Homemade Shamrock Shakes!

Now that we're almost to St. Patrick's Day, who wants SHAMROCK SHAKES?!?

2 C vanilla ice cream
1-1⁄4 C 2% low-fat milk
1⁄4 tsp. mint extract
8 drops green food coloring

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Stop blender to stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend ice cream.

Pour into 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw.

Be ready for cool weather with this amazing homemade beef stew

3/4 pound shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup red wine (I use a good Cabernet)
4 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch slices
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Season the beef liberally with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring as needed, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Discard any excess oil from the pan and return to medium-high heat. Add the shallots, onions, and celery and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir, scraping the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Stir in the stock, thyme, rosemary and marjoram. Return the meat and any juices that have collected to the pot. Add the potatoes and carrots, then cover and bake for 3 hours. Stir in the peas and bake for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(MDG Note: The only changes I make to this are I use 4 large potatoes and I cut them into eighths - quartered pieces seem too large.)

Pasta e Fagioli that's almost as good as Mom's

My mom was an amazing cook! Growing up, she'd make just about everything from scratch and it would be just perfect. Since she passed in 2001, I've been trying to find recipes for all her "regular" meals. While I've found (and perfected) my own recipes for pasta sauces, chicken soup, beef stew, and fried chicken, I hadn't found a good substitute for one of my favorite soups that she made all fall and winter - Pasta e Fagioli - until now.

1 lb. ground beef
1 C diced onion
1 C julienned carrot
1 C celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato soup (or you can substitute V8)
1 tsp. vinegar
1-1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1⁄2 tsp. pepper
1⁄2 tsp. thyme
1⁄2 lb. ditali pasta

Brown beef in a large stock pot over medium heat; drain off fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

After 50 minutes, boil pasta to al dente. Drain well. Add pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 10 minutes.  

Italian Grilled Cheese, please!

On those (soon to be here) cold nights, this super easy and VERY delicious Italian grilled cheese (Mozzarella en Carozza) is the perfect quick dinner and would pair especially nice with tomato bisque soup.  

8 slices brioche bread
8 slices fresh mozzarella
5 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

Top each of 4 slices of bread with two pieces of mozzarella.  Cover with remaining 4 slices of bread, to form sandwiches.  Trim the crusts from the bread. 

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, and salt.  Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick saute pan.  Add sandwiches; cook 2 minutes, until golden brown.  Flip; cook another 2 minutes on other side, until it's also golden brown.

Mangia!

Cranberry/White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking for a little something different than just your standard, run of the mill chocolate chip cookie?  How does dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts sound?  Yeah, I thought so...

Cranberry/White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes (at least) 4 dozen cookies

2 1/4 C unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 C white chocolate chips
2 C dried cranberries
1 C chopped macadamia nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries, and nuts (if using.) Drop by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

**Note: You can also add 2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips to make them extra special!

Cleveland Cassata Cake

In honor of DD#3's birthday today, I thought I'd share the recipe for the cake she requested: Cleveland-style Cassata Cake (this one is very close to Corbo's in Cleveland's Little Italy.)

Yes, I know it looks like a strawberry shortcake but, trust me, it's SO much more!

Cleveland Cassata Cake

2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/4 and 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large egg yolks at room temperature
8 large egg whites at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the custard:
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups half and half
3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the strawberries:
3 pounds strawberries
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

For the whipped cream:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk together all of the custard ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Turn down the heat so that the mixture just simmers, and whisk until thick, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a round of wax paper, and cool. Then, chill custard, covered, for at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with lightly oiled parchment paper. Sift together the flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt two times into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat together the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture. In another large bowl beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat on high until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Using a rubber spatula, fold about a quarter of the fluffy egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Then very gently fold in the remaining whites. As soon as the egg whites are no longer visible, stop folding. Scrape the batter into the two prepared round cake pans and spread evenly. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release the cakes, cover each pan with a wax paper-lined plate, and flip. Gently lift the pans off of the cakes.

Slice the strawberries thinly and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir. Allow the strawberries to soak up the sugar for 1 hour, giving them a stir every so often. Strain the berries, reserving the released juices.

When the cakes are thoroughly chilled slice them in half so you have four layers. Place each layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet or plate. Whip the cream and sugar together until stiff.

Place one cake layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with 1/3 of the reserved strawberry juice. Cover with a layer of strawberries, and then a layer of custard. Repeat for the following layers. Then, ice the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream. Top with fresh strawberries.

Chill the cake for at least 8 hours before serving, so that the cake has time to absorb the strawberry juices. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.

Calvin & Hobbes crochet project?!? Yes, please!

I found my newest crochet project... Hobbes! As a huge fan of "Calvin & Hobbes", I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. If it turns out nice, there will be pictures posted. If not, well... eh... maybe not. lol

(Not my photo.  Like I said, if it comes out "right", I'll post my own later.)

Crochet Hobbes Doll