Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables

Really? I'm posting a stew recipe? Yes, because it's really, really good... I think owing to the Balsamic vinegar and red wine. I adjust the veggie levels depending on how many I'm trying to feed.

2 lbs. stew meat
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T butter
1 large onion, cut into 1/2" thick wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine (burgundy was awesome)
3 cups beef stock
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/2 -1 tsp sage
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2-3 potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1" pieces
Cornstarch

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag, and toss the meat to coat with mixture. Place the meat single layer in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides, and transfer meat to the crockpot as pieces are cooked.

In same pan, melt the butter. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add to the crockpot.

Deglaze the pan with red wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned bits from bottom of the saucepan. Pour into the crockpot. Add all of the other ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5. I like a thicker stew, so I add cornstarch mixed with water during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.

I always cook in a crockpot even though the recipe doesn't call for it, otherwise stew meat is always too chewy for me. It melts in your mouth if you cook it all day. If you want to do it on the stove, just simmer the meat and onions for 1 hour then add the veggies and cook until tender.
~L

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I'm glad to see we are both back into this. I made this soup the other day and LOVED it. It's probably cheaper and easier just to go to Olive Garden, but the pot lasted awhile.

1 lb Italian sausage (I thought this was a bit much. I'd cut it down a link.)
2 large potatoes (Again a change: I'd do more), cut up
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can bacon bits (REALLY? A CAN? That made me laugh really hard. I fried up some bacon until it was about 1/2 a cup, crumbled)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups kale (This was the first time I'd used kale. I didn't even know if it was animal, veg, or mineral. I had to ask.)
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook sausage in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. (Yeah, that didn't work. I cooked it as stated, and then ended up frying it to finalize the cooking.)
Drain sausage and cut into slices (I would say cut into SMALL chunks...smaller than you think)
Place onions, potatoes, broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Simmer for 10 minutes
Turn heat to low and add kale and cream

Creamy Lowfat Pesto

Because I like pesto but hate paying for expensive nuts and because I had leftover ricotta cheese, I made this pesto. Add pasta, cooked chicken, a can of drained, diced tomatoes, and a can of great northern beans to make a fairly easy dinner. I think I'll use the leftover pesto on sandwiches, too.

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 shallot, minced (3 T)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Toast the garlic in a small skillet over medium-heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then peel the cloves and chop.
Place basil in a bag and pound with a rolling pin until leaves are slightly bruised. (This deepens the basil flavor.)
Process the ingredients and ½ tsp salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Thank you, ATK.
~L

Ricotta Cookies

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Measure together and set aside.

10 1/2 Tbs butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
Cream together.

1 cup ricotta
1 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Add to butter and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I've had this recipe for years and finally tried it. It's good, but you can't really taste the ricotta. It seems like it mainly affects the texture. You can do a bunch of variations on it, so I also tried the lemon poppy seed (add lemon zest and poppy seeds to dough), which was voted as the favorite, and chocolate marble (add a few tablespoons melted chocolate to half the dough). I iced the plain and lemon cookies with a cream cheese frosting, and put a chocolate glaze (melted chocolate with butter added) to the chocolate marble ones. Makes very soft and moist cookies.

The Winner?

Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Our Foods Teacher Lisa

2/3 C shortening
2/3 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
3 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz chocolate chips (I like mini)

Cream shortening, butter, sugars. Add eggs, mix. Add dry, mix. Then chips. Drop onto greased sheet. 350 for 8-10 minutes.