Monthly Archives: May 2015

Melt In Your Mouth Brisket Sandwich

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Guys, it’s officially brisket day! In honor of this yummy day, we’re giving you a damn delish brisket sandwich that’s drool-worthy. No need to give up your crock pot just yet. These melt-y, gooey sandwiches are really worth it. Trust me. And they’re perfect for company (or, you know, when you throw a party for brisket day). We’ve started a Tuesday night tradition with some friends to watch Game of Thrones (obsessed), and with these cooking all day while I’m at work they’re super easy to throw together before show time.

If you’re starting this in the morning before work in the morning, give yourself a little extra time as you need to pre-cook the meat. I had three false-start mornings because I was trying to do this while running out the door.

  • 3 tbsp oil (olive or vegetable)
  • 2 lbs. beef brisket
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 4 medium potatoes, quartered
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • Enough water to cover
  • Burger buns (potato buns are the best)
  • Thinly sliced swiss (parmesan would be amazing too)

Over medium heat, add the oil to a skillet. Really lay on thick some salt and pepper to the beef, then place in the pan. Brown on both sides (but don’t cook it, the crock pot will do that). Place all of the ingredients in to the crock pot, with the brisket on top and cover with all of the liquids (broth, wine, and water). Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 6.

When you’re ready to make the sandwiches, set your broiler to low. Using two forks, begin to pull apart the beef right in the crock pot. Scoop out the beef on to the buns. (If you’re feeling adventurous, you can put some carrots and potatoes on the sandwiches too.) Lay the swiss cheese on top and place in the broiler until melted. In small bowls on the side of each plate, spoon out the beef broth from the crock pot to use as the “au jus”.

French Dip Sandwich

Happy Eating, XO.

Lemon Basil Sorbet

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Happy Memorial day!! Although the official first day of summer is still a couple of weeks away, we’re prepping you by giving you a “cool” homemade dessert. I went on vacation to Florida back in April (while, somehow, it was still freezing in the Northeast) and I saw lemon basil sorbet on a menu. I’ll take two, please. Of course, I had to come home and try to make it for myself. I’m a real sucker for herbs in anything – cocktails, desserts,  facewash. No joke.  Plus, how hard could it be to make a glorified icee?

*If you’re using an ice cream maker like I did, don’t forget to freeze it overnight before making this recipe. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, don’t worry, you can still make this!

  •  3 cups of water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup large basil leaves
  • 1 cup of lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When fully combined, turn off the heat, throw in all of the basil and let it steep for 10 minutes.  This will create a basil syrup. Once cooled, strain out the basil leaves and add in the lemon juice and lemon zest. (Not gonna lie, throw in some vodka and this could be an awesome cocktail!) Hook up your frozen ice maker and slowly pour in the lemon basil syrup creating an icee/sorbet consistency. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour it in to an airtight container and store in the freezer, scraping it with a fork every hour until you get that sorbet consistency.

You can store this in an airtight container for up to three months.

Lemon Basil Sorbet

 

Happy Eating, XO.

Ricotta Berry Crepe

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Ok, guys. You already know we have a thing for crepes, so why not keep a good thing going? This is obviously my go-to recipe for those weekend mornings when I have a little bit of extra time. But they’re also really versatile. Once the crepes are made you can stuff them with whatever you like. In this case I chose some ricotta and berries, but I’ve also done variations of eggs, ham, and sauteed arugula. Or, one of my husbands’ favorites, steak and eggs.

*Makes 2 servings

  • 2 crepes (The Huffington Post has a great ingredient converter for those times you need more or less than what the recipe calls for)
  • 2 cups of ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups of fresh berries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Make the crepes according the recipe above (these can also be made ahead of time and frozen up to 1 month). In a small sauce pan, heat the berries, water and cornstarch over medium heat. Stir every so often until you see a sauce form.  Be sure not to turn all of the berries to mush when stirring. In a small skillet, toast the almonds over medium heat. They only need a couple of minutes, so keep a close eye on them.

Lay the crepe flat on a plate and spoon 1 cup of the ricotta cheese down the middle and 1 cup of the berries. Fold the edges in and flip to put the fold on the bottom.  Top with another cup of the berries and half of the slivered almonds. Do the same for the second crepe. You can get even fancier and sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on top.

Berry Ricotta Crepe

Happy Eating, XO.

Classic Banana Bread

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Sometimes you have to go back to the classics, and that’s just what this banana bread does. Say you bought some bananas for $.19 at Trader Joe’s last weekend and didn’t have a chance to eat them, but don’t want to waste them, (ahem, yes, I’m speaking from experience) then this is perfect recipe to use them up.

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/5 cups of flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Dash of salt
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a bread pan. In a mixer, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add in the bananas, butter, and egg. Continue to whisk until fully combined into a batter. Fold in the walnuts, and pour in to the bread pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle. Let cool for a couple of minutes before digging in.

Banana Bread

Happy Eating, XO.

Foodie Fave: Prosciutto, Caramelized Onion and Potato Frittata

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You know how sometimes you just scroll around the internet of things and end up on some awesome site? I was doing this is a little while back and ended up on a beautiful foodie site called Two of a Kind. As I was reading about the author, Alison, I realized I had actually worked with her a little while back! #SmallWorld. It’s a pretty cool feeling when you discover another side of someone, this one being a mutual passion – fooood.

So, as we like to do every month, we’re featuring Two of a Kind as our Foodie Fav! Alison’s latest frittata – prosciutto, caramelized onion, and potato looks divine. We can’t wait to dig in!

  • ¾ pound Dutch yellow potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 slices prosciutto
  • 6 ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), quartered

Fill a small pot with water and add the potatoes, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 8 minutes. Drain; when potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard skins and slice into ¼” rounds.

Heat olive oil and butter in a 9″ oven-safe fry pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the chives and parsley, stirring to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add eggs to a fry pan and cook, gently stirring the mixture constantly with a silicone spatula for about 15 seconds. Smooth the top and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is slightly set, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle prosciutto and ciliegine on top. Move to the broiler for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and slide the frittata onto a cutting board or serving platter. Top with more chives, cut into wedges and serve warm.

Prosciutto-Caramelized-Onion-and-Potato-Frittata

Happy Eating, XO.