Honey Rosemary Lamb

Know what's good when your heart is aching, perhaps verging on breaking? Going into Mama Sarah's Kitchen, because good food does make everything better (at least for a little while). Whether on the cooking or consuming end, food is therapeutic. I believe this wholeheartedly.

Moving on.. somewhat. I've been going crazy with not cooking and baking as much as I used to. I started to feel quite down. So I've decided to cook at least one fabulous meal on the weekend, in addition to the Sunday baking.

I've been obsessing over lamb for the past few years. I've had a great experience and a mediocre one. That's it. So I've been wanting to try preparing it. Unfortunately, my usual grocery store doesn't carry lamb. BUT the grocery store near work DOES. So by Wednesday, I was determined to prepare lamb this Saturday. Meal plans in the middle of the day? I ate light.

I didn't follow any recipe really. I am basically unfamiliar with lamb and it's nuances, so I decided to mimic (in a way) a steak at Granite City that I really enjoy. It's a honey rosemary filet mignon, and I love the combination of flavors. Thus, we have Honey Rosemary Lamb. I want to use chops, but the store didn't have any, so I ended up with this .. leg steak? It's basically a cross-section of the leg; hubby removed the bone portion.


Honey Rosemary Lamb

• 1 lb lamb
• 2-3 tbsp honey
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 sprigs of rosemary, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper

I basically combined the honey, olive oil, and chopped rosemary to create a marinade. I rubbed the lamb in the marinade, flipped it up, then sealed it up and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours.


Marinadey! I'm sorry I can't give you exact amounts. I thought I had them figured out, then realized I didn't have enough marinade so I just started adding more a bit at a time.

When you're ready to cook the lamb, heat some olive oil on medium-high heat in a skillet. Salt and pepper, then sear each side (a few minutes each) to create a nice dark outside. Turn the heat down to a medium-low and cover. It takes about 10 minutes, but you definitely want your meat to be at least 160F. They recommend lamb be served medium-rare. I *overcooked* mine.

The meat was a bit sweet, so I should have countered the sweetness a little better. I still enjoyed it, but hubby did not (he likes his meat spicy, damn Cajun that he is). I think this is a good base to start my lamb adventures from. Maybe I'll do a roast for Christmas!

I served this with Nigella Lawson's perfect oven roasted potatoes (DELISH), some store bought garlic bread, and a salad of greens and thinly sliced gouda. Though the greens were a bit bitter (it was a baby arugula mix) the gouda paired with it was great. Definitely something I will serve again, perhaps even at a dinner party. It is simple, yet elegant, which means big points, right?

Expect the Nigella recipe in a few hours.

Also, I have not forgotten Sweet Sundays (not a creative name, I know. Sue me). I am in the process of making a King Cake. That's right my friends; Mardi Gras is this coming Tuesday. I'll finish up the cake tomorrow and post it then. Get excited!!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Alright, I know I said every Sunday... but the Sunday before last, I secretly flew home to surprise my sister for her baby shower! It was great fun and I had great food while I was there. Unfortunately, on my way back, I picked up a stomach bug. So, this past Sunday, I kept the baking fairly simple until I decided to do homemade strawberry icing and had to get some ingredients at the store. So I didn't finish up until Monday. And instead of posting, I went to sleep. Shame on me, but I was a tired girl.

Anyhoo. Who doesn't love sugar cookies?? They are my favorite, except they harden too quickly. Sadness. BUT the issue has been solved with these tasty Sugar Cookie Bars I found over at Real Mom Kitchen. These stay soft and could actually be quite versatile; my supervisor (and fellow baking buddy and Nigella fan) thinks it would make a great dessert pizza crust.

Earlier, I mentioned that I decided to do a homemade icing, but to clarify, the recipe includes icing. I just wanted strawberry icing, and thus had to find strawberry extract.

This is a VERY sweet dessert. I, with my insane sweet tooth, enjoy it immensely, but some of my coworkers find it a little overwhelming. So, if you're cooking for a more reserved crowd, just watch how much icing you apply.



Sugar Cookie Bars

• 1 cup butter at room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (a few minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until everything is fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. It will not be a cohesive dough, so don't worry if it's clumpy.

Spread on a greased (or foil-lined then greased) baking sheet. Since my dough was so clumpy, I used a drinking glass to roll the dough smooth in the pan.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely. Frost.

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter at room temp
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla (or strawberry or any other flavor) extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• food coloring, optional

Beat or whisk butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy. It may take a few minutes. Add flavor extract and salt, mix well. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth. Add milk and beat/whisk until smooth and creamy.

I decorated mine wiith pink and red colored sugar. I tried to be cutesy and make little hearts, but I was tired and failed. I probably could have fixed it, but I wanted to sleep. Shame on me.

Ropa Vieja

Back home, there was this great Cuban place near my house. One of my Spanish teachers in high school was from Cuba, so he encouraged us to all visit the restaurant. Once I went, I was hooked, and by far my favorite dish was ropa vieja. A dish of seasoned shredded beef, it is tasty by itself or over rice or with potatoes or on tortillas or .... in anything ever. So when I came across this recipe, I was ecstatic. But since it takes a good time investment, I put the recipe off for quite awhile. I won't be doing THAT again. As this dish freezes well, I plan to start making it in batches and freezing it so we can have ropa vieja goodness whenever I want.

