Aussie Bites

During the holidays, DJ's parents shared a box of Aussie Bites from Costco with us.  Both DJ and I fell in love with those tasty mini muffins almost immediately because they're loaded with super grains and dried fruit.  They're a wonderful not-too-sweet breakfast treat.  We don't have a Costco membership, so we were pretty bummed when we finished the container.  Mel realized we might not be the only people who faced such a conundrum, and figured it'd be worth a quick Google search to see if anyone came up with a copycat recipe.  And indeed - someone did!  

 "The Stay @ Home Chef" Best Homemade Aussie Bites taste just like the ones from the store and are super easy to make.  At first it seems like a lot of ingredients to gather, but the bags of each component are plenty to last for several rounds of making the muffins so it's worth it in the long run.

After making them a couple of times, there are two tweaks to the recipe that we prefer:

1. leave out the granulated sugar
2. use uncooked quinoa
   

Tex-Mex Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

Snow Day!  At least 2 feet.  Epic!

No better time for a new slow cooker recipe - come in from the cold to the warm smells of spicy stew all day.

The spice packs a punch and sneaks up on you a bit, but overall it's a nice hearty stew!  Very glad we could enjoy it during this chilly blizzard.

Slow Cooker Oxtail

Mel is always excited to order oxtail from Caribbean restaurants.  With the right spices and preparation, the meat can be so tender and flavorful - a nice break from the normal rotation of chicken, pork and steak.  Unfortunately, she's never found oxtail at our local supermarkets.  Well, during the pandemic we started ordering meat deliveries directly from two awesome butchers in NY (Cassanova Meats and Vincent's Meat Market), and they carry oxtail!  

Knowing that oxtail meat would naturally be a bit tough, Mel wanted her first recipe attempt to involve the slow cooker.  Some of the recipes promising "Caribbean" flavors involved a million ingredients and she just wasn't in the mood for all that rigmarole, so she found this simpler one:  Southern Smothered Oxtails.

 We admittedly improvised a bit (i.e. adding a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes for extra sauciness), but the basics of the recipe were super easy to follow and yielded delicious results!  

 

Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole

One week when we wanted a break from meats, we decided to try out this Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole recipe.  The roasted veggies were so delicious, Mel almost ate them all out of the pan before adding them to the egg mixture.  Sometimes having breakfast for dinner is a nice change of pace.  

 Screenshots of recipe from WellPlated.com:

Sheet Pan Dinner Guide from NYT

New York Times Cooking posted these super helpful graphics on their Instagram - a guide for making sheet pan dinners.  Definitely wanted to share/save them on our blog for future reference!

GH Best Slow Cooker Brisket

 Back during the holiday season, Hana and Josh were committed to seeing family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So they admirably quarantined in Josh's parents' basement for two weeks so they could join them for a Thanksgiving dinner.  Then, after staying there for a few weeks, they headed up to CT and stayed with the Haile-Mariam crew for Christmas through New Year's Day.  It took a lot of dedication, but they did it and it was awesome to be able to have family time during the pandemic.  (Especially since now that they're back in BK, we probably won't see them until it's warm enough for socially-distanced outdoor gatherings.)  

During that quarantined window, they stopped at our house for a break on the long drive from DC to CT.  As luck would have it, the stop was on the second day of Hanukkah so we decided to make a traditional holiday meal to celebrate.  Mel knew the main meat should be brisket, but that cut of beef can be notoriously tough.  After a bit of research for the best brisket slow cooker recipes, she came upon this one from Good Housekeeping. 

She was a bit skeptical because the recipe is so simple.  Would it really be tasty and tender?  The answer:  YES!  This was the best brisket she's ever made.  And the best part: we froze some of the leftovers, and it tastes just as delicious (dare we say, better?!) reheated weeks later.  This recipe is for sure a keeper.  (Hence, the very delayed but effusive blog post.)

Here are the GH recipe details copied and pasted in case the link above ever breaks:

Ingredients

• 1 beef brisket (about 4 lbs.), trimmed
• 1 can (14 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Season brisket with 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; add to large slow-cooker bowl along with crushed tomatoes and garlic. Cover and cook on low 10 hours in slow cooker or Instant Pot, or until very tender.
2. About 25 minutes before meat is ready, on large rimmed baking sheet, toss red onion and yellow onion with olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Roast at 425°F 20 minutes or until browned. Top brisket with roasted onions and finely chopped parsley. 

