Orange Marmalade Carrots

Orange Marmalade Carrots

(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 lb. Fresh Baby Carrots

½ cup Orange Marmalade

3 tbsp. Cold Water, divided

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 tbsp. Cornstarch

Directions:

In a 4-quart slow cooker, place the carrots.  In a small bowl, combine marmalade, 1 tbsp. water, brown sugar, butter and seasonings.  Now pour into slow cooker and combine with the carrots.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until carrots are tender.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining water with the cornstarch until smooth.  Stir into the carrot mixture, cover with lid and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened.

Note:               These carrots go well with any main dish.  You could use different carrots depending on cost, time and look considerations.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Hawaiian BBQ Beans

Hawaiian BBQ Beans

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

4 cans (15 oz.) Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, drained

18 oz. BBQ Sauce (your favorite)

1½ tsp. Fresh Gingerroot, minced

12 oz. Bacon (your favorite), cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine all the ingredient except the bacon.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Serve in bacon just before serving.

Note:               The best way to cook bacon is in the oven.  Using a rimmed baking sheet, cover with parchment paper for easy clean up.  Place bacon strips on paper close but not touching each other.  Put in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until bacon reaches your desired doneness.  Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and let cool before crumbling.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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BBQ Beef Sandwiches

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast

1½ cups Ketchup

1 small Yellow Onion, diced

¼ cup Brown Sugar, packed

¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Celery Seed

¼ tsp. Paprika

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Cornstarch

2 tbsp. Cold Water

Sandwich rolls of choice and condiments

Directions:

Cut roast in half and place in a 6-quart slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine the ketchup through black pepper ingredients and pour over roast.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until roast is tender.  Remove roast to a platter and cover with foil.  Skim fat from cooking juices and transfer to a 3-quaart saucepan.  Bring liquid to a boil.  While coming to a boil, combine cornstarch and water until smooth in a small bowl.  Add this to the boiling liquid and cook another two minutes or until thickened.  Now shred meat with two forks after removing any large pieces of fat.  Return meat to the slow cooker, stir in thickened sauce and cook on high until heated through.  Serve with your favorite sandwich buns and appropriate condiments.

Note:               You can make a day or two ahead and then just reheat when needed.  Can also be placed in zip-lock freezer bags and frozen for future use.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Slow Cooker Dishes for the Fall

If you don’t have a “Slow Cooker” or “Crockpot,” you need to add one to your kitchen arsenal.  If fact, it wouldn’t hurt to have a couple.  Different sizes, of course.

But what size?  That depends on a lot of factors.  How many people will you be serving?  Entrée, side dish or dessert?  That makes a difference too.

My recommendation would be as follows.  You need a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker.  If you never need worry about cooking for more than 4 or 5 people, for 4-quart.  Cooking for more, go bigger.  I believe you also need a second slow cooker so you can do more than one dish in them for a meal.  So the second one should be between 2 and 4-quarts.  Same criteria as the first, smaller for less people and bigger for more.

Round or oval, that’s a personal choice in my mind.  I like both but the large ones may be better in oval.

You want one that has a removable crock for easier cleaning and serving options.

In the long run, they pay for themselves with convenience and cooking ease.

This week, I’m posting three recipes.  Wednesday will be an entrée dish called “BBQ Beef Sandwiches” and the other two are side dishes to help out the meal.  “Hawaiian BBQ Beans” on Thursday and “Orange Marmalade Carrots” for Friday.

So try cooking with a slow cooker if you haven’t already and try the recipes too.  “Happy Cooking” until week and share the blog link, thanks.

Parsley and Potato Omelet

Parsley and Potato Omelet

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

8 large Fresh Eggs

2 tbsp. Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp. Water

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 tbsp. Oregano Leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, divided

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, parsley, 2 tbsp. water and ½ tsp. salt until smooth and well combined.  Let stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add potatoes in an even layer, cover and cook until just tender (4-5 minutes).  Gently stir in 1 tbsp. oregano, pepper and remaining salt.  Remove to a plate and set aside.  Heat 1 tbsp. butter in same pan until bubbly (2-3 minutes).  Add half the egg mixture and let cook undisturbed until sides are set (1-2 minutes).  With a rubber spatula, drag cooked sides to the middle, letting uncooked egg run out to re-form a circle.  Repeat until top is set but still slightly moist, then scatter half of potatoes over half of omelet.  Flip other half of omelet over potatoes.  Cook until potatoes are warm (about 2 minutes).  Cut in half, then lift onto two plates and sprinkle with more chopped oregano.  Repeat process for two more omelets.

Note:               Matchstick potatoes are about 2 inches long and a little less than a quarter inch square.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Spanish Egg and Potato Omelet

Spanish Egg and Potato Omelet

(8 servings)

Ingredients:

6 cups Yellow Onion, thinly sliced

2½ cups Olive oil, divided

6 cups Yukon Gold Potatoes, thinly sliced

6 large Fresh Eggs

2½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Fresh Chives, chopped

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tbsp. oil over medium-high.  Add onions and cook until caramelized (30-35 minutes).  Stir occasionally and add water, 1 tbsp. at a time to keep from burning.  Transfer to a large bowl.  In the same skillet, add remaining oil and turn heat down to medium.  Next, add potatoes and cook (15-20 minutes) stirring occasionally until tender.  Drain oil into a metal bowl and save.  Transfer potatoes to the bowl with the onions and cool about 5 minutes.  Whisk eggs in a medium bowl with the salt and pepper.  Add eggs to the potato mixture and stir until well combined.  Add 3 tbsp. of reserved oil to the skillet over medium-high heat.  Next add the potato mixture and flatten with a spatula.  Cook, stirring often, until mixture starts to set (2-3 minutes).  Continue to cook, without stirring, until golden brown on the bottom (10-12 minutes).  Cover skillet with a large plate and flip omelet out of skillet.  Slide the omelet back into the skillet and cook until other side is crispy and browned (4-6 minutes).  Add more oil if needed to keep omelet from sticking.  Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with chives cut into 8 portions and serve.

Note:               Best to use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this dish if you have one.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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A Little Twist on Omelets

“Omelets,” you mention the word and inexperienced cooks panic.  But they are really not that scary.

I believe that over 90% of the omelets you order in restaurants come as filled omelets.  This means the egg mixture is cooked to almost done.  Then a filling (which could mean about anything you can think up) is place on one half before the other half is flipped over the filling.  It is than cooked a little longer to finish and is served.  This is more in line with a “French” style omelet.  Depending on the filling, some ingredients will be precooked before adding to the omelet.

Another style, which is easier, is called a “Country” omelet.  Usually this omelet has the filling mixed in with the egg mixture.  Typically, the filling is cooked and then the egg mixture is added.

The process or technique is basically the same.  Once the eggs are in the pan, you let them set for a short time.  Once they begin to set themselves, you start pulling the egg mixture to the center of the pan with a rubber spatula and let the runny egg mixture refill the bottom of the pan.  This process is repeated until the egg mixture is set but still moist.

That’s when you add filling for the first type and then you flip the one half over the other and let finish cooking.

Spanish omelets or frittatas are not flipped over like the previous two.  They are finished in the pan but it could be on the stove or in the oven.  They are served pie shaped and cut into wedges.  The Spanish omelet is usually done stove top.  Here once the egg mixture is set well, a plate is placed over the pan and the pan is flipped.  The omelet is then slid back into the pan to brown and finish cooking.  It is slid onto a serving platter and cut into 6 or 8 wedges and served.

The frittata, once browned and set is finished in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.  It is then slid onto a serving platter or served right out of the skillet.  Sometimes, recipes will call for it to be finished under the broiler.  Either way works well.

This week, I have a “Spanish Egg and Potato Omelet” recipe on Wednesday.  Followed by a “Parsley and Potato Omelet” on Thursday.

Enjoy trying these recipes and “Happy Cooking” until next week.  Don’t forget to help spread the link too.  Thanks.