 I recently remarked winter brings hearty dishes to the top of my meal list. Pot roast is no exception. There is something magic about cooking the meat “low and slow” for an afternoon with my favorite vegetables. I had every intention to use the beef broth I made earlier in the year until I realized it had been in my freezer for almost two years. What the heck? How did I miss the expiration date? Fortunately, I always keep Swanson beef broth in my pantry so there was no emergency trip to the grocery store. We added @wickersbbq black label marinade (it is freaking amazing) and spices to the beef broth and the roast was ready for an afternoon of filling the house with the delicious smells of our evening meal. Just another cozy meal to be served in our cozy cottage!
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 What do you do when you have leftover steak? My first thought was to make stir fry. Big Guy had a better idea. We stopped by Federhofer's Bakery for a loaf of their bread along with a few extra sweet treats for breakfast the next day. Once home, Big Guy assembled a steak sandwich with onions, red bell peppers and provel cheese. We also had some leftover sides, so we knocked out all our leftovers in one meal. I advise you to be creative with your leftover food. You do not have to reheat it and eat the same meal again. It will do your heart good to know you did not waste food while you enjoy a different meal with the same ingredients.   The weather outside was frightful, so I had to pull out a bread mix. There is something special about the aroma of baking bread. I think Big Guy was doing a little dance in the other room since he loves bread.
I do plan to get out of my box and make bread from scratch, but I have a strong memory of these bread mixes that brings a smile to my face. When my FIL was alive, we would look forward to Sunday afternoons. We played a round of golf, came back to the house for soup and bread, and ended the day outside with a fire, a cigar, and a Jameson Irish Whiskey. The weather did not matter as I still remember taking lessons in January. My FIL loved it and would call weekly to make sure we had the date on our calendar. Big Guy and I still talk about those days with great fondness and joy!  I know most folks expect me to write about food or other stories from my Carondelet Kitchen. I was struck the other day about the “elephant” in the room which is the dishes that mound in my sink every time I bake or cook.
Big Guy is awesome at being my sous chef or taking over grilling duty but doing the dishes has never been in his wheelhouse. I used to laugh when I traveled and would come home to clean dishes on the drying rack which could have easily been put in the dishwasher. To this day, he has never used the dishwasher and does not know how to turn it on. I share this story not as a beef but as one funny story. The motto here is if I cook, I do the dishes. If Big Guy cooks, I do the dishes. I can live with that knowing he will clean windows, floors, and that dreaded bathroom. I married a good one!  Big Guy and I decided to spurge with a couple of filet mignon steaks. He has certainly mastered the timing of the steaks as I tend to like my closer to well done. I realize many will be shocked by this admission, but we like what we like when it comes to food. Right?
As a constant student of things, Big Guy got fancy and decided to do a reverse sear on the steaks. He cooked the steaks “low and slow” until he was satisfied with the right temperature. Once “done,” he pulled them out and placed them in a grill pan to give them a sear at the end. I can tell you it was delicious, and I cannot wait to have them again in the same manner.  Big Guy and I used to travel to New Harmony, Indiana for rest and relaxation. On our last visit, we found a charming bakery for our Sunday morning coffee, pastry, and newspaper time. I ordered an orange cranberry scone. One bite in and I went to the counter to buy another one for the next day as it was the last one in the case. As I enjoyed this delightful treat, I vowed to try and recreate it in the Carondelet Kitchen. It may seem obvious my vow took time to come to fruition, but I finally did it. I was rewarded with a memory of my last scone. The best part is we had three left for the next day, and they were even better than the first day. It may have been the addition of Cara Cara Vanilla Marmalade and Spiced Cranberry Jam from @larder_cupboard which really amped up the flavor. This is a recipe I intend to put on rotation throughout the year!
 I love pasta, so I was very excited to find @vicini_pastaria. We first tried the pasta after a visit to Tower Grove Farmer’s Market. It was heaven and I could not buy enough of it. Big Guy noticed they now have a brick and mortar on Park Avenue near Lafayette Park, so we had to plan a visit. We were rewarded with an adorable shop and plenty of pasta options to make my dreams come true. We opted for the jingle bell pasta in the spirit of the season. To complement the red and green pasta, I added sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, and onion in a white sauce. I had left over chicken and bacon which I added for the protein and additional flavor. I topped it off with Parmesan cheese and dinner was served with a side salad and a lovely bottle of wine. So good!   Big Guy loves potatoes and bread. I tend to manage the bread duty unless we go to our favorite bakery, but he oversees the potatoes.
A favorite of mine is his twice baked potatoes. He bakes the potatoes until they are tender. Once done and cooled, he scoops out the potatoes from the skins and adds them to garlic, onions, cheese, salt, and pepper. After mixing the ingredients well, he scoops the mixture back into the skins and bakes them again. I am sure he made up this recipe but there is no denial on my part that he has aced this complement to any meal. Heaven in a potato boat!  My family made meat pies for Christmas as an annual tradition long before I was born. It was a special treat we looked forward to every year.
I vividly remember my dad coming home from the butcher with pork and meat to be ground into a mixture for the pie. It was quite the production as he latched the grinder to the countertop. No kitchen aids in my childhood home! As I grew into my adulthood, I still looked forward to my mom and aunt continuing to make the pies for our annual get together. As my mom spiraled into dementia, I realized that I needed to figure out how to make the meat pie especially with the knowledge I had over four different recipes with tweaks and notes that did not match. Sigh! The good news today is our ability to purchase sage sausage and ground hamburger to make the process more efficient. It is still a two-day event, but certainly as delicious as my childhood memories!  Are you a cranberry jelly person out of a can or do you make your own sauce or conserve? I admit I could never get used to seeing the jelly slide out of the can to jiggle on the plate with the imprint of the can. Yuck! You can slice it all you want, but it was still not my cup of tea.
Big Guy and I were on a quest to find the perfect cranberry mix to complement our turkey and ham during the holiday season. We did not have to look far since we found the perfect recipe by Ina Garten. The conserve is made with cranberries, sugar, pecans, apple, orange and lemon zest and juice, and raisins. The apples melt into a pectin base that holds it all together. My secret to the conserve is to add a little bit of calvados to the mix to elevate the fruit flavor in the conserve. I should make the obvious statement my cranberry conserve is for adults only! |
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January 2026
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