TV DINNER

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It was a cold winter night and we had shows to binge.  I knew we would be spending that particular night in front of the Tube so I wanted to make some comfort food for warmth, and something that would go with the theme of the night.  It made me think back to the old-fashioned TV Dinners.  I remember them having a disk or puck of some sort they called "Salisbury steak", and it was usually accompanied by dry mashed potatoes or bland macaroni and cheese and a side of watery spinach or unseasoned green beans.  Well, I was just not feeling that, go figure.  So I put my own flavorful spin on it, added a healthy twist, and made a pretty simple She Gar-C TV Dinner instead!  Venison Salisbury steak with sour cream sauce, cauliflower "mac"-n-cheese, and apple cider turnip greens.......The Hubster could NOT get enough!  So we had a nice stay-at-home Date Night with reality TV, a cozy fire, and full bellies!

SHE2016©

SALISBURY STEAK

2 pnds ground meat (I used the ground venison my friend gifted me!)

1 can rotel, drained

1 egg

1 tbs winter-type seasoning, like Penzey's North Woods

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs paprika

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

safflower or canola oil

Mix all ingredients down to the oil.  Sprinkle enough oil to barely cover the bottom of a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron skillet, of course!), and heat on medium.  While oil is heating, shape the meat into steak-like patties.  No need to worry about uniform shaping!  These are beautiful and rustic when they are all different shapes!  Place two-at-a-time into heated oil, cook for five minutes on each side and place on paper towel when they come out of the pan.  Make a small one for you to taste as you cook the rest for quality control. ;-)

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APPLE CIDER TURNIP GREENS

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 onion, sliced

1 pnd turnip greens, ribs removed, chopped coarsely

sea salt

pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat about 3 tbs evoo in a pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven) on medium for about a minute.  Add your greens, and seasonings and cook down until just-wilted, stirring from time-to-time.  Once just-wilted, add apple cider vinegar to the pot and cook another minute or two.  Serve with ANYTHING as a side dish, and take your leftovers (if there ARE any!) to lunch the next day!!

GREEN WITH ENVY

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You just don't say no when you're a hustler and trying to get a business off the ground!  That's Life As She Does It!!  This catering job was from the Chamber of Commerce in my area for a hospital ward that was opening up, and their new logo had green with touches of blue - which meant they needed 250 green cupcakes with green frosting.  No problem, right?  I made THE most crumbly, moist, decadent cupcakes you've had this side of Cupcake-Land.  (And there IS a land of cupcakes!!)  But I couldn't make them green in good conscious by adding chemical food coloring.  Some people sincerely don't mind, but I just COULDN'T.  So I used India Tree all-natural food coloring.  It took a couple of batches of mixing and matching to get just the right color green, but The Fam didn't complain when they got the casualties.  Now, I sure couldn't indulge (hence, the envy), but it brought me joy to know I was filling total strangers' tummies with clean yumminess!  

SUPER-MOIST CUPCAKES

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, brought to room temperature

3 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic whole milk, brought to room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, brought room temperature

2 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

India Tree coloring of your choice

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar one cup at a time, making sure to mix each cup before adding another. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully mix in each egg before adding another.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour milk, buttermilk, and vanilla into separate bowl and whisk together. Alternate butter and shortening mixture with milk mixture, starting and finishing with dry ingredients, and stir well. Stir in your food coloring.  Evenly distribute batter into cupcake pans and place pans into oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes don't jiggle when you move the cupcake pan.  Remove and allow to cool cool completely.  Frost or ice cupcakes as desired.

NOTES: I use all-organic ingredients, including the shortening - yes, they make organic!! - which I find in the all-natural and organic section of the grocery store.  I also make my own buttermilk in a glass measuring cup by adding 1/2 tbs white vinegar to each 1/2 cup milk and letting it sit for 20 minutes.  This recipe makes approximately 24 cupcakes when I use my ice cream scoop and fill each cup 3/4 of the way full.  There were a TON of happy  (green-toothed for those that indulged in a few more than one) smiles at the end of the night!

