Dinner Party for Eight (Italian Beef Sandwiches, Green Beans with Balsamic Glaze, Sweet Potato Fries and Grilled Sweet Corn)

Cooking for eight people can seem daunting.  Slow cooker recipes are a great way to feed a large group without stressing out.  My mom gave me this recipe and it never fails to impress.  For the side dishes, I stuck with simple vegetable preparations since the focus of the meal was the beef.

Sweet Corn
8 ears of sweet corn (peeled)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black peper

1. Grill on medium high heat for 30 mins (rotating corn every 10 minutes)
2. If not done, finish in 350 F oven for 5 minutes

Green Beans and Balsamic glaze

1. Wash and trim green beans.
2. Boil or blanche the green beans.
3. Meanwhile  reduce 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a pan over medium heat.  Add a pinch of sugar to vinegar.
4. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid tastes sweet.
5. Serve green beans with balsamic glaze on the side or drizzles on top of the beans.

Sweet Potato Wedges

3-4 Sweet potatoes or yams
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
½ chipotle powder
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
a dash of cayenne powder
½ teaspoon of cinnamon

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Bake Time: 25-30 minutes                            Oven Temp: 400 F

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes.  Cut into wedges.
2. Transfer to a bowl and toss with all ingredients except cinnamon.
3. Bake for 25- 30 mins, rotating throughout so that the wedges cook evenly.
4. During the last 5 minutes of bake time, sprinkle cinnamon over wedges.
5. Serve warm.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 boneless beef chunk roast (3 lbs)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup red wine (I used leftover Malbec)
1 jar sliced pepperocinis (undrained)
1 medium sweet red pepper (cut into small slices)
1 green bell pepper (cut into small slices)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 spoonfuls of sliced jalapenos  (optional)
6-8 thick bread rolls (the bread needs to be sturdy so that it wont become soggy when the beef filling is added)

Prep Time: 10 minutes      Cook Time: 5 hours     

1. Cut roast in half and place in a 5 quart slow cooker/crock pot.
2. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, cayenne and black pepper.
3. Add red wine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
4. In a separate bowl combine the pepperocinis, jalapenos, sliced peppers, garlic, soup mix and Worchestershire sauce. Keep this bowl beside your slow cooker to add later.
5. After  4 hours, remove beef from crock pot and shred with two forks.  Return to pot and add the second bowls contents.  Cook on high for 1 hour.
6. Serve hot on thick bread rolls.  I used dutch crunch.

Apple Oven Cake

I discovered this lovely recipe while waiting in the oral surgeon’s office to get a tooth pulled.  It was featured in Sunset magazine over a year ago and I use it all the time. It’s a lovely dessert and I always have all the ingredients I need in my kitchen.  You can also serve it as a sweet breakfast treat.

Prep Time: 10 minutes                   Bake Time: 15 minutes                  Oven Temp: 425 F

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet apple, peeled and sliced (I use pink lady or granny smith)
3 Large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup soy or almond milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Melt butter in 12 in. frying pan over medium high heat. (frying pan must be oven safe, no plastic handles!)
3. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to combine.  Add apple and cook till softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a blender combine eggs, salt, flour and milk.
5. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I swear this is the easiest cake I’ve ever made and if you want a quick homemade dessert, try the oven cake!  Serve it with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Quinoa Pancakes!!!

Quinoa Pancakes!!!

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website.  The quinoa in the pancakes makes them healthier than traditional pancake recipes and they are more filling. This recipe makes a lot so I usually just make a whole batch and freeze the leftovers.  You can pop the cakes in the toaster and have a quick breakfast the rest of the week.

Quinoa Cakes Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa (follow package instruction for cooking quinoa)
3/4 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup almond or soy milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup 

1. In a bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt.
2.In another bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, soy milk, and syrup until smooth.
3. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
4. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by large tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes.
5. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat if cakes are turning to dark before they are cooked through).
6. Serve hot with maple syrup and fruit.

Variations….
A friend of mine tried this recipe with gluten-free flour and said they turned out even better.
If you like cinnamon, add a pinch. It will add to the flavor.

Yellow Cake with Strawberries and Cream Cheese Icing

Yellow Cake with Strawberries

I make this cake for friends’ birthdays all the time.  It is simple and with a few added ingredients, this box cake tastes like it’s homemade.

