Todd's Birthday Dinner from a Million Years Ago

About a million years ago, in March, I made beef and beer carbonnade for Todd's birthday dinner. 

Beef and beer carbonnade is Todd's favorite meal, so I always like to make it :) But it's also a great meal for a dinner party because you can guarantee it's delicious and it makes your house smell amazing while everyone is hanging out before dinner.

A few notes: this meal can get expensive fast. I bought chuck roast since it was Todd's birthday, but next time I'll use a less expensive cut. Authentic Belgian beer is probably at least $5, but next time I may very well use Blue Moon.

I served this over a bed of mashed potatoes with roasted, crunchy, salty brussel sprouts. In the past, I've served this over sweet potato fries, and I've also seen it served over egg noodles, but mashed potatoes soak up the juices nicely. 

Overall, this is a husband-pleasing, dinner-party-worthy meal, but be mindful that it will be at least three hours before it's ready. 

Beef and Beer Carbonnade 

From Simply Recipes, Serves 6

3 1/2 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp butter

3 medium yellow onions sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth

1 1/2 cups (12 oz bottle) Belgian beer

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Pat beef dry with paper towels, then season well with salt and pepper. On the stove top, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the meat, without stirring, about 3 minutes on each side (do not stir, give the meat an opportunity to brown well). Transfer browned beef to a separate bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven; reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; cook until onions are browned, about 15 minutes. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay, browned beef with any of the accumulated juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a full simmer. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, let cook for 2-3 hours until beef is fork tender. (Alternatively can cook in the oven at 300°F.) Stir occasionally, scraping up anything that is sticking to the bottom of the pan. About half an hour before it finishes cooking, add the mustard and brown sugar. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Discard thyme and bay leaf. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Can serve plain, with potatoes, over noodles, or over French fries.

Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Make it rain.  No one tells me I don't use my sifter!

Joy the Baker says these chocolate chip cookies are the tops. And it's true they do have some unique things going for them, including melted butter, bread flour, and extra brown sugar.  They also call for kosher salt, which I previously heard was not ideal for baking... 

Now, I'm making these cookies for charity, so I obviously have no idea how they taste, but if I had to guess, I'd say they're soft and sweet with just a hint of salt ;)

One cookie got damaged. By accident. But I can't give a broken cookie to charity. So. 

What's your favorite cookie? One time I made chocolate chip cookies for Todd - I didn't try them, but Todd seemed to like them. Not thinking they were anything special, I tossed the recipe and forgot about it. A couple months later, Todd told me they were the best cookies he's ever tasted(!). Unbelievably, I've never been able to re-find the recipe, so I tend to think the best cookie recipe is still floating around somewhere on the internet... (If I absolutely had to pick a recipe, though, it'd be these!) 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Alton Brown via Joy the Baker

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar.

Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5

minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in

an airtight container.

Something to Read:

Reading Fiction Can Make You a Better Cook

Yesterday's ZWOW; Happy Hour at Home

Have you had any exercise today? If not, here's a great total body workout you can complete in less than 30 minutes:

Just be mindful of your knees :/ I did simple weighted lunges on each side rather than jump lunges.

My workout for today included cleaning the house and making some delicious apps for a happy at home. 

Prepping another Barefoot Contessa recipe:

Before:

After:

 

Todd and I are going to spend the rest of the evening relaxing at home, but tomorrow will be a busy day filled with research, yoga, and cardio. Have a great rest of the week, bloggies :)

Herb & Lemon Buttered Popcorn

From Big Girls, Small Kitchen (GREAT blog!), makes 1 big bowl

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cups popcorn kernels

6 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/3 cup chopped almonds 

Place a large, heavy pan with a lid on medium heat. Add the olive oil and 3 kernels. When they pop, add the rest of the kernels. Shake the pan to distribute, then cover it. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until you stop hearing kernels pop more than once every five seconds or so. Turn off the heat and leave the cover on for another 2-3 minutes, until all of the kernels have popped. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.

While the kernels are popping, preheat the oven to 300°F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Keep cooking it, stirring occasionally, until it is very slightly golden. Pour into a bowl and add the lemon juice and zest, the pepper, salt, and spices (and a couple tablespoons Parmesan cheese??). Mix well, then drizzle this over the popcorn in the bowl. Add almonds and use your hands to mix the popcorn well, trying to get the butter mixture spread around as best as possible. Taste for salt, adding more as needed.

Pour the popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the popcorn has dried out slightly, about 6-8 minutes.

Serve warm or room temperature. If you make the popcorn in advance, cool it completely before storing it in an airtight container.

Barefoot Contessa's Hummus (my go-to hummus recipe)

4 garlic cloves

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste) 

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 

2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

8 dashes hot sauce 

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.  (I served with hot house cucumber and carrots).

