Candied Carrots

 

Hey everybody ,Just a heads up any dish that features the word “candied” is bound to be on the sweet side and more than likely something you won’t be eating every day. That said, don’t be shy about the amount of butter and brown sugar that goes into these candied carrots: Decadence is the goal here. If you’ve grown tired of candied yams and sweet potatoes, these make a delicious side for any holiday meal, especially ones featuring a juicy rib roast and fluffy mashed potatoes.

When shopping for your carrots, opt for loose carrots instead of the ones that come in a bag. Bagged carrots typically vary in size and may not yield equal-sized pieces once cut. As you’re slicing the carrots, the goal is to keep them all roughly the same size. Since carrots are an irregular shape, you’ll need to cut them wider (a little bigger than an inch) on the thinner end and thinner on the thicker end (a little less than an inch) to get pieces that will all cook in the same amount of time. If loose carrots aren’t available, you can swap in baby carrots, which means you can skip the peeling and slicing. Try this recipe with purple or yellow carrots or even parsnips. 

 These will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days, and reheat well in the microwave.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter 

 2 lb. whole carrots, sliced diagonally, crosswise, into 1" thick pieces 

 1 tsp. kosher salt 

 1/2 c. fresh orange juice (from 1 large orange) 

 1/3 c. dark or light brown sugar 

 2 tbsp. maple syrup 

 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 

 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper 

 1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to foam. (Be careful not to let it brown.) Add carrots in one layer and season with ½ tsp salt. Allow the carrots to cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until edges start to caramelize and turn golden.

 Lower heat to medium-low and add the orange juice. Continue to cook until the juice has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt. Increase the heat to medium and cook until carrots are tender but not mushy, and the glaze is thick, syrupy, and coats the carrots about 13 to 15 minutes. Season with remaining ¼ tsp salt and the pepper. Top with pecans, if using.

ENJOY!

Steak with Garlic Butter

 

Hey everybody, Cooking a great steak is surprisingly quick and not too difficult if you follow a few simple rules: oil the steak, not the pan; buy a great-quality steak to begin with; and make sure your pan is really hot. This recipe gives you the full step-by-step treatment and it's served with a delicious garlic butter. You can buy ready-made garlic butter to shave off even more time.

Cooking a steak well is surprisingly easy. Buy good meat and follow a few basic rules, and you’ll be rewarded with something special. The garlic butter recipe will make more than you need for two so keep the leftovers wrapped in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for a month. 

 Don't Sweat The Technique: Always take the steak out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking. The thickness of steak is more important than its weight: a thinner steak will cook more quickly than a thicker steak. Remember you can’t undo an overcooked steak, but you can always put an undercooked steak back in the pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 clove of garlic 

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley 

50 g unsalted butter, softened 

0.2 tsp salt 

2 sirloin steaks, about 2cm (1 inch) thick, at room temperature 

1 tsp vegetable or sunflower oil 

1 pinch salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Step-by-step 

Make the garlic butter first. Crush the garlic and finely chop the parsley. Put these into a small bowl. Add the butter, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and season with pepper, then mix well with a fork. 

Unroll a sheet of plastic wrap (clingfilm) onto the work surface. Spoon the butter onto the plastic wrap in a rough rectangle shape. Roll the wrap around the butter, then twist the ends to make a tight cylinder. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes, until firm (or for longer in the refrigerator, depending on how much time you have). 

While the butter is chilling, cut any excess fat off the steak (too much will just cause the kitchen to get smoky), leaving a layer about 5mm (0.2 inch) thick. Cut into this fat edge with a pair of kitchen scissors to prevent the steaks from curling up too much as they cook.

 When you’re ready to cook the steaks, rub them with the oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet or ridged grill (griddle) pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Put the steaks into the pan then cook, without moving them around, for 2 minutes. The steak should give a loud sizzle as the first edge hits the pan; if not, the pan isn’t hot enough. Give it another minute to heat up, then try again. 

Press down a few times on the surface of the steaks with a spatula (palette knife) as they cook to encourage a deep, golden crust underneath. 

Turn the steaks over and cook for another 2 minutes for medium-rare (pink and juicy in the middle). Press down on the meat as before to encourage good colour and a crusty exterior. After 2 minutes on each side, press the steak. Instead of feeling soft or bouncy, a medium-rare steak will just yield to your finger. For medium steak, allow 3 minutes per side. To cook the fat along the edge of the steak, use tongs to hold the steak, fat edge down, against the pan. Hold the steak for about 30 seconds, until the fat turns golden.

 Lift the steaks onto a warmed plate and remove the pan from the heat. Cover the steaks loosely with aluminium foil then let rest for a couple of minutes. While you wait, preheat the grill (broiler)to high.

 Return the steaks and their resting juices to the pan. Unwrap the butter and slice off 2 thick disks. Put them on top of the steaks. 

 Flash the steaks under the grill for 30 seconds, or until the butter starts to melt over the steaks and into the juices below. 

 Serve the steak with the buttery juices and enjoy immediately.

Thanks to Jane Hornby, for this recipe.

Shrimp Cocktail Supreme

Now Mind you...I don't eat any kind of seafood myself.. But for those of you that do...I have to share this recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS:

 

●1 lb shrimp with shell 

 ●Shrimp broth 

 ●1-1/4 cup ketchup 

 ●Dash Valentina 

 ●Dash Worcester sauce 

 ●1 lime 

 ●Small onion 

 ●2 tomatoes 

 ●1 Serrano, seeds removed if you don’t want it too spicy. 

