Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing

from Epicurious

1/3 cup of parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

5 Tbsp EVOO

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated lemon peel

baby arugula

halved cherry tomatoes

Blend first 4 ingredients together in processor. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Red Onion Marmalade & Prosciutto Bruschetta

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups thinly sliced red onions
1 1/2 teaspoons golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
sliced or shredded mozzarella or ricotta(we thought a little Parmesan would also be a good addition)
6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto
baguette

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar. Cook until dark brown and tender, stirring frequently, about 16 minutes. Mix in vinegar and crushed pepper. Cook until mixture is thick, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Season marmalade generously to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, set oven to low broil. Thinly slice baguette and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil; sprinkle with salt. Spread onion marmalade over the bread, dollop cheese all over the onion layer and top with slices of prosciutto. Broil until caramelized and crusty.

Slow Cooked Beef

Ingredients:
1 whole sirloin or chuck roast
1/4 cup butter
2 whole large onion, sliced thick
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup red wine
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Set roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and cook in 250 oven for 5 to 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

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A variation on this recipe is "slow-cooked chicken"

Substitute white wine for the red wine, omit the water, do not cover the dutch oven, and cook for about 3 hours at 275 or 300.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

9 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups sugar
24 oz. heavy cream
3 13 ounce cans evaporated milk
3 teaspoons vanilla

This makes a large freezer can for old fashioned electric freezer.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff.  Beat in 11/2 cups sugar.  Beat until marshmallowy.  In another bowl whip egg yolks until thick and lemon colored.  Add remaining 11/2 cups sugar.  Beat until sugar is dissolved.
In a separated bowl whip cream.
Combine whipped whites, yolks and cream in VERY large bowl or container.  Add evaporated milk and vanilla.
Pour into freezer can and freeze.
Unlike some ice cream this actually gets better with time.  I usually make it a day or two before serving.

Emeril's Key Lime Pie

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter) melted
• 2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
• 1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

I sometimes add the zest to sour cream and then top the pie.

Monkey Muffins

Barely adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

Leftover bread dough, frozen bread dough, or refrigerated biscuit dough - cut into thirds
Cinnamon
Sugar
Butter
Sweetened condensed milk
vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together (I used a 4:1 ratio for sugar to cinnamon). Place a pat of butter (about 1/2 tsp) into the bottom of each muffin cup. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of cinnamon/sugar mixture into each cup. Roll dough into balls and then into cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place three balls of dough into each muffin cup. Then place another 1/2 tsp of butter onto each cup of dough, and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. While the bread is baking, add 1/4 tsp of vanilla to the condensed milk. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with approx. 1 and 1/2 tsp of sweetened condensed milk. Allow the rolls to sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the "icing". Best served warm.

Byron & Ash's Pizzas

B and I cheat a bit and use the bread machine to make our pizza dough, but its quick and easy. We have been experimenting with different toppings and will be posting our favorites on the blog, so that we won't forget them.

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp honey

1 Tbsp EVOO

Add water, EVOO, honey, salt, flour, and yeast (in that order) to the bread machine and select dough or pizza dough cycle.

Caramelized Onion, Fontina, and Prosciutto Pizza

adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. EVOO

2-3 large onions, thinly sliced

salt and ground pepper

thyme

fontina cheese, shredded

thin slices of prosciutto

Preheat the oven to 450°. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and stir to coat with the oil. Cook the onions over medium heat until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. If the onions dry out, add a few tablespoons of water. Season the onions with salt, pepper, and thyme and transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.

Top the dough with the sauteed onions, fontina and prosciutto (in that order). Bake until golden and crisp.