Row row row your boat...

   ... oh, how many times did I hear this song? So, when I was planning my meals the other day, thinking about what I want to make that all of us could have for dinner, I heard that song playing again! I looked at the screen, that Christopher was hypnotized by, and the girl in a "cartoon video" was rowing a zucchini boat (the things they come up with to entertain kids these days!!!). So that's how I decided on our dinner: stuffed zucchini! Normally I would probably stuff it with rice and meat, but in order to make it not only different, but also much healthier I substituted rice with quinoa. Here is the recipe, serves 4:

Ingredients:

* 4 large zucchinis
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 1 large onion
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 15oz can of fired roasted diced tomatoes, drained
* 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1.5 cup dry quinoa
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* salt and pepper

Marinara sauce:

* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 garlic clove
* 1 15oz can tomato sauce
* 1 tbsp dry oregano
* 1 tbsp dry basil
* 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tbsp ketchup
* salt

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa in salted water for 15-20 minutes. Drain the excess water.
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute onions and garlic until translucent - 6-7 minutes. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook for around 10 minutes.
3. When the meat is browned, add drained tomatoes, cook for additional 5-7 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, meat and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well together until combined and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
5. Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise, scoop out the flash (seeds only) and arrange on a large baking sheet. Fill the halves with the meat/quinoa stuffing, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and bake at 380F for 45-50 minutes until zucchini is tender.
6. The marinara sauce: in a saucepan heat the olive oil and saute onions and garlic until soft and translucent. Add tomato sauce, herbs, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

   We really like a cold marinara with this dish. Maybe because we love ketchup and it kind of reminds us of it. It's really delicious and healthy dish. Not only it contains about 10 grams of fiber per serving, but it also has 45 grams (!!!) of protein! It can't get any better than that!

Enjoy,
Magda

ManSliders!

   So the Super Bowl 2013 is behind us and as always it was a lot of fun, a lot of emotions, and a lot of food... bad food. To make things even worse, I decided to make manly, "footbowly" appetizers... no fresh veggies, no bright colors, no nutritional value, but instead lots of flavor and attitude! A mix of unorthodox spices paired with ginger caramelized onions makes these sliders irresistible, so make sure you make more than you think you will need!

Ingredients:

*  15 mini sourdough buns (it was a party!!!)
*  2 lbs lean ground beef
*  2 tbsp gourmet burger seasoning (my favorite is Weber)
*  1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
*  1 tsp cumin
*  1/2 tsp garlic powder
*  1/4 tsp cinnamon
*  horse radish sauce
*  15 slices pickles 

*  3 large onions, very thinly sliced
*  1/2 tsp fresh, grated ginger
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  1 tbsp butter
*  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*  1/2 lime
*  salt

Directions:

1. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil, add onions, ginger, salt and Worcestershire sauce and cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes until onions are caramelized. Add lime juice, mix everything together, and set aside.
2. Combine ground beef with burger seasoning, ginger, cumin, garlic powder, and cinnamon. Using your hands, mix everything together and form small, flat patties (makes about 15).
3. Heat iron cast skillet to a high temperature and cook patties for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. To assemble sliders, cut buns in half, spread a little bit of horse radish sauce on one half, and top with a teaspoon of caramelized onions, burger, and a pickle slice.

   Like I said... not too many fresh ingredients, but it's so good, that you won't even miss them! I thought that making sliders rather then regular burgers will save us some calories, but we just ate twice as many, so no savings here! And guess what... I don't regret a thing, it was all worth it!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Eureka!

   Finally I made a soup that Justin liked and "recognized" as a dinner meal! I'm still in shock... I thought it would never happen. It was my "little goal" in life to find a soup recipe that would satisfy my husband and I succeeded. It's a delicious and hearty soup, but I'm convinced that it's the name of it that convinced Justin... "Cheeseburger Soup". I know, probably I didn't play fair, but I would use any trick to make him eat more soup... even if it means making cheeseburger inspired soup! If the name doesn't sound too appealing wait until you try it. I might be bias because I have an obsession with soup, but you know it has to be delicious if Justin had a huge bowl of it! Here is the recipe (makes 6):

Ingredients:

*  1 lb lean ground beef
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  2 garlic cloves, minced
*  4 celery sticks, chopped
*  2 carrots, shredded
*  3 medium potatoes, diced
*  2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
*  1 cup skim milk
*  4 cup chicken broth
*  2 tbsp fat-free sour cream
*  1 tsp dried basil
*  1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley
*  2 tbsp flour
*  1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven (or a deep pot), heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic (2-3 minutes).
2. Add ground beef, parsley, and dried basil and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add carrots, celery, potatoes and cook everything for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add flour while constantly mixing cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add chicken broth and milk, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
6. Add cheddar cheese and sour cream, bring to boil, turn off the heat and let it stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

   I can't believe it, but Justin actually had two bowls of soup for dinner!!! Somebody pinch me! I had it for lunch and for dinner... it's that good!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Dinner for two - part 2.

