Italian Stracatto

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast – rub with salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup flour

Vegetables and seasonings:

• 1 onion, cut to make pieces
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 2 bags of baby potatoes
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup red wine (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

1. Rub meat with salt and pepper. Then rub with flour.
2. Heat olive oil.
3. Brown meat in roasting pan.
4. Add onions, and celery.  Saute.
5. Add the rest of the ½ cup flour to brown with the meat.
6. Roast for an hour.
7. Add rest of ingredients.
8. Cover roaster.
9. Roast in oven at 225 degrees.
10. Roast for 4 hours.

Check for tenderness and serve.

Au Gratin Potatoes

  

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk (can use lactose free)
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Paprika (optional)
• 1 package 30 oz. frozen shredded hashbrowns 

1. Spray casserole dish and microwave shredded hashbrowns for 6 minutes.  Stir and repeat.
2. In skillet, melt butter.
3. Add onion powder, flour, salt and pepper.  Stir. 
4. Add milk and stir constantly.
5. When mixture thickens a bit, add cheese and stir constantly until cheese is melted. 
6. Pour mixture over microwaved potatoes.
7. Stir.
8. Top with paprika (optional).
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

 

 

Cucumber and Onion Salad

 

• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 cup olive oil light mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ white vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

 

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. 

Serves 6.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 package of lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes (approximately 2 lbs.)
• black ground pepper
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 packages dry onion soup mix
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 5 potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 package baby carrots
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cans cream of celery soup
• 1 cup ketchup

1. Spray the non-stick cooking spray to coat the inside of the slow cooker.
2. In a plastic bag, put the paprika and the onion soup mix. Shake to mix well.
3. Blot the meat pieces dry with a paper towel. Shake pepper over the pieces. Add the meat to the mixture and shake until all pieces are coated.
4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
5. Brown the pieces in two batches about 10 minutes. Some people skip this step, but it will enrich the flavor if you do so.
6. Layer the meat in the bottom of the slow cooker.
7. Layer the vegetables on top of the meat.
8. In a separate bowl, stir the celery soup and ketchup until blended. If you have any leftover seasoning from the plastic bag, you may add this also and stir to distribute it.
9. Pour over the vegetables in the crockpot.
10. Cover the with lid and cook for eight hours on low.
11. Before serving, stir to distribute the sauce more evenly.
12. Serve and enjoy.

Beef Bourguinon

Beef Bourguinon

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ pound sliced center cut bacon, chopped
• 1 package lean beef stew meat, cubed into 1 inch pieces
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 bag of baby carrots, cut in half diagonally
• 2 Vidalia onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (refrigerated in a jar)
• ½ cup Cognac
• 1 750 ml bottle Pinot Noir
• 2 beef bouillon cubes, dissolved in 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 bag frozen whole pearl onions
• 1 package of fresh mushroom caps, washed and sliced
• sliced sourdough bread, sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder

1. In skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the chopped bacon, cooking about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Blot the beef cubes to dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper them.
3. Sear the cubes in two batches about 3 to 5 minutes, making sure that the cubes are browned on all sides. Some people do not sear the cubes, but it really makes a huges difference in how it tastes in the end, so I recommend searing. Remove the cubes and set aside.
4. Toss carrots and sliced onions with 2 teaspoons of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Put in the fat in the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium, until pieces are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Do not add the garlic before that or it will burn and become bitter.
5. Using a butane lighting stick (like you use to light a grill), tilt the pan slightly, pour the cognac in it and immediately set it on fire. Once flaming, you can level the pan and allow the cognac to burn off. This step will enrich the flavor of the vegetables. Stir in the flour.
6. Pour all the vegetables including the pearl onions, meats, the bottle of pinot noir, the beef bouillon, two tablespoons of the butter, and tomato paste in a crockpot. Stir and place lid on the crockpot and cook at low 8 hours until vegetables are fork tender.
7. Brown the mushroom slices in two tablespoons of butter in a skillet until lightly brown. Add to the crockpot and cook another hour.
8. Toast the slices of sourdough bread, sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder in the oven. Remove when slightly brown.
9. Plate the bread, and spoon the mixture over the bread.
10. Serve and enjoy.  

Sauteed Morels

• ½ gallon water
• ¼ cup salt
• 8 large morels
• 3 tablespoons salted butter (do not use margarine)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Clean morels by filling a large bowl ½ gallon tap water. Add ¼ cup salt. Stir. Plunge morels into water for 4 minutes only. If you leave them longer, they will absorb too much salt. This should remove any kill any bugs and remove them and any debris.
2. Rinse each morel in as slow running stream of cold water as possible.
3. Blot them dry with paper towels on both the bottom and top
4. Slice the morels in quarters.
5. Heat butter in a skillet on medium heat (This would be a 6 setting on my induction cooktop.)
6. When the butter is bubbling, add the minced garlic.
7. Cook for 30 seconds.
8. Add the morels.
9. Add the wine and reduce, flipping them once.
10. When sauce is reduced, remove and serve.
11. Taste test and add salt and pepper as desired.  (I didn't have to add any salt because I used salted butter.)
12. Enjoy.  

