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.

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.

Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Sauce and Arugula-Herb Salad and Pistachio-Lemon Tart

Hi bloggies!  I'm back!

And I brought beer to the party ....

I have a mustache! 

It's officially spring-break time at UA Law, which means a visit from Todd's parents, tourist attractions, delicious foods, and cooking!

Yesterday night we made a delicious meal.  It was seriously classy stuff.  Sockeye salmon with honey, shallots, lemon juice and zest topped with greek yogurt  and an arugula salad with dill, tarragon and more lemon juice and zest.  Not being a licorice fan, I wasn't sure I'd like the tarragon, but this meal was incredible.  Like the mac and cheese with goat cheese and rosemary, I could definitely see this on a restaurant's menu, like maybe The Abbey?

To mix up the brown basmati rice, we used chicken stock instead of water then mixed in turmeric and onion powder and topped with parsley.  That simple!

And then there was this amazing thing...

It would be an understatement to say that we've been on a pistachio kick recently - we've been eating pistachios like it's our job.  Needless to say, the ingredients in this tart immediately struck a cord with me.  This is a pretty standard tart recipe, although the crust is a little different than those I've made before because it calls for an egg yolk and the filling is just a tad sweeter for lemon tart.

And do you know this trick?  For a flaky crust, make sure to use a pastry mat and sock for rolling and sub vodka for water.

And one more tip, be careful pulling your hot tart pan out of the oven.  When I pulled mine out, the bottom popped up from underneath and ended up hanging on my forearm like a big ring, giving me second-degree burns.  seconddegreeburnsfromatartpan#foddfortoddproblems.  Please, don't do what I did.

Something to Read:

The Most Common Cooking Mistakes

Kombucha May Be Treated Like Alcohol

Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Sauce and Arugula-Herb Salad

Slightly adapted from Epicurious

1 cup low-fat greek yogurt

3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, divided

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

6 6-ounce salmon fillets

1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) arugula

1/4 cup small fresh dill sprigs

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

Sea salt

6 lemon wedges

Whisk greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in small bowl. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper.

Whisk honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning salmon fillets occasionally. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil. Transfer salmon fillets, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss arugula leaves and sprigs, dill sprigs, tarragon leaves, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Place 1 salmon fillet on each of 6 plates. Top with watercress salad. Drizzle with lemon-pepper sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve, passing additional sauce alongside.

Lemon-Pistachio Tart

From Epicurious

crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

filling

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 teaspoons water

1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios 

for crust:

Combine flour and salt in processor. Add butter; cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and 3 tablespoons ice water. Process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 30 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold in overhang and press, forming high-standing rim. Pierce all over with fork. Cover and freeze 20 minutes.

Bake crust until deep golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

for filling:

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients. Cook until mixture thickens, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk 2 minutes longer. Pour hot filling into crust. Chill uncovered until filling is set, about 2 hours.

Line small baking sheet with foil. Stir 2 tablespoons sugar and 4 teaspoons water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add pistachios and stir to coat. Spread pistachios in single layer on prepared sheet. Cool completely. Coarsely chop pistachios.

Sprinkle pistachios in 2-inch border around edge of tart.