Irish Beef Stew

Sometimes you just crave something hearty, warm, and simple. I originally looked up recipes for a beef stew, but I came across a couple Irish beef stews so I thought I’d go for it. Well, it turns out that I made the right choice because Irish Beef Stew has one of the best ingredients ever: beer. Guinness, to be exact. The recipe calls for a only 1 cup of Guinness, but I went for it and used a whole bottle. If you don’t like the hops flavor, then use only 1 cup or less.

I made this stew in a slow cooker, but when browsing I definitely came across some that you can make on the stove top. But my advice, if you don’t have a slow cooker, do yourself a favor and buy one. They are only $15-$30 for a decent one, or better yet find one at a second hand store. The recipe below is adapted from this recipe at SimplyRecipes so that you can use a slow cooker.

Fun Facts: Irish beef stews were traditionally peasant style dishes made with the most readily available ingredients, which were usually lamb/mutton, onions, potatoes, and some greens. This dish traveled to America when Irish people began immigrating to the U.S., and evolved according to different regions. They 

made the right decision with adding Guinness.

Irish Beef Stew

Servings: 5-6

Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes prep, 8-10 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/4 pounds well-marbled beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef stock or beef broth

1 bottle of Guinness beer (or 1 cup if you prefer less)

1 cup of fine red wine

1 small can tomato paste

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)

1 large onion, chopped

1 regular bag of baby carrots (or 2 cups chopped carrots)

Salt and Pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large pan over medium-high heat. Lightly salt and flour the beef pieces. Add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook until nicely browned on all sides, but not all the way through. Add to crock pot.

2. Sauté the garlic in the pan for 1 minute. Add Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and some of the stock. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil.

3. Add the potatoes, onion, and carrots to the crock pot. Then pour in the stock mixture and add the remaining stock.

4. Set the slow cooker to low for 8-10 hours, or 4-5 hours on high. Season with salt and pepper.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

This may be my favorite cupcake. It combines my love of cupcakes, chocolate, and cheesecake. The all important 3 C’s! My recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com, with just a few minor changes. Mostly that I add plain yogurt to the recipe, and omit the vinegar. I don’t know why, but it just made sense to me when I did it. It tasted great, so I’m sticking to it. You can also make this into a cream cheese filled cupcake by layering: cake mixture, cream cheese mixture, cake mixture. This way allows for frosting, whereas with the method below, the middle of the cupcake sinks a bit making an uneven frosting surface. Try baking these in a mini cupcake pan for extra cute cupcakes.

Factoid: Cupcakes have also been referred to as “fairy cakes” and “patty cakes”.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Servings: Makes 24

Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 egg1/3 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

This is a batch I made for my friend's bridal shower. The cream cheese mixture is in the middle, and I made this frosting recipe and then topped each one with an M&M.

Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar

Yes you read that right; this is a recipe for strawberry cheesecake in a jar! I’ve recently discovered that you can bake cake in a jar (go figure!) from reading someone’s comment on AllRecipes about sending home baked goods baked in jars to their husbands overseas. Seriously great idea!

I took it one step further and decided to make a layered cheesecake since you can see the different layers so well in a jar. Once I had the idea I thought about it for two days straight until I finally got a chance to try it out (I’m pretty sure strawberry cheesecakes were flying around in my dreams).

After searching around the internet for recipes of cheesecake in a jar I only found one that I really liked and unfortunately my browser would kick me off the website because it was infected! Bummer. So I did the next best thing I combined advice from different websites on baking cakes in jars, and then I found a cheesecake recipe I wanted to try. I found this Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake recipe on Food.com, and just omitted the steps for the crust. I kept the crust nice and simple using a common ration: 1.5 cups crushed graham crackers: 2 tbsp butter. Finally, to give the cheesecake a pretty layered look, I used two jars of strawberry topping that you normally find in the ice cream isle at the grocery store. This is definitely a semi-homemade recipe, but you can of course make it a full homemade treat by just making a simple strawberry (or any fruit) sauce.

On a side note, cheesecake originated in Greece, but “cheese molds” have been dated back to 2,000 B.C!!

Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar

Servings: 12 Servings (8oz. mason jars)

Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour 30minutes +refrigeration time

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 ½ cups crushed graham crackers

3 tbsp melted butter

Filling:

3 -8oz packages cream cheese (at room temp)

1 1/3 cups sugar

5 large eggs (at room temp)

16 ounces sour cream (at room temp)

1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (at room temp)

2 teaspoons lemon juice (at room temp)

Strawberry Topping:

2 jars strawberry topping

Directions:

1- Prepare your jars as you would for canning mason jars. Set aside being sure they do not become contaminated

2- Preheat oven to 325F

3- In a medium bowl add the melted butter to the crushed graham crackers. Mix and set aside.

4- Keeping your mixer on a low setting throughout the beating and mixing process, start by beating the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

5- Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy.

6- Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg.

7- When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese add flour, vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.

8- Add the sour cream last and beat well.

9- One jar at a time, begin layering the crust, cheesecake filling, and strawberry topping. I chose to do from the bottom up: crust, cheesecake, topping, crust, cheesecake, topping so you can see the layers all throughout. I did about 3-4 tablespoons of the crust, 4-5 tablespoons of cheesecake filling, and 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry topping for each jar, split into two different layers. But you can do any amount you want for each layer, just be sure to leave about an inch of space at the top of the jar since cheesecake does puff up a bit when baked. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean paper towel when finished layering.

10-Place the jars in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with boiling water, careful not to splash any water into the jars. (I also placed the roasting pan on a large cookie sheet to make it easier to move around)

11- Place the roasting pan with the cheesecake jars in the oven and bake until they no longer jiggle in the middle, about 1 hour.

12- Once finished baking, turn the oven off and leave the oven door slightly ajar.

13- After 30 minutes take the pan with cheesecakes out of the oven and begin placing the lids on the jars. Be careful to use oven mitts as the jars are still hot and you need to get the tops screwed on nice and tight. You may hear the jars make a pop noise when they seal.

14- Let the jars cool on the counter for about 2 hours, and then place them in the fridge overnight.

15- Open a jar when you’re ready to eat and ENJOY!

Irish Mashed Potatoes

Holy Moly August was busy! I'm sure you can tell by the complete lack of posts. I started a new job, went on a 10 day cruise to Alaska, and my best friend got married... yup... pretty busy month.

So I thought I would ease myself back in with a simple yet comforting food: potatoes!

Irish Mashed Potatoes are super easy, creamy, with little kick. Pair this with some seasonal vegetables, and a nice protein like sirloin. MMMMMM. It's 1.50am, I want sirloin and Irish mashed potatoes...

Irish Mashed Potatoes

Servings: 3-4

Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds potatoes (I used Yukon gold)

11/2- 2 cups milk

1 stick butter

1 tsp. salt

4-6 scallions or green onions

Directions:

1- Wash and halve potatoes, then cook about 30 minutes in a large pot of boiling water, or until you can easily insert a fork. Drain.

2- In a medium pot bring to boil milk, then add butter, stirring to melt.

3- Add scallions and continue to cook another minute.

4- Place the potatoes back into the pot used to cook them. Mash potatoes while adding the milk mixture until smooth. Enjoy!

Zereshk Polow

Yes, another Persian food recipe. I can’t help it. It feels home to me so I always return at least once a week. One of my favorite and all time easiest recipes is Zereshk Polow, which is the Chelow (rice) recipe with Zereshk

Zereshk is the farsi word for barberries. I have yet to see barberries sold at a regular grocery store, but if you go to Persian or International supermarkets you can usually find some. Don’t take my word on that though because quite frankly I have never bought them in the U.S. because I’ve always had a steady supply from Iran. Any time family visits from Iran they usually have two things in bulk: Saffron and Zereshk, so I’ve never had to buy them from a grocery store in all the 20 years I’ve lived in California. But if you want to make some I don’t mind sharing.

Variation: I usually add some cooked and shredded chicken and extra saffron water to the zereshk mixture at the very end.

Zereshk Polow

Servings: 3-4 Servings

Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Recipe for Chelow (rice)

1 cup zereshk

4 tbsp vegetable oil

¼ cup sugar

3 tbsp saffron water (saffron threads diluted in hot water)

½ cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. After you begin the steaming process for the Chelow recipe, wash the zereshk thoroughly by soaking it in a bowl of water for about 15 minutes, then drain. This allows the dirt and rocks to the fall onto the bottom of the bowl.

