This is the classic. Of all classics. It is labor-intensive and moderate in difficulty.

And completely worth it.

I recently adapted Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon for dinner at our place with friends. I served mine with mashed confetti potatoes instead of egg noodles or pasta.

Next time you have a special occasion, try this one out. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time!

Ingredients:

• 6-ounces bacon coarsely chopped
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (I used Cotes du Rhone)
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• A crumbled bay leaf
• 18 to 24 pearl onions (prepare with recipe here)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
• 1 pound mushrooms (prepare with recipe here)

Directions:

1. Saute bacon over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or fireproof casserole until crisp. Remove from pan, drain and dry on separate plate with paper towels. Reheat pan until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
4. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the fat.
5. Return the beef and bacon to casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of pre-heated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for another 4 minutes. Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees F.
6. Stir in the wine, and enough broth so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of stove. Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven.
7. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is easily pierced with a fork.
8. While beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
9. When meat is tender, pour contents of casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Return beef and bacon to casserole, distribute onions and mushrooms over meat.
10. Skim fat off sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
11. Cover casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting meat and vegetables with sauce several times. Serve on a platter surrounded by potatoes, noodles, or rice. Decorate with parsley.

Oh good gracious. Please Notre Dame, PLEASE pull out a make-it-look-easy win. I honestly don’t think I can handle another week of the emotional torture that you are putting Ryan through.

Not to mention, the food is all but wasted if it gets thrown across the room as the men jump up off the couch in dismay.

This hasn’t actually happened, don’t worry. I’m just sympathizing with you ladies out there.

This week, we explore two popular pizza toppings, bacon and pineapple. Rolled up together. And in true appetizer fashion – secured with a toothpick.

Let me just say that I am not usually a “toothpick holder” person. I honestly find them to be a bit…tacky? However, sometimes a girl’s got no choice.

The bacon gets dredged in brown sugar before you wrap it around the pineapple. It’s quite amazing really.

For the women, football season is about a third of the way over. Keep the hope, girls!

For the men, remember…if you throw it across the room, you must clean it up. And probably will be serving yourself PB & J for the rest of the season.

Just a thought.

Makes 15 servings – this is relative to what you deem a “serving”

Ingredients::

• 1 pound bacon
• 1 can chunked pineapple
• ½ cup brown sugar

Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the pound of bacon in half. Put the brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Take a half  slice of bacon and dredge it through the brown sugar.
2. Put two chunks of pineapple, side by side, on one end of the bacon slice and roll up. Secure with a toothpick and place on  jellyroll pan or cookie sheet.
3. Bake for at least 25 minutes, or until the bacon looks brown and crispy.

Week 4 of college football season is here. Man, I hope that’s a correct fact, otherwise men everywhere will delete me from their RSS feeds forever.

Well, anyway this week’s fantasy football food consists of 3 things that most men love: Chili. Beef. Bread. Oh, and cheese. So 4 things.

Chili is already one of Fall and Winter’s best dishes. Add to that cornbread, cheese, and one-dish easiness, and this may become one of your go-to meals for the season. And boys, while I realize that this is not eating-with-your-hands-food, I don’t think that one week of eating with a real bowl and spoon will make you feel like any less of a man.

Don’t like beef? Use ground chicken or turkey instead. Vegetarian? Leave all the meat out. There are plenty of beans and vegetables to make this a great stand alone meal. Tip:: buy or make a little extra cornbread. It’s such a great partner to chili.

Ryan watched me make this the whole way through. And threatened to keep my pie plate. I think he has plans to make it himself! Now that’s what I call a culinary success!

Makes about 5 servings

Ingredients::

• 1 pound cornbread (you can buy it pre-made at Whole Foods)
• 1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian bean chili
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney or black beans, drained
• 1 (12.5-ounce) jar medium salsa
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheese
• 1 lb. lean ground beef

Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Season and brown the ground beef in a saute pan over medium high heat until cooked through. Crumble half of the cornbread into a medium size baking dish or regular size pie pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chili, beans and salsa. Spoon the chili mixture evenly over the cornbread. Spoon the ground beef over the chili mixture. Crumble the remaining cornbread over the beef. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.
3. Bake in the top third of the oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and top is golden brown. Allow to sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

In case you haven’t heard, we’re in a recession.