Prep Time: 10-15 mins   Bake Time: 30-35 mins

Ingredients
1 box of yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker)
1/2  carton of strawberries (washed and sliced)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup vanilla soy milk
¼ cup orange juice (fresh squeezed is preferable)
1 jar of cream cheese icing

1.Bake cake according to box instructions with one minor substitution.  The Betty Crocker cake mix calls for 1 ¼ cups water.  I use ½ cup water, ½ cup vanilla soy milk and ¼ cup orange juice.
2. Next add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and ½- 1 cup sliced strawberries.
3. Stir till combined and pour into cake pan.
4. Bake cake for 30-35 mins at 350 degrees.
5. Let cake cool and then top with icing and sliced strawberries. 

Before Icing.....

Delicious! 

Shrimp Two Ways- Tacos and Salad

I was browsing GOOP (Gwyneth Paltrow’s site) and came across her shrimp tacos.  They looked delicious and simple but Melissa and I wanted to make a healthier version.  What we ended up making was Shrimp, Pico de Gallo and a Black Bean and Corn Salad.  We served the shrimp and pico de gallo over spinach with homemade tortilla croutons on top.  Dano ate the shrimp in a taco.  Everyone was happy and full.

Shrimp Recipe

1- 1 1/2  pound of shrimp (peeled and deveined/tails removed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of one lime

pinch of chili powder (optional)

pinch of garlic salt (optional)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Cook shrimp on stove top at medium heat for 2-3 minutes each side or until light pink.

Pico de Gallo

1 carton of small tomatoes (diced)- I use the kind that are about twice the size of grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

5-6 tablespoons white onion (diced)

Salt  (to taste)

Squeeze of Lime

1 Jalapeno diced, seeds removed- optional

Combine all ingredients and season with lime and salt to taste.

Tortilla Croutons
Left over Pita or Tortillas.  I prefer wheat versions.
1-2 tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil or Olive oil
Garlic Salt (to taste)


Slice  1 or 2 piece of pita or tortilla into small chunks. Toss pita/tortilla chunks with one tablespoon sesame oil and a few pinches of garlic salt.  Add one tablespoon of sesame oil to heating cooking pan. Sauté pita/tortilla chunks over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, depending on heat.   They should look a little crisped.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 can of sweet corn (rinsed and drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
3-4 tablespoons white or green onion (diced)
3-4 cilantro stems
1 garlic clove crushed (or garlic salt)
pinch of salt
Add black beans, 3-4 cilantro stems and crushed garlic cloves to a pot.  Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes so flavors combine. Remove garlic clove and stems from pot. Pour black beans into a bowl and add corn, onion, and salt. Serve.
We served the shrimp over spinach and added the pico de gallo and croutons with cojita cheese sprinkled on top(feta works too). The Black Bean and Corn Salad  was served on the side.
Not interested in the Black Bean and Corn Salad? Another great option is Mexican Three Bean Salad
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mexican_three_bean_salad/
It’s delicious and tastes even better if you make it earlier in the day so the flavors can really marinate.  If you dislike one of the bean options you can substitute garbanzo beans for one of the other beans.

Fig (or Plum) and Almond Tart

This is a beautiful dessert and it tastes as good as it looks. Don’t let the picture fool you, even beginner bakers can make this tart.  This is the tart before it is cooked. Sorry but I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

Ingredients
1 sheet of store bought puff pastry dough (I found a great brand called French Picnic at Whole Foods)
3 ½ ounces almond paste  cut into small pieces(at room temp.)
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese (at room temp.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
6 large or 12 small figs (sliced and stems removed) OR 4 plums (Depends on size)
¼ cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup half and half (optional)

Prep Time: 15 mins         Bake Time: 40 mins            Oven Temp:  400 F

1. In food processor, combine sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract and honey. Blend until smooth.
2. Slice figs or plums into wedges.
3. Place one sheet of puff pastry dough on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Spread almond mixture in the middle of the dough leaving 2 inch border around the edge.
5. Arrange figs or plums over filling.
6. Spoon jam over figs.
7. Fold the dough border over the filling.
8. Brush half and half over dough border and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake 40 mins until golden.

This is a great dessert to make for Mother's Day! Try it out and impress your family.