Slow Cooker Chuckwagon Ragout with Cauliflower Polenta

Summer is just about over and soon we all will be thinking about fall, back to school and easy weekday dinners. When I was working and the kids were all still at home, my slow cooker saved the day on many occasions. I could assemble most of the slow cooker's ingredients the night before and just flip a switch as I was heading out the door. Nothing could top the knowledge that when I arrived home, the evening meal was mostly prepared. I may not be rushing out the door anymore but I still appreciate knowing that my slow cooker is preparing a delicious meal while I am busy doing other things.
This dish may have a silly name but I assure you the finished product is delicious. It will appeal to the meat eaters and most children. This figure friendly ragout is similar to a rich beef stew and it is served over a bowl of creamy cauliflower polenta. Riced cauliflower cooked with polenta, grits or cornmeal turns this dish into comfort food and lightens the dish. This dish is perfect for a busy weeknight, chilly evening or for a quick dinner before your little goblins head out for trick or treating.

Serves 6-8
3.5 pounds sirloin steak, cut into small cubes
1 large onion, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 28oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste.
4 cups beef stock, divided
1/4 cup steak sauce
1 container of Knor concentrated beef stock
3 tablespoons minute tapioca(for thickening of the sauce)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
16oz riced cauliflower
1 1/2 cups cornmeal or quick cooking polenta
1/2 cup nonfat half and half
4oz light shredded cheddar cheese

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes,bell pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent and tomatoes have softened. Pour the vegetable mixture into bottom of slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, add the remaining oil. Season sirloin with salt and pepper and brown in the skillet. Cook until the meat is browned on all sides. Add the sirloin to the slow cooker. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 1/2 cup beef stock, concentrated beef stock, minute tapioca and steak sauce. Stir to combine and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Just before serving, add the remaining stock + 1/2 cup of water, to the half and half in a medium sized pot. Heat over medium high heat. Add the cauliflower and 1/2 tsp of salt. Simmer for 5 minutes. Using a whisk, add the cornmeal or polenta a little at a time while constantly whisking until all combined. Switch to a spoon and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Spoon the polenta in bowls and spoon the ragout over the top.

Cook's Notes-
Riced Cauliflower can be found at most Trader Joe's. It not, cut a fresh cauliflower into florettes and cook in salted water for 20-25 minutes until soft. Puree with a food processor and then add to the stock mixture.

You can change out the veggies as you prefer. Try onion, carrots and celery during the winter when fresh tomatoes are more expensive.You can also change out the meat for a less expensive, leaner cut. The slow cooker will soften tougher cuts of meat. No time to cut up the meat? No problem! Just season the meat on all sides, brown if time allows and place the entire piece into the slow cooker. Shred the meat before serving.

Lemon Brownies

It seems like it has been forever since my last post. Quite a bit has happened since then, I decided to join my husband in retirement in June, our daughter graduated from college, we celebrated 30 years of marriage, our youngest turned 21, our oldest announced that he is going back to school for his masters and we took everyone to Europe for a much overdue visit with family. Now that I am retired I have no excuse not to get back into my newly remodeled kitchen and cook.
I try to bake once a week for my mom, ever the hostess, she still likes to have treats to offer the whomever may stop by to visit. I put together a tea party for her to serve her guests back on Mother's Day and I have been told that I need to do it again soon. I take that as a good sign. So until I can get that together, I thought Mom might like these little beauties.
These lemon brownies are scrumptious! They are a cross between lemon bars and lemon cake. The brownie is moist and dense like its chocolate cousin but after that these two part ways. This lemon brownie is sweet and tangy like a good glass of lemonade. It would be the perfect end to a light lunch or dinner. I would not hesitate to include it on an afternoon tea tray either.

Yields-18 brownies

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
zest of 2 medium lemons

Glaze
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 2 medium lemons
2 tablespoons butter melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl place the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix gently with a whisk. Add the softened butter and using an electric mixer, mix until just combined. Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest and mix again until just combined. Do not overmix or the brownies will be tough.Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. While the brownies cool, prepare the glaze by placing all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until smooth. Cut the brownies into bars when cool and smooth the glaze over the top of the brownies.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Crisps, Crumbles and Cobblers, Oh My! Nothing beats a warm sweet/tart filling with a crispy, buttery topping. Pair it with a scoop a good Vanilla Ice-Cream and you will be in heaven But wait, what's the difference between a Cobbler, Crisp and Crumble? Not much, except for the topping. A cobbler is topped with a sweetened biscuit dough(to resemble a cobble stone street, thus the name). A Crisp usually has rolled oats added to a flour, butter and sugar topping while a crumble's topping is like the crisp's just minus the oats. These desserts have been a part of our country's food histroy since colonial times. The British brought their version of pies with them which was a sweet or savory filling topped with a single crust. From there the recipes have evolved to what many of us know today. Ok, class is dismissed. Let's get down to baking. You can use just about any variety of fresh or frozen fruit your little heart desires. The adjustments will be how much sugar and how much thickener you will need to use. As to thickeners. The standard is usually flour. I personally, don't like flour because it can sometimes give your filling a chalky taste. It can also fail to thicken if you do not have the ratio(flour to fruit) just right. This can be tricky because the juice fruit might contain can vary with variety and growing conditions. Just contemplating all that adjusting gives me a headache. So I prefer to use instant tapioca(Which has not flavor or color) or a cornstarch slurry. Which is cornstarch mixed in a cold liquid and added to the fruit filling. Both of these thicken with more consistency than flour but both have to come to a boil before they will reach their maximum thickening ability. So you have to watch your crisp and keep it in the oven long enough to see that it is bubbling around the edges. I hope my long explanation does not deter you from trying a crisp soon. These little gems are perfect especially during spring and summer when all the wonderful fruit is in season.