As tough as that is, the one thing that hasn’t budged is my food budget. Keeping my blog, keeping my cooking career moving in the right direction, and eating well are all top priorities for me. The challenge is doing all of that with the best food possible, on a non profit worker’s budget. Solution? 

Please run, don’t walk, to your nearest Whole Foods for tonight’s dinner. Unless you’re a vegetarian, in which case this meal is not for you! I found these Blue Cheese Burgers on sale at Whole Foods (in the fresh meat section) this week and they are so good! The beef is grass fed, with no antibiotics or preservatives added. The organic broccoli is found in the frozen food section. The roll – Whole Foods bakery.

For an easy mostly-organic meal that costs less than $3 (yes, you heard me right kids) a serving, follow these simple steps. 

Step 1:: 

Cut in half one whole wheat organic roll.

Step 2:: 

Place George Foreman grilled blue cheese burger on top of roll. Yes, that is in fact yummy blue cheese INSIDE the burger. Honestly.

Step 3:: 

Top with ketchup - obviously.

Step 4:: 

Steam up some frozen vegetables as a side.

Easy peasy, good for you, good for our earth, and recession proof. Hello love.

Texture is the most important expectation to manage here; it really threw Ryan and I off! Don’t expect super creamy. The spinach and the farfalle are the stars here, not the sauce which is just an accompaniment. It definitely grew on us and I even had leftovers for lunch. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:: 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound), cut crosswise and sliced into strips or small pieces
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp grated zest and 3 TBS juice from 2 lemons
• 1 pound farfalle or penne
• 1 6-oz bag baby spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add garlic to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and return to pot. Add sauce, spinach, pine nuts, and chicken to pot and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper if desired. 

This reminds me of the good angel on one shoulder and the bad angel on the other. All fighting for the best alfredo-type sauce!

The trifecta of goodness:: Parmesan, cream, and lemon zest.

Spinach is so good for you. And so beautiful too! I love this dish because of all the wilted spinach.

To toast pine nuts:: Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Don't burn them like I did. Dork.

Higher in protein and fiber than regular pasta. Definitely worth the extra buck.

I can tell you four things about last night’s dinner:: 

1. It is not at all good for you. In my mind, I justified this fact by using whole wheat pasta. So I basically just lied to myself. 

2. If you do not like garlic, you will not like this. Step. Away. 

3. I literally came up with this on the way home last night (hence, “Kitchen Sink”). I had an idea but ultimately, what came together was this. It also uses up some ingredients from a few recent recipes – the bread crumbs, the cheese spread, and some wine.

4. This was really good. Really. 

Serves 2-ish

Ingredients:: 

• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (or cut your own from chicken breasts)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 10 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup garlic herb cheese spread
• 1 1/2 cups (dry) whole wheat pasta, boiled following package directions

Directions:: 

1. Salt and pepper the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, mix well. 
2. Lightly bread the chicken strips by dipping them first in egg white, then into bread crumbs. Set aside. 
3. Heat 2 TBS olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add chicken, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side, until outside is golden brown and inside temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Set aside on plate. 
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saute pan (or a medium sauce pan will work fine here) with the mushrooms over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are cooked down and are browned. Add garlic, cooking for about one minute. Stir in wine, letting the wine cook off until liquid is almost completely evaporated. 
5. Remove the mushroom mixture from heat, stir in the garlic cheese spread until melted and well combined. Pour mushroom sauce over pasta and a few pieces of chicken. 