Izze Sparkling Cocktail

From Tasteinspired, Serves 1

Fill a short glass with ice. Add 2 ounces of vodka. Top glass off with blackberry-flavored Izze. Squeeze in a lime and drop in glass. Stir and enjoy!

Parsley, mint, basil, and chives from Adam and Erica.  Todd is a major stud at keeping these plants alive.

Avocado Mac and Cheese

Good evening, bloggies!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Ours was filled lindy-hop, tacos, and a surprise rendez-vous with friends while purchasing our solar viewers for the eclipse :)  We started off at the 7th Avenue food truck event then cruised over to Barrio to see the moon take a bite out of the sun and relax with friends.


As you may know, Mr. Food for Todd and I like mac and cheese a lot (OK, a lot a lot), but with the cheese and buttah and occasional quart of cream, it's not something we make all the time.  This mac and cheese is different though.  While it calls for 2 cups of cheese, it's still pretty wholesome and a unique way to get some good avocado fat into your day!


Plus, it comes together lightening-fast, doesn't require any chopping, and is just as tasty the next day :)  Don't miss out on this one!

Avocado Mac and Cheese

From Two Peas and Their Pod, Serves 4

10 ounces dry elbow macaroni (we used whole wheat/veggie-flavored bows)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (we used nonfat)
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in macaroni. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.

4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.

Barefoot Contessa's Cheddar Dill Scones

Hi bloggies!  I hope you're having a great weekend!  

We saw The Avengers  yesterday, and I woke up super early this morning to make these scones to share with friends ...

I know it's pretty risky to debut a new recipe when you're the one in charge of bringing the food, but Barefoot Contessa has never let me down.  Even with a few minor miscalculations, everybody still loved these.  For instance, I had only 3/4 cup of dill, I used extra sharp yellow instead of white cheddar, and the scones were pretty misshapen.  

Todd and I are off to the gym to do ZWOW 16!  It's looks like we're gonna push ourselves pretty hard for this one!  

Cheddar Dill Scones

Barefoot Contessa, makes about 16

Ingredients

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon APF, divided

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly

1 cup cold heavy cream

1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced

1 cup minced fresh dill

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on thick they are & how crusty you want them), until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

What I Ate Wednesday

I'm pretty sure we buy at least 10 Chobani a week, you know, to help keep them in business.

Cartel Coffee with a side of family law final.

(had another orange later too!)

Caramel brownie Luna bar after the family law final.  I was in a rush to get somewhere, otherwise I was totally wanting to make a salad with romaine lettuce, black beans, fresh salsa, balsamic, and mozzarella.  I need to make this happen next week.

Not pictured: sweet treat during family law exam, 2 fistfuls of carrots and 2 hefty spoonfuls of Sunflower fresh ground peanut butter (nothing but peanuts, and you get to grind it yourself - we go though 1 tub every week!)

X-ing for 3Ls only!

Pork chop steaks, green beans, and The Descendants with the hubby.  Tomorrow = meetings, errands, and my first full day as a 3L!  I can't complain!

Where I've Been!

After a bit of a study break, I'm back in the blog world!  Even though it's been quiet on the blog, things have been busy around here :)  I'll catch you up up on some stuff!


Zuzana's Workout of the Week (ZWOW)
Have you ever heard of BodyRock?  It's a vlog where superfit people post short, high-intensity workouts.  Although you can do the workouts at home, many of them require special equipment like BodyRock sandbags and modified pull-up bars. 


Although we had been lifting weights and doing consistently for 4 months, we didn't see any results.  About 3 weeks ago, though, I found out Zuzana, one of the former BodyRock hosts, started her own youtube channel that doesn't require any special equipment, so Todd and I decided to give it a shot.  Each workout takes less than half an hour, but Zuzana makes you sweat!  Since they're so short, I think they'd be great especially for any one with a busy schedule!  I've done a video a day for the past week - no results yet ;)  but I'll let you know if I see any changes!  Here are some of my favorite ZWOWs so far:

Other stuff 
I'm working in DC this summer!  I'll give you the deets in another post, but yay!!  


Our best friends are moving back to their homeland next week, which is seriously the saddest thing ever (for me hahaha), especially because I've been so busy studying I haven't seen them much recently.  Their going away party is this weekend, and then that's it :(  Tearsssss!!!!  


One final down, two finals to go then 3L.  3L?  Wow.  I can't believe I've spent my entire married life in law school - it's gone by so quickly!  I'm excited to see where the next couple of years take us!  Todd and I have a few tricks up our sleeves and whole list of fun projects to attack once we're both outta school :)


I'm planning a special date for Todd and me that I pretty much think is going to be the funniest thing ever.  And Todd may hate me for it.  I'll let you know!


See you soon with more posts! xoxo, J


P.S.  I just noticed my like two sentence post about how I taped the federal rules of evidence flowchart to my wall as art is now one of my most popular posts hahaha.  People must be searching for free evidence flowcharts online.  Love the finals.