Yield: About 8 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all­purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light­ brown sugar

10 Tbsp butter, cold and diced into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 lb fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced into three pieces

24 oz fresh or frozen rhubarb, sliced into 1/2­inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup (2 oz) orange juice
1/4 cup minute tapioca
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 3-4 quart baking dish with baking spray , set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, making sure you have no lumps of sugar.
Add butter and vanilla bean paste and rub into mixture with finger tips until it comes together and the butter chunks are no larger than the size of a pea. Transfer to refrigerator while preparing filling.
In a mixing bowl toss together strawberries, rhubarb,sugar,tapioca, orange zest and juice. Pour into prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle crumble evenly over top. Bake in preheated oven 40-50 minutes until juices
are bubbling and crisp is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe source: Inspired by Ina Garten's Crisp

Ham and Macaroni Casserole

If you served ham on Easter than like me you have leftover ham taking up space in your frig.This was a recipe my mom made whenever there was leftover ham from a big holiday meal. She used canned cream of mushroom soup but I updated the recipe by making my own sauce instead. This recipe will make 1 large and 1 small casserole or 2 medium sized casseroles. This dish freezes quite well so you can have one tonight and the other another day when you don't have time to cook.

Serves 8-10

4 cups ham, cubed
1.5 pounds of elbow macaroni, cooked to package directions
1 large onion, diced
1 pound button mushrooms, diced
4 tbsp Smart Balance or butter
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups low fat milk
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded low fat swiss cheese
2 tsp olive oil

Spray 2 oblong casserole dishes with cooking spray. Place the cooked macaroni on the bottom of the dishes. Top with the ham. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat the oil. Add the onion and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until the veggies just begin to brown. Spoon them on top of the meat and pasta. Melt the Smart Balance or butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Add the wine, stock, milk, salt and pepper and thyme. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and comes to a boil and thickens. Pour the sauce over the meat, veggies and pasta in the casseroles. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cover with foil and freeze or place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes covered. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes more until top is browned. If baking after being frozen, allow the casserole to thaw in the frig overnight before baking.

Creme Brulee French Toast

Oven French Toast is quick and easy. I haven't made French Toast the traditional way in years. I swapped the full fat half and half for the fat free variety to help lighten the dish a bit. You could also swap out half of the eggs for egg beaters to lower it a bit more. This recipe couldn't be more suited for a busy holiday morning. The dish is assembled the night before and then baked half an hour before you sit down to eat.My children would be very disappointed to not see this dish on the menu for Easter Brunch.

Serves 6-8

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf of French Bread sliced
8 eggs
2 cups fat-free half and half
1 teaspoon of Brandy
1 teaspoon Triple Sec
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated nutmeg-optional

In a microwave safe bowl, place the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until the butter and sugar have melted, about 3 minutes on high. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the brown sugar mix into the bottom of the pan to coat. Lay several pieces of bread on top of the brown sugar mix. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, brandy, triple sec and vanilla. Pour over the bread and grate the nutmeg over all. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the foil and let the french toast come to room temperature. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes until puffed and browned. Serve with fresh berries.

Oven Omelet

I often make this during the holidays however there is no reason this couldn't be presented at brunch. The omelet can quickly be assembled and the oven will do the rest. You can even make it up to 24 hours ahead if time runs short. Just cover with foil and place in the frig. Remove the foil before baking. I made mine with mushrooms, green onions, cheese and prosciutto but you could add just about anything you like.

Serves 6

12 eggs,cracked
1/2 cup fat-free Plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fat-free half and half
6 oz sliced mushrooms
6 slices prosciutto
1/2 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
4 green onions, slice
3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and spread out into a single layer. DO NOT STIR for 3-5 minutes, let them brown. Stir, sprinkle with salt and again leave alone for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, half and half salt and pepper. Layer the mushrooms, green onions and cheese on the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Lay the prosciutto on the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

Kitchen Reveal-It's done!

Finally, after several months... the kitchen is done. We started this process back in mid October. The contractor had the bulk of it finished back in mid February but today we hung the valances and I now consider this project to be complete.

We went with a country french feel. The cabinetry is a warm butter yellow and the island is a lovely shade of blue. We extended the island to 8 feet and it now seats four comfortably. On the other side I have the microwave and 2 refrigerated drawers. These have been a big hit with the family. The rest of the island stores cutlery and dishes.

My favorite part of the kitchen is my large walk in pantry. I have a place for everything including small appliances like the toaster and Kuerig. These were all out in plain veiw in the old kitchen and made the place feel cluttered. I have large barn doors that can be drawn across the opening when company is here.

The large Viking range is the focal point of our new kitchen and I love it. I also had an under the counter oven installed just to the right of the range for holiday baking and the thanksgiving turkey. You can just see part of it over the island.

Here in the family room, we added the built-ins to match the kitchen cabinets. I have so much storage now that I haven't filled all the cupboards up yet. But just give me time and I'll find something to put in there.

We used to have a hideous sliding glass door here. This is not our front entrance but as this door leads directly into the kitchen this door became the most used by family and visitors alike. We had the slider replaced with these beautiful french doors that a local stained glass artist made for us.

Upon entering you run into this lovely old bench. I found it at a local antique store and could not resist placing it here. I just love it! Well that's the reveal. I have to say while the process was frustrating at times and moved at the pace of a snail, I am thrilled with the results and am looking forward to getting back in the kitchen to cook. Happy Easter!