Fun fact, ropa vieja means old clothes in Spanish.


Ropa Vieja

• 3-4 lbs flank steak, with the visible fat removed
• dozen peppercorns
• 6-8 oz favorite salsa - I used a salsa verde, VERY tasty
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 2 cups water

Place the steak in slow cooker and sprinkle in the peppercorns. Add water until the meat is almost covered. Cook on low for 9 hours. Let the meat cool. (At this point, I just let the meat cool then put it in the fridge so I could complete the dish a day or two later. You could also freeze the meat.)

Once you're ready to finish the dish, cut the meat into 3 inch strips. Make sure to cut AGAINST the grain, because next you're going to shred the meat and you want 3 inch shreds.

Place the meat in a LARGE, nonstick flying pan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. If your pan isn't large enough - like mine - this will be plenty tricky as you try not to spill your precious ingredients.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the meat is all turned to rags.

Now, be careful while you're simmering the dish. You might be tempted to pull little bits of meat out of the pan, which might burn your fingers. Not like I know from experience or anything, though....

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

The recipe is late, I know. I'm not going to make any excuses, because by now you should understand how it goes.

This recipe is pretty tasty, though I'd tweak it some if I made it again. The recipe makes 2 loaves; I brought one to work and it disappeared very fast.




Please note: not only does this recipe make 2 loaves, it also needs 2 days. So, prepare yourself for that.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

Sponge

• 1 tbsp instant (rapid rise) yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cup warm milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Dough

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temp

Blueberry Filling

• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Egg Glaze

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

Cream Cheese Filling

• 3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp of the egg glaze

Day 1

For the sponge, mix together the sugar, yeast and flour in a nicely sized bowl. (I did this in my kitchenaid mixer bowl). Pour in the warm milk (110-115F) and beat until smooth. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Now, to make the dough, add the eggs, salt, sugar, and 1 cup of flour to the sponge and beat until smooth. Add the butter 1 small chunk at a time and beat well after each addition. Then add the remaining flour, a bit at a time. Mix until a soft, kneadable dough forms.

Knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes. (I cheated and used my mixer!). You'll want the dough to be smooth. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2

Time to make the blueberry goop! In a medium saucepan, combine all of the blueberry filling ingredients. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.

For the egg glaze, gently beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl.

In yet another bowl, combine the ingredients for the cream cheese filling, making sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Pull your dough out of the fridge and gently deflate it. Divide it in half (I do this by not-so-gently using a bread knife to cut down the center of the bread while it's still in the bowl. That's just me though).

Take half of the dough and roll it out into a rectangle until it is only 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Slather half of the cream cheese mixture into the middle third of the loaf. Then, spread half of the blueberry mixture on top of that.

As this is a braid, you'll need to cut slits up the sides of the dough. Cut diagonally away from the fillings. It works well to cut the slits about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Now, alternatingly fold each strip over the filling, making a braided appearance. (the recipe I linked has good pictures of this.)

Repeat the whole process with the other half of the dough.

Brush both loaves with the egg glaze. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350.

Before placing the bread in the oven, brush again with the glaze. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Now, we all know my oven is finicky. So, here's how I did it: I put each loaf on its own rack (they couldn't fit side by side). I baked them in 10 minute increments, then switched their positions. After 20 minutes, I lowered the temp to about 275 because they were browning a good deal. I checked for doneness by looking at the point where the strips connect on top of the loaf.

The end. Enjoy!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

So you've noticed there's not a real post. That's because the blueberry cream cheese danish requires 2 days of work, and with my schedule, it made sense to start it today and finish tomorrow. So there will be a post tomorrow, have no fear!

Double Chocolate Brownies

The other day, my supervisor and I had a discussion about brownies. We talk about food and share recipes often, and she's the one who introduced me to Nigella Lawson. So, it surprised me a bit that we were both talking fondly of boxed brownie mixes. But, in my short 22 years of life, I have yet to have a brownie so delicious as the Hershey's brownies. So, I've started yet another food quest for brownies better than those.

I have a few brownie recipes bookmarked, and thought I'd start with something simple which I was guaranteed to have all the ingredients in my pantry. So, this recipe won out. I believe it's a Martha Stewart recipe. The brownies are very chocolately without being overwhelming. They're dense and cakey. While not being the classic fudgey, gooey brownies, these would be absolutely amazing cut up into little cubes and mixed with vanilla ice cream. I wish I had some vanilla ice cream.


Double Chocolate Brownies

• 6 tbsp butter, coarsely chopped
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 4 oz semisweet, 2 oz bittersweet)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish. The recipe calls for you to butter the pan, line it with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper. I skipped the paper and just sprayed the dish with a cooking spray. *

Melt together the butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder. You can choose to do this over a double-boiler or in the microwave. I always opt for the microwave. If microwaving, just heat it up in 30 second increments, stirring after each session. Let cook slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer if you have one, beat together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. This will take approximately 4 minutes. Add the chocolate and mix until combined. Lower the speed and beat in the flour mixture.

