Regent's Punch

This weekend I hosted the ladies of my Book Club for brunch. And what brunch worth it's weight in assorted pastries doesn't have a nice accompaniment of punch.

In this case, champagne punch.

Ever since the arrival of my December issue of Saveur magazine I have been compelled to try 2 of the recipes I found within.

One being their preparation of Filet Mignon with Bordelaise Sauce, which by the way I did make and it was D-E-licious.

The other being the recipe for Regent's Punch.

Seeing as up until this weekend I have never had occasion to whip up a champagne concoction in my household (my husband is a straight Heineken/Jameson man) I jumped at the opportunity to host a group of ladies who not only shared of my love of books, but also my fondness of champagne.

And seeing as I had decreed 2009 the Year of the Punch, I had to get my punch year rolling. So here it goes.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Drink-Recipes/Regents-Punch

Instead of using arrack or cachaca liquor I just added extra rum, in this case not dark Jamaican rum but spiced rum as it was what I had on hand. As for the use of a seville orange, I didn't use one. I couldn't find that specific variety of orange at my produce market so I just used the addition of a regular orange instead.

I'm Back!

It's been a while and for that I am sorry. But I got completely run over by Thanksgiving, the Channel 94.1 Diaper Drive, holiday parties, Christmas, the flu, New Years, traveling, dinner parties, a trip to DC for the Inauguration, a sick cat, a sick dog and then some more dinner parties.

I know it sounds like a lot of excuses, but it's just the bare honest truth.

But I am back.

I've been doing a lot of cooking; some good and unfortunately for my husband, some bad. I hope to have some of my winning attempts up on the site soon.

Right now I'm menu planning for a brunch I'm hosting for my Book Club this Saturday. If all goes well, I'll have some breakfast gems come out of it. I'm going to be trying out my new favorite thing, punch.

Mark my words, 2009 is the year of the Punch.

The Chinese may claim it's the Ox's spin on the dance floor, but I'm telling you, in these economic times stretching anything especially high ticket items like alcohol will become all the rage.

So let's get ready for a new year of posts, a new year of food and a new year for punch.

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

I love stir fry, but unfortunately when I order any for our local take out places there are just never enough veggies and I'm usually worried that my sodium intake will be off the charts. So I devised my own version of stir fry based on Chinese menus' Beef and Broccoli. It's quick enough for a weekday night and healthier (and more inexpensive) alternative to delivery.

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry
Serves 4
Total Cost: $11.00 (approx. $2.75/person)

Sauce:
1/4 cup oyster sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp Thai style chili sauce
1 tsp hot chili paste (optional)
1 tsp corn starch
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside to add to the stir fry pan later.

Stir Fry:
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green or any combination), sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into strips against the grain
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through garlic press
1 inch ginger, grated
3 Tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

In a bowl combine the steak, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, salt and pepper and let marinade for about 10 minutes.

In a microwave safe dish with a lid cook the broccoli florets with a couple of Tbsps of water until tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In wok or large frying pan over high heat add a few Tbsp of olive oil and heat until very hot. Add the peppers and onion and cook until caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. Bring the pan back up to high heat and then add more oil, then the steak (add the steak in batches if it will over crowd the pan). Cook beef until browned then add the broccoli, peppers and onion into the pan along with the reserved sauce and cook until the sauce thickens.

Serve with rice or noodles.

White Bean and Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

I added mini turkey meatballs to this vegetarian soup. My husband Peter also suggested adding leftover Oregano Chicken reheated and shredded up. The two flavors really meld well together. Serve this up with some shredded Parmesan cheese and crusty bread and it is a delicious guilt free meal.