Our Alterations 

Mel accidentally put both the red and yellow onion in the slow cooker with the tomatoes and garlic at the beginning of cooking time.  So we wound up skipping the second step altogether and it still turned out great!  Score for a 1-pot dish.

2021: Attitude of Gratitude

First post of 2021!  Our posts for 2020 were clearly lagging.  We had some cool food adventures at home, but the days went by in a blur of Zoom school/work and wiping down groceries so we rarely had a chance to keep up with blogging.  But we wanted to mark the first day of 2021 with the theme of the year: Attitude of Gratitude.  The key to facing each day of the pandemic is to take a moment each day to remember what we're grateful for.  Because truly, while the lives we were used to were completely turned upside down we still have so many reasons to be thankful.  Most importantly right now: our health, our extended family's health, the roof over our heads, and the food we eat.  So in honor of that, here's a picture celebrating our annual Soup Joumou (Mel is pretty sure it was her best one yet!).

And also in the spirit of gratitude, we want to offer up a huge thank you to Hirut for creating this AMAZING cake for our little guy's 5th birthday.  All the CT fam quarantined for 14 days in order to be able to have a maskless visit with us for Christmas, and they surprised us with an early birthday celebration!  Our resident space expert was over the moon (pun intended) when he saw this special treat just for him.  Unforgettable.

Blueberry Hand Pies

We realized that visiting our favorite Alstede Farms for berry picking would be a relatively safe activity during the pandemic since it's completely outdoors and extremely easy to maintain social distance.  We had a great time and wound up with a pretty awesome haul of blueberries.

Mel remembered that we had a box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry in our freezer, so we thought it'd be cool to attempt some sort of blueberry bake.  A quick Google search yielded this super easy recipe for Blueberry Hand Pies from The Food Network.  

(cutting and pasting all the details verbatim below in case the link ever breaks; they also include steps for making a glaze but we skipped that because we wanted the sweet focus to be on our berries)

Ingredients

Filling

• 3 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Pastry

• 3 sheets frozen puff pastry (from two 17.3-ounce packages, such as Pepperidge Farm), thawed
• 1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

"For the filling: Combine the blueberries and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar is melted and the berries have started to burst, a few minutes. Stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined, then add to the blueberry mixture. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and continue to cook until glossy and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use." 

We definitely messed this part up.  Mel put everything to simmer in the pot beautifully, but then got distracted and let it simmer too long.  So the fruit wound up breaking down a bit too much, making it a tad runny to be a filling.  Lesson learned.  But we didn't want the berries to go to waste, so we continued knowing full well that our pastry might wind up with the dreaded "soggy bottom." 

(#GBBO #WhatWouldMaryDo #NoHandshakeFromPaulHere)

"For the pastry: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

To make the pies: Unfold the thawed pastry and roll out to 10-inch squares if necessary. Cut each square in quarters, making four 5-inch squares from each. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of cooled filling onto one corner of each square. Brush around the squares with the egg wash. Fold the pasty over the filling on each to make a triangle, pressing lightly to remove any air pockets. Crimp the edges shut with a fork. Put the pies on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet."

Clearly this part got messy because of our runny filling.  But we figured... can you ever really go terribly wrong with yummy sweet fruit and flaky pastry?  We knew these may not turn out pretty, but they'd likely be delish so we persisted.

Annnnnd... our hunch was right.  Definitely not blue ribbon worthy... bursting at the seams and caught on a few edges.  BUT - SUPER YUMMY!   And we wanted to be sure to blog about it because this recipe is a quick, easy way to make the most of our trips to the farm.

Mason Jar Ice Cream

Yup - still a pandemic going on.  And yup - folks are still posting some pretty creative recipe ideas.  DJ is a bit obsessed with ice cream, so when he saw a New York Times post about making your own ice cream in a mason jar - no machine needed - he couldn't wait to try it.  We were skeptical because the whole process seemed way too simple to be true:

So we gathered our ingredients...

put everything in the jar (a process so simple our 4-year-old did it and had a blast adding the extra flair of rainbow sprinkles)...

shook our little hearts out (it only took about 3 minutes for ours to double in size as the recipe states)...

put it in the freezer, and 3 hours later.... LET THERE BE DELICIOUS ICE CREAM!

