ROASTED BEEF & ZITI (serious comfort food)

This is comfort food at its best!!! It is FULL of flavor, rings all of the right rich flavor bells and it reheats excellently. I make it with big pieces of trimmed chuck roast that become "fall apart" tender because its all cooked at a very low temperature in the oven for 2½ hours.

2 pounds trimmed chuck roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
(1) 6 ounce can of tomato paste
4 cups beef broth (not bullion cubes)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons dry basil
1 teaspoon dry oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seed (do not leave out)
pinch of dry red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon of white sugar (do not leave out)
3 cups uncooked ziti
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Trim as much fat from the chuck steak as you can and brown it well in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place the browned meat in a large oven proof pan that has a lid (or you can use foil). Saute the onions in the same frying pan until transparent. Add the tomato paste, beef broth and seasonings to the onions and heat it a little so the tomato paste completely mixes with the broth. Pour over the meat.

Put a tight fitting lid on the pan or seal it TIGHTLY with foil, and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the lid, and stir in 3 cups of UNcooked pasta and the mushrooms. Make sure the pasta and mushrooms are covered with sauce.

Put the lid back on (or cover tightly with foil) and turn the oven up to 350; bake for 30 more minutes.

NOTE:You can use any short, tube shaped noodle, but ziti works the best. NOTE: You can use ground beef, but brown it then drain it very well before baking.

NOTE: When baking the chuck roast, the low oven temperature of 300 degrees is important in order to get very tender beef.
NOTE: If you want to add cheese to this dish, I suggest Mozzarella or Jack cheese and add it AFTER everything is fully cooked, just mix in and put back in the oven for a few minutes, uncovered.

OLD FASHIONED VANILLA PUDDING FOR TWO

One of my newest projects, is to try and "adjust" my old "tried and true" recipes (which feed an army) into recipes for two people. There are a lot of us "empty nesters" and single people who do not need a whole pie, or a whole casserole for six...so this winter, I will be posting a few of my "trimmed down" recipes.
.
Today's recipe for two, is a good old fashioned vanilla pudding. It is quick, easy and uses simple ingredients. What a nice way to finish off any quick meal.
.
1 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten in small bowl
1½ teaspoon butter
½ teaspoon good vanilla extract
.
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix the first 4 ingredients well and cook (and stir)over medium heat until it comes to a boil. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat a little and continue to cook/stir for two minutes.
.
After two minutes, remove from heat and whisk about half of the hot mixture into the small bowl of lightly beaten egg yolk (whisk fast, so the cooked mixture will temper the egg yolk and not scramble it). After thoroughly mixed, put it all back into the sauce pan and bring back to a gentle boil. Stir and cook one more minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Let this cool for about 10 minutes then pour into dessert dishes. Place a small piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the hot pudding (so it doesn't form a tough skin). Chill for a couple of hours.

NOTE: You can easily double or triple this recipe.

COCONUT-RUM SUGAR THINS

This quick and easy cookie is a real winner! Great for any occasion; it stays chewy for days (if they last that long).The coconut and rum extract is a GREAT flavor combo!!

¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons corn syrup (don't leave out)
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
.
Beat the butter, sugar, egg, corn syrup and extracts with electric mixer, until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients, mix well and refrigerate, covered, for an hour. (I skip the chill step).
.
Roll dough into 1" balls and roll them in white sugar. Bake them on parchment paper at 350F for 12 minutes.

NOTE: The recipe calls for chilling the cookie dough, which would make it easier to roll, but I never do that. I just gently roll them in 1" balls, roll them in white sugar, flatten them slightly with a flat bottomed glass and bake immediately on parchment paper.

.

FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING

This is a fantastic frosting recipe, for many reasons. First of all, it is delicious. After that, it is super easy, super quick, it takes no special ingredients, it is pretty to look at and it is very versatile. It is a classic.

 In a large  GLASS OR METAL bowl, put two egg whites, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract...set aside.
.
In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, dash of salt and 1/3 cup of water. Cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.
.
Start beating your egg whites and extracts on HIGH while you slowly drizzle in the hot syrup. Keep beating on high until stiff peaks form like this:

With a hand held electric mixer, this can take up to 7 minutes, but with my stand mixer it only takes about 4 minutes. Recipe makes enough to frost a 9" two layer cake or a 10" tube cake.

