Bouf à l'ancienne

This recipe is from Pamela. I made it about 5 years ago and had lost the recipe, but I remember it being very yummy. I just got the recipe from her again and made it last night. Delicious.

2 lbs beef (I used stew beef), cut into smaller chunks, if needed

2 cups WHITE wine

2 tablespoons oil

3 shallots, peeled and cut in 2

6 carrots, cut in rounds

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 small can sliced mushrooms

The night before, combine everything but tomatoes and mushrooms in a large glass bowl. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Turn pieces several times.

The next day, place beef mixture in a Dutch oven, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer for 2 hours. Add the mushrooms and simmer another 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and serve with diced steamed potatoes (steam the potatoes while the mushrooms are simmering).

Apricot Bars

These were absolutely delicious. And so easy. Yum.

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 stick salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing dish

1 10-12 oz jar apricot preserves

Grease a 8" square baking dish with butter. Mix everything but the apricot preserves in a large bowl until mixture is combined and crumbly. Press one half of the mixture into the prepared dish. Spread with 10-12 oz apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture on top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares.

Tapas plate with marinated chickpeas

This was a great and quick meal!

Serves 4

1 recipe marinated chickpeas

1/2 lb Manchego cheese, sliced

1/4 lb thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto

1/2 cup mixed olives

1/2 small loaf country bread

Serve room temperature.

Marinated Chickpeas

This recipe is part of a tapas plate, but would also be great as an appetizer with slices of bread, crackers, etc.

15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers

2 scallions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Soup

We liked the flavor of this soup, but I think I'll add more sweet potato next time to make it a little thicker.

Serves 6

3/4 cup plain yogurt, divided (could also use sour cream)
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (more for a thicker soup)
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onions and cumin and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 20-25 minutes. Puree soup with 1/2 cup yogurt and parsley/cilantro. Serve with a dollop of remaining yogurt and sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We bought a new 1/2 sheet pan last weekend (ours was peeling apart- gross!). So, we used a Williams-Sonoma gift card and got a nice one. It came with a recipe that Doug was eager for me to make. So, today, (snow day #5), I made these chocolate chip cookies... I "tested" a few- very good.

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Assemble all ingredients, allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350. Line 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper or silicone liner. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In electric mixer bowl, beat butter on medium-low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add sugars and increase speed to medium. Beat about 1 minute, stopping once to scrape sides. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, and stop again to scrape sides. Reduce speed to low and gradually add in flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared pan, spacing them about 2" apart. Bake until golden brown, 10-14 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack and let cool completely. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Rosemary garlic strip steak

This was easy and turned out great.

Serves 4

1 1/2- 2 lbs strip steak

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt, fresh ground pepper

a few tablespoons white or red wine for deglazing, optional

In a shallow dish (I used a pie pan), combine the garlic, rosemary, and oil. Add the steaks and turn to coat. Let marinate, turning once for at least 30 minutes (or up to a day in the refrigerator)*.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5-7 minutes each side. Let rest at least 5 minutes.

Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Add the reserved marinade and cook, stirring occasionally until garlic is golden, 2-3 minutes. (I used a little wine to deglaze the pan, as well).

Slice steak, spoon sauce over, and serve.

*The marinade can be prepared and frozen with the steaks for up to 3 months. To cook, thaw the steaks overnight in the refrigerator, and follow recipe instructions, adding 1 tablespoon of olive to skillet when browning the garlic and rosemary.

Feta and Spinach Tart

I made this last night... I improvised quite a bit- we were snowed in, so I used what we had! The original recipe is for individual tartlets, but I made one large tart instead.

1 pie crust (refrigerated or homemade)

10oz package frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

4 1/2 oz feta cheese

1/3 cup pine nuts (I used slivered almonds... I think walnuts would also be good)

Grease a loose bottom tart pan. Roll out pie crust and place in pan, trimming edges. Place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Prick with fork and bake tart shell for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Thaw the spinach, draining water. Melt butter in skilletm add spinach, and cook gently to evaporate remaining liquid. Season well with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in cream and egg yolks. Crumble feta and place in bottom of tart pan. Spread spinach mixture on top. Bake about 10 minutes. Add nuts and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Apple-pear-frangipane galette

I had some leftover frangipane from making a galette des rois last weekend, so I combined a few recipes and came up with this.