We were so shocked our jaws literally dropped.  It tastes like the freshest treat from a creamery stand on a drive through the countryside.  And the best part - it's not sickeningly sweet like so many store-bought brands. 

We can't believe it's so easy to make this delight at home and have full control over all the ingredients.  Next up will be trying different flavors.  Below are a few suggestions from the same New York Times post, but we may go rogue and make up our own.  Can't wait!

Bacon Roasted Chicken

We had a few strips of bacon left from a pack and wanted to do something creative with them.  We also had a whole chicken we were planning to rotisserie, but the weather took a turn so using the grill wasn't an option. 

Solution:  Bacon Roasted Chicken!

We didn't follow the seasoning elements of this recipes.  We marinated our bird in our favorite Noble Made Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce overnight, and didn't add any other spices or butter.  We also used a bottle of beer instead of beef broth at the bottom of the roasting pan. 

But the recipe did come in handy for some basic roasting-with-bacon guidelines:

• Lay the chicken breast-side up and lay the strips of bacon across like a blanket (use toothpicks to keep them in place.

• Roast at 450F for the first 15 minutes.
• Then lower to 350F for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Finally, take the bacon off the top to allow the skin to brown for another 15 minutes (we also let the bacon roast a bit longer in a separate pan.)

The end result was super juicy and tasty!  We served it on a bed of sauteed kale, carrots, and peas to balance out the savory bacon.  Delish!

Watermelon Margaritas

Warm weather is upon us but most public spaces are still closed.  So on those days we miss sitting outside at our favorite restaurants with a pitcher of refreshing libations, this recipe for Watermelon Margaritas does the trick.  Only 3 ingredients!

• 1 1/4 cups watermelon juice (1 small ripe watermelon yields ~3-5 cups juice)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
• 5 Tbsp silver tequila (5 Tbsp = 2 1/2 ounces)

Mel enjoyed it as is, but DJ added 5 Tbsp of orange juice to his glass to balance out the tart lime.  A delightful treat for sunny days in the yard!  And throw one of DJ's awesome cowboy steaks in the mix and we are #winning!

S.I.P. and Chill

S.I.P. might sound like a great name for a new wine bar, but actually it stands for Shelter-In-Place.  Today marks the start of the 3rd month we been staying home to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.  No one in our house has gone to school, work, or to any public place since March 12th. 

It seems odd to be writing a blog entry about a virus, but this is a time we will certainly never forget (nor should we) so it felt fitting to make note of it here.  And in fact, staying home has led to many creative food experiments.  We do have the option to do curbside pick-up from some of our favorite restaurants, so sometimes we'll splurge on takeout on the weekends (reheating every dish until steaming/bubbling as a precaution).  But for the most part, we're coming up with interesting ways to make the food we're able to get delivered via Fresh Direct (thankfully we have a reserved weekly spot), Instacart, Whole Foods, and some specialty butchers who offer truck delivery.  The bags are dropped off by our garage door and we meticulously wipe down every item with Clorox to be extra cautious (produce gets washed with soap and water).  Some pantry items we even leave on a shelf in the garage to let them air out longer - we figure it doesn't hurt.  It's quite the system to say the least.  We will definitely never take walking around stores shopping for granted again!


Boston Pork Butt

We ordered this cut of meat for the challenge of cooking low and slow for a long time to make it tender.  Also... it's also pretty amusing for our kid to tell people we're having butt for dinner (the meat is actually from the pig's shoulder; not sure how it got named.)  The sight of the perfectly caramelized skin was so mouth-watering, it was very difficult to be patient waiting for the slow roast. 

After 11 hours, the end result was delish!

Pork Loin Roast

DJ decided to go cowboy-style on this one and sear the loin directly on the hickory wood chunks.  It was then slow smoked on the rotisserie with pecan wood chips.  The flavor was amazing, and we were extremely impressed with how well the meat reheated over the course of the week. Stayed juicy and smokey for days.  Fantastic!

In addition to grilling more, we also decided to keep ice cream in the freezer for days when we really need a sweet treat to soothe our sheltered-in souls.  Ben and Jerry's had announced their new flavor - Netflix and Chill'd - months ago, and Mel was immediately intrigued because it includes all her favorite snack flavors.  A wondrous mix of sweet and salty.  So it was a no-brainer to include it in our grocery cart, and it did not disappoint! 


