It's still like 80 out. Don't care. It's fall. It's stew time.

Ok, raise of hands, please. When you hear the phrase "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" do you humm along, or do you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about?

Yeah, not so much a raise of hands situation, more of a polling question, but still.

My husband and his best friend Chef (actually the opposite of a large black man...still with me? Too many cultural references in one post? You can do this.) had no idea what I was talking about when I came prancing into the living room mid-meal-making singing it. I believe the question from Chef was, "Are you singing about herbs?" And I'm like, um, the guys who sing the Mrs. Robinson song? What's their name? Simon and Garfunkel? WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT? (Possibly it was the prancing, now that I think about it)

So I play it. Chef goes, "Oh, I know that." Hubby just looks at me. We've been married 5 years. I should know his faults by now.

Annnnywho, I made stew tonight. It had...wait for it...parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. And bay leaves. And wine. And deliciousness.

Herby Beef Stew

1.5 lb stew meat, cut in bite sized pieces if needed

2 cups baby carrots

About 20-25 pearl onions, peeled

3 stalks celery, sliced in 1/2 in pieces

1.5 lb fingerling potatoes, cut in half or thirds (so all are the same size-ish)

1/4 cup Flour (I used oat flour)

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup red wine

3.5 cups beef broth

1tsp rosemary

1tsp dried parsley
Good pinch dried thyme leaves (1/4 tsp?)
Good shake sage (1/8 tsp?)
2 small bay leaves

In shallow bowl combine flour, garlic powder, and a good pinch each salt and pepper. Add meat cubes and toss until well coated. 

In large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add meat, and brown about 3 minutes, turn, and cook another 3 minutes. Add wine, and move everything around to deglaze pot. Add broth, rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme, and about another 1/4 tsp pepper, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook one hour. 

Bring back to a boil, and stir in potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, and bay leaf. Reduce to a simmer, re-cover, and cook another hour. Add salt to taste, if needed.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

It's fall enough

Hubby and I have been on a budget. Which isn't really cool, cause that basically means I'm on a budget, seeing that I do all the shopping...
Not the point. We've been good...especially me, who counts Starbucks, the chiropractor, and mani/pedis among the (few, actually) major cuts. And let me-my bare toed, nail-bitten, sore self-tell you...I need me some pumpkin spice latte. They've been at the 'bucks for like a month, and I haven't had as much as a sip. I'm telling you, the air changes a bit, it's suddenly dark when my alarm goes off in the morning, and my need for pumpkin hits.

And so, as I'm trying to save money...this is my alternative. I cook. I wanted to do stuffed shells, but all I could find were lasagna noodles, so once again, I adapted...it worked. Served nicely with baby carrots steamed with dill. Even KittyH wanted some.


Pumpkin Lasagna
Olive oil
A few thin slices onion, chopped
A couple garlic cloves, minced
About half 14oz can pumpkin
1 container low fat ricotta
1 egg, beaten
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Allspice
Cardamom
1/4 cup or so of chopped walnuts
Lasagna noodles, prepared or no-bake (I love you, trader joes)
Store bought light alfredo sauce ( I use the refrigerated buitoni stuff..molto bene), diluted with a tbsp of water or so, if needed, to get to a smooth, medium thin sauce
Parsley, to serve


Preheat oven to 400.

Sautee onion and garlic (or use an equal amount of shallot) in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes until soft. Remove from heat.

In medium bowl, combine ricotta, pumpkin, egg, about 1/4 tsp each of ground allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Add pepper to taste (good pinch). Add garlic/onion mix. Combine well.

In casserole dish, cover bottom lightly and evenly with a bit of the Alfredo (1/3 cup or so). Make layer of lasagna noodles, breaking pieces up if needed to puzzle piece it together.

Spread 1/3 of pumpkin mix across noodles. Cover with another layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 pumpkin mix, then sprinkle across half the walnuts. Cover with noodles, then rest of pumpkin, then noodles, then pour over remaining Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle rest of walnuts across top. Cover with foil. (if using no-boil noodles, let sit 20 minutes before continuing)

Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, cook another 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Let cool 15 minutes or so. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.


*if you can see, the rockalicious salt on the carrots (and everything else I cook lately) is the.best.ever. Let's just say it was a gift. From Cambodia. From a straight up salt field. I also have the.best.pepper.ever., also from Cambodia, but I've been afraid to use it. Much like the super awesome olive oils we got as wedding gifts two years ago(Thanks L&E!)...I've devoured one of each of said 'duel gifts,' and have been delighted...which makes me more hesitant to use the other. It's like a good wine...Perfect occasion, you know? Anyway. Thanks again, Boss Lady. Get better and go on vacation already. You and Tom bring back the best stuff. (xo)

-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

Figtastic

Well, I embraced the kitchen last night, triple digit temps and all. I've heard figs go bad rather quickly, and I wanted to use them before they got smooshy or whatever it is that happens to them.

Gotta say, I'm a fan. When they're fresh they have a super weird texture—soft but with tiny crunchy seeds...just like a fig newton, obviously, but when you braise them the contrast between skin, flesh and seeds is even more pronounced. In a good way, or at least I think so. Hubby wasn't around last night, so I don't have any more feedback. His only comment when viewing the leftovers was a slightly accusatory, "how much wine is in here?"

Harrumph. Not that much...the figs helped turn the whole thing a lovely shade of purple, too. Anyway, if, like me, you've never cooked with fresh figs, this is an easy one to start out with. Serve with some sort of starch...rice, quinoa, pasta, whatever you've got. Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.



Braised Chicken and Figs
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
4 bay leaves
olive oil
water (about a 1/4 cup)
large shallot, chopped
1/3 cup red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
squirt of honey
About 8 fresh figs, cut in half lengthwise (remove stems)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 bay leaf on each piece of chicken. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken, bay leaf sides down, in pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 3 minutes.

Add water; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Add shallots to pan, saute about 2 minutes. Add chicken, wine, vinegar, and honey to pan and bring to a boil. Cook about 1 minute, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add figs, then cover and simmer 5 more minutes or until figs are tender.