Cassarole-ing

Grad school is a lot of work. And I've been working hard, but mostly, I've just been eating. :) After browsing around on other blogger's sites, I've had non-stop donut cravings and succumb to many a donut in the last few days - I'll spare us both the true number. And of course the busier I am, the more desire I have to cook.

Last weekend Georgia and her man made a delicious sounding Mexican pizza, to which I wasn't privy, but heard all about (and you will too if she gets around to it) :P and since then I've been craving something Mexican-y. In the spirit of wanting something hearty and filling I decided to make a Tamale Pie. Despite this kinda annoying misnomer (I love tamales and this is not a good substitution), this tasty cassarole is filled with yum. Quick and inexpensive, this is great especially for a large group - or all by yourself, with no one to watch how much you eat.

Tamale Pie


1 lb. ground beef
1 medium to large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 med. to large zucchini or yellow squash
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 box Jiffy or other brand cornbread, or homemade

1. Prepare cornbread as directed and let sit in its bowl.
2. Add some olive oil to a high-sided saute pan and add ground beef.
3. Cook on med heat until meat is half way done, breaking down the beef. Drain if necessary. Then add 1 chopped onion and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. When the onions start to turn translucent, add the chopped garlic. Cook for another minute.
5. Then add all the spices, stiring to coat evenly.
6. Cut zucchini into half moons and add to pot. Cook another couple minutes.
7. Add in can of tomatoes and 1/2 can to full can of beans, depending on preference. Cook till the mixture is heated through and most of the water from the tomatoes is cooked down. Taste and season more if needed.
8. Spread the mixture into 8x12 cassarole dish. Cover the meat mixture with the cornbread mixture. Baked as directed by box or until the top starts to brown.
9. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy. :)

Last Minute from the Last Page

Flying home today from Tennessee I had a lot on my mind. Should I sleep now or read? And do I feel like cooking a pasta tonight for Presto Pasta Night or eating a quick, easy and delicious Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger? Ok, so, maybe not too much...but important topics nonetheless. Turns out I did feel like sleeping and I made no progress on dinner plans. However, driving home from the airport I remembered that I had to buy cat food and if I was going to the store I might as well pick up a few more ingredients. Veggie burger be damned!

This past weekend when I was at my boyfriend's house, I was perusing a magazine that his mother gets, Real Simple, when I came across a recipe that looked quite simple (and tasty) indeed - Multigrain Pasta with Sweet Potatos and Leeks. It was hidden on the LAST page of the magazine. I thought it looked like just the thing for Presto Pasta Night. Although I forgot to make a copy, the recipe was luckily available online and my fabulous room mate found it and told me what ingredients we needed.

The recipe has a ton of fiber. Woohoo!!! It is generally quite healthy and features leeks as one of the main components. I has slightly hesitant about them (they look like giant scallions, and I am not a big scallion fan), but I do love Potato-Leek soup and onions...so figured it would be a-ok. Although I encountered a crawly bug while cleaning and the cat tried to eat the leftover leaves out of the garbage, the leeks presented no major problems (cut the leeks down the middle and thoroughly wash before use). Plus - this was very very good! The leeks and sweet potatos made for a great combination and you could really taste the pinch of nutmeg. Thanks Real Simple!

Multigrain Pasta with Sweet Potatos and Leeks
yields 4 servings

12 ounces multigrain penne
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into half-moons
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat while the pasta cooks. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sage and cook 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring twice, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the reserved cooking water and simmer, stirring, until the potatoes are fully tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and nutmeg and toss.

Nutriotion per Serving
CALORIES 541(22% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 0g); SUGAR 15g; PROTEIN 26g; CHOLESTEROL 13mg; SODIUM 465mg; FIBER 12g; CARBOHYDRATE 107g

Adventures in Stew-Making

I'm in Grad school now, but as most of my classes are on the weekends, I spend more time than I should in front of the television. Most days I watch Ina, Paula, Giada, Michael, Rachel, and Tyler. You know who I'm talking about. Anyway, last week Ina of Barefoot Contessa was making stew. I'm not exactly a stew kind-of girl. I didn't eat stew growing up, in fact, I don't know that I've ever eaten stew before now.... its a damn shame. All those potatoes and chunks of meat with beans and carrots peaked my interest. So the next night I decided to make stew.

Ina used a dutch oven (hehe) in her stew and cooked it in the oven. But we don't have a dutch oven. And I lack patience. Soooo.. I used her recipe combined with some other recipe, combined with good ole' food common sense and made, what I think, turned out pretty awesome. I'm submitting this stew to this month's Monthly Mingle about comfort foods over at What's For Lunch Honey. Thanks Meeta!

Randi's Beef Stew
(a take on Ina Garten's Parker's Beef Stew)

1 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Good red wine - enough to cover meat
3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
1 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2
1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered (I used yukon gold)
1 pound green beans, washed, trimmed and halved (you can obviously use frozen)
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Remove the meat from the packaging and put into a large bowl with the 3 cloves of smashed garlic and the bay leaves. Pour enough red wine in the bowl until all the meat is covered. Leaving sitting for a least half an hour, or up to overnight in the refridgerator.

While the meat marinates, saute the onions and mushrooms in a large saucepan with some olive oil on med heat. When the onions become translucent and the mushrooms have sweated out, remove them to a bowl.

On a plate or bowl combine flour, salt and pepper and dredge the meat in flour, using a slotted spoon to move the meat from the marinade to the flour. Adding some more oil to the onion pan, cook the meat, in batches if necessary, making sure to brown each side. Add more oil when necessary. When the meat is done cooking, remove to a bowl. De-glaze the pan by ladel ing the remaining cooking wine, minus the bay leaves, into the pan. Make sure to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. When the wine starts to reduce, add back the beef, onions and mushrooms, and remaining ingredients. Bring the pot to a bowl and then reduce to simmer with the lid on for 45 minutes. Then cook for another hour with the lid off, allowing the liquid to reduce and thicken. Add salt and pepper if necessary.

I basically cooked this till it looked cooked down enough, everything was cooked through, and the meat became more tender. The longer I cooked, the more tender the meat got... so it's really a patience and preference thing. I had bought some cornbread at Whole Foods, and that went really nicely with the stew. Obviously, you can make your own, but they were having a sale. Enjoy!