Beef Stew

Beef for stew
Flour
Seasoned Salt
Salt and pepper
Large can tomato sauce
Large can diced tomatoes
McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning Pack
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Carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths (may halve larger carrots lengthwise)
Celery, cut into 2 inch lengths
Onions - large chunks
Green beans - snapped and broken in half
Mushrooms - quartered
6 Cloves garlic - rough chop
Potatoes (small red or cut white into 1 inch cubes)

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Can kidney beans
Can white corn

Put flour, seasoned salt, salt and pepper into Ziploc bag.  Coat beef cubes well.  Sear off meat in large Dutch oven.  Add tomato sauce and tomatoes, a couple of cups of water, and Beef Stew Seasoning Pack.  Reduce to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add veggies , simmer 1 hour or until veggies are tender.  Drain kidney beans and white corn; add to stew.  Allow to simmer at least 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Apple Dawg Treats

1 Cup apple (may use applesauce but use more flour)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon all-purpose baking powder
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour and baking powder till no lumps remain.  Add diced apple, pumpkin, egg, and water;  still till all ingredients are mixed well.

Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut out with cookie cutters.  Transfer to baking sheet.

Bake about 30 minutes or until crisp.  Cool completely on wire rack before sharing with puppers.

Cranberry Holiday Punch

Cranberry Holiday Punch

Cranberry Holiday Punch

4 cups cranberry juice cocktail 8 cups prepared lemonade 2 cups orange juice 1 (4 ounce) jar maraschino cherries 1 (2 liter) bottle raspberry ginger ale 1 orange, sliced in rounds In a large punch bowl, combine cranberry juice cocktail, lemonade, and orange juice. Stir in the maraschino cherries. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more. When ready to serve, pour in the ginger ale. Garnish each glass with an orange slice.

Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts with Creamy Lemon Dip

18 Medium Brussel Sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounce package center cut bacon (about 18 strips)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, plus 1/2 cup for serving
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Zest of 1/2 lemon, plus 2 tsp juice
Crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Trip the stem ends from the Brussels sprouts and halve lengthwise.  Put them in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tsp salt.

Cut bacon in half crosswise, and brush liberally with about 1/2 the maple syrup.  Wrap each Brussels sprout half with 1 strip of bacon, syrup side out, so the seam is on the flat side.  Place the sprouts seam-side down on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them.  Brush them with a bit more syrup, and grind a little black pepper on top. 

Roast, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the bacon is crisp and the sprouts are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the mayo, most of the lemon zest, and all the lemon juice in a small serving dish.  Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest on top.  Put about 1/2 cup maple syrup in a second small serving dish, and stir in as much black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes as you like. 

Transfer the sprouts to a platter, and serve with the lemon mayonnaise and peppered maple syrup for dipping.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Croissants

This will be presented in two recipes.  One for the croissants, and another for the filling - because that's how Jack rolls.  (You see what I did there, right?)

Croissants:

1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
3 Tbsp warm water
1 tsp white sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup warm milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Combine yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp sugar.  Allow to stand until creamy and frothy

Measure flour into a mixing bowl.  Dissolve 2 tsp sugar and salt in warm milk.  Blend into flour, along with yeast and oil.  Mix well, knead until smooth.  Cover, and let rise until over triple in volume.  Deflate gently, and let rise again until doubled.  Deflate and chill 20 minutes.

Massage butter until pliable, but not soft and oily.  Pat dough into a 14x8 inch rectangle.  Smear butter over top two thirds, leaving 1/4 inch margin all around.  Fold unbuttered third over middle third, and buttered top third down over that.  Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right.  Roll out to a 14x6 inch rectangle.  Fold in three again.  Sprinkle lightly with flour, and put dough in a plastic bag.  Refrigerate 2 hours.  Unwrap, sprinkle with