Pour mixture into prepped pan and spread evenly. Bake approximately 35 minutes. Cool completely.

* A note on prepping the pan: The purpose of the parchment paper is to allow for easy removal of the brownies from the pan. This comes in handy if you'd like to cut up the brownies before serving them. it makes for easier and nicer squares. But I'm bringing these brownies to work, so keeping them in the pan is handy in a couple of ways. First off, my pan has a lid, which makes transportation very easy. Also, everyone's going to make a different size brownie, so I like to let them cut whatever size they want. If I were having a party, I'd go for the easy removal method.

New Schedule

Hello my lovely readers. Again, an absence of posts. I've decided, that for this (my final) semester, I'm going to set a specific day for baking. So for now on, I'll be posting something every Sunday, barring unforeseen circumstances. This way, I can plan for baking time, instead of waiting for it to appear. Also, with my new schedule, alot of the dinner cooking will fall to hubby, so I'm not sure how many savory recipes I'll get up here.

I do have a recipe for ropa vieja I made Monday (superduperawesometasty), but I did not get a picture. Sad times. Luckily, I had about half of it leftover, which I froze and will probably do something with later this week. So I'll post it soon.

Black-eyed Peas

Mmmm black-eyed peas. So simple. So tasty. A great meal can be made solely with black-eyed peas and rice. Aaah, heaven. It's what I had for lunch today. I always make these from dry beans; canned ones seem icky to me. It's really simple to prepare any dry bean, but it does require some time... but not active time. Just letting the beans boil or simmer for a long time, adding water when necessary. So little effort, so delicious.


Black-eyed Peas

• 1 lb dry beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt
• bacon or ham, optional
  

First, sort through the beans, pulling out any rocks, dirt clods, or bad beans. Wash the beans by placing them in a bowl, running water over it, and swishing them around. Pour out the water. Fill the bowl again, making sure the beans are covered completely, and let soak for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, swish the water around again, then pour it out.

Transfer the beans to a big pot and fill it with water. Throw in the onion and garlic (and if you'd like, the bacon or ham) and bring to a boil. Depending on the time you have, you can boil them the entire time, or reduce the heat to a simmer and let them cook for much, much longer.

I let the beans boil most of the time, and it took probably 30-45 minutes. You need to be very careful about making sure there is always enough water in the pot to more than cover the beans.

During the cooking process, season to taste, checking every so often.

Serve once the beans are soft and delicious.

Cabbage Rolls

Here's the cabbage roll recipe from yesterday,


Cabbage Rolls:

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 lb lean gound beef
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• tomato sauce (I used Ragu)
  

The most difficult thing about this recipe was getting the the cabbage leaves without tearing them to pieces. After much frustration on my part - and the biggest leaves torn to ruins - hubby suggested blanching the whole head of cabbage before removing the leafs, instead of blanching the leaves afterwards (as all the recipes I'd seen had indicated).

Once you've got your leaves blanched and separated, cut the very thick part of the stem out. You can do so by cutting a little slit a few inches up each side of the stem, forming a very skinny triangle. Otherwise, if you don't remove the stem, the cabbage won't roll.


Preheat the oven to 350F.

While your cabbage cools, brown the ground beef. Once it's fully ground, season to taste. I used Chachere's. You can use season salt, salt and pepper, or whatever floats your boat. Add the veggies and cook until they have softened. My bell pepper bits were a bit too firm. You aren't going to bake the rolls long in the oven, so keep that in mind when deciding the doneness of your veggies. Once it's cooked to your satisfaction, stir in the rice until well combined.

Lay a cabbage leaf down. Spoon some of the mixture into the center, and fold the edges up around it. You'll make a triangle of sorts. Repeat.

You can place these on a baking dish or a baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce over the top of the rolls. Bake about 10 minutes.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009, y'all! The new year came in quietly for hubby and I - we were sleeping. I woke up with a migraine and sore throat, but I won't take that as an omen. 2009 will be a good year.

As with every New Year, we had the traditional black-eyed peas and cabbage. Now, I emphasize traditional because that doesn't seem to be the tradition here in Iowa. Very few people here seem to be aware of the whole eating them for health and wealth, an. d even fewer know of black-eyed peas. Unimaginable! I grew up black-eyed peas often, though cabbage not so much.

More on that cabbage. Mom always boiled it, and what kid is going to think "yum, boiled cabbage, I think I'll have some of that!" So, I never ate it until a few years, when I discovered it wasn't that bad. But, who wants to celebrate the New Year with not that bad. This year, I decided to try my hand at cabbage rolls. I looked at a bunch of recipes, then just sort of winged it.


End result? I liked it much more than I expected. Rolls are waaay better than plain ol' boiled cabbage.

I'll try to post the recipe tomorrow. I need to get to bed and sleep so I feel better for work.

Happy New Year!