Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Back on the internet, trying to find something to make on my days off.  I think we may have found a winner.

Ingredients

5 slices bacon finely chopped

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck cut to 1 inch cubes

1 cup red cooking wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup flour

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 Tablespoons thyme finely chopped

5 medium Carrots sliced

1 pound baby potatoes I used tri color

8 ounce fresh mushrooms sliced

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Stuff you will need

Skillet (not cast iron)

Slow cooker

Cutting board

Sharp knife

Instructions

In a large skillet cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Put bacon in slow cooker. 

Salt and pepper the beef and add to the skillet and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.

Add the red wine to the skillet scraping down the brown bits on the side. Allow it to simmer and reduce and slowly add chicken broth, and tomato sauce, and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in the flour. Add the sauce to the slow cooker.

Add garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir and cook on low until beef is tender for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with buttered crusty rolls if desired.

Easy Chocolate Frosting

If your making a chocolate cake, you need frosting.

Ingredients

½ cup butter, melted
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stuff you will need

Stand mixer with wire whisk

Spatula

Directions

Stir melted butter and cocoa powder in a bowl until evenly mixed. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk; beat until smooth and easily spread. 

Chocolate Cake From Scratch

Bake this versatile recipe as a 9-inch round layer cake, a 9x13 cake, two dozen cupcakes, a Bundt cake, and a sheet cake.

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Stuff you will need

Stand mixer with wire whisk

Spatula

2 x 9 inch round cake pans

Crisco lard + flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine-inch round pans. OR line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray if you want to bake a sheet cake.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. OR if you're baking a sheet cake, bake for only 15 minutes. Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

French Bread

Back on the internet looking for stuff to bake.  Found this on the Cape Breton Cook Book site.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (about 105°F)

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

6 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

Stuff you will need

Stand mixer with dough hook

Cookie sheet

Parchment paper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until it has begin to foam. 

Place 2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl with the salt. Stir in the yeast mixture and begin to knead by hand or using a dough hook and stand mixer. 

Add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour at a time until the dough is smooth but not sticky. 

Rub the olive oil around the dough ball and let rest for 15 minutes. 

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it in half. 

Roll one half into a rectangle (about 15 inches). 

Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. 

Turn both ends in and pinch the seams closed. 

Round the edges and place onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet. 

Repeat with the second dough ball. 

Let rise for 30-45 minutes. 

Make three diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf.  

Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow. 

If it's browning too fast, lightly cover with foil and turn down the temperature to 375°F. 

Brush the top with melted butter if desired. Slice and enjoy! 

Only want to make one loaf?

1 cup warm water (about 105°F)

1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons sugar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

Cast Iron Oven-Fried Chicken

 

Can you find a way to replicate the crunchy exterior and juicy meat of deep-fried chicken in the oven?

I love fried chicken more often than I'm willing to put in the time and effort to make it. Sure it's easy to make fried chicken, but who wants to clean up the mess.

I wanted to find an easier way to get that crunchy, deeply seasoned exterior and juicy meat I love, without deep frying.

Ingredients 

3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (split breasts cut in half crosswise, drumsticks, and thighs), trimmed (note 1)

Salt and pepper

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons water

½ cup vegetable oil

Things you will need

12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillet

Kitchen Tongs

2 Mixing bowls

Cookie sheet

Dinner plate

Paper towel

Instant read cooking thermometer

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Place 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees F. 

Line cookie sheet with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Lightly beat eggs and 1 teaspoon salt together in medium mixing bowl. 

Whisk flour, baking powder, paprika, granulated garlic, cayenne, 1 tablespoon pepper, and 1 teaspoons salt together in second medium bowl. Add water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water until water is evenly incorporated and a kind of "dough" forms.

Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then dredge in flour mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to large plate, skin side up.

When oven temperature reaches 450 degrees, carefully remove hot skillet from oven (the skillet will be scorching hot). Add oil to skillet and immediately place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Return skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven and flip chicken. Return skillet to oven and continue to bake about 15 minutes longer.

The chicken will be done when breasts register 160 degrees F and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees F. 

Transfer chicken, skin side up, to paper towel lined cookie sheet to blot grease from the underside of chicken.

Let chicken cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Note 1: don't want to buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces?  Just use cut up chicken pieces.