when 4B’s gave them to customers was founder Barbara Hainline’s family recipe. In that recipe, it calls for 16 oz. crushed tomatoes and 16 oz. diced canned tomatoes. It also calls for 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup liquid coffee creamer. There are no other spices added to it. Customers added salt and pepper at the table. Personally, I can’t imagine a soup being made with coffee creamer, considering all of the nasty ingredients that are in that. Fortunately, the recipe was altered to become the one that I have pictured here.  The beauty of this soup is, of course, its simplicity. One taste told me why it was so beloved. That said, I had to put my hand in, as I do, so my version is below. I think the fire-roasted tomatoes are an excellent addition, as well as adding salt to the pot while it’s simmering. Pair this with a grilled cheese, and you have the absolute ultimate in comfort food.

 4 B’s Creamy Tomato Soup

 1 14.5-oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 14.5-oz.can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

9 oz. chicken broth

1 T. butter

2 T. sugar*

¼ t. salt

1 T. Melissa’s shallot, chopped

Pinch baking soda

2 c. heavy cream

 Mix tomatoes, chicken, broth, butter, sugar, onions, and soda together in a medium stockpot. Simmer for one hour. Heat cream in a double boiler. Slowly add cream to hot tomato soup mixture. Serve and enjoy.

 *This soup definitely has a sweet taste; I loved it, you may not. Adjust the sugar accordingly.

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Ghost Bride Martini

 

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with that perfect cocktail for your Halloween, Samhain, Dia de Los Muertos, or other spooky celebration. This recipe, from the recently reviewed Food to Die For, is adapted from one served at the haunted Grand Galvez Hotel in Galveston, TX, and further adapted by me. It honors Audra, the lovelorn bride, who hanged herself in the hotel when her mariner fiancé’s ship went down in a storm and he never returned to marry her. Sadly, he did return a number of days after her death as he had been picked up by another ship. Clearly their love was not to be.

Ghost Bride Martini

1 ½ oz. citrus vodka
¾ oz. Cointreau
¼ oz. Simple syrup
½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Run the squeezed lemon around the rim of a martini glass, invert that glass onto a plate of granulated sugar to coat, and chill.

Mix the vodka, Cointreau, simple syrup, and freshly squeezed lemon juice together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into your sugar rimmed glass and serve immediately.

This recipe makes one cocktail. What you see in the glass on this page is a double.

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Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts

 

As happens every year about this time, it is officially pumpkin spice season! I have to say that I always welcome it. I’m quite grateful to live where I do, where each season is clearly defined. After the heat of summer, I welcome cool, crisp fall days, the crackle of a log fire, and everything pumpkin.

 This year I decided to try something new and put my mini donut maker to work. If you don’t have a mini donut maker, they are great fun. They are super simple to use, small enough to easily store, and knock out donuts as quickly (or even quicker) as you can make waffles or pancakes, and look how adorable they are. They are also quite tasty, and the perfect start to the season.

Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts

 ¼ c. vegetable oil

1 large egg

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. pumpkin purée

¾ t. pumpkin pie spice

¾ t. salt

¾ t. baking powder

1 scant c. flour*

¼ c. melted butter

½ c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

 Preheat mini donut maker.

 In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients EXCEPT flour until smooth. Add flour, stirring until evenly mixed.

 Grease a mini donut pan (if necessary, mine is nonstick, so there was no need), and pipe mixture into wells until each is a little more than half full. Bake for 2-3 minutes, or until indicator light turns on signaling that they are done. Remove donuts and allow to cool.

 While you are waiting, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. In a shallow bowl, microwave butter until melted (30 to 45 seconds depending upon the wattage of your microwave). Dip donuts into butter, covering to coat, and then into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, rolling around to thoroughly coat.

 *A scant up is a cup minus 1 tablespoon.

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Tropical Lemonade with a Brazilian Twist

 

I’m sure that by now you have all heard, and grown tired of, Brazilian lemonade. Not this one, you haven’t. I took the basic recipe for Brazilian lemonade, and turned it into an adult version that is knock-your-socks-off unbelievably good. The original recipe is kid friendly, calling for 3 cups of water as the liquid. I decided to use one cup of water, one cup of coconut water, and one cup of coconut rum. Oh, mama! If you want to take a trip to the tropics without leaving your chair, this is for you.

 Now, you may be wondering why something that employs the use of limes only is called lemonade. Apparently it has something to do with translation. In Portuguese, limão is the term for both limes and lemons, ergo; any drink made with either of these citrus fruits is called limonada, that translated to the English “lemonade.” In my version, because I substituted some of the water with coconut water and coconut rum, I added the word “tropical,” but stuck with the original term of “lemonade,” despite using the limes. Whatever you want to call it, it is sensational.

Tropical Lemonade with a Brazilian Twist

 2 Melissa’s Organic limes

1 c. water

1 c. coconut water

1 c. coconut rum

½ c. sugar

3 T. sweetened condensed milk

1 ½ c. ice cubes

 Wash limes to within an inch of their lives. (I used this vegetable scrubber.) Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Leave the peels on!

Place limes in a blender with water, coconut water, rum, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove rinds, and return to the blender. Add sweetened condensed milk and ice cubes, and blend a final time. Serve in a tall glass, garnished with a slice of lime. (Thereafter, do not operate any heavy machinery.)

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Potato Salad Perfection

 

The late Mr. O-P was a big fan of potato salad. As he did all of the grocery shopping, every week he would invariably come home with a container. He preferred to enjoy potato salad with his sandwich at lunch rather than any type of chip, potato or otherwise, and, after a while, I tended to agree with him.

 Today, because I’m having ribs for dinner, I decided to make a big batch of potato salad to enjoy not just this evening, but for the coming week. I wanted to try something new, so this is a riff on Ina Garten’s potato salad that always gets rave reviews, not only for taste, but for her unique way of cooking the potatoes. I was not able to get fresh dill (it’s obviously being held hostage somewhere, and that place is a place I cannot find), so I had to make do with dried. I also like more crunch in my potato salad, so I doubled up on the vegetables, and threw in some hard boiled eggs. The end result was, in my opinion, potato salad perfection.

Potato Salad Perfection

Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

 2 1.5-oz. bags Melissa’s baby red potatoes

Kosher salt

1 c. Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ c. buttermilk

  2 T. Dijon mustard

 2 T. whole-grain mustard

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. dried dill weed

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped red onion

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper; set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in quarters or in half, depending upon their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour dressing over them to moisten. Add the celery, red onion, and eggs. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Season to taste, if necessary.*  Serve cold or at room temperature.

 *At this point in her recipe, Ina called for an additional 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. I didn’t think it needed either. Gee, Ina, can you say hypertension?

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