Snow Day

It has been such a nice Xmas Week upstate with lots of snow.  With a foot of snow already on the ground,  we got another foot or so yesterday.  Went for a long walk and took photos.  So peaceful and beautiful.

Cognac and Butter Sauce

This was a great sauce that we made for grilled steaks tonight - Almost another foot of snow on the ground and more coming so no outdoor excursions.  However, cooking in the kitchen with a bottle of wine and Tim and I are dancing to Justin Timberlake's - "I'm Bringing Sexy Back" and having a good ole time.

Cognac and Butter Sauce

Once the steak is removed from sauteeing it in the pan, keep the heat on high and pour 1/2 cup liquid
(we used cognac but you can use wine, vinegar, scotch or vermouth - however the cognac was delicious) into the hot pan, scrape up the golden crusty bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes to reduce. Swirl in a couple tablespoons of butter and simmer for a minute more. Plate your steak and pour over sauce.

Turkey Sloppy Joes with Kale Chips

It was impossible to move most of yesterday.  Christmas was great but too much road travel, too much eating, too much drinking and we were both comatose for much of the day.  It was really cold yesterday so we scrounged through the fridge and put this meal together.  Because of our current love affair with Kale we always have it on hand now and we always have ground turkey in the freezer - this was easy and delicious.  The Kale chips are the best and will become a staple now at every meal.



Turkey Sloppy Joes with Kale Chips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 medium white onion, diced small
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 large hamburger buns

1. In a large skillet, heat tablespoon oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sweet potato and cook until softened, 8 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds; season with salt and pepper.  Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned 6 minutes.  Add tomatoes, ketchup. and Worcestershire and cook until sauce is reduced by half.  5 minutes.   Serve on buns alongside kale chips.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves torn into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss kale with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake on two rimmed baking sheets until crisp.  15 minutes.

Christmas 2012

Is it my imagination, or was Christmas so much easier when you were a kid ?   Okay, yes we were primarily the recipients of gifts but it never seemed as complicated as it is as an adult.  It was a lot easier for my family because we lived overseas for so many years and it was just our small family unit.  Now, it takes place over 3-4 days, with in laws and children and friends and pets and a lot of driving across state borders and standing in lines for shipping?  Exhausting.  2 days into the process, upstate, New Jersey, Westchester, downstate, Manhattan, kids and family and animals - we are wiped out.  Glad to be upstate with the cats and a pile of Netflix dvds and plenty of alcohol.  Perfect.    

Christmas Present Nightmare

One of the Christmas presents we bought for ourselves was a new bookcase for our kitchen.  Furniture is always a great gift!  Along with everything else we had to do to get ready for Xmas yesterday - finish wrapping gifts, make Amigurumi Snowmen,  and grocery shop for family brunch.  We had to wait for a furniture delivery.

 Now, it is always a challenge to get furniture delivered upstate.  You have to order furniture through catalog companies that actually deliver here.  We have had some disasters in the past but last night was by far one of the worst.  We ordered this very large bookcase for our kitchen and bought something that had to be assembled because the scale was so large.  The delivery men showed up late as usual - an hour after their four hour window in the dark with snow falling.  The worst part - they had assembled the bookcase already.  Big problem since it won't fit through the door.  We had two  choices - refuse it and send it back and God knows when we would ever see it again or disassemble it and then reassemble it once it was in the house.  I asked the movers if they could see if it could be pulled apart.  They were completely useless.  So, they had to deliver the bookcase intact and sit it outside our back door in 4 inches of snow on the ground.  Then, we had to disassemble it ourselves in the dark in the snow and Tim and I had to move it indoors ourselves and reassemble.  Needless to say, there is going to be a nasty phone call made on Monday!  However, we love the bookcase and it's always nice that there will be a little story attached when people ask about it.

Lamb and Apricot Stew

This had to be the best stew we have ever tasted!  Christmas weekend with 4 inches of snow on the ground and a crazy day of gift wrapping and finalizing our Holidays.   Perfect evening for stew and watching Netflix and the snow fall.

Lamb and Apricot Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless lamb stew meat
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 two inch piece fresh ginger peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup dried apricots
Toasted sliced almonds for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high.  Season lamb with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 9 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer lamb to a plate.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened.  5 minutes.  Return lamb to pot. along with tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper.  Cover and transfer to oven; cook 45 minutes.  Stir in apricots, cover, and cook until lamb is tender 45 minutes more.  Serve stew sprinkled with almonds. ( To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3 days.)

Buttermilk Waffles

Slow, December morning.  Bessie Smith singing in the background. Good day to make some homemade waffles.  Easy, and lighter with the egg whites whipped.  Tasty.

Buttermilk Homemade Waffles

8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted unsalted butter, plus more for waffle iron
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Grease waffle iron with a small amount of melted butter, and heat.  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar , baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour into dry mixture, and combine.

3.  In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.   Fold whites into batter.

4. Ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto each section of the waffle grid; spread batter almost to the edges.  Close lid, and bake 3 to 5 minutes, until no steam emerges from waffle iron.

5. Transfer cooked waffles to a baking sheet; place in an oven set to low heat. about 200 degrees, while using remaining batter.