NOTE: To get these lovely big swirls, use a Wilton tip # 1M...it is a huge tip and will duplicate these swirls with total ease...I promise.
Very light, this frosting is a dream to work with.

NOTE: The bowl AND beaters that you use, for this frosting, can have NO TRACE of grease or oil on them (or the frosting will not whip properly...right out of the dishwasher is perfect). A big stand mixer, like a Kitchen Aid, works the best, but this can be done quite successfully with a hand held electric mixer too (it just takes longer).

NOTE: While this frosting holds up well in all kinds of weather, it WILL form sort of a skin over the soft fluffy frosting if left in dry air for several hours. To prevent this, just cover it if you are not going to eat it the same day.

PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES (and a thank you)

These peanut butter blondies are dense, moist and packed full of peanut butter flavor; they are the consistency of a good brownie and would make an excellent addition to any lunch box, bake sale or weekend treat served with a big glass of cold milk.

½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together; beat in the sugars, eggs and vanilla just until well mixed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until everything is well mixed.
,
Bake in a greased 9" x 9" baking pan at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched (my oven took 34 minutes). Frost and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Cool before cutting.
.
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
Warm the peanut butter in the microwave just until it gets very soft, then whip everything together, starting with the lesser amount of milk and adding more if necessary.

Thank you very much for all of the warm birthday sentiments. Your kind and generous words made my (potentially traumatic) 60th birthday a lot easier for me. Thank you friends!!

BROWNIE BITES

So what does a baker do to celebrate her 60th birthday? She bakes something

SHE really likes!!!

 

 

 

 I found this little recipe gem on My Tasty Treasures last winter; she calls them Fudge Brownie Cups; I call them addictive!!! Donna frosts hers with melted Hershey's chocolate, but since I made these for my birthday, I frosted them with my all-time favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting. These little beauties are moist and chocolate-y and so easy to pop in your mouth. My son calls them "wicked good". Fortunately for me...as all bakers know, calories consumed on your birthday do not count!!!

 

 

 

 2 sticks butter, room temperature

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 + 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
20 tablespoons flour

Lightly butter mini-muffin pans (I used Bakers Joy spray). Melt together, butter, semisweet chocolate and brown sugar in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth (*keep it as cool as possible).
.
Remove from heat and beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, stirring until well mixed. Fold in flour and blend well. (*let this batter sit for about 10 minutes before you bake it and it will be easier to work).
.
Spoon one (*rounded) measuring teaspoonful into each spot. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes (*my oven took exactly 11 minutes). Remove and cool completely.

NOTE: grease or spray pans between each batches of brownie cups. This recipe makes 60.
.
CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
.
The butter needs to be really warm, but not melted. Stir the cocoa into the butter and mix well; whip in the cream cheese and add vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently so that you get a nice smooth butter-cocoa-vanilla-cream cheese mixture. Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until really smooth in between each cup of powdered sugar.

HOT FUDGE SUNDAY CAKE

Click On This Photo For
The Full Yummm-factor

 

The first time I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it because it had a lot of things going for it. First and foremost, it is an ooey-gooey chocolate dream. Secondly, there are no mixing bowls (you mix it right in the baking pan). Thirdly, it does not require any special ingredients (not even butter or eggs). And finally, this super-tender chocolate (sponge type) cake bakes on top of a rich hot fudge sauce…need I say more?

¾ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa (divided)1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In an (un-greased) 8”x8” baking pan, mix flour, white sugar, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder and salt (stir it up to combine); add the milk and oil and stir until the batter is well mixed.
.
Mix the brown sugar and ¼ cup of cocoa together and sprinkle evenly over the batter (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
.
Combine the boiling water, vanilla and instant coffee and gently pour it over everything (DO NOT MIX IT IN).
.
Bake for 35 minutes (the hot fudge sauce will bubble up from underneath and around the edges of the cake as it bakes). Allow this to cool for 15 minutes before you serve it (just make sure it's very warm when you serve it).
.
To serve, top a slice of cake with scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon the hot fudge sauce (from the bottom of the pan)over the ice cream.
.
As simple as this dessert is…it is just unique enough (and delicious enough) for company as well.