   After the delicious appetizer (which we snacked on while cooking the rest of our dinner), it's time for the main course! After my clue, I'm sure it's no surprise that we had a piece of rich and tender rib eye steak paired with a baked potato (fully loaded!) and an arugula and pear salad. There are a few reasons why we chose this dish as our date-night dinner. First, it's probably one of the most ordered dishes from a restaurant's menu, second Justin really wanted a "piece of meat", as he called it, and third, I got a brand new cast iron skillet for Xmas and I needed to try it out! So without further ado here are the recipes:

Baked potato:

*  2 large baking potatoes
*  1 tsp olive oil
*  2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
*  2 scallions, chopped
*  2 slices turkey bacon, diced and crisped
*  salt

Steak:

*  2 large rib eye steaks, about 1 inch thick
*  steak seasoning (or just salt and pepper)

Salad:

*  3 cups baby arugula
*  1 pear, thinly sliced
*  1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
*  1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
*  light raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

Baked potatoes:
1. Wash and scrub potatoes under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel.
2. Pierce each potato with a fork all around in 1-inch intervals. Coat with olive oil, arrange on a baking rack and bake at 360F for 90 minutes.
3. Slip potatoes across with a knife, gently open up, sprinkle with salt and top with a spoon of a Greek yogurt, crisped bacon and scallions.

Steak (medium):
1. Take steaks out of the fridge and let them sit in room temperature for about 2 hours.
2. Pat dry, brush with a little bit of vegetable oil and season with a steak seasoning on both sides.
3. Preheat the oven to 500F and place the empty cast iron skillet inside to heat it up (for about 10 minutes). Transfer the skillet onto a hot stove, put steaks in it and cook for 2 minutes on each side (it will smoke like crazy, but it's all good!).
4. Transfer the skillet together with steaks back into a 500F oven and bake for 3 minutes. It's very important to stick to the exact times (if you want the steak to be medium), so that the steak is not overcooked
5. Transfer cooked steaks onto a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 8-10 minutes before serving.

Salad:
1. Combine arugula with sliced pear and chopped pepper. Drizzle with the raspberry vinaigrette dressing (or any you like) and top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

   Do you see the size of this steak? Thank God we ate it at home, because we had to unbutton our pants not even half way through it!  It's a very simple and rustic meal... and so American too! Wait until you see the dessert...

See you in a few days,
Magda.

Battle of Stroganoffs!

   Some time ago I posted a recipe for a "Polish version" of beef Stroganoff, which you can find here. Ever since I found out that this version wasn't the original, I wanted to make a "real" one and compare it with ours. So today's post is all about original and traditional beef Stroganoff with mushroom and sour cream... and I have to admit it's pretty good! Here is the recipe (serves about 6)

Ingredients:

*  1 lb egg noodles
*  1 lb thinly sliced beef sirloin steak
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  1 large container (16oz) mushroom, sliced
*  2 cups beef stock
*  Worcestershire sauce
*  2 cups fat-free sour cream
*  1 tbsp corn starch
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut slices of sirloin steak into a bite size pieces.
2. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and brown the beef.
3. Add chopped onions, slices mushroom, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and cook everything for about 30 minutes until sauce reduces by half and beef becomes tender.
5. Add corn starch, cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens, add sour cream, bring to boil and it's done!
6. Serve it over cooked egg noodles.

   Creamy, tangy and delicious. I don't know which version I like better, the Polish one or the original. It's a close call. Serving it with egg noodles might be the deciding point (since I am a pasta junkie).

Enjoy,
Magda

Oppan Indian Style!

