Bacon Parmesan Egg Noodles

I know that it is tempting to grab a box of pasta as a side dish. It seems easier and faster than making your own from scratch. It isn’t. This takes NO time and is delicious. And this contains no disodium guanylate. Unless you just like that.

I cook bacon on Sunday and keep it in the fridge for recipes such as this to save time. Sometimes, I toss in 2 tablespoons frozen peas or chopped matchstick carrots-or both.

Bacon Parmesan Egg Noodles

 Servings: 4

Time:  Prep: 5 minutes   Cooking:  11 minutes

Hardware:  A measuring spoons and cups, a large pot, a colander, a spoon and a serving bowl

Ingredients:

• 8 oz wide egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon onion flakes
• ¼ cup shaved Parmesan
• 3 slices crumbled bacon

1. Cook the pasta following the package directions.
2. Drain saving ⅛ cup of the pasta water.
3. Toss the pasta, hot pasta water and the other ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve warm.

Sunday Dinner Beef Stew with Roasted Veggies

I live in Florida, so we don’t experience winter the way others do. We will have one or two days of cool weather and then-balmy sunshine. But I know it is getting colder in the rest of the world. So, I made Sunday Dinner Beef Stew with Roasted Veggies. I called this Sunday Dinner because it requires a little extra effort. You could just throw everything into the crockpot, but this is worth the extra effort. Roasting the vegetables adds depth. Adding the onion and garlic to the meat gives it flavor, but no one likes to eat mushy veggies. 

Servings:  6

Time:  Prep: 25 minutes Cook:  5 hours

Hardware: knives & chopping block, measuring cups & spoons, crock pot, frying pan, baking sheet, foil, cooking spray, strainer, sauce pot, paper towel covered plate, tongs, a cup, a fork

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds stew meat
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 3 cloves garlic~minced
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 2 stems of fresh rosemary
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4-5 sage leaves
• 2 pounds potatoes 
• 2 large onions
• 3 stalks celery
• ½ pounds baby carrots
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅓ cup frozen peas
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the bacon on medium in the pan to render the fat from it.  Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels to allow it to cool.
2. Add the stew meat to the pan and allow it to sear. (3 minutes)
3. Cut one of the onions and one stalk of celery in half. Place them in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the seared meat, crumbled bacon, herbs, wine, garlic and ½ cup stock.
4. Cook on high for 5 hours.
5. When the beef has been cooking for 4 hours. Pre-heat the oven to 325˚.
6. Cover the baking sheet in foil. Spray with cooking spray.
7. Scrub and quarter the potatoes. Quarter the onion. Cut the celery stalks into thirds Spread the veggies out on the prepared baking sheet and salt generously. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are done and can easily be pierced.
8. Strain the crock pot juices into the sauce pan and discard everything but the meat. Set the meat aside. Add the remaining broth and Worcestershire sauce to the sauce pot. Bring to a rapid boil. Stir the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water together in the small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the cornstarchy water into the boiling liquid. The sauce should thicken. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the salt. Immediately add the meat and veggies (including the peas) to the hot liquid.
9.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Cherry Coconut Macaroons

I wanted to make a friend a gift of cookies for her birthday. My mom used to make coconut macaroons when we were young. So, I thought that would be good. I found a recipe for 3 ingredient macaroons, but read all the comments and everyone complained about the consistency. I talked it over with the friend who suggested I add flour. I also decided to add meringue to give the cookies shape.

Because this was a gift, I decide to make them special by adding dried cherries. You can use them or substitute any other dried fruit. I wouldn’t use raisins because this is very sweet and needs something to cut that. The cherries are slightly bitter. I think dried orange or lemon peel would work well. You could also drizzle chocolate on them afterward. I made a second batch and added ¼ cup toasted, sliced almonds and replaced ½ teaspoon of the vanilla extract with almond extract.

My friend loved them. I took a second batch to a party and people came looking for me to ask where I had found them. They were amazed that I had made them from scratch. They stay fresh and moist in an airtight container for a week. Find a pretty tin and give these macaroons as a gift.

 

 

Cherry Coconut Macaroons

Servings:  2 dozen cookies

Time:  Prep: 15 minutes, cooking: 20 minutes

Hardware:  Measuring cups and spoons, 2 mixing bowls, wooden spoon, a mixer, a baking sheet, a silpat or parchment paper, a rubber spatula, cooling rack, plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 14 ounces shredded, sweetened coconut
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup dried, chopped cherries
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 large egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees°. Cover the baking sheet in the silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In one bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, cherries, vanilla and salt. This is best to do with the wooden spoon.
3. Separate the eggs. Save the yolks for something else. Add the cream of tartar to the whites and whip until the eggs are holding soft peaks.
4. Stir the flour into the coconut. Then gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
5. I used the ⅛ cup to scoop out 2 tablespoons of mixture. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until the coconut is toasted. Allow them to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to the cooling rack. Cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge between batches. Store in an airtight container.