Mushroom Tart

Due to Nick's recent party, I have an absurd amount of mushrooms lying around waiting to be eaten. Sooo, I came up with this recipe.


About 1 lb button mushrooms (or any type, really), sliced
1 cup of spinach
1 sausage (I used chicken apple sausage), diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 cup red wine (I used pinot noir)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons of flour
1 pie crust
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven 350F degrees. Place the pie crust in the oven (best to weight it down with pie weights while it bakes) for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
2. In the meantime, saute the onions, mushrooms, garlic and sausage together in a pan with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and italian seasonings. Cook until browned and then add the red wine to the pan. Cook until reduced.
3. In a separate pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add flour until a paste forms. Use water or chicken broth and add slowly until you reach desired consistency. Combine this with the mushroom saute mixture and blend smoothly.
3. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
4. Once the crust is finished, add the mushroom mixture on top of the crust. Spread parmesan cheese over the top and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Pork Chops smothered in Mushrooms

These are goood.


2-3 pork chops
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c flour
oil for frying
1 onion, chopped
2 t rosemary
2 cups mushrooms, sliced


1. Pat chops dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably deep) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown chops in 2 batches, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add remaining 2 tablespoon oil to skillet and cook onion and mushrooms with rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Return chops and any meat juices from plate to skillet. Add water and simmer, covered, until chops are tender, about 30 minutes.

Rum Drenched Vanilla Cake

No pictures! It got eaten too quickly!

From All Cakes Considered, Melissa Gray


Dorie Greenspan’s Run-drenched Vanilla Cake

1 bundt pan

1 stick plus 7 T of butter, melted

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 ½ t baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 1/3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 ½ TABLESPOONS vanilla extract

2/3 cup whipping cream

2 ½ T dark rum

Syrup:

1/3 cup water

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup dark rum

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter, set aside and let cook. Bring eggs to room temperature.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt together into a bowl (sifting is important, here)

4. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and beat in one egg at a time. Whisk in the vanilla extract, the cream, and then the rum.

5. Gently add a third of the flour mixture at a time, making sure the batter is well mixed before adding more flour.

6. Fold in half of the butter and then the rest.

7. Pour the batter into prepared bundt pan and cook for an hour in the oven (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean)

8. For the syrup, mix together the sugar and water and let simmer over medium heat until reduced a little. Remobe pan from heat and add the rum. Allow to cool.

9. Once the cake is done, cool it for five minutes and then transfer the cake to a plate. Poke small holes through the cake with a toothpick. Then, take a brush and brush the syrup over the top of the cake. Allow the cake to absorb the syrup (when I made this, I only used about half of the syrup).

Roasted Vegetable Salad

This salad is so satisfying and delicious (yeah, I know. I say that about everything on here.)

Ingredients
1 eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion (red or yellow)
salt and pepper
olive oil
feta cheese
toasted walnuts
fresh arugula (rinsed)
Bacon (optional)

1. Peel the eggplant and cut it into strips. Cover generously in salt and let drain over the sink for 30 minutes.
2. Cut bell pepper and onion, place in a bowl with the eggplant (post-sweating) and toss in pepper, salt, and olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, you can cook the bacon and toss the feta, bacon, walnuts and arugula into a salad bowl.
4. Let the vegetables cool slightly before adding to the salad mix. For the dressing I just poured about a tablespoon of both balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the salad.

My new favorite muffins - sweet potato!

 These muffins (originally written as a cupcake recipe) are dense and flavorful. I've added a few things to the recipe to make it a little more healthy, although a lot of substitutions could be made to make it even more so.
I have baked these in cupcake tins and also in a bundt pan.

• 1  cup  coarsely chopped pecans
• 2  cups  sugar
• 1  cup  butter, softened
• 4  large eggs
• 2 or 3 sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup  orange juice (or variation of orange juice - I used banana, mango, orange juice)
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 T of wheat germ
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Directions
1. Toast pecans (walnuts are also delicious) in oven at 350 degrees F until lightly browned (about 10 minutes)
2. Sweet potatoes can either be roasted in oven (for about an hour - until soft) or skinned and boiled until soft, I usually roast them.
3. Mash sweet potatoes and add the juice and vanilla extract (be generous with the vanilla!).
4. In separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat until blended.
5. In third bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternatively with the sweet potato mixture.
6. Mix in the toasted pecans.
7. Fill cupcake tins or loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (About 30 minutes for muffins and an hour for pan)

Short Ribs in a Clay Pot

This is a wonderful recipe for short ribs and it is super simple. It does, however, take 3 hours to cook and requires the use of a clay pot (see picture - no I did not take this picture). I like to eat it with baked potatoes or pasta (like orzo). Enjoy.

Short Ribs

3-4 pounds of beef short ribs (this amount also depends on the size of your clay pot)
2 tablespoons honey
1 can (14oz) of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Worschestershire
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion, minced
1-2 cloves of garlic, mashed

1. Soak the clay pot in water (lid and bottom) for 15 minutes
2. In small saucepan, combine all ingredients but the onions and garlic. Stir until bubbly.
3. Take off heat.
4. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and toss the onions and garlic in the clay pot.
5. Pour the tomato sauce over the ribs in the pan.
6.  Place clay pot in a COLD oven and turn to 375 degrees F. Let cook for about 3 hours.
7. When one hour is remaining, you can place potatoes in the clay pot and let them bake in the yummy juices.

Note: Do not make the same mistake as me and wind up with a nasty burn -- open the clay pot away from you and beware of the steam!!!!