   Well, it should be Casserole Indian Style, but since "Gangnam style" is so popular recently, I couldn't resist. Can you believe that I actually learned the dance they are doing in a video? I know, I know... I surprised myself as well... but it's actually a lot of fun and a great workout, so what the heck! But, lets go back to food! I kind of feel guilty calling this dish "Indian" because, not only there is beef in it, but also none of my Indian friends ever heard of it. I can't really blame them since I made this whole dish up, used lots of lentils and Indian spices...and called it a Casserole Indian Style! Sorry guys, I know I'm bad... but to me it tastes so Indian, I have to call it that! Here is the recipe:

Rice layer:

*  2 cups red lentils
*  2 cups white rice
*  1 medium tomato, chopped
*  1 large onion, chopped
*  2 garlic clove, minced
*  1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
*  2 tsp turmeric
*  1 tsp curry powder
*  salt
*  1 tsp chili powder 

Meat layer:

*  2 lbs lean ground beef
*  1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
*  1 tbsp curry powder
*  1 tbsp Garam Masala
*  1 tbsp coriander powder
*  1 tbsp ground cumin
*  salt and pepper

*  1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a pot combine 2 cups of red lentils, chopped onion, minced garlic, tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until lentils are cooked. You can adjust the amount of water, to get a thick and dense mixture without burning it.
2. Cook 2 cups of rice, mix it with lentils, add fresh cilantro and set aside.
3. In a non stick skillet, brown the beef, add vegetables and all the spices and cook for 5-6 minutes.
4. To assemble the casserole, grease  a large baking dish, spread half of the rice/lentil mixture on the bottom, top it with the meat layer, and cover with remaining rice and lentils. Top the casserole with a mozzarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
5. Let the casserole cool and firm up for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it.

   Wow, the recipe makes a huge batch of casserole! We might be eating it for a while, but it's actually really good so I'm not complaining.  It has some kick from the spices and chili powder, just a perfect amount to keep it "interesting", but not too hot! 

Enjoy,

Magda

Homemade CPK!

   We love, love, love California Pizza Kitchen... the variety and quality of pizzas and salads they serve is unbelievable. Our favorite kinds of pizza from this place are the ones with a fresh and crispy salad/slaw on top, especially the "burger pizza". It has ground beef, pickles and fresh lettuce tossed with dressing on top. It's so amazing that we got really addicted to it (and I mean a serious obsession) and the second we got addicted ... they took it off the menu! I think we cried for 3-4 days straight and thought that life will never be the same, until I decided to make my own! It may not be exactly the same (I've yet to crack the CPK secret), but it's pretty damn good and that's all I care about! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

*  Pillsbury Refrigerated Thin-style Pizza Crust
*  1lb lean ground beef
*  2 tbsp grill seasoning (I use Weber Gourmet Burger)
*  1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
*  1 cup of sliced pickles
*  2 cups chopped or shredded lettuce
*  2 tbsp fat-free mayo
*  2 tbsp fat-free Thousand Island dressing
*  1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat a non stick skillet and brown the beef with grill seasoning and Worcestershire sauce for 5-6 minutes. Drain the fat.
2. Roll the pizza dough on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and brush it onto entire dough. Prebake at 400F for 3-4 minutes.
3. Take out pre-baked pizza dough, spread the browned meat on the top of it and bake at 400F for about 10 more minutes (until the crust is golden brown)
4. When the pizza is ready, top it with sliced pickles and lettuce tossed with mayo and thousand island dressing.
5. It's ready to enjoy!

   If you want to you can drizzle it with a little bit of ketchup (you know I did that!) to make it more burger-like. The crust is crispy, meat is hot and flavorful, and pickles and lettuce are fresh, crunchy and tangy. Delicious, interesting and "different" kind of pizza!

Enjoy,
Magda

Stroganoff Polish style.

   Stroganoff is a Russian dish, but my fellow Polish citizens wouldn't be themselves if they didn't change the dish a little bit and make it "thier own". You probably think that I am being biased, but I definitely prefer the Polish version of it, and that's what I always make. I don't even think I ever had the original version, I just always thought that this is how it's supposed to be until I did some research and found out that all this time I was living a lie. Well, it's too late now, our version of a Stroganoff will always be the original for me and that's how I am going to present it to you.

*  2 lbs cubed beef
*  1 large onion
*  2 red bell peppers
*  2 cups white mushroom
*  4-5 dill pickles
*  2 tbsp tomato paste
*  2 tbsp sour cream
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
*  salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and brown beef on each side.
2. Coarsely chop all the vegetables, add them to the beef and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of water, tomato paste, paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer everything for at least an hour, until the meat is soft and tender. You can adjust the amount of liquid to your liking. I like mine nice and dense.
4. Add the sour cream, bring to boil, turn off and it's ready!

