Beef Barley Soup

Taken from Throwing Spoons

2 pounds cubed beef chuck roast
1 - 2 tablespoons oil
2 - 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
5 1/2 cups water (or 5 cups stock, 1 cup water)
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (or 4 cubes, crumbled) - only if using water, not stock
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or 4 cloves, pressed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown cubed beef in oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Do this in a couple of batches, so beef will brown properly. If the pan is overcrowded, beef will stew in its juices and turn gray instead of browning. Add browned beef to slow cooker.

Add carrots and 1 cup water to skillet; cook carrots just until tender. Add carrots (and water, if using water instead of stock) to slow cooker.

Add remaining water and bouillon (or stock), onion, garlic, tomato sauce, barley, salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Taken from Brown Eyed Baker - A Food & Cooking Blog

Yield: About 4 dozen assembled whoopie pies

For the Whoopie Pies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.

8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Taken from Confections of a Foodie Bride

1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp Tony Cachere’s
1 1/2lb chicken, cut into 1-in cubes
3 bay leaves
3 cups rice
3 cups water
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, salt and cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they are caramelized and dark brown in color. Scrape the bottom and sides to loosen any browned particles. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often for 10 to 15 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides to loosen any browned particles.

Season the chicken with Tony Cachere’s. Add the chicken and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, scrapping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat it evenly. Add the water and stock, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the green onions and serve.

Vermont Apple Cider Donuts

1 cup apple cider
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
vegetable oil or shortening for frying

Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup apple cider

Boil apple cider in small saucepan until it is reduced to 1/4 cup, 8-10 minutes; cool.

Beat sugar with shortening until smooth. Add eggs and mix well, then add buttermilk and reduced cider.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in another bowl. Add to liquid ingredients; mix just enough to combine.

Add enough oil or shortening to fill a deep pan 3"; heat to 375. Cut dough into donuts or roll into balls. Fry donuts several at a time, turning once or twice, about 4 minutes.

Macaroni Grill's Carmella's Chicken Rigatoni

Taken from Lauren's Kitchen

Butter
8oz baby bella mushrooms
1/2 sweet onion caramelized
8 oz grilled chicken breasts (chunked)
salt and pepper
2t dried basil
4oz of Marsala wine
10 oz heavy cream
12oz rigatoni (cooked)
2oz shredded Parmesan

Melt butter in pan. Saute mushrooms, chicken, basil, caramelized onions salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add Marsala wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add heavy cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

Dump cooked rigatoni in pan (if you have room in your pan. If not dump mixture over bowl of cooked rigatoni and mix.

Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Banana Bread Waffles

Taken from The Novice Chef

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1½ tsp. yeast
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground clove
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 whole bananas)
2 tbsp. sour cream

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm milk and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt and spices. Whisk together to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk just until smooth. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. When you are ready to make the waffles, remove the batter from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be about doubled in size and there should be small bubbles on the surface.

Add the mashed bananas and sour cream or yogurt to the batter. Whisk lightly to incorporate into the batter. Cook in a preheated waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve as desired with maple syrup and banana slices.

Bubbe's Brisket

Taken from Not Your Bubbe's Kitchen

The ingredients:

2 cups yellow onion (about 2 medium large onions), sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large carrots, chopped

2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 bay leaf

2.5 lbs of beef brisket

1 tbsp kosher salt

cracked black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup of water

4 cups of pale dry ginger ale - it's about 1 liter.

1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar1/2 cup Ketchup

1/2 cup- brown sugar & hickory BBQ sauce

a touch of honey (maybe 1 tbsp-- yes, eye ball it)

4 Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

Slice the onions, mince the garlic. In the meanwhile, set your crockpot to high).

In your dutch oven or crock pot insert (make sure it's one that can be used on the stove top!), heat 1 tbsp of the oil.

Add the sliced onions and minced garlic until onions are translucent in color; and softer to touch.

Remove onions and garlic for the time being to a small bowl.

Add other tbsp of oil to crock pot. Season brisket with half the salt and some pepper. Place this

side down in the crock pot. Season the other side with remaining salt and more pepper. Let each side of the brisket cook on high for about 3 minutes- until the brisket is more brown and has a bit of a crust on it.

Next, add the onions/garlic back to the crock pot.

Place the crock pot insert into the crock pot. Add 1/4 cup water, 4 cups or so of ginger ale, the carrots, the celery, the ketchup, the brown sugar, the bbq sauce, the honey, and the bay leaf.

Cook this on high for 6- 8 hours. When it is done, place it in the fridge over night.

Wake up the next morning, and place it in your crock pot again. Add the quartered potatoes. Cook on high for 4 more hours.

In a small bowl, take 1 -2 tbsp of cornstarch and add some water- enough to dissolve the cornstarch. Add this mixture to the crock pot.

Now, set the crock pot to low for another 4 hours.