Sorry for the slow blog lately

Things just got really really crazy in our house. I should be back later tonight we a few more recipes and I'll try to keep up after that.

Dressed up French Green Beans

Dressed Up French Green Beans

4 cups frozen French style green beans
2 tablespoons crumbled cooked bacon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook green beans according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain beans; add bacon mixture and gently stir to coat.

Salisbury Steak with Gemelli

Salisbury Steak with Gemelli

1 egg

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Hot cooked gemelli or spiral pasta

In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic. Crumble beefo over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.

In a large skillet, cook patties in oil over medium hgih heat 5-7minutes on each side or until meat is no longer. Remove and keep warm.

Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings. Saute mushrooms in drippings until tender. Stir in flour until blended . Gradually stir in the broth, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Return patties to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Serve with gemelli.

Cheddar Soup

Again another recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I changed the recipe only slightly by using potatoes in the recipe. I added one potato chopped. However I also think this recipe needs a very sharp cheese or maybe a combination of some other cheeses. I'm still thinking about what type of cheese to use next time. I also added some green onion to the top of the soup right before serving.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion , minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot , minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small rib celery , minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons dry sherry
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , shredded (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until mixture begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half and add bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Off heat, add cayenne and sherry; cool soup for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cheese and thyme; season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Multi grain dinner rolls

I found this recipe in Cook's Illustrated magazine and we have love this recipe both for bread and rolls.

6 1/4 ounces 7-grain hot cereal mix , 1 1/4 cups

20 ounces boiling water (2 1/2 cups)
15 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (3 cups), plus extra for dusting work surface
7 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour (1 1/2 cups)
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon table salt
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, (unsalted)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

1. Place cereal mix in bowl of standing mixer and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour. Whisk flours in medium bowl.
2. Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, melted butter, and yeast and stir to combine. Attach bowl to standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With mixer running on low speed, add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until dough forms ball, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; cover bowl with plastic and let dough rest 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3 to 4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2 to 3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and continue mixing); continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, taut ball. Place dough into greased container with 4-quart capacity; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 9 by 9-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and cut in half crosswise with knife or bench scraper. Cut each half into thirds, then into thirds again, to make 18 even sized pieces of dough. Gently roll each piece in circular motion to make round, then roll one side of dough in oats and place in baking pan, oat side up. Repeat to fill both baking pans with nine rolls each. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. (Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.) Bake until internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove rolls from pans and cool on wire rack before serving, about 2 hours.