   It's one of those dishes that brings me right back home to my Mom's kitchen. It's a taste of my childhood. I think I have to make it more often. Serve it with a fresh French baguette so that you can dunk it in the broth and you have yourself a delicious "fake" Stroganoff Polish style!

Enjoy.
Magda.

Super salad.

   Who said that salad has to be boring and predictable? All you have to do is mix and match different ingredients and each time you can end up with a different salad. Try with substituting at least one component at a time with something completely different and you will see how much fun a simple salad can be. I usually have some kind of greens and veggies in a fridge for the days when I feel like "dieting" or not cooking so I can just toss everything together and have dinner ready in seconds! This time I made spinach salad with grilled beef. The list of ingredient is:

*  baby spinach leaves
*  1/2 white onion (thinly sliced)
*  1 red pepper (chopped)
*  grilled beef
*  1/2 cup blue cheese
*  1/2 cup dried cranberries
*  1 cup slivered toasted almonds
*  3 sliced scallions
*  raspberry vinaigrette dressing

   You know the drill... just mix everything together, drizzle with a raspberry vinaigrette and that's it! I usually buy already grilled and packed beef because it's fast and easy, and why wouldn't you make you life easier if you could?

   It's absolutely the perfect combination of flavors and textures. Spinach gives the salad freshness; almonds, onions, and peppers give it a crunch; cranberries and a raspberry vinaigrette give it sweetness and tang; and blue cheese gives it a nice richness. What's more can you ask for in a salad?

Enjoy.
Magda.

MeatLove in the air!

   Meatloaf is another one of my favorite dishes that I find very "American". There are some similar things to it in other countries (like our "klops") but it's not the same and has a little bit different of a flavor combination. It's so versatile, and can be eaten for dinner (with potatoes for example), or cold on a sandwich, or by itself (we find ourselves doing this pretty often!). Oh, and it's also one of those dishes you want to cook for the busy week ahead. I usually make two loafs, store it in a fridge, and serve it many different ways during the week. What I use to make it is:

3 lbs lean ground beef (that's for two loafs)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
2 shredded carrots
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
salt and pepper

   Now make sure you take good notes because the recipe is really "complicated". What you have to do is using your hands mix all the ingredients (except ketchup and BBQ sauce) together and transfer them into the long baking dish. Mix ketchup with BBQ sauce, spread it on the top of meat and bake at 350F for 1 hour. OK, how easy is that? Seriously? That's all it is to it. And this is what you end up with:

   No meat lover can complain about not having enough meat and all the veggie lovers have something for them too. Isn't it a perfect marriage? Moist, juicy, meaty, and flavorful. Who could ask for more? Slice it, bite it, and enjoy it!

Take care.
Magda

Story of one sloppy man!

   No, I’m not writing a post about my husband! He is actually one of the neatest people I know. Today I decided to be a little bit sloppy in the kitchen, or actually not as much in the kitchen as in the dining room and I made sloppy Joes. I was sure that this sandwich was named by a woman married to some Joe who is not too careful while eating, but I was mistaken. It was created in 1930s in a Sioux City, Iowa by a cook named Joe and anybody who ever had it before knows why it is called sloppy, no explanation needed there! I remember when I had my first sloppy Joe sandwich I didn’t really understand the concept, why would you want to eat a sandwich filled with loose meat which is landing everywhere but your mouth? I changed my mind after I tasted it, who cares that it’s sloppy when it tastes so good, and who said we always have to eat dinners with a fork and knife? Time to get dirty and have some fun! Here is the recipe:

 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

1-2 tsp yellow mustard

0.5 cup ketchup

3 tsp brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp olive oil

salt, pepper

hamburger buns (as soft as you can get, otherwise they will just squeeze the meat out and you won’t even taste it)

   Saute onion, garlic and bell peppers with some olive oil, add meat and cook for 5-10 min. Drain the liquid, add all other ingredients, and mix everything together. Then bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes. Traditionally it’s served on a plain bun, but I couldn’t stop myself and added some greens, it just wasn’t right and needed some vitamins. 

    Yummy. Very, very sloppy, but yummy! I challenge you to eat it wearing white clothes and over a white table cloth! Let’s see how much fun that would be.

Enjoy.

Magda

Happy New Year!