Sigh…

It’s rough being single. Well, single for a night. Cooking for one can be so depressing because it seems like there are always leftovers you don’t want to eat, ingredients that you’ll never use up, and basically, it’s a lot of work for something that no one will ever see.  So on a night when the boyfriend or husband is not around, ladies, this one is for you…

Serves 1

Ingredients::

• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 5 oz)
• 2 TBS Boursin cheese or other garlic cream cheese spread
• Coarse salt, a pinch
• Handful of fresh spinach leaves
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 TBS olive oil

Directions::

1. Slice 1 chicken breast in half length-wise. Cover chicken with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness – I used a potato masher (ha!) but you can use a meat tenderizer or other similar tool.
2. Spread thin layer of Boursin over one side of the chicken. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over cheese spread. Lay several spinach leaves on top of salt. Fold the chicken in half, securing loose side with a toothpick.
3. Place small skillet over medium-high heat. Pour 1 TBS olive oil in pan.
4. Place chicken in egg wash, coating both sides. Let excess drip off. Next, coat both sides of chicken in bread crumbs. Set both pieces of chicken in skillet.
5. Cook chicken in skillet, about 4 minutes each side, being careful not to burn. After chicken is done, place on plate. Remove toothpick. Enjoy!

I set out to replace the butter with olive oil, reduce the amount of bread crumbs, and get rid of the accompanying cream pan sauce. 

Success:: 

Ingredients:: 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
•  4 TBS olive oil + 1 TBS for pan + a sprinkle for the chicken
•  coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
•  3 TBS Dijon mustard
•  1/2 cup bread crumbs
•  1 1/2 TBS thyme, dry or fresh
•  1/4 c. light sour cream

Directions::

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle chicken with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. 
2. Combine 2 TBS olive oil with mustard, reserving 2 tsp mustard for glaze. In a separate dish, combine remaining 2 TBS olive oil with bread crumbs and thyme, season  bread mixture with salt and pepper. 
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, until crispy for about 2 1/2 minutes each side. Remove from heat, place in shallow baking dish. Smear each breast with mustard mixture, spread a thin layer of bread crumbs onto chicken. Turn chicken over, repeat both steps. 
4. Place baking dish in the oven, roast until chicken is cooked through and the top is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
5. While chicken is baking, mix together remaining 2 tsp Dijon and the sour cream. Stir until well-combined. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until warm. 
6. Place sour cream mixture on center of plate or platter in a very thin layer. Transfer the chicken to plates or serving platter on top of cream. 

Ingredients::

• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
• 10-oz box fresh spinach, chopped in food processor
• 1 15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Ryan said this reminds him of some green jello dessert – ewwww…

Lay them in two rows of four – nice and cozy so they all become friends.

Directions::

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, then add tomatoes and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place spinach in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1 tsp salt, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9″ x 10″ casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly.

“Weird? What? What’s weird? The only thing weird would be if someone didn’t like Mexican food, because I’m making fajitas!” –Ross, Friends, The One Where Ross is Fine

Do you ever get really lucky and make mistakes that turn out not so terrible afterward? Well, I had one of those this week when I tried to make Ryan and I fajitas for dinner.

Not from a seasoning mix.

From scratch.

My intentions were great. I thought “food blog item!”

But in a world where taste is literally only half the battle and presentation is the other half, the fajitas did not work out so well.

The steak? Awesome.

The look? Eh.

However, what I discovered is that the fajita marinade is great! I would totally make it again and just throw the steak on the grill (or the George if you live in a house full of women like me).

Step 1:: Place the meat (I use eye round because it’s leaner, but it probably won’t be as tender) into a glass baking dish.

Step 2:: Chop the fresh ingredients – 3 TBS cilantro, 3 garlic cloves, and 2 green onions (which I pulled from my little garden).

Step 3:: Whisk the chopped ingredients with 1/4 c. lime juice, 1 TBS vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp cumin. 

Step 4:: Coat the meat with marinade, cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours until ready to grill. 

NOTE:: The lime juice will start to cook the meat (like with ceviche), so don’t freak out when the steak begins to turn brown. Just cook it a little less than you normally would, otherwise it will be overdone.

Step 5:: Eat the steak plain or throw in some peppers, onions, light cheese and a tortilla and make a fajita!