Sneaky Spaghetti Sauce

When I hear people say that if you prepare vegetables well enough and often enough, then your child will eat them and love them, I automatically think one of two things.  First, they are incredibly lucky to have a child who apparently isn't a picky eater.  Or secondly, they don't have kids.  These naysayers also judge those parents who choose to 'hide' vegetables in the food they prepare their children.  "I mean, by hiding vegetables in food, how will the poor child ever learn to eat and appreciate vegetables on their own?!?"

I used to be one of these people.  Being somewhat of a foodie, I naively believed that by offering Finley the same foods I prepared for Andrew and myself, she would naturally develop a sophisticated palate.  And compared to most kids her age, maybe she has.  But she's still only two and a half and will choose a (veggie, organic) chicken nugget over broccolini any day of the week.

But here's what I've learned through my short years of motherhood.  Most kids are fickle eaters and they go through phases (usually fairly quickly!) of what they like and don't like.  For instance, one night Finley ate 10 spears of asparagus with her dinner.  I was so proud, pretty much ecstatic really, that I had a toddler who loved a green veggie besides canned green beans!  I marched to Costco the next day and bought the 6-lb bag of asparagus only to come home to a toddler who adamantly refused to eat. a. single. bite. of. asparagus. ever. again.

And this is why I am a firm believer of offering tasty, fresh vegetables at every meal (because sometimes Fin surprises me and eats her carrots or broccoli) BUT also hiding vegetables in meals wherever I can.  I mean, really what is the harm in packing more vegetables into a meal?  It's healthier all the way around!  This is a spaghetti sauce recipe I created when Fin was going through her 'I-only-want-to-eat-pasta-and-ice-cream' phase.  We enjoy the sauce so much, it's now the only meat sauce I ever make anymore.  It's jam packed with vegetables (onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini and squash) so it's healthy and tasty.  When I make this spaghetti, I can rest easy because if Finley refuses to eat any of her vegetable side dishes that night, I don't have to worry since she ate some of the dreaded veggies without even knowing it.  And that makes me happy :-)

This recipe makes enough for about 10-12 servings.  I always make the full recipe - I serve it for dinner and then divide the leftovers into two or three large ziplock bags and throw them in the freezer for another night. Also, if you need to clean out your veggie drawer, feel free to throw in any other vegetables too!

Sneaky Spaghetti Sauce
a Baking and Eggs original

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
4-8 oz fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, shredded
1 yellow squash, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 cup red wine (or substitute with more beef stock)
1/2 beef stock
1 lb Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 lb ground beef or ground bison
2 29-oz cans tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce)
1 14.5-oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, drained
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving (omit if you're dairy free)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
1 small can tomato paste
cooked spaghetti noodles, for serving

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, onion, carrots, and celery.  Cook, stirring often, until onion becomes translucent.  Add mushrooms, garlic, zucchini, squash, basil, fennel seed, oregano and rosemary and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Stir in wine and beef stock and let simmer while the meat cooks.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan cook Italian sausage and ground beef over medium heat, breaking up any big lumps, until meat is browned.  Drain fat.  Add meat to vegetable mixture.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine.  Cover and lower heat to medium-low.  Cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for at least one hour.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  About 20 minutes before serving, stir in tomato paste if the sauce is too watery.  Continue to cook sauce over medium-low heat until ready to eat.  Serve over cooked noodles and sprinkle with extra parmesan.

Read more...

Pimento Cheese and BBQ Bacon Burgers

The title pretty much says it all - a delicious and indulgent combo!  This spin on the classic cheeseburger was so mouthwateringly good that I forgot to take a picture before I started eating it.  In fact, my mouth is watering right now as I type!  This recipe takes a little more time than your ordinary cheeseburger but it really elevates the cheeseburger to something extraordinary, so I think it's worth the extra time and effort.  I hope you enjoy this burger recipe as much as my family did.

Pimento Cheese and BBQ Bacon Burgers
adapted from Saveur
serves 3

for the pimento cheese:
3 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz white cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons chopped pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise (recommended brand: Hellman's)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

for the burgers:
1 lb ground beef or bison
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons smoky BBQ sauce
6 slices bacon
Hamburger buns
Lettuce
Tomato slices
Mayo

For the pimento cheese, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the burgers, in a medium bowl, mix ground meat, onion and BBQ sauce.  Separate meat into three even-sized pieces and form into patties.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat.  Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Heat an indoor grill pan to medium-high heat and carefully drizzle reserved bacon fat over grill pan.  Season burger patties with salt and pepper.  Grill patties, flipping once, until desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare.  Top burgers with a liberal scoop of pimento cheese and cover pan with a lid to help cheese melt.  Carefully transfer burgers to buns and top with lettuce, tomato and a little extra mayonnaise.

Read more...

Bison Burgers with Bleu Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Recently I've started using ground bison in place of ground beef because it's so much healthier. Bison has half the saturated fat and half the cholesterol as beef so I feel much less guilty about eating a burger when it's made with bison. But I'm off my soapbox now!

I made this because I wanted a more gourmet burger and it turned out fantastically! The tang of the bleu cheese and the sweetness of the onions paired so well with the bison. Andrew and I both really liked it. A lot!

For the burger - serves 3:

3/4 lb ground bison
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T dijon mustard
1 t worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
bleu cheese crumbles
caramelized onions**
hamburger buns
mayo and/or mustard
romaine lettuce

In a mixing bowl, combine the bison, shallot, garlic, dijon, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Knead ingredients together until well combined. Divide the meat mixture into three round patties.

Heat grill pan to medium-high heat. Place the patties on the grill pan and cook about 4 minutes and flip burgers over. Cook another 4 minutes. Top burgers with bleu cheese crumbles and cook another 1-2 minutes until cheese is softened (but it probably won't look melted).

Toast hamburger buns in oven or on grill pan for 1-2 minutes. Spread mayo and/or mustard on buns. Place bleu cheese patties on buns and top with caramelized onions and lettuce. Serve with sweet potato fries (see previous post for recipe).

**To caramelize onions, heat 1-2 T butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Slice one large onion into rings. Separate the rings and place in the pan. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramel in color, about 30 minutes. You can salt and sugar them prior to cooking if you want to but it isn't a necessity.

Read more...

Chili

Cold and wet weather means it is chili time! So tonight Andrew and I whipped up a batch of chili to compliment this dreary weather. I have a chili recipe that I have used for a couple of years now and we really like it. I like to serve it with biscuits, fritos or cornbread and I like to top my chili with green onions, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Here's my recipe - it looks like a ton of ingredients but many of them are common spices and seasonings that you probably have in your pantry already:

Chili

1 lb ground beef or bison

4 slices peppered bacon

2 tablespoons olive oil (or leftover bacon grease)

1 small white onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 (14 oz) can of beef broth

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can chili beans

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bottle beer of your choice

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons oregano, dried

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon basil, dried

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayene

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

In a saute pan, cook ground beef (or venison) until browned. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, cook bacon until crispy and fat is rendered. Drain bacon on paper towels. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle and set aside with the beef.

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and saute onion, bell pepper and celery until onion turns translucent. Add the beef, bacon and remaining ingredients, except for the tomato paste, and simmer for at least an hour and up to four hours. Stir in the tomato paste and stir to incorporate it fully. Continue simmering for an additional 30 minutes.

Read more...