   Wow, I can not believe that it's really 2012 already! Where did 2011 go? Well, it doesn't matter anymore, it's gone for good and now we have a new year :). I hope everybody had a great time last night welcoming the New Year in a great company. No matter where you are and how you celebrate it, if you are surrounded by wonderful people it's the best beginning to a new year. Oh, and lets not forget about good food, that's important too! This is exactly how we step into 2012, with a great friends and lots of food (some tastier then others). I decided to experiment a little bit and made a new salad, which I saw on Barefoot Contessa and guess what, it was "not so much"! I should know better and stick to my own recipe rather than following Ina Garten because it sucked. Well, the other option is that I just screwed up her recipe, but since I decided to be more confident as my New Year's resolution, so I stick to my statement that Ina's salad sucks! But lets forget about the salad and start with an appetizer. I made Justin's favorite thing, something that we had on our first "official" date back in the day, and something we love to order in a restaurants: bruschetta! All you need is:

French baguette
3 big tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)
2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion
0.5 cup of chopped fresh basil
0.5 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp of olive oil
2 tsp of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

   Parboil tomatoes for one minute to remove the skin, remove the seeds (you don't want it to be too watery), chop into small cubes and mix with all other ingredients. That's it... you are done with the tomato part of a bruschetta.

    All is left to do is to slice the baguette into diagonal 0.5 inch slices, brush with a little bit of olive oil and bake at 375F for 5 min. You don't want the dish to get soggy so don't assemble it, just let your guests create their own. It's absolutely delicious!

   It's the perfect way to begin a meal. Crunchy, refreshing, and a little bit garlicky, so make sure your partner has some too!
   As the star of the meal I decided to make a roasted beef. Mostly because I was eager to try out a Christmas gift from my wonderful Mother-in-law: a brand new and shinny Dutch oven (not that shinny anymore after I was done with it!). I still have some practicing to do, but I think that for my first roast I did pretty well (hopefully my guests will agree). The list of ingredients goes as follow:

Chuck roast beef cut (I used 4 lbs for 6 people and have leftovers)
1 chopped onion
4 stalks of celery
2 chopped carrots 
1 chopped apple
1 cup of dried crunberries
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of tomato paste
red wine
beef broth
salt and pepper
rosemary, juniper berries, bay lives
vegetable oil.

   Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven and sear the meat on all sides until brown. It's very important step, which gives most of the flavor to the roast, so make sure you really brown the meat (about 5 min on each side). Take the meat out of the pan and set aside. Using the remaining oil, saute the vegetables, fruit, and herbs for 5 minutes, add tomato paste and cook some more. Deglaze the pan with some wine and return the meat back where it belongs. Add wine and beef stock to the pot to cover about 2/3 of the meat (don't cover it completely).

   Cook everything on the stove top for about 10 minutes and then cover with a lid and pop it in the oven that has been preheated to 300F for about 3 hours. The trick to making the meat tender is to roast it at a very low temperature for a long time. Don't take this 3 hours very strictly, you have to keep checking the meat yourself because time depends on the size and cut of the beef. Mine was pretty tender after 3 hours but some may require more or less time. You should be able to shred the meat with a fork, then you know it's ready. After the roast is done all the veggies are super soft and the liquid is reduced giving you a great sauce for your meat.

   Don't be afraid of the dark color... it's all the red wine magic! I served it with mixed grains sauteed with onion and ginger, and a "famous" cucumber salad, which Ina Garten screwed up. Yes, I'm still sticking to my statement that it was completely her fault, I had nothing to do with the salad being oversatled!
   But let's forget about salty salad (we had plenty of "liquid" to wash it out) the party was a great success. We welcomed the New Year with amazing and fun company, some old and new friends. That sounds to me like a great start to 2012.


Have an amazing year.
Magda.

I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl.

   Have you ever wondered what kind of food you would take with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? Well I have, many times, thanks to my lovely husband who asks this question at least once a week. I do have to admit that my choices change, depending on the moon phase, but no matter what, I need to have eggs, cheese, and of course meat and potatoes with me. Sounds like a lot for a deserted island, but for such a food lover like me it's not nearly enough. What can be better for a meat and potatoes girl then some scrumptious Shepard's Pie? I had one recently in a restaurant and unfortunately it wasn't too good, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a proper, flavorful, and delicious Shepard's Pie, with no artificial ingredients.
Here is the shopping list:

3 lbs of lean ground beef
3-4 large potatoes
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
chopped parsley
olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
0.5 stick of butter
1 egg
0.5 cup of milk

   Cook potatoes in salted water until tender and then mash them with butter, milk, and egg. While potatoes are cooking saute onions, peas, and carrots with olive oil, then add ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook everything together until the meat is no longer pink. Put the beef on the bottom of a baking dish (about 2 inches thick) and using a piping bag (the same you use for decorating cakes with frosting) pipe the potatoes on the top of the meat. If you don't have a piping bag you can just layer potatoes with a spoon, just make sure you "spike" them with a fork, which will allow them to brown nicely. Bake it at 400F for about 30 min.

