Stew & Toddys

I partnered up with Arrowroot Clothing and Go Rings earlier this fall for some autumnal treats. It was one of my first shoots in our new house and I'm loving all of the space in our back yard, especially in the afternoon light. We spent the afternoon making toddys, planting succulents, and enjoying stew and sourdough. I've never been a huge fan of stew; meat seems to be tough and veggies too soggy. But this recipe turned all of my preconceived notions about stew upside down. You have got to try this recipe. 

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Hot Toddy

This is my favorite drink in colder weather. As soon as it hits my lips it makes me want to curl up with a good book. 

Ingredients

4 oz boiling hot water
2oz bourbon
1t honey
1 lemon wedge
drop of vanilla

Instructions

1. Combine hot water bourbon and juice from one lemon wedge. Add 1t honey, a drop of vanilla and stir until combined. 

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Beef Stew

This recipe from Canadian Living has become a staple. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1.5 kg boneless beef blade roast cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm cubes)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 ribs celery diced
1 onion diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
450 g mini white potatoes scrubbed and quartered
3 large carrots cut in 1 1/2-inch thick (4 cm) chunks (halve bigger pieces)
10 sprigs fresh thyme
6 sprigs fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
3 cups sodium-reduced beef broth
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cups pickled cocktail onions drained and rinsed
3/4 cups frozen peas

Instructions

1. In large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and pepper; toss with beef to coat.
2. In large Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of the butter and the oil over medium heat; working in small batches, cook beef, stirring, until browned, about 20 minutes total. Using slotted spoon, remove to bowl; set aside.
3. Add remaining butter to Dutch oven; cook celery and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits, for 2 minutes.
4. Return beef and any juices to Dutch oven. Add potatoes, carrots, thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Stir in broth and Worcestershire sauce; bring to boil, stirring occasionally to loosen any remaining browned bits from bottom.
5. Cover and braise in 350 F (180 C) oven for 45 minutes. Stir in cocktail onions; cover and braise for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until vegetables are tender and beef offers no resistance when pierced with tip of knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in peas; cook for 5 minutes.
6. Skim any fat from surface of stew; remove thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Winter Gathering 2016

Menu

Chapati  |  Bengali Cauliflower Curry  |  Cucumber Raita
Garlic Potatoes|  Chicken With Star Anise

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Nothing warms the soul quite like the rich spice of indian food. But Denver February weather didn't need any help on the warming front, so we enjoyed this spread with a lovely breeze flowing through open windows. There isn't much I enjoy more than spending time with these ladies so this gathering centers around close friends and shared tasks in the kitchen.

All of these dishes came from The Complete Book of Indian Cooking. The only recipe I'm posting is one that I modified a bit from the book. If you're interested in trying some of these dishes, or doing more adventurous cooking, I highly recommend purchasing. It is absolutely fantastic; it's categorized by region, and other than obtaining some spices you may have never heard of, isn't overly complicated. All of the spices were found either at Sprouts or Whole Foods. 

Cucumber Raita

The cool crunch of the cucumber and mild flavor of the yogurt paired perfectly with the hearty & spicy dishes that accompanied it. The real flavor key is in the toasted cumin. 
 

Ingredients

1c plain whole yogurt
2c diced cucumber
3T cilantro
1/2t cumin
1 clove garlic, diced

Instructions

1. Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet until fragrant. Blend in spice grinder until a find powder is achieved. You can substitute your generic spice rack cumin, but the flavor of the toasted cumin is phenomenal. 
2. Mix all ingredients together, and chill for an hour or up to overnight, before serving. 

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Dream Table

This post has been months in the making (literally). Back in the early warmth of summer, Heather came to me with an idea, as she often does, about creating a space for the women in our lives to come together and discuss a rather amorphous concept in our culture: dreams. Not the sleepy, night time kind of dreams, but the aspirations that bud and grow out of our hearts.

What hold us back from them? How do they tie into the Kingdom? How do we pursue them, knowing that we are already living the dream as God’s own children? How can we share them with others who can encourage us? How do we push against the fear that keeps us from pursuing them?

And so, The Dream Table was born. The morning centered around food and drink, as we shared our thoughts on the subject, busying our hands with making of dream catchers. The brunch menu consisted of autumnal mimosas, sweet scones, and savory quiches. Keep scrolling for the recipes to each.

Special thanks to EA of Arrowroot Clothing for opening her home, Liz of Siloh Floral for the amazing floral spread and styling oomph, and EB of eb+jc for the extra photo help.

*Side note* Although I feel rather behind on actually getting this onto the web (it occurred on Oct 24th), it comes at the perfect time. Thanksgiving is just days away, and the women in this post are so much of the reason why I am thankful to live in this community every year

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Pomegranate & Lemon Scones

For the Lemon Scones, follow the below recipe, but replace lemon zest from one lemon and 1T lemon juice for the pomegranate seeds. Skip the cinnamon sugar step, and add in 1T lemon juice to your glaze mixture and top with additional zest instead of pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 stick of butter (cut into small cubes)
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 large  egg
1/4 c cinnamon sugar
1/4c milk
1c powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F. 30 minutes before you want to make these, cut a stick of butter into cubes, cover and place in the freezer.

Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter in a food processor until it resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in pomegranate seeds.

In another bowl, whisk the milk and egg until smooth.

Combine the egg mixture into dry ingredients until the dough holds together.

Empty onto a floured surface and briefly knead until the dough becomes cohesive. Separate dough into two portions, and flatten into discs about 1” thick. Cut like a pizza to create wedges.

Dip one end of each scone in milk, and then coat that end with cinnamon sugar so that it sticks well to the dough. 

Place scones (spaced apart) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

While scones are baking, whisk together 1c powdered sugar with milk, adding it in in small portions, until you have a thick, yet flow-y consistency.

After baking, let scones cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle the other end of the scone with glaze, and sprinkle with additional pomegranate seeds. 

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Crust

Since I had two quiches to make, I did a double batch of crust. The key to the crust keeping its shape when baking is to throw it in the fridge for an hour after you form it in your pie pan. If you only need one crust, you can freeze the spare for later use.

Ingredients

2.5c flour
1t salt
1t sugar
2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into cubes
ice water

Instructions

Pulse flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor until a coarse meal is achieved.
Pulse in ice water in small batches until the dough comes together.
Place dough on well-floured surface and divide & form into two round discs.
Wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge for at least an hour.

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Quiche Lorraine

The second quiche I made was similar to this recipe, but I replaced the bacon with breakfast sausage, added sautéed mushrooms to the mix, and added in a few more teaspoons of fresh thyme and herbs.

Ingredients

1 chilled crust
6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4″ strips
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1c half & half
4 cloves garlic, minced
1t fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4t salt
1/4t white pepper
1/4t black pepper
1/4t red pepper flakes
pinch of nutmeg
1c grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions

An hour before you are planning on starting your quiche, roll out your pie crust on a well, floured surface, transfer & form into your pie pan. Poke holes in the bottom & store in the fridge for an hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and bake the pie crust for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy, then set aside and let cool.
Whisk together eggs, yolks, half & half garlic, rosemary, salt, white & black pepper, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg until well combined. Mix in cheese.
Sprinkle pie crust with bacon, and fill with your egg mixture. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes checking regularly for doneness.
Be sure to let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

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You can find the frittata recipe here. I used this recipe from the Glitter Guide for Pear- Thyme Mimosa Recipe (using the batching method), and this recipe for the pear nectar.