Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Spaghetti Daube in Creole Gravy

I actually made this some time ago. This is much richer than a tomato pasta sauce and it is delicious.  It made a ton but it freezes well so you can enjoy it several times without all of the prep work!  I sliced the meat so it was more chunky but you can shred the meat if you like to swirl your spaghetti!




Spaghetti Daube in Creole Gravy
Deep South Dish Spaghetti Daube in Creole Gravy
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

3 to 5 pound beef chuck or rump roast
2-3 tablespoons of canola oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 (28 ounce) cans of whole tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup of beef broth (or red wine)
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of salt
8 turns of the pepper grinder
1/2 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama, or your
   favorite Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 large bay leaf
Grated nutmeg
Cooked spaghetti noodles
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Set roast aside to come to room temperature.

Pour enough canola oil into the bottom of a heavy, stainless stockpot and heat to medium high. Add onion, celery and bell pepper and cook until softened, but not brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Using a pair of kitchen shears, coarsely cut up both cans of the whole tomatoes right in the can; add to pot. Add the tomato sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, parsley, and bay leaf. Pass a whole nutmeg over a microplane 3 or 4 times and stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire; bring up to a boil. Cut the roast in half, add it to the pot, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until beef is tender. Don't allow the meat to boil! Keep it at a very low simmer.

Remove the beef from the pot, slice into 1/2 inch slices (if you are making Daube Glace, reserve some of these whole slices) and then shred pieces with a fork, add the shredded beef back to the tomato gravy. Let it continue to low simmer, covered, another 15 minutes, or just hold the pot on very low until you are ready to serve. You can also leave it as whole slices if you prefer, returning the slices to the gravy to simmer a bit, and then serving the slices on top of the spaghetti noodles, with a bit of sauce spooned over the top.

Boil the spaghetti noodles according to package directions; drain well. Return noodles to pot and add a couple of scoops of the tomato gravy, stirring to coat all of the noodles. Turn the noodles out onto a large platter and pour sauce over the top, or plate noodles individually and add a couple of hearty scoops of the meat and sauce.



Enjoy!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Chicken Chili


I love the fall season. It is not freezing outside yet and the colors are absolutely beautiful! This is also a good time for soups, stews and chili! This recipe is quite good. I am not sure where I got it from. I had never tried Chicken Chili and I would see it occasionally in a blog or on a cooking show so when I was flipping through my recipe binder (years of collecting), I came across this recipe. It was fate so I made it.  This was very comforting and slightly addictive. I liked that it was creamy with a little kick of spice.



Chicken Chili
Serves 6-8

2 pounds diced chicken, about 3 cups (white or dark, cooked or not, whatever you have)
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder - not garlic salt)
2 (two) 15.5 ounce cans Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or any light colored bean - great northern, pinto, black eyed peas)
4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more if you like it hot)
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 (one) 4 ounce can green chilies (optional)

Garnish:
sour cream
shredded cheese (pepper jack, cheddar, etc)
chopped scallions
chopped cilantro

Heat a heavy-bottomed soup pot over med-hi heat. If using leftover chicken, skip this first step. If using uncooked chicken, lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper; saute in a little oil until browned (no need to cook completely at this stage). Remove chicken; reserve. In the same pan, saute onions until slightly browned; add salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, oregano, and cumin. Continue to cook for a few minutes to "bloom" the flavor of the herbs. Add chicken stock, chicken, beans, and optional green chilies to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, heavy cream, and parsley. Garnish and serve.


Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ducks helping to wash car

My husband was washing the car this morning and he was surprised by six ducks playing in the water that was pooling at the end of the driveway.

Here they are hanging out as the car is washed.

You could tell they were very comfortable being around people. 
We could get really close and they did not run away.

 They would even come closer if you encouraged them.

They got a treat for helping to wash the car. 


They were fun to watch.  We think they wandered over to our yard from the condo complex behind our house that has ponds. My husband said they are fun until they start messing on the driveway. Haha!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Quick and Easy Dessert - Strawberry Shortcake

I love this dessert because it is easy to make and you can be creative if you like.

Cut up strawberries (make sure to make at least two cuts on each berry) and sprinkle sugar over to coat every berry.  Let sit on counter for about an hour or place in refrigerator overnight. The result will be strawberries with a delicious sweet syrup. You can also do this with peaches!

Next cut angel food cake or a pound cake into the size chunks as you desire for your dessert. Place the cake on the plate or bowl, top with fruit and syrup, add another chunk of cake, then more fruit and top with whipped cream.

To be creative, you can add blueberries, bananas for raspberries to strawberries right before serving. If you use store bought cakes and Cool Whip, this dessert is so quick and simple along with delicious for your family or guests!

Enjoy!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Yummy Salad for Dinner or Picnics

This salad was not only beautiful but extremely tasty.  It was easy to make and perfect for picnics. I used bagged Italian greens by Dole and I made sure I drained the oranges thoroughly and towel dried the strawberries before added to the salad. I also think blueberries would have been a delicious addition.  I will add them next time. 
 
 

Salad with Fruit and Gorgonzola
Lettuce - Bag of Dole Italian Blend or a mixture of your favorite lettuces
2-3 oz Gorgonzola Cheese
6 oz mandarin oranges (Dole has best flavor and the segments are whole)
1-2 cups strawberries, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
Kraft Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

Prepare sugared walnuts:
Place sugar and walnuts in small skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar melts and coats nuts. Place on wax paper to cool.

Assemble salad:
Place lettuce in bowl and toss with half of the fruit and cheese. If you are going to eat salad immediately, you can toss in some of the dressing. Top salad with remaining fruit and cheese along with the walnuts. Drizzle on additional dressing.  If salad is to be eaten at a later time, dressing can be added upon serving, it is still delicious.