A Swerve Back to Healthy Eating -- KALE!

Holidays are over & healthy eating is back!  I cut out an article from the most recent Cooking Light magazine.  It's called "6 Super Kale Salads".  I prepared Freddie that he was going to be served alot of kale because I wanted to try them all!  Here's our first one:

Kale Salad -- Variation One

Apple & Cheddar

Serves 6

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Rinse & break up 6 cups of Lacinato (dinosaur) kale. (Any variety of kale will work.)  Add 1 small, thinly sliced sweet apple.  Whisk dressing & pour on greens.  Toss salad.  Top with shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese.



A Swerve from Healthful Eating -- Cheesecake!

A BIG, BIG swerve, but, oh! so good!

I love cheesecake, but am too lazy to make a full-size one.  I found this recipe by Paula Deen in her cookbook Christmas with Paula Deen & couldn't resist making them.  A new favorite for me!

Cheesecake Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

3 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Kiwi/Strawberry slices, fruit topping or jam

Line muffin cups with paper liners.  In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until very smooth.  Add the sugar & mix well.  Add eggs & vanilla.  Mix well.  Fill cups about 1/2 full.  Bake 25 minutes until set & golden brown.

Make topping: Combine sour cream, sugar & vanilla.  Stir well with rubber spatula.  Spoon about 2 teaspoon on top of each cupcake & return to oven for 5 minutes to glaze.  Remove & cool completely.  Store in a container with lid in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Before serving, decorate with fruit.  Serve at room temperature.

Beets are In Season!

Photo Credit: Honey Beets

Beets are in season -- in Florida -- and we are loving them again!  I loved the serving idea of placing the beets on top of the green butterhead leaves in the photo above.  The colors are vibrant & so appealing.

Here's the link to a previous posted recipe of ours.  Roasted Beets 

Don't forget to eat the beet greens!  Rinse & dry them & toss them in with other salad greens.  We combined them with butterhead & red oakleaf.  The greens have a stronger flavor (very good for you), but like arugula & watercress, when combined with other greens, the flavor mellows out.

Homemade Beef Stew

This really isn't an advertisement for Staub Cookware! (But, I would highly recommend this Dutch Oven!!) I love it.  It was one of our fabulous wedding presents.

We are still enjoying "cozy" foods, so here's a definite one.  It requires about 2 hours of simmering so plan accordingly.  However, you can do this ahead, if preferred.  This is just a simple recipe, but a keeper.  It's adapted from my friend, Betty, again!  I made cornbread in an iron skillet to go with the stew & supper was a hit.

(Haha -- I see that my ladle didn't grab any beef for the picture!  Sorry about that -- no retake -- stew is gone!)

Homemade Beef Stew

1 lb lean beef stew meat

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into 1" pieces

1 large potato, cut into bite-size chunks

2 medium stalks of celery, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 small onion, chopped (or sliced)

1 teaspoon salt

2 dried bay leaves **

1/2 cup cold water

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cut & discard most of the fat from the beef.  Cut any bigger pieces into 1-inch cubes.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch Oven (or stock pot) over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes.  Cook the beef in the oil about 15 minutes, stirring  occasionally.  The goal is to get good browning, which promotes flavor.  Any little brown crisps are welcome!

Remove from heat & add water, 1/2 teaspoon salt & the pepper.  Heat to boiling over high heat.  Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat just enough so mixture bubbles gently.  Cover & cook 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender.

Prepare the vegetables, peeling & cutting.  (TIP FOR DOING AHEAD: If you like, you can place all the vegetables in a bowl & cover with water. After finishing softening the beef, take the Dutch Oven off the heat, still covered.  I have actually left the house for up to two hours, returned home, and continued on with recipe from here.  I almost feel like the beef is more tender having set like this.)

Add the vegetables (if you covered the vegetables with water in the do-ahead part, drain off the water), 1 teaspoon salt & bay leaves into the beef mixture.  If you are in the mood, add a splash of dry red wine.  Cover & cook about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove the bay leaves.  Shake the cold water & flour in a jar.  Gradually stir into the mixture.  Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Serve bowls, allowing some cooling.

** If you ever can snag a Laurel Bay plant, do it!  When I lived up north, I kept one in the house.  Here in Florida, I keep one in my herb garden.  The flavor is wonderful.  I use the leaves fresh.  I also enjoy drying them & giving them in jars as small gifts. 

A Simple, Pineapple Gift

I was gifted this one Christmas season & I fell in love with the idea. 

So simple, so fresh, so good!

Teeny, Tiny Usefulness

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!  Looking forward to some good family time & good eating.

Likely, we will all be ready to get back to greens & kale soon!

Wanted to quickly share a teeny, tiny addition in my kitchen that I am using all the time.

It's a little shot glass measuring cup that measures up to 6 tsps or 2 Tbsps.  I love it!  I am one of these cooks that likes to measure out all my ingredients before I start cooking/baking.  I actually have two of these & they are so handy for that.  This is a perfect little gift/stocking stuffer.

One caveat: do not wash in the dishwasher if you use LemiShine or something similar.  You will soon have a whiskey shot glass instead of a measuring cup!  The writing will come off.  I actually contacted Anchor about this & they said that they are working on printing that can withstand the lemon -- interesting.  Anyway, I don't mind washing them for their usefulness!

Dutch Oven Shepherd's Pie

With the cooler weather, Freddie & I have both been craving "comfort foods".  I had checked out this cookbook at the library (one of my favorite genres!) & found the Shepherd's Pie recipe.  I remember my mother making this often after Sundays when we had leftover mashed potatoes.  Believe it or not, when I was sick in my first trimester, this was my only dinner request from my mother-in-law.  So, we have fallen in love with this recipe & it's becoming a weekly dinner.  We have tried both lamb & beef.  Though we love lamb, we actually prefer the beef here.

Dutch Oven Shepherd's Pie
Serves 6 to 8
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

TOPPING:
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled & cubed
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
Ground black pepper
2 large egg yolks

FILLING:
2 pounds ground lamb or beef
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, minced
2 carrots, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
Salt & ground black pepper

FOR THE TOPPING: Heat oven to 400F. Put potatoes & 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large pan & add water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer & cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 15-20 minutes. Prepare filling while waiting.

Drain the potatoes well, return them to the pot over low heat & mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Off the heat, fold in the butter until melted, then stir in the warm milk & season with salt & pepper to taste. Stir in the yolks.

FOR THE FILLING: Cook the meat in a Dutch oven over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Drain through a strainer, discarding the juice & fat. Let sit.

Add the butter, onions & carrots to the Dutch oven & cook over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic & thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour & tomato paste & cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth & Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits & smoothing out any lumps. Bring to a simmer & cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the drained meat & peas, season with salt & pepper to taste & smooth the filling into an even layer. Dollop the potato topping over the filling, then spread it into an even layer, covering the filling completely & anchoring the potatoes to the sides of the pot.

Bake until the top is light golden, 20 to 25 minutes (takes less time if all ingredients are hot). Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.