Crunchy Fried Morels

1. 1/2 gallon of hot tap water
2. 1/4 cup salt
3. 8 large morels
4. 1 egg, beaten
5. 1/2 cup flour
6. 1/2 cup Panko crumbs (Italian flavor)
7. 2 sticks butter (don't try to substitute margarine)
8. salt and pepper to taste
9. Fill approximately 1/2 gallon of the hottest tap water that you can make in a large bowl.
10. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt into it and stir.
11. Place the morels into the mixture for  only 4 minutes. Soaking longer than 4 minutes will make the morels too salty. This salt water should kill any bugs and remove any debris.  
12. With a very slow stream of cold water, gently rinse the morels one at a time and place on a paper towel.  
13. Pat dry with a paper towel.
14. With a knife, quarter the morels.
15. Heat the butter in a skillet on medium heat.  (On my induction cooktop, the setting should be six.)  If the temperature is too high, the butter will burn.  
16. Beat the egg, slightly in a bowl for dipping.
17. In a paper bag, place the flour and Panko crumbs. Close the bag and shake to mix.
18. One by one, dip each piece of morel into the egg mixture, then toss in the bag.  When you get 4 pieces in the bag, close the bag and shake to coat well.  
19. When the butter is bubbling well, place each piece in the frying pan.
20. Repeat the dipping and coating process for all the remaining pieces of morel are coated. 
21. Salt and pepper very lightly.  (If you are using salted butter, you probably won't need to salt at all.)
22. Fry about 5 minutes or until the coating is a golden color.  This is a very gentle fry.
23. With tongs turn the pieces of morel and fry until golden on the other side of the morels.  
24. Remove the morels and place them on a paper plate to absorb the excess butter.
25. Serve and enjoy.   

Baked Vidalias with Morels

• 4 Vidalia onions
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package dried morels (rehydrated)
• 2 oz. white chardonnay
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½  teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 ounces water

1. Spray four pieces of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Peel and wash the Vidalia onions.
3. Scoop a triangle from the top  to make a cavity for the morels.
4. Spray the onions with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Wrap each onion separately on one sheet of the cooking foil, shiny side touching the onion.
6. Bake in 450 degree onion for 35 minutes.
7. While baking the onions, make the morel mixture by sautéing the rehydrated morels in olive oil, stirring often. Towards the end of browning, the minced minced garlic (I used the kind  in a jar that is refrigerated).
8. When browned to your taste, add  two ounces white chardonnay and reduce, stirring frequently. 
9. When the wine has been reduced, add 4 tablespoons of butter to the mixture and stir until melted. 
10. Remove onions from the oven. 
11. Open the foil and brush the sugar water mixture on each onion. 
12. Place the onions, still on the foil, but not covered, on a pizza pan. 
13. Return to oven and start with browning for 10 minutes.  Check to see if you like the color, and return to oven if not quite brown enough suit you.  When the browning suits you, remove.
14. Divide the morel mixture that among the cavities of the four baked onions. 
15. Serve and enjoy!

Nancy's Grilled Ham Asparagus Wraps

•  1 bunch tender young asparagus
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ pound very thin sliced ham.
• 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Cut woody ends off washed spears.
2. Put the spears in a ziplock bag.
3. Add olive oil, pepper, garlic, salt, and lemon juice. 
4. Close the bag and shake well, making sure that the spears are evenly coated.
5. Let spears marinate for several hours if possible. 
6. Put spears on a grill pan that has holes in them.
7. Grill 10 minutes or until browned.
8. Remove spears from grill with tongs and wrap each two spears with slices of ham.
9. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
10. Return to ham wrapped spears to grill and grill about 5 minutes more.

Serve and enjoy.

Nancy's Brussel Sprouts

One person thought it looked good and I did actually like it even though no one else in the house liked it, so I will post the recipe.

Nancy’s Brussel Sprouts

• 14 baby brussel sprouts
• ½ teapoon olive oil
• 1 strip of bacon, cooked on a paper towel until crisp in microwave and crumbled
• 1 teaspoon Old Dutch sweet and sour salad dressing
• ¼ teaspoon refrigerated minced garlic (from a jar)
• ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

1. Microwave the brussel sprouts in covered dish for three minutes.
2. Slice the brussel spouts so they are in ribbons or slices.
3. Saute brussel sprouts in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.
4. Add garlic, Old Dutch salad dressing and toss.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, and crumbled bacon.

Serves 2.