WINTER WONDERLAND

We've had a few Winter Wonderland menus in the last couple of years, and this one did not disappoint!  I absolutely love the idea of trying to come up with foods that not only deliver flavor that resounds comfort for chilly winter nights, but that reflect same in appearance as well.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  Well, to be completely honest, I eat with my eyes first for about ten seconds.  THEN I eat with muh mouth!!  This particular night, we had some friends and partners of Life As She Does It, talking give-aways for the blog.  So I had no choice but to get them food-drunk so they would feel more "giving"! for You, Dear Readers, to have wonderful give-aways.  We dined on a most-gorgeous cheese tray and artichoke-spinach crostini,  a hearty salad of cranberries, candied nuts, and Gorgonzola cheese, slow-cooked clam chowder with fresh clams, Cornish game hens with decadent potatoes and zucchini-squash ratatouille, and a GORGEOUS white cake (pronounced whhhhhhhhat-cake, emphasis on the ha-part of the h).  

The recipe below is for the clam chowder, with all it's snow-white glory and ocean-goodness. It was not only creamy and wonderland-wonderful (sorry, I HAD to go there), it is LOW-CARB.  It was BEYOND...... Or, as The Daughts says: "I. Can't. EVEN."  Wanna make someone special in your life food-drunk and made to feel warm and fuzzy for chilly nights?  DO THIS.

WINTER CLAM CHOWDER

6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 large turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks

3 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine

2 bunches thyme, tied with butcher's twine

4 cans diced or chopped clams

2 jars clam juice

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 can cannellini or navy beans, blended

2 bay leaves

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbs white pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

Throw all ingredients into a crock-pot and let cook on low all day.  Remove thyme twigs and bay leaves.  Serve.  THAT'S IT!!

NOTES: Remember that slow cooking can mute flavors, so be certain to add more of your spices to taste at the end and stir.  I simmered fresh clams in white wine and butter in a pan on the stove, and then added them to everyone's bowls just before serving. We simply ladled the soup over them for a more authentic look and flavor.  It was authentically AWESOME!!

BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD

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So I made venison back-strap stew that included that precious, tender, and prized deer meat, turnips, carrots, celery, onion, and slivered red cabbage, all braised and stewed together to make one savory and wonderful bowl of warming yumminess on a cold winter's night.  (LOTS of adjectives there)  To go with it, I made a quick bread - no, let me explain it the way it deserves:  This is a fast and easy bread make with seasonal beer (in this case, winter beer), beautiful fresh-and-pickled jalapenos, and mounds of gorgeous shredded cheddar cheese.  It may very well be the best thing EVER, and this I PROMISE YOU.  The Hubster made a simple turkey sandwich with it the very next day and said it was the best sandwich he has ever had in his entire LIFE ...... because of the BREAD, Y'all.  MAKE THIS.  Then slather it in (real) butter while its still warm, and know that it must be a little taste of what Heaven is like.

QUICK BEER JALAPENO CHEDDAR BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 - 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped

2 - 3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

12 ounces seasonal beer or beer of your choice

4 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chopped jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and butter. Pour beer into the mixing bowl and mix until blended. Pour mixture into a prepared loaf pan. Bake for about an hour or until golden brown. Tent with aluminum foil and cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve or just grab a chunk of it with your bare hands like an animal and place a honkin' piece of butter on it and eat straight out of the pan!

NOTES:  You are so welcome.

OOPSIE, I DID IT AGAIN!

SHE2016©

This was a Sunday supper that was a bit different - but it was still DELICIOUS!  We were taking a meal train meal over to our friend's house that just had a baby - BUT!  They are on the Atkins diet so there were exact specifications for what they could and could not eat.  Well, I LOVE A GOOD CHALLENGE!!  So I made meatloaf from ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground sirloin with a sour cream paprika gravy, cauliflower (non-mac) and cheese, collard greens, a gorgeous salad with home-made apple cider vinegar dressing, oopsie bread and coconut macaroons for dessert!  WOO!  Below I've given you the OOPSIE recipe.  This is extremely bread-like and wonderful.  Just make sure to add only a DASH of salt - trust me on this one!  Low-carber's DREAM!

OOPSIE BREAD

3 egg yolks

3 tbs cream cheese

1 sachet sweetener (I use Stevia)

pinch of salt

3 egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Whisk egg yolks, cream cheese, sweetener and (just a pinch of!) salt in a bowl until well blended.
In another clean bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture until just blended, be very careful not to break the egg whites down. Fill the batter into a greased 6-cup muffin top pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.  

NOTES: If you are making these to be savory (for burgers) you can add dry mustard or dill or other any other seasonings (just no more salt!) to the yolk mixture.  If you want a more sweet roll, add a very small amount of stevia or other  natural sweetener to the yolk mixture.  I double the recipe and bake in a muffin tin with the extra-large cups so that I can use for turkey burgers.  Once you store your oopsies, they can be frozen!