1 apple and 1 pear, sliced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 refrigerated (or homemade) pie crust

frangipane (about 1/3 cup)

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

raw sugar

whipped cream, for serving

Combine fruit and sugar in bowl, allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Roll pie crust out onto a piece of parchment paper or silicone liner for baking pan. Spread frangipane in the center, leaving several inch border around crust. Pour fruit on top of frangipane. Fold pie crust over the outside fruit. Mix together egg and water and brush on pie crust. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until pie crust has browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

Easy chicken noodle soup

We made this easy recipe tonight... made a few adjustments based on what we had. It turned out to be very good! And only took about 30 minutes.

6 cups chicken broth

3 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2" pieces (we used breasts instead)

1 cup pasta (we used farfalle)

salt and pepper

dill weed (optional)

Bring 6 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes (or until done). Add pasta for remaining 10-12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and dill weed. Voilà!

Sweet and sour chicken

We made this recipe last night and it turned out really well.

Makes 4 servings:

enough rice for 4 people

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup red or green bell pepper

1 can pineapple chunks in juice (you will need 1 cup pineapple and 1/2 cup juice)

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons or chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup dry roasted cashews (or peanuts)

Prepare rice according to package directions.

While rice is cooking, prepare sweet and sour chicken: place olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Saute until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken mixture from pan. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Saute about 4 minutes. Add pineapple and cook for about 30 seconds. Return chicken to pan. Combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch and brown sugar in a bowl, whisking until combined well. Pour sauce into pan and bring to a boil. Cook 1 more minute. Turn off heat, sprinkle with nuts, and serve with rice.

Galette des Rois

On Epiphany (January 6th), the French eat a Galette des Rois (kings' cake- but more like a pastry than a cake) with a bean hidden inside to symbolize the wise men finding baby Jesus. Whoever finds the bean becomes king for the day and must host the party next year. I have made this recipe several times. I omit a few steps to make it easier. It is really delicious and you can even make mini-galettes as breakfast pastries.

This recipe is for 2 galettes:

2 boxes (4 sheets) puff pastry

Frangipane cream:

1 cup butter, softened (not melted!)

1 cup blanched almonds, ground (use food processor or clean coffee grinder)

4 tablespoons flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

pinch salt

egg wash:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

powdered sugar

bean or nut

Thaw puff pastry sheets on counter. While thawing, use an electric mixer to combine frangipane ingredients. Unfold one puff pastry onto a silicone baking mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Mix together egg and water and spread 1" around outside of puff pastry. Place 1/2 frangipane filling into middle of pastry. Place 2nd pastry sheet on top and press around edges to seal. Use fork tines to seal outside, then use knife to lightly score pastry to decorate, making sure not to puncture. Spread egg wash all over top, avoiding 1" border. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 for an additional 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for last 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut into pieces and hide bean/nut into one serving.

I made a few individual pastries too:

Puff pastry brie

This could not be any easier, but the result is DELICIOUS!

1 sheet puff pastry

1 8 oz round brie

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Take puff pastry out of freezer and thaw on counter for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Place brie round in middle of pastry and wrap up, trimming excess pastry. Place wrapped brie seam side down on a cookie sheet. Whisk together water and egg and brush on pastry. Decorate with pastry trimmings and brush again with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden. Let sit 20 minutes before serving (otherwise it will be too gooey)

Vin Chaud

This is served at all the Christmas markets in France at this time of year. We found this particular recipe on this expat's cooking blog.

1 bottle red wine

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

2 whole cloves

1 lemon, sliced

zest of one orange

Bring wine, water, sugar, and spices to a simmer over low heat. Add zest and lemon slices. Serve warm.