White Bean and Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

Serves 6
Total Cost: $12.00 (approx. $2.00/person)

1 lb escarole, tough white ribs removed and thinly sliced
2-4 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 15oz. can of white beans (cannellini, northern)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cans chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water

In a large pot over medium-high heat add 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute carrots, celery, onions and garlic until tender. Add escarole and saute until wilted. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, white beans, salt, pepper and spices to pot and saute. Add broth and water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey1 egg
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsps olive oil for sauteing

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and using your hand knead mixture together until evenly mixed. Taking Tbsp. size pieces of the turkey mixture roll into mini meatballs and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat saute the mini meatballs in 1-2 Tbsps. of olive oil until browned. Add browned meatballs to soup and allow to simmer for at least an hour so they are cooked through.

Black Pepper Crusted Roast Beef

Fall is here which means it's time to start roasting some meat.

My friend Ed passed this tasty recipe on to me and now I, in turn, share it with all of you.

I made it just the other night for Sunday dinner and was impressed with how juicy and tender it came out.

*Keep an eye on any sales at your grocer's meat department. Just this week at Hy-Vee they have an assortment of beef roasts on special.

Black Pepper Crusted Roast Beef

Serves 4
Total Cost: $10.00 (appox. $2.25/person)

3 lbs. boneless rib eye beef roast
6 garlic cloves (4 minced and 2 thinly sliced)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. cracked black peppercorns
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary

In a blender, combine the minced garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary and process until the consistency of paste. Make 15 one inch cuts in the top and bottom of the roast and insert a slice of garlic in each cut. Set the roast on a rack over a roasting pan and rub the herb paste all over the beef. At this point either refrigerate the roast for 2 to 4 hours to let the flavors set in. Be sure to let the meat stand at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the beef. Roast the meat for about 10-15 minutes to allow a crust to form.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook the roast for about 1 1/4 hours longer, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of about 160 degrees for medium (about 130 degrees for rare).

Transfer the roast to a carving board and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Happy Holidays, Have a Cookie!

We are coming up on the holiday season and unless your AIG you've tried to be relatively frugal as of late. But, if you are anything like me you get overtaken by the holiday spirit and want to get a little something for everyone you know. The whole 'tis the season and all of that.

Unfortunately in these economic times a little something can be a little difficult when the belt has been tightened. So I've come up with an idea to help you still hand out some small somethings this time of year, but still keep it financially on the rails. Bake cookies. I'm not kidding with a little packaging razzle dazzle it can be the perfect little holiday gift.

Not long ago I used to make extra cash around the holidays baking for people. I kid you not, working women and single guys were my biggest clients. People who want the homey comfort of a holiday cookie, but either didn't have the time, patience or ability to bake it on their own. So now, why not make cookies the gift. Instead of getting co-workers a 5 dollar gift card give them a box of cookies. People stopping by the house during the holidays give them a their own plate of cookies to take home. You can even splurge and get creative with the addition of a mug and some packaged hot cocoa to really set the mood.

Who doesn't love a cookie and if you feel like sharing the recipe (some cookies are well guarded family secret) write it on a card and include it with the gift. Start looking for inexpensive boxes, containers or platters to package the cookies in. Take a look at your schedule and set aside a day as the holidays near to just bake so you can have your gifts all ready to go.

Just a little economic holiday idea from one confirmed cookie lover to the world.

It's Wednesday...

Which means all those grocery store circulars will be hitting your door.


A couple of shopping recommendations as we head into the holiday season.

1. Take advantage of baking staples on sale. Right now a lot of grocery stores will begin having sales on basics like flour, sugar, extracts and decorations. Stock up. Flour can be sealed and put in the freezer if you aren't going to use it right away. And something like green decoration sugar if not finished over these holidays can be used to decorate cakes and cookies in the spring.


2. Buy wine in bulk and save. We are coming into the season for heavy entertaining and with a little foresight you can save yourself a few bucks on the booze. At Hy-Vee stores you can save 5% on 6 bottles of wine and 10% on 12 bottles. But if you head over to Baker's you can save 10% on the purchase of 6 bottles of wine, even if the wine is already on sale.

So watch those circulars and remember that on Sunday stores will put out more mid week deals. Sales coupled with coupons can start you saving even more at the checkout.