Cast Iron Skillets and Quesadillas

Let's also call this post a few other things.  Such as, "Sneaking more healthy food into your kids' dinner" (yes, that again).  Or, "Feed your inner child" (or your real children).

Quesadillas are a popular quick meal in my house, and there are so many things you can do with them.  Of course, my kids are partial to the standard "chicken and cheese, please".  This isn't so much a recipe post, but a way to start thinking about all the fillings you can use for these quick-to-the-table lunch and dinner options.

I found a way to hide some more nutrition in our chicken and cheese quesadillas.  I pureed a can of great northern beans (used my food processor and added just enough water that they blended into a smooth paste) and spread them on one of the tortillas, then added shredded cheese and diced chicken breast.  The color and mild flavor of the great northern beans make them virtually undetectable by even the pickiest eater.  Yay!  

Now, onto the real fun part.  I'm sure many other people have thought of this before it popped into my mind, but go with me anyway:  S'MORES QUESADILLAS!  I had some leftover whole wheat tortillas, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.  I always have butter and my trusty cast iron skillet.  Oh my.  Where have these been all my life?  Easy.  Yummy.  Go make yourself one, or two.  Or ten.  I won't judge you.

Some other quesadilla ideas:

• peanut butter and jelly
• peanut butter and banana
• pizza
• nutella and cherries
• use some leftover Buffalo Chicken Dip as a filling
• Ranch Chicken (diced chicken, ranch dressing, cheddar cheese and diced red/yellow bell pepper)

Just think of all the things you can do!  Do you have any favorites?

Oven-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Horseradish Cream

Oven-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Horseradish Cream

adapted from a recipe found on www.epicurious.com

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 large head of garlic, whole

1 teaspoon olive oil

pinch salt

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup drained prepared horseradish

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Tenderloin:

2.5-3 pound center-cut beef tenderloin roast

3 teaspoons kosher salt (flakes)

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper (preferably fresh-ground)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked or Hungarian)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Make sauce:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off and discard top ¼ of garlic head, exposing all the cloves.  Drizzle garlic with oil and sprinkle with pinch of salt.  Wrap garlic tightly in foil.  Roast garlic until tender, about 1 hour.  Remove from oven, open foil and allow to cool.

While garlic roasts, simmer cream, salt and white pepper in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until reduced to about ¾ cup, about 30 minutes.  Transfer reduced cream to a bowl and set aside.

Squeeze roasted garlic into a small bowl, discarding the skins.  Mash together with the prepared horseradish.  Blend the cream and garlic/horseradish mixture using an immersion or other blender.  Chill until ready to serve.

Prepare and Roast Tenderloin:

(I mix up the rubbing paste for the roast ahead of time and let it sit so the flavors blend)  Stir together salt, oregano, garlic powder, paprika and olive oil into a thick paste.  Rub the paste all over the surface of the tenderloin. 

Place the tenderloin on a foil-covered baking sheet (with raised sides to contain any juices).  Allow the roast to come to room temperature before baking (this will take an hour or so and will not harm the meat in any way). 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Take the thin ends of the tenderloin and tuck them under the center.  Cover the roast tightly with foil.

Roast on center rack for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand (do NOT uncover) for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes.  This will cook the roast to medium-rare, which is optimal for this cut of beef.

Allow roast to stand for 10 minutes before carving into slices and serving with chilled garlic horseradish cream.

Happy New Year! Go forth and eat...Homemade Ranch Dressing!