Pretty great when the name of your snack food mirrors exactly what you're doing during shelter-in-place.  Lots of shows, movies, and chillin.'  Since this will likely be the only blog entry we devote exclusively to this historic window of time, it feels like the best place to share some of the screen selections that are getting us through it all. 

MOVIES

• Knives Out
• Bad Boys for Life
• Planes
• Planes Fire and Rescue
• Despicable Me 1-3
  

SHOWS

• Top Chef Masters - LA
• The Big Family Cooking Showdown (British)
• Tiger King
• Million Dollar Listing NY
• Altered Carbon
• The Expanse
• Indian Matchmaking
  
• Doc McStuffins
• Thomas and Friends
• Ask the StoryBots
• Ready, Jet, Go
• Rusty Rivets
• Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
  
• Paw Patrol
• Gigantosaurus
• You Tube videos about the solar system & dinosaurs
  

Thankful every day for our good health, our home, our beautiful yard, grocery delivery, liquor store curbside pickup, and Internet access.  These times are challenging, but we remain grateful for everything we have and will be all the more appreciative of all the little things once this pandemic is a thing of the past.

Banza Pasta AND Rice = Total Game Changers

We have long been fans of Banza and their great pasta substitutes made of chickpeas. 

 They obviously don't taste exactly like pasta.  But combined with the veggies, sauces and cheeses we usually use in ziti recipes, they really do come pretty close and have tons of protein with minimal sugars.  #Winning! 

So imagine our delight when we discovered Banza now makes legume rice as well!  We eliminated rice from our cooking repertoire a long time ago, and have been pleased with the options of cauliflower rice or root vegetables instead.  But there are certainly times we've missed the texture of rice, especially when enjoying a saucy meat dish just begging for a rice bed to soak up all the extra flavor.

We honestly had extremely low expectations, but with nutrition facts like these we knew we had to try it at least once.

Happy to report, we were SHOCKED at how DELICIOUS this stuff is.  It cooks so quickly and easily, has a texture just like rice, and even tastes great on its own with just a splash of olive oil and dash of salt.  In a word - AMAZING.

We will keep at least two bags of Banza rice in our pantry at all times (right next to the Banza pasta) for those nights when we're craving carbs without the guilt.  Also a wonderful option for meat-free dinners!

Santa Mozies and 2020 Taco Buffet

We wrapped up the decade with a very festive holiday season!

This was the first year our little guy fully understood the idea of Santa.  So we had a ball making our favorite Mozies to share with jolly old St. Nick.  The excitement of discovering he had eaten the cookies and left a special present was unforgettable!

Then since Sara, Mike, AND Naomi were in town for the holidays, we realized it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate both New Year's Eve and our little Capricorn's birthday with everyone together.  Over the years, Mel has realized that hosting parties can be stressful because we wind up spending the whole time worrying about cooking the food, serving the food, and cleaning up the food and next thing we know the party is over.  So she tried to think of a way to minimize all that food-related activity and actually enjoy everyone's company.  Idea: 2020 Taco Buffet!  The various components could all be laid out before the party started, kept warm in slow cookers and hot trays for the duration of the gathering, and cleaned up after everyone left.  Woo!

First step: finding the right slow cooker recipes for the meats.  Some Googling led us to two that looked promising:

Shredded Mexican Chicken

Beef Barbacoa

The Shredded Mexican Chicken was so easy and affordable, and yielded a tons of super tasty chicken!

 

The Beef Barbacoa recipe involved a bit more prep work, and the results were tasty but a looooooooooot spicier than expected.  We love spice, and DJ's dad raved about the heat level.  But definitely worth noting that the chipotles and chiles pack a serious flavor punch.  Whew!

As far as the logistics, the plan worked out just as we'd hoped.  The food stayed hot all day, folks could nibble as they pleased, and we didn't have to touch a thing until everyone headed home.  Will definitely try this again next time we have a large gathering!

And for dessert, we enjoyed a New Year's champagne toast, Ibee's rum cake, and a custom birthday cake from Bovella's. 

The birthday boy requested a strawberry cake and his favorite color is red, so we went all out and got the reddest cake possible:  red velvet, strawberry mousse, and fresh strawberries.  We weren't sure how it would actually taste, but it turns out the combination was delightful and surprisingly not too sweet!

HAPPY 2020 TO ALL!  

Cheers to a new decade of blogging and food-happy-dancing!!!