2. After 10 minutes before the rice is done, in a small pan heat 2 tbsp of the oil and 2 tbsp of the saffron water on low heat. Add the zereshk. Be sure that the stove is on the lowest possible setting (1-2) as zereshk will burn quickly if even on low-medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

3. Add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 3 minutes.

4. Add the slivered almonds and the last tbsp of saffron water and cook for another 3 minutes.

5. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the zereshk mixture on top the rice.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

Have you tried the fresh pastas from the Farmer’s Market? If you answered “No” I feel sorry for you ;) . This weekend, try not to sleep past noon and get yourself over to the Farmer’s Market for some seasonal zucchini, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and of course some fresh pastas. My personal favorite is the lemon fettuccine. I could eat this stuff all on its own it’s so lemony and fresh! I remembered my boyfriend making zucchini ribbons once using a peeler, and I thought that would look great with the long strands of fettuccine. This was another one of those “easier said than done” things because I (honestly) can not use a peeler. I grew up using just a knife to peel and with 20 years of practice I can peel with a knife like no one’s business. The few ribbons I managed with a peeler looked pathetic, so I went back to using a knife to cut the long ribbons of zucchini. And it worked just as good as if I was using a peeler.

This is a recipe you can really make your own by adding different veggies, or spices, but looking at the pictures I’m sure your mouth is watering for my recipe ( right?).

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

Servings: 4 Servings

Prep & Cook Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

1 garlic bulb

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

Variety of zucchini

Extra virgin olive oil

3 sprigs of green onion

2 tbsp of freshly chopped cilantro

Juice of 2 lemons

Sea salt and pepper

Directions:

1- Heat oven to 375 degrees F . Slice about ½ inch off of the pointy side of the garlic bulb. Put bulb in the center of a piece of foil making a bowl with the foil around the garlic. Drizzle on some olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Rap the bulb in foil.

2- Cut cherry tomatoes in half or into thirds, squeezing out some of the juice from the core, and place in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, then mix to coat. Spread tomatoes onto a cookie sheet and roast, along with the garlic bulb, for 30 minutes. Set both aside once finished cooking.

3- Slice zucchini thinly lengthwise using a knife or peeler to make ribbon like pieces.

4- Place in a bowl and add the juice of one lemon, about 2 tbsp of olive oil, green onion, cilantro salt, and pepper. Mix to coat and set aside.

5- Slice the red onion and sauté on medium heat with some olive oil until soft. Set aside

6- Bring water to a boil in a medium pot. While that is coming to a boil, unwrap the garlic bulb from the foil and squeeze out each clove into a small bowl. They should be soft enough to slip right out.

7- Smash the roasted cloves until it looks almost like a paste. Then add the juice of the remaining lemon, and 2-3 tbsps of olive oil. Set aside.

8- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and pour 2 cups of cold water over pasta to stop it from further cooking. Put back into the medium put and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking

9- In a large pan sauté the zucchini mixture on medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring often. Add roasted tomatoes and sautéed red onions, and cook for another minute. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Finally add the roasted garlic sauce and toss to coat. Enjoy!

Pico De Gallo

It was about 11pm, maybe even later, when I became very motivated to make pico de gallo. The tomatoes I had bought at the Farmer’s Market earlier that day were calling to me. Actually, come to think of it, all the ingredients in this recipe are from the Farmer’s Market ( minus the salt and pepper). If you have access to a Farmer’s Market I highly recommend taking advantage of the summer produce. In fact, take two minutes and find one right now: Find your local Farmer's Market! Consuming in-season fruits and vegetables gives you the most nutrition for your money since the vitamin content in the produce are at their peaks during in-season. Not to mention they are much tastier during in-season.

Pair the pico do gallo with some tortilla chips and you've got yourself a healthy midnight snack.

Pico De Gallo

Servings: 3-4

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

4 tomatoes

1 small red onion, diced

1 green chili, finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon (or lime if you prefer)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1- Cut the tomatoes in half and lightly squeeze out most of the juice and seeds. Dice

2- Add tomatoes and the remaining ingredients to a small serving bowl.

3- Top with lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.