Busy Times...Busy Times

Happy Thanksgiving!!  I apologize for not blogging sooner but life gets busy as we all know.  I have been cooking and baking though...and documenting my adventures along the way. 

I recently came across a fabulous recipe in my most recent Cuisine magazine.  A fresh take on beef stroganoff...and it was AH-mazing.  The layers of flavor in this dish gave you something different in each bite.  All things considered, with prep done ahead of time, this dish would be a great weekday meal. 

Tenderloin Tips w/Mushroom Cream Sauce

 Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb beef tenderloin tips, cubed
1 Tbsp black pepper and Kosher salt
1 lb sliced button mushrooms
¼ c chopped shallots
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ c dry Marsala
1 c heavy cream
2 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
Minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat until it shimmers.  Season beef with pepper and salt.  Add beef to skillet and sear until browned on all sides; transfer to a plate.

Add mushrooms to the same skillet; cover and cook over high heat until they release their liquid.  Remove lid and continue cooking until mushrooms brown and liquid evaporates, 7-9 minutes.  Add shallots and garlic to skillet; cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Deglaze skillet with Marsala; reduce by half.  Reduce heat to medium and stir in cream, cream cheese and mustard.  Simmer sauce until thickened, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, thyme and any meat juices that accumulated on the plate. 

Serve sauce and beef over lemony noodles; garnish w/parsley.

 Serve this dish over a side of lemony egg noodles.  This recipe can be slightly altered by adding freshly grated parmesan or romano cheeses.  Perhaps add peas and mint.  Just a great and versatile side dish.

Lemony Noodles

 Ingredients:

8 oz extra wide egg noodes

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain

Toss noodles with butter, parsley and zest.  Season with salt and pepper

As I've mentioned I cook for comfort more than anything else.  My ultimate comfort food is anything that involves some form of pasta.  While I do not have my lasagna recipe written at this time, I have included a couple of pics of a recent lasagna night in the O'Connell household.  Lasagna is one of those meals that I will eat until all of the leftovers are gone.  I could (and have) eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  In fact, it is well known that if I could only eat one food for the rest of  my life it would most definitely be lasagna.

Along the same "pasta" lines I found a wonderfully simple recipe on Pinterest.  I was looking for a recipe that would include some of the yummy squash that is so easily available in the Midwest right now.  I came across the following recipe that called for acorn squash.  However, I had and used butternut squash instead.  Let me tell you!  I was worried my son would not be willing to try the squash.  It was the first thing he ate out of the dish!  This meal was so homey and comforting and a total keeper.  I've attached the link below. As I said above I just swapped out the acorn squash for butternut and also doubled the recipe.

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-penne-with-acorn-squash-63917

Pics of our meal:

Well,  I can't have all of these savory dishes without ending with a few sweet additions.  A few years ago we found the most perfect hot cocoa recipe online.  We drink SO much of this during the cold, winter evenings that I can honestly attribute a five poound weight gain over last winter directly to this heavenly drink.  I've also included a fave cookie recipe of my family.  On a cold night there's nothing quite like a creamy cup of hot cocoa and cinnamony (is that even a word?) snickerdoodle.

Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c white sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/3 c boiling water
3 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c half and half

Directions:

Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan.  Blend in the boiling water.  Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir.  Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes.  Watch that it doesn't scorch.  Stir in the milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Divide into mugs and add the half and half to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. 

We top with a mountain of whipped cream and cinnamon.

 

Snickerdoodles

 Ingredients:

½ c butter

1  c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add about half of the flour, the 1 c of sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and cream of tartar.  Beat until thoroughly combined.  Beat in remaining flour.  Cover and chill one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Combine the 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon.  Roll balls in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden.  Cool cookies on a wire rack.

 (Yields 36 cookies)

Finally my friends I thought I'd share a few pics of other recent kitchen adventures.  First, previously I posted about a friend's baby shower for which I was to bake cupcakes.  I believe I even posted a few pics of the trial cupcakes.  Well, I've attached a few pics of the finished products.  We went with a strawberry cake w/strawberry buttercream (the cupcakes that look like roses), a chocolate cupcake with strawberry buttercream (white chocolate bassinet on top) and a chocolate cupcake w/salted caramel swiss buttercream filling and topped with chocolate buttercream w/pink chocolalte girl on top).

Bringing this post to an end, I hope that you all had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter, family and FOOD!  We are now officially entered my favorite time of year.  Over the next month I will do my best to share holiday recipes with all of you.  

A peek at our Thanksgiving table this year.  My talented hubby cooked our lovely meal and I handled desserts.  Happy Adventures!