Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

“I won’t be impressed by technology until I can download food.”

I read this quote today while reading a food blog and it made me laugh out loud!  It took my thoughts to my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.  Now those of you who knows what an Instant Pot is gets why my mind took that course!  I have had my pressure cooker for almost two years, and every time I use it I am like a kid waiting to sit on Santas lap. My excitement is monumental. I stand in the kitchen just waiting to hear the beaps and to set the top whistling!  I am truly amazed by this small kitchen appliance. It makes fantastic meals in minutes.

In this recipe I decided to use the slow cooker setting. Now I have a wonderful Crockpot. She is tried and true and has gotten me through years of being a wife and mother of 3 very active kids. Unfortunately, I don’t use her very much anymore. The reason.. I can use the Saute function and do everything right in my Instant Pot. I don’t have to dirty a skillet and make a mess of my stove.  I appolgize for my picture. As you can tell I took it with my Iphone 7. Now I have a remarkable camera with incredible lens, but when it comes to food on my dinner table my first priority is enjoying and savoring what’s in front of me!!  As always…

Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie

 

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut to 1 inch cubes
1 cup red cooking wine
2 cups beef broth
1 can tomato soup
1 TBSP. worcestershire sauce
¼ cup flour
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
5 Medium carrots, sliced
1 pound baby potatoes
2 stacks celery, sliced
2 parsips, sliced

Directions:

In Instant Pot cook bacon on saute setting until crisp. Salt and pepper the beef and add to the pot and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes.
Add the red wine scraping the brown bits. Allow it to simmer for a few mintues and slowly add beef broth, and tomato soup, and worcestershire sauce. Slowly whisk in the flour with a little of the broth mixtue and add to the Instant Pot.
Add garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes, celery, and parsnips. Give it a good stir and cook on low until beef is tender for 8-10 hours or high for 6-8

Challengeu2cook is back!

 

So much has changed since my last posting. The biggest change has been, we moved from Michigan to South Carolina a year ago. I decided I needed a year to focus on what it was I wanted in my new life of retirement, living in the South, having new adventures, gaining a wonderful daughter in law, making new friends, having a new church family, enjoying yoga, and living so close to the ocean.

The one constant in my life has been creating and enjoying food. Now that my year is up, it’s time to start posting the recipes I have been collecting for 12 months. Boy, do I have some wonderful recipes to share. My hopes are you enjoy my stories and recipes from 2016 and they Challengeu2cook!!

Enjoy and Happy cooking,

Vonnie

Grandma Taylor’s Cabbage Rolls

It’s summertime and there is nothing better than cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes and some sweet corn for a memorable dinner. Hope you enjoy this family tradition.

Challengeu2cook

an·tic·i·pa·tion

noun

1.the act of anticipating or the state of being anticipated.

2.realization in advance; foretaste.

3.expectation or hope.

4.previous notion; slight previous impression.

5.intuition, foreknowledge, or prescience.

Origin:  1540–50; (< Middle French ) < Latin anticipātiōn- (stem of anticipātiō ), equivalent to anticipāt ( us ) (past participle; see anticipate) + -iōn- -ion

Why did I start my blog off with the definition of anticipation?

To enrich my readings vocabulary?

Sure…but I am confident you already frequent this word in your daily life.

To educate you in the origin?

Ok….I do love finding the derivation from a source.

To make my readers wait just a few more seconds for my most requested recipe?

YES!!

                                                                                                       

SO…..here it is the most requested recipe.  When I make these or my mother makes these for parties everyone asks “Can I PLEASE have the recipe?”

BUT…before I divulge the secret,  I have to tell…

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Mediterranean Bean Salad | Skinnytaste

Time has gotten away from me since my last posting. So many changes (all for the good!) I read this recipe and decided I needed to share it with all my Challengeu2cook friends. Keep checking back. I will catch you all up on what’s been going on.

Enjoy and Happy cooking,

Vonnie

MEDITERRANEAN BEAN SALAD

This Mediterranean Bean Salad is so light and fresh, made with lemon juice, mint and parsley. This can be served as a side dish, perfect for potlucks or to make it a main for lunch serve it over spiralized cucumbers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice from 1 medium lemon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, garlic, onion, parsley, and mint.
2. For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and lemon juice until smooth and emulsified.
3. Pour the dressing over the beans and veggies, add ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste and carefully toss with a large metal spoon. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so flavors combine.

Read more at http://www.skinnytaste.com/mediterranean-bean-salad/#cRGF1qt4jUtSwShH.99

Pasta Alla Norma

Another great sounding recipe from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide! I love sharing recipes that are quick and easy but make your guests will think you were in the kitchen all day 😉 Enjoy and Happy Cooking, Vonnie

Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

That is a twisty noodle

This is a quick and simple way to use an eggplant. The sauce is fantastic over fusilli pasta but any long thick noodle will work.

The recipe was inspired by the New York Times one here.

Pasta All Norma

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 cayenne peppers chopped fine
• 2 tbsp garlic minced
• 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• 1 lb fusilli pasta
• Olive oil

Slice eggplant into 1/2″ thick rounds and sprinkle with salt. Place in a colander in even layers, put a plate on top and weigh them down for 30 minutes. In a large saute pan heat 4 tbsp olive oil. Cook eggplant in batches until browned on both sides and remove to a plate adding more oil as needed. Add onion to pan and saute until golden. Add garlic and…

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It’s that time of year when the gardens produce a bountiful amount zucchini. This is a great recipe to help use up some of that crop.