   I like to make it into single servings with small individual baking dishes. First of all, it looks really cool, second, it's much easier to serve, and third, it's super easy to take with you to work for lunch! If you for any reason don't like beef (I have no idea what reason can it be!), you can substitute it with a ground lamb, it's delicious as well and maybe even better. No matter what meat you put in it, I'm sure everybody is going to love it... I know we did!

   And there goes my post-Xmas diet. I devoured this bad boy like I was kept in a dungeon for a week without any food. Hey, tomorrow is a new day to start a diet... oh wait, we do have Shepard's Pie leftovers... well, lets wait a couple more days!

Hope you like it.
Magda

And yet another dinner with friends!

   Are you ready for some pictures? I've got a lot! We had another great dinner party with our very good friends. I love when they come over for dinner, it's always a lot of fun, good food, good wine, good conversation, and good laughs. And this time was no different, maybe except for the wine, I mean it was good, but since their unborn baby can come any day now we took it easy on alcohol to stay alert in case we need to drive to the hospital! But who needs wine if you have such a great company?
   As a first course we had... yeah you are right...we had a soup, made out of some awesome dried mushrooms I brought with me from Poland. Just look at them...

 

   I soaked them in cold water for about 5-6 hours, chopped them a little bit, and cooked them in the same water they were soaking with a chicken bullion cube, onions, carrots, small pasta, and lots of parsley and black pepper until the mushrooms were tender. When everything was ready I added a little bit of sour cream for acidity and color.

   Yummy! Since I started with such a Polish soup, I decided to continue with the homeland theme and I made a beef goulash (it may not be a Polish dish but it's so popular over there that we'd like to think it's ours). It's very simple with veggies, bay leaves, juniper berries, salt, and pepper.

   Since it is a Halloween weekend what can be better than serving it with some creepy, purple potatoes and sweet and sour red cabbage (it doesn't get any more Polish than that!).

   I'm getting full just by writing about all this food and adding pictures, so imagine how we felt after eating all of this. We felt like ... having some sweet and delicious dessert and that's exactly what we did. We had coffee (mama had decaf tea!) and freshly baked croissants filed with raspberry jam. Sweet, a little bit sour, flaky and simply a perfect ending to a great dinner with friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as we enjoyed eating it!

Magda

Fall is all around me...

   I know, I know ... we still have few days of summer ahead of us and nobody wants to even think about fall. But doesn't this weather feel like fall already? It does to me and I never thought I would say this but I really enjoy it. Don't get me wrong... I love the sun, heat and long days, but isn't it nice to come home after work, put your favorite pj pants and get cozy on the couch under the warm blanket, snuggle with your spouse, or dog, or cat, or all above? There is only one thing missing from that picture, can you guess what? You got it, a bowl of hot, rustic, flavorful and hardy beef stew with tons of vegetables. That's exactly what I was craving for the last couple of days... and today was the perfect evening to enjoy it.

   Dredge some beef stew meet in flour, until evenly coated and cook in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet until the meat is brown. The regular stew is very time consuming and requires stirring and cooking, and stirring some more, and then cooking for few hours... but remember how I said my dishes are very time friendly? And that's when my wonderful pressure cooker comes handy! Transfer meet to the cooker, add some water (not too much, you want the sauce to be thick and full of flavor), salt, pepper, paprika and 4-5 dried bay leaves. Since meat requires much more cooking time then veggies, I first cook it for 20 min and then add big chunks of carrots, potatoes and celery, and leave it in a pressure cooker for next 10-15  minutes. After that is done I take the lid off and let the sauce reduce for about 5-6 min. And here it is... the working girl's version of the stew, it's done under 40 minutes and has the same amount of flavor! The beef is tender and juicy, vegetables are soft but not mushy, and the sauce is just right. The best way to serve it is in a deep bowl, on the couch with lots of love and fresh parsley ... need to boost that immune system before winter!

Hope you enjoy it!

Magda.