When life gives you lemons....

Make limoncello! These lemon peels will be steeping in vodka for about 10 days. To be continued :)

Braised Short Ribs over Pappardelle

Talk about "worth the wait"! All the deep flavors and tender beef in this dish will leave you looking forward to tomorrow's leftovers.

I initially started out with the intention of making short rib ravioli. But, Blondie didn't realize we were out of eggs, and I had already waited so long for these to braise - I couldn't wait any longer. So I used the next best thing: Pappardelle.

Here's what I did:

• 4 short ribs (mine were not boned, but you can certainly used them for more flavor!)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola oil
• Kosher salt/ground black pepper
• 1 sweet onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs of celery (or a tsp of celery seed)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 2 cups red wine (I used Cab Sauv)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Oven at 350 F

In a braiser or cast iron skillet, heat the canola oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook over med-high heat, turning until browned and crusty, for about 15 minutes. Remove ribs and set aside.

• In a food processor, add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Pulse until minced. Add minced veggies to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the ribs back to the pan.
  
  
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and place in oven for 2.5 hours, until the meat is tender and easy to shred. Sauce should be reduced by about half.

• Transfer ribs to a clean plate. Discard bones if you have them. Shred with a fork.
  
• Run the sauce through a fat separator. Pour the sauce over the meat; there should be about 2 cups.
• Serve over pappardelle with grated cheese.

Fantastic!!

Beautiful Baked Brie w/ Cherry Chutney

This was another app I made for our 4th of July blast. It's so simple that you'll giggle to yourself when your guests make such a huge deal out of it.

• 1 small wheel of Brie
• 1 sheet of Trader Joe's puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water
  

Oven at 400F

Let puff pastry thaw for 20 mins at room temperature. Lightly flour your work surface and the dough. Roll it out a bit with your rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness. Does not have to be perfect, but try to keep a square shape, since it helps when the sides are even.

Place the brie in the center of the dough. Bring opposite corners in and seal with fingers. Grab the remaining opposite corners and tie once. Seal the edges with fingers so the pastry doesn't stretch back.

(At this point, you can cover it and refrigerate for up to 48 hours if you need to make it ahead of time. If you're making it right away, continue on...)

Place on a baking sheet and brush with egg mixture.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

You can serve it with apples, crackers, toasts, etc. I served mine with crackers and this tangy cherry chutney I made:


I pitted those cherries myself with this cool pitter!


I followed this recipe from Cooks.com for the chutney:

3 cups pitted and stemmed sweet cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup chopped onions

3 tablespoons simple syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup golden raisins

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice, ground cloves, ground nutmeg

1. Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, one hour.
2. Uncover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Good with grilled chicken breasts or roasted/grilled pork.

Makes about 3 cups. I added the simple syrup and changed the original measurement of the vinegar because I thought it was way too strong. It was really good with the brie :)

Freezable, too.

Banana Nut Steel Cut Oats - Quick!

I am officially on detox from Mexican food. I think. I will have to freeze the remainder of my shredded beef because my pallet (and derriere) definitely need a break.

Onto this quick and healthy breakfast. "Quick?", you say? Yes, quick. Yes those are real steel cut oats, and they can take up to an hour to cook. The ones that are super good for you, because they are the largest cut of the oat, before it's pulverized into the instant variety.

So, HOW is this a quick breakfast? Trader Joes' genius minds at work again. They have taken out all the hassle, time, and possible failures out of the picture with their frozen steel cut oatmeal. Full writeup at www.heateatreview.com. Only 4 ingredients, no additives, no preservatives, and all of the protein/fiber steel cut oats bring.

To this, I added some sliced banana, honey, and chopped pecans.

Who wants to spend an hour making oatmeal? I have much better things to create! Thanks TJ's, once again, for making life easier with these shortcuts!

Wet Burrito

With a little help from Trader Joe, the wet burrito is created. Awwwwww yeah.

• flour tortillas
• Trader Joe's enchilada sauce
• shredded beef
• sauteed onion
• chihuahua cheese, grated
• black beans
• sour cream

Oven 400.

In a glass baking dish, smear the bottom with a little enchilada sauce to prevent sticking. In the flour tortillas, assemble the beef, sauteed onion, some cheese, and beans. Roll, leaving ends open and place in pan with the seam down.

Top with more enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake til bubbly, about 10-15 mins.

Serve with sour cream and more beans on the side. I sliced some avocado (not pictured) as well.

This looks messy, but it sure was sinful.

Man, I need to hit the gym.

Shredded Beef Empanadas

Yet another use for that delicious shredded beef! I made an entire chuck roast on Friday, so I would have plenty for my mexi-meals.

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 cup shredded beef
Queso Anejo (or any mexican cheese will do)
1/2 red onion, sliced in rings
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp Adobo seasoning (from Goya)

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water

Oven 350F

In a small pan, saute the onion rings in the olive oil, and add the Adobo. When transluscent, remove from heat and set aside.

Take the thawed puff pastry sheet and sprinkle with flour enough for it to be workable. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin sheet. It may stretch back a bit, that's OK.

With a glass or cookie cutter, cut little rounds of dough. Be sure to keep them close, the dough is close to impossible to reuse. Once you have your rounds, start assembling. Add a small amount of beef to one side of the dough.


Add a little onion, and some cheese, and fold over itself. Wet the edge of the dough if it's not sealing well.


Crimp with a fork, so it's sealed completely.


Place all the empanadas on a baking sheet or stone, with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash. Bake in a 350F oven for 20-30 mins, until browned.


These were a winner at the July 4th cookout. I served them with ranchero sauce and some cilantro-lime sour cream for dipping.

Do you know when your eggs were laid?

I do! And that's what you get when you buy local. And these were
bought last Saturday!

Best Mexican grub Ever! Don Gabriel's in WC

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you haven't tried Don Gabriel's in West Chester, GO NOW!

It's the real deal. The regular menu items are delicious, I've had a few. But this time I decided I'd be craaazy and order one of the specials. I saw Chilaquiles de Jitomate con Pollo and knew it would be mine! Not long before, I had no idea what chilaquiles were, until WWW showed me the way. A menu item like this may have intimidated me in the past, and look what I would have been missing! The best part? Only $10! The huevo (egg) version was only $8.

You can't really see what's under all that chicken (pollo) and sour creamy goodness, but it's the yummy, limp-yet-crunchy tortillas in a tomato (jitomate) base. OMGGGG!

Everything was perfect. There was nothing left.

And BYOB - I got to enjoy a Corona with the meal!