As always, Enjoy and Happy cooking,

Vonnie

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, for coating the pan
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for coating the pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces zucchini (about 2 to 3 medium zucchini), ends trimmed, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 2 1/2 cups)

 Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and flour, tapping out any excess flour; set aside.
2. Place the measured flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until the eggs are broken up and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the zucchini until evenly mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan and turn the bread out onto the rack to cool completely.

Warm Pear Salad

Hello Challengeu2cook followers! I want to share a great sounding recipe! I can not wait to make this. The simplicity of this salad is so perfect, and it would be a dish to take to your Easter Dinner gathering. Enjoy and Happy Cooking, Vonnie

Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

It really should be called blueish green cheese

We concocted this on a day so cold, we even wanted our salad to warm us up.

Warm Pear Salad

• 1 bosc pear, thinly sliced and cored (Peeled or unpeeled)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp fig jam
• 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 cups fresh spinach torn in bite sized pieces
• almonds, pecans or hazelnuts

Divide spinach among four small plates. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. When starting to bubble throw in the pears. Saute for about five minutes. Pears should be tender, but still have some bite. Stir in jam and toss to coat. Turn off heat and sprinkle with blue cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Divide pears among four plates. Sprinkle with a few nuts if desired.

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Crockpot Turkey Meatballs

Happy Monday!

I wanted to share a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. We were hosting a surprise 21st birthday party for my daughter’s boyfriend. I needed to make something I could put in the crockpot BUT it also needed to be gluten-free. I saw this recipe on Sallysbakingaddiction.com and knew I could sub out the 2/3 cup panko and it would be perfect! I needed to find something that was gluten-free but that wasn’t heavy or would take away from the taste and texture of the original recipe. I decided on Food Should Taste Good’s All Natural Multigrain Tortilla Chips. I pulsed them in the food processor until I had the same texture as panko. They worked perfectly! THe dish was  a big hit, everyone loved them!

This would be a great meal on those nights that can get overloaded during the busy school year. I made it for dinner for my family last week (and I chose to do the gluten-free version.) I served Seeds of Change’s Certified Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice with garlic, and a simple salad with fresh veggies out of my garden.

Below is the original posting on http://www.sallysbakingaddition.com.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie

This is my favorite recipe for classic crockpot turkey meatballs. They’re spiced just right, incredibly tender, filled with tons of flavor, and there’s hardly any work involved.

Yield: about 25 medium-size meatballs

prep time: 35 MINUTES

total time: 6 HOURS 35 MINUTES

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 pound 97-98% lean ground turkey*
• 1 pound 92-93% lean ground turkey*
• 2/3 cup (40g) Panko*
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) olive oil
• 1/4 cup (22g) grated parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large onion sweet onion, sliced
• two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• chopped fresh basil for serving, optional

Directions:

1) Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, Panko, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, parmesan, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix everything up just so the ingredients are combined – avoid overmixing. Roll into desired size balls – mine were slightly larger than a golf ball. Some people prefer them larger, some prefer them smaller. Place all rolled meatballs on a large baking sheet.

2) Place onion slices in the bottom of the crockpot, topped with 1 can of crushed tomatoes.

3) Coat a large skillet with remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly brown the meatballs (only 6-8 meatballs at a time) for about 1 minute on each side. Do not skip this step – read above for why. Layer the meatballs into the crockpot as you’re browning each batch. Once all browned meatballs have been added to the crockpot, pour remaining can of tomatoes on top.

4) Cover and cook on low for 6-6.5 hours. Serve with pasta, as meatball subs, plain, etc. No matter how I serve them, I always top with a little chopped fresh basil. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Traditional Potato Salad

When summertime is almost upon us I always think back to the dinners my mom would put on the table when I was a child.  We ate out of the garden almost every night .  Sliced tomatoes or green fried, stuffed peppers, zucchini, squash, green onions, corn-on-the cob, cucumber-onion salad and my mom’s wonderful potato salad. There were always boiled potatoes cooling on the counter and along side were a couple of hard boiled eggs.  My mom didn’t have a recipe for her potato salad. She would make a mixture of the yokes, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and a touch of sugar. She would stir in her diced potatoes, chopped onion and celery. Whola!! Potato Salad.  I came up with this recipe in hopes it would be similar. I think it’s a close second!  
This salad is a favorite with my families-on-the-go. Fried chicken, potato salad, cucumber onion salad and brownies for dessert! 

Serve this at you next picnic, gathering or better yet, just a regular weekday dinner! It does have mayonnaise, so be sure to keep it cool. I think it always tastes better the next day. 
Hope you enjoy and Happy cooking,
Vonnie

 

IINGREDIENTS:

 

2 pounds potatoes (I use redskin potatoes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP. yellow mustard
1/2-1 tsp. salt (I like a little more salt so I use closer to 1 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickles, finely chopped plus about 1 TBSP. of the pickle juice ( Use Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickle Chips if you can find them) or 1/2 cup sweet or dill pickle relish
1-2 hard boiled eggs, yokes set aside and whites finely chopped ( I only use 1 hard boiled egg but my mom always used 2)

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium pan place the potatoes, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 2 large eggs. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer and cover loosely with pan lid for 20- 25 minutes or until potaotes are fork tender. Remove eggs first and then drain potatoes. (You can run a little cool water on the potatoes and eggs if you want. Set eggs and potatoes on countertop and let cool.(Just like Nancy!) When everything is cool and you are ready to assemble the salad, use a large bowl and combine, egg yoke/s, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in celery, onion, pickle, pickle juice, and egg white/s. Add diced potatoes and toss gently. Cover and chill for at least a few hours before serving.