 ●Cilantro 

 ●1 can tomato sauce 

 ●Half a cucumber, remove seeds 

 ●Salt 

 ●2 avocados

DIRECTIONS:

■Remove shells from shrimp and boil with a little salt. When shrimp is done remove and place the shells in the same water and let that boil. 

 ■Remove shells and discard 

 ■Add the shrimp broth to a bowl and add 1-1/4 cup ketchup, 1 can tomato sauce, dash of Valentina, dash of Worcester sauce, and lime. 

Mix and add more of whatever you think it needs to get that consistency it needs not too thick or watery.

 ■Then just dice up cucumbers, tomato, onion, Serrano,and cilantro, avocado, and shrimp. Add to broth. 

Mix and taste. 

 I hope you’ll enjoy it too!!

Heuvos Ranchos

 Hey everybody,  this Mexican breakfast dish tastes as good in the evening as it does in the morning. Huevos rancheros is toasted tortillas topped with refried beans, egg and spicy tomato. You can add avocado, sour cream and grated cheese to make them even tastier, then tuck in burrito-style or with a knife and fork.

INGREDIENTS-

1 tbsp Olive oil 

4 Cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 Red chilli, finely chopped 

400 g Can chopped tomatoes 

1 tbsp Tomato purée 

1 Splash of red wine vinegar 

1 handful Fresh coriander, chopped 

1 pinch Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

200 g Refried beans 

4 Small corn tortillas 

3 tbsp Light olive or vegetable oil 

4 Large British Lion eggs 

1 Avocado, finely chopped 

1 Splash of chilli sauce to serve

DIRECTIONS-

Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add in the garlic and chilli and stir fry for 1 minute or until the garlic starts to soften and go golden. Add in the tomatoes, purée, red wine vinegar and half of the coriander and over a medium high heat cook for 9 minutes, then season to taste. 

Heat up the refried beans in a small saucepan. Heat a frying pan and toast the corn tortillas in them for 20-30 seconds on each side and lay two on each plate. When toasted put the oil in the pan and fry the eggs (Gizzi uses free range) for 1-2 minutes, basting the yolks with the hot oil as you go. 

Spread a spoonful of the refried beans on the two tortillas, then dollop on two spoons of tomato sauce on top. Top each plate with two fried eggs, some avocado and the rest of the coriander. Finish with a drizzle of chilli sauce.

ENJOY!

Irish Apple Cake

 St. Patrick's Day is Coming... Here is a nice sweet treat for the holiday.
This tender cake is jam-packed with apples, which is why we think it's perfectly appropriate to eat a slice for breakfast. 😉 The custard sauce isn't totally necessary, but it is traditional, and delicious to boot. Looking for more ways to bake with apples? Give this cinnamon apple cake a try!

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CAKE: 

3 c. plus 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided 

 1 tbsp. baking powder 

3/4 tsp. Kosher salt 

1/2 tsp. ginger 

1 tsp. ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. ground allspice 

1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 

1 c. granulated sugar 

1/2 c. (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small cubes

 3 large eggs

 3/4 c. heavy cream 

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 1/2 lb. (3 large) granny smith apples, thinly sliced into 1/4-inch pieces 

3 tbsp. demerara sugar, for topping

 FOR THE CUSTARD SAUCE: 

1/3 c. granulated sugar

 4 large egg yolks 

1 1/4 c. heavy cream 

 1 vanilla bean, halved (or 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract)

DIRECTIONS:

MAKE THE CAKE: 

Preheat oven to 350°.

 Butter a 9” spring form pan and line the sides and bottom with parchment. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and sugar. 

Add cubed butter and incorporate with your hands until you have no large pieces left and mixture resembles sand. 

Whisk in eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla. 

Toss sliced apples with remaining 3 tablespoons flour until evenly coated, then fold into batter. 

Transfer cake batter to prepared pan and sprinkle evenly all over with demerara sugar. 

Bake until apples are very tender and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

Let cool completely in the pan before removing.

MAKE THE CUSTARD SAUCE: 

In a heatproof bowl, whisk sugar and yolks until lightened in color, about 6 minutes. In a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-low heat, add vanilla bean seeds and pod and heavy cream. (If using vanilla extract, add once custard is removed from heat.) Cook mixture, watching carefully, until just boiling. Remove from heat, and whisk a few tablespoons of hot cream into sugar-yolk mixture. Gradually add in remaining cream, whisking constantly. 

Return custard to pot and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until just thickened (do not boil!) — check consistency by dipping a wooden spoon in, then running a finger along back; the streak should stay intact. 

Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. 

Let cool. Once cool, serve over slices of apple cake.

ENJOY!

Smoked Meat Loaf

 Here is some comfort food for a nice mid winter's night.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1 medium onion, finely chopped 

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs 

1/4 cup 

2% milk 

1 cup barbecue sauce, divided 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

2 pounds ground beef 

RUB: 2 teaspoons chili powder 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 

1/4 teaspoon onion powder 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.Soak hickory and mesquite chips or pellets; add to smoker according to manufacturer's directions. Heat to 225°. 

2.In a large bowl, combine eggs, onion, bread crumbs, milk, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into a 10x4-in. loaf on a greased smoker rack. 

Combine rub ingredients; rub over meat loaf. 

Place in smoker; smoke until a thermometer reads s145°, about 1 hours. 

Brush generously with remaining 3/4 cup barbecue sauce. 

Smoke until a thermometer reads 160°, 10-15 minutes. 

Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!