OH, DEER!

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I have a friend who has a very generous heart.  She is one of the few people I know that would literally give you every possession she had if you let her if she thought it would make you happy.  I often feel reluctant to take gifts from her for that very reason.  HOWEVER comma - when she offers up fresh venison to me, I have NO QUALMS receiving that gift!  Her hubby fills their freezers and fridge with all kinds of beautiful meats from hunting trips, so it's my pleasure to take some off of her (giving) hands!  This night I took some venison sausage and turned it into a beautiful and hearty stew perfect for the cold weather outside!

VENISON & BLACK BEAN STEW

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 pkgs venison sausage links, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 turnips, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, diced

sea salt

pepper

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs garlic powder

i small can diced tomatoes

4 cans black beans

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup sour cream

chopped cilantro, for garnish

In a heavy pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven, of course!) sprinkle enough evoo on the bottom to cover and heat on medium for about a minute.  Add sausage and brown for about two minutes.  Add onion, garlic, turnips and carrots and continue to cook on medium for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste and add cumin, paprika, and garlic powder, and stir to combine.  Cook for another minute, and then add diced tomatoes.  Drain 2-of-your-4 cans of black beans and add to the pot.  Add the remaining 2 (un-drained) cans of beans and stir.  Add the vegetable broth, stir, cover, lower heat to low and let simmer for another ten minutes.  Sprinkle a little more sea salt and pepper to taste, stir in the sour cream and remove from heat.  Garnish with cilantro.

NOTES:  I use organic black beans, and really do think it makes a difference for a cleaner taste (and fiber!) - especially if we are eating venison, which is the best meat you can put in your body for digestion!  I also use my own home-made vegetable broth, but you can just buy a box of organic and use that!  Turnips are my go-to in place of potatoes right now for low-carb options and they are so freaking good in this recipe!  If you want some spice, add a little cayenne during the cooking process or simply add your favorite hot sauce before eating!

HAM IT UP!!

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This was a Christmas catering job, and it was so much fun!  The menu was magical, and not only perfect for the season, but great for the cooling winter months!  There was Shiner Bock beer bread with sweet honey-cream butter, bacon-wrapped green bean almandine stacks, a honkin-huge bowl of salad with honey mustard vinaigrette, sweet potato casserole with home-made marshmallows melted on top,  red velvet stack cakes, and the most gorgeous ham with orange-balsamic-honey-mustard-and-clove glaze.  And that, Ladies & Gents, is the recipe that follows!

ORANGE BALSAMIC HONEY MUSTARD & CLOVE GLAZE

juice and zest of a large orange

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

2 tbs ground clove

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.  Baste ham as it bakes, and pour remaining glaze over the ham as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Let rest.

NOTES: I used organic aged balsamic and orange blossom honey, but I'm certain any variation on this recipe with similar ingredients would taste just as amahz!!

SCALLOPED PLATE

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Fast, easy, healthy, DELICIOUS!  The night I made this I was cooking all week for a catering gig and needed to be able to put dinner on the table without fuss.  I heated some fettuccine foodles (my name for organic tofu shirtaki noodles) and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder and made them the resting place for these gorgeous scallops, so it was not only low-carb, it was super-fast!  I had some baby bok choy in the fridge that I got from the Asian market (have I mentioned I LOVE the Asian market??) so I threw them in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil for about five minutes and seasoned them with sea salt, pepper, Chinese five spice, and a dash of soy sauce at the end.  Boomshakalaka.  Literally done in about five minutes.  So below is the recipe for the perfect scallop.  The PERFECT scallop.   

THE PERFECT SCALLOP

sea scallops, patted dry with a paper towel (in this case, there were 10)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tbs butter

sea salt 

pepper

In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!) on medium-high heat, sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and add the butter.  While the oil is heating, sprinkle your scallops with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  When your butter is melted and your oil gives a little smoke, carefully add the scallops, making certain they do not touch.  Cook for about a minute-and-a-half to two minutes on each side, depending on the size.  Each scallop should have about 1/4-inch crust before turning and removing.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

NOTES: Fresh cracked black pepper is best for this recipe, but if you don't have that, regular ground pepper will work.  Get that pan screaming hot before placing your scallops in the pan or else they will steam cook and you won't get that beautiful golden brown crust.