MJ's Moderation

Home-Made Spaghetti Sauce

While cleaning out our freezer recently, I came across several packages of frozen tomatoes from last summer's garden.  You can freeze fresh, whole tomatoes in freezer bags and then when they thaw, the skins slip right off.  Romas are best for this recipe because they are meatier and have fewer seeds, but any kind will do. 

Ingredients:
6 cups fresh tomatoes - peeled, seeded & chopped.
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup red wine
1 small can of V-8 juice (5.5 oz.)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 can tomato paste (3 oz.)
1 large grated carrot
2 small stalks of tender celery (with green tops) - finely chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. regular salt
1/4 black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano or Italian seasonings
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 T brown sugar (you may need to add a bit more if your tomatoes are very acidic... go by taste.)

OPTIONAL:
3/4 cup cooked Italian sausage or ground beef, crumbled
Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese for topping
* * * * *

Saute garlic and onion in 2 T of olive oil until translucent.  Add tomatoes, V8, carrot, celery, salt, celery salt, pepper, oregano & parsley.  Cook covered over low-medium heat for 20 minutes.  Uncover and cook for an additional 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally and watching so bottom does not burn. Remove from heat and cool.

Puree mixture in blender & return to pot. At this point, depending on the type of tomatoes used, you may have to drain excess juice or water from the mixture. Stir in brown sugar, grated cheese and an additional Tbsp. of olive oil & cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes. Taste & adjust seasonings to your liking.  Add crumbled meat if desired and cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Ladle over spaghetti or vermicelli pasta and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.  Excellent along side a salad of romaine tossed with vinaigrette and slices of crusty Italian bread. Serves 4.

Vanilla Cupcakes

I have been on a sugar rush lately... cookies, brownies - and now cupcakes.  I am absolutely crazy for cupcakes!  These are easily made from scratch & are just the right sized vehicle for creamy frosting, what ever flavor you prefer.  I've included the same buttercream recipe at the end as I did for the brownies in a previous post.

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted cake flour (SoftaSilk)
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup softened butter or shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add shortening, milk and vanilla & beat for 2 minutes with electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs and beat 1-1/2 minutes longer. Line aluminum cupcake pans with paper liners and fill about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cakes are done when tops spring back when touched or when inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost. Top with sprinkles or nuts if desired. Yields approx. 18 cupcakes.

Buttercream Icing:
   2 cups sifted powdered sugar
   1/2 stick of butter
   1 or 2 Tbsp. of milk or cream
   1 tsp. vanilla
   food coloring - optional

Blend first four ingredients together with electric beater until light and fluffy - adding only as much milk as needed for spreadability. Add a few drops of food color if desired, beating until well blended.

Frosted Brownies

Must. Have. Chocolate. Sometimes you just gotta have it! Miniature chocolate chips add a chewy, fudgy decadence to these traditional cocoa-based brownies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8" x 8" baking pan and coat lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Soften butter or shortening slightly and stir in cocoa until blended.  Add to egg mixture, beating slowly until combined.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder together and add to above mixture, using a wooden spoon, until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Pour into baking pan and smooth evenly.

Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean - but do not overbake.

Let cool completely before frosting (see icing recipe below) and cutting into bars. Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar for some extra fun.  We place the cut & decorated individual brownies in a cupcake paper case, just like the bakeries do. Store in a covered container.

Buttercream Icing:
   2 cups sifted powdered sugar
   1/2 stick of butter
   1 or 2 Tbsp. of milk or cream
   1 tsp. vanilla
   food coloring - optional

Blend first four ingredients together with electric beater until light and fluffy - adding only as much milk as needed for spreadability. Add a few drops of food color if desired, beating until well blended. 

Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using shortening (butter flavored Crisco) instead of real butter may be frowned on by some, but shortening yields the chewiest cookies.  If you prefer crisper cookies, using all butter is your best bet, and also provides the better all-round flavor.  However, I've found that using 1/2 cup of butter flavored shortening and 1/4 cup real butter will offer the best of both worlds.  The baking temperature and time also determine the outcome.  Experimentation will help you find your own happy medium. YUM - these are really quite fabulous!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
OR - 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco and 1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Options:  1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat shortening and brown & white sugars with electric mixer until fluffy.  Beat in milk, vanilla and egg until well mixed. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together in a separate bowl.  Stir into wet mixture until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet (approx. 12 to a sheet.)

Bake at 325 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes, turning half-way - or until light brown and set.  Do not over brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in a covered container.

Baking 12 to 14 minutes will yield a chewier cookie.  They may appear not quite set when you remove them from the oven - but if you let them cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, they will be easier to transfer to the baking rack & be chewier than those baked longer.

Braised Short Ribs

Suddenly - perhaps due to a faltering economy - comfort food is back in vogue.  This recipe is perfect for that old cast iron dutch oven you have hidden way in the back of your regular pots and pans.  Or maybe you have a beautiful new Le Creuset version.  Either one will work. The photo below shows the ribs after about an hour of cooking.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 lbs. of beef short ribs, bone-in
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
1   carrot, diced
1   large onion, diced
1   stalk celery, diced
1 T. tomato paste
2 c. red wine (Cabernet is ideal)
2 c. beef broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
Zest of one orange
2  bay leaves
1 T. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a dutch oven (or  heavy duty oven-proof lidded saucepan) heat oil over medium high heat, then add short ribs and sear until brown on all sides. Remove ribs from the an & set aside.  Next, pour off any excess oil from pan - leaving several tablespoons - and reduce heat to medium & add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes to caramelize. Stir in the tomato paste. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce sauce by half over medium heat. Next add the beef broth, thyme, orange zest, bay leaves & brown sugar. Return the short ribs to the pan, cover and place in the middle of preheated oven.

Cook for approx. 3 hours or until beef is tender and is pulling away from the bone. Remove beef and strain broth into a saucepan, discarding remnants. Skim any fat off the top of the broth*, and reduce to a light sauce consistency over medium heat . Pour the sauce back over the short ribs and serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or noodles - and your favorite vegetable accompaniment.

* at this point, you may also place sauce in refrigerator or freezer for approx. 30 minutes to an hour or until fat settles on top.  This makes it easier to remove.  Then replace sauce in pan to reheat along with the meat.

Ice Box Cookies - AKA: Refrigerator Cookies

These old-fashioned buttery, brown-sugar cookies are the best sidekick for coffee or milk.  On the crispy side, their rectangular shape makes them ideal for dunking! The dough freezes well, so you can make them ahead and cut & bake as needed. Easy & delicious.

Nutty Ice-Box Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:
Thoroughly cream shortening and sugars; add egg and beat well. Stir in vanilla and nut meats. Add sifted dry ingredients; mix well and shape into a loaf size roll. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill several hours or overnight. Slice 1/4-inch thick (or thinner.) Bake on greased cookie sheet in oven at 375ºF for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on wire rack.  Store in covered container. Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.