Welcome, 2011!  I hope it's a good year for everyone.  I know it promises to be a busy one for me.  A while ago I recommended a favorite food blog of mine, Annie's Eats.  She posted a great recipe for homemade ranch dressing.  Who doesn't love ranch dressing?  No, really.  Tell me.  Who?  If you know someone who doesn't?  Make them try this.  I've tried a couple different recipes and this is my favorite (Pioneer Woman has another good recipe).  I only made one modification--the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  I prefer to use 1 tablespoon white vinegar instead.  Several homemade ranch dressing recipes use a small amount of chopped fresh dills, so that is something else you may wish to add to yours.  Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mayonnaise (REAL, though you can use light)

3/4 cup sour cream (light can be used)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar (see notes above)

1/4-1 cup buttermilk (I like to use the full amount)

1 small bunch fresh chives, chopped

small handful chopped fresh parsley

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

kosher salt (to taste, appx. 1/2 teaspoon)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients except buttermilk, salt and pepper in a food processor (blender or whisk and mixing bowl work as well).  While mixing, add in the buttermilk 1/4 cup at a time until desired taste and consistency is reached.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate in an airtight container.

 ingredients before blending

Soft Molasses Cookies

I posted the recipe for these a few years ago.  I think it's worthy of a repost.  They are a great old-fashioned-cookie addition to anyone's holiday baking arsenal.



Soft Molasses Cookies (King Arthur Flour Recipe)


Ingredients
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 c molasses
1/3 c dark rum
5 tbsps butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 c king arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp ginger


Directions
Step #1 Whisk together the flour, spices, salt & baking soda, & set aside.
Step #2 In a large bowl, beat together the butter & sugar, then beat in the molasses.
Step #3 Add the dry ingredients alternately with the rum.
Step #4 Using a cookie or muffin scoop, scoop out round balls of dough somewhere in size between a ping-pong ball & a golf ball, & place the balls on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
Step #5 Bake the cookies in a preheated 375°F oven for 11 to 12 mins, until they crack on top but haven't yet browned around the edges.

Roast Turkey

I made a really great turkey this year.  I don't have a single photo to prove it, but I finally got the cooking process down to exactly how I want it.

I start by brining the turkey with a jar of Turkey Brine from Williams Sonoma.  I follow the directions on the label (using the apple cider variation). 

As far as roasting it after brining:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin.  Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 500 then decrease oven temp to 325 degrees.  Continue to roast to at least 160 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast, about 3-3 1/2 hours for an 18 lb. turkey (the size I typically get). If the skin starts to get too dark during roasting, tent with foil.  I always wrap the wings in foil so they don't get too dark, then uncover them during the last 30 mins. to 1 hr. to let them brown along with the rest of the bird.  I no longer put the stuffing in the bird, but instead bake it in a separate pan.  Stick to the thermometer for checking if the turkey is done--it really helps keep you from overcooking the turkey!  After removing from the oven, allow the turkey to rest under a tent of foil or a large mixing bowl while you prepare your table/sides/etc (about an hour is fine).

Beef Stew

1-1.5 lbs beef (or venison) stew meat
1 can/bottle Guinness
1/4 stick butter
1 onion (diced)
4 carrots (cut)
4 celery stalks (cut)
4 potatoes (cut)
8 mushrooms (quartered)
2 cups vegetable juice
1 large can crushed tomatoes (appx. 28 oz.)
1 teaspoon beef stock concentrate (or a boullion cube)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
salt and pepper to taste (I use about a teaspoon of each)

• Toss the stew meat with just enough Guinness to coat it and allow to sit as you chop your vegetables.
• Melt butter in skillet.  Saute onions.  Brown the stew meat.
• In stock pot, put vegetable juice, crushed tomatoes, stock concentrate/boullion and spices on medium heat.  Allow to simmer.  Add meat and all vegetables except mushrooms (add them when the stew is close to done so they don't disintegrate).
• Simmer for 2 hours (you can leave longer if you'd like, but I like my vegetables to keep a little bite so I leave it on the stove for less time).
• Season and serve!

My favorite pumpkin project of the year

Mini pumpkin

Black spray paint

Thick white paper

Black magic marker

Red paint and thin brush or toothpick (for mouth)

Black felt (I used glittery felt)

2 wooden skewers

Duct or packaging tape (to tape the eyes to the stem and the skewers to the back of the wings)