Toy Story Party (Part 2)

It came and went, with a happy little "Buzz Lightyear" by the end of the night.  We enjoyed a dinner and party with friends and family.  The food was a simple home cooked meal that was prepared ahead of time.  All I had to do the night of the party was heat things in the oven.  I set it up buffet style, served the beef to the guests, and let them help themselves to the rest. 

The menu was as follows:

For the kids: Whole grain chicken tenders (white meat only), smile fries, and strawberries
For the adults:  Roast beef on "weck", cheesy potatoes, green beans, and dill pickles
Cake for dessert and a coffee station set up with the Keurig and flavored syrups and creamers

• To prepare the roast beef, I got a sirloin roast from the butcher with most of the fat trimmed.  Liberally season the roast with salt and pepper and place fat side up in a roasting pan with a rack.  Add about a cup of water and cover with foil.  Roast at 300 degrees for 20 minutes per pound.  You want the internal temperature between 120 and 130 degrees.  The roast will be rare but will cook to desired temperature when re-heated upon serving.  Allow the roast to rest and then refrigerate.  Once the beef is chilled, slice against the grain as thin as possible.
• To reheat the beef, simply heat beef stock to a boil, then when serving, allow the beef to soak in the stock until desired temperature is reached.  The ends of the roast are more well done than the middle, so you can meet everyone's needs.
• Serve the beef on Kaiser rolls with horseradish.  I also had gravy for those who wanted that.  We had Kummelweck rolls as well. For the history on "weck" rolls click here.

recipe for cheesy potatoes

1 two pound bag of cubed hash browns, thawed
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. finely diced onion
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. plain cornflakes crushed with 2 tbsp melted butter

In a small sauce pan saute onion in a little bit of oil or butter until soft.  In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except the cornflakes.  Stir until well mixed and put into a 9 x 13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray.  Top with cornflakes, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

After the cake was served, we rounded out the evening with a pinata.  The whole night was wonderful and my little guy told me at bedtime, "Mommy, it was the best Toy Story party ever!"

See you soon :)

Sunday Pot Roast

Last night we had an amazing family over for dinner.  I gave them their choice of dinner, and they chose pot roast.  I was actually very pleased with the choice because I don't make it often for just Jay and myself.  It's the kind of meal you need to share.

The recipe is quite simple and requires very few things.  To accompany the roast, I made classic mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread and salad.  For dessert we had a very creamy cheesecake and cookies for the kids.  The evening was filled with laughter and children playing; what else can you ask for on a Saturday night?

recipe for pot roast

4 to 5 lb. shoulder roast of beef
6 oz pearl onions
2 to 3 ribs of celery
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
1 small container of crimini mushrooms
2 to 3 tbsp of oil
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c. beef stock

In a large roaster or skillet, preheat the oil until smoking.  Sprinkle the roast liberally with salt and pepper.  Sear the roast on all sides to lock in the juices.

Set the roasting pan aside and move the beef to a slow cooker. Add the vegetables and beef stock.  Cover and turn on high for 4 to 6 hours, and then turn onto low for 2 more hours.

When the roast is done, remove to a platter and rest for 10 minutes.  Then with a knife and fork shred the beef.  Serve with gravy.



gravy recipe

2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 to 3 c. beef stock
1/2 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

In the same pan you seared the beef, combine the flour and butter over medium heat.  Be sure to let the flour cook for 2 to 3 minutes and whisk up the pan drippings.  Add the beef stock and let it come to a boil.  This will allow the gravy to thicken.  Add onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. 

You can make the gravy ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.  I then reheated the gravy in a small little dipper slow cooker and was hot for serving.

Flower and butterfly sugar cookies were a fun end to the evening for the kids.

Beef Wellington with Onion Potatoes

Saturday was my hubby's birthday.  He is getting a little grumpier about his age each year.  He probably wouldn't appreciate if I mentioned how old he was.  But I'll do it anyway, he turned 36. No longer mid 30's, now he's approaching late 30's.  I feel he should embrace his age (and his slowly graying hair). Honestly, he has accomplished so much professionally, and of course personally I believe the two best things in his life are our boys.

This week has also been a little gloomy in our house because we have been fighting illness.  I had an ear and sinus infection, Jay had a sinus infection, and the boys have colds.  So to brighten up his birthday, I decided to make a fancy dinner.  The winner was beef wellington with onion potatoes.  The first time I remember having beef wellington was about five years ago. I loved it, but didn't love the price.  It is one of the priciest items on a menu, however, preparing it at home is much more economical.  Armed with my shopping list, I braved the elements, put aside my runny nose and fetched the ingredients.  The list for my version is rather short. I have made a few changes from the classic recipe, just for preference. Also I have prepared most of the dinner way ahead of time, so all I have to do is assemble and bake.  This makes a great and very impressive dish for entertaining.

recipe for beef wellington (dinner for two)

2 - 5 to 6 oz fillet Mignon, about 3/4 inch thick
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed, you will need one sheet for 2 wellingtons)
1 tbsp prepared English mustard, slightly spicy
1 package of crimini mushrooms, about 10 to 15 mushrooms
1 small shallot
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
olive oil
1 egg beaten with a splash of water

To prepare ahead of time (can be done several hours ahead):

Douxelle: Clean mushrooms from any dirt, remove and discard stems.  Peel garlic and shallot. Place mushrooms, garlic, shallot in a mini food processor, and chop until fine.  In a medium skillet, heat about one tablespoon of olive oil and add mushroom mixture. Saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, then add thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes, until the mixture has formed a "paste" and the liquid has cooked out. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate until later.

In the same skillet you just cooked the douxelle, drizzle about two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Lightly season the fillets with salt and pepper.  Place fillets in pan and sear steak, about two minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and allow to cool on a plate. Cover and refrigerate until later.

Allow the puff pastry to thaw in the refrigerator over night.  You will use one sheet for two wellingtons.  You can keep the other sheet frozen for a later purpose.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Allow the sheet of pastry to sit on the counter for 5 minutes or so. Open the sheet on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper, slightly roll the creases out.  Cut the pastry in half to form two rectangles.  Brush the pastry with the mustard in an even coat. 

Place one fillet on one rectangle of pastry. Add about 2 tablespoons of douxelle on top of the beef. 

Then wrap the pastry around the beef like a present and crimp the edges with a fork. Brush the top with egg wash, repeat the process with the second fillet.

Place the wellingtons on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 17 to 19 minutes. Pastry will be golden and beef will be about medium rare. Cook for an additional five mintues for medium.  (tip: If you cut it open and it is not cooked to your desired temperature, turn the broiler on and place the pan back in on the lowest rack in your oven.  Carefully watch for correct temperature.)

recipe for onion potatoes (my sister-in-law Janet's recipe)

2 lbs of small golden or red potatoes
1 pkg. onion soup mix
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dice potatoes into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.  Then add oil, garlic and soup mix. Stir until evenly coated.

Spread out onto cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until fork tender.

To finish our birthday dinner, we enjoyed a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

The children gave him their presents and home made cards.  Overall.....a good night!
Linking to these parties.

Wholesome Wednesday (Sloppy Joes)

Wholesome Wednesday kind of snuck up on me this week.  Busy with the kids in school and company coming on Friday, I was trying to decide what to post. I have a great Brussels sprout recipe, but I think with the weather getting cooler, a nice hot sandwich is good for today. 

Growing up my mom made sloppy joes quite often. It was a meal she could stretch and was also satisfying. My mom always made them from scratch, we never even new what Manwich was. In fact, I never had Manwich until I was an adult. While there is nothing wrong with that, homemade sloppy joes are just as easy and quick. What I love about making them myself, is I can control the quality of ingredients, and sodium level. I use ground sirloin which is 90% fat free and a lot of spices. Also serve the sandwich on a whole grain bun with steamed green beans as a side dish and you have a wholesome, satisfying dinner.

recipe

2 lbs ground beef (look for 90% fat free)
1 small onion, diced
1 large can of tomato sauce (26 oz can)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c water
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

Brown beef in a large skillet with onion. Drain off any fat and discard.  Add remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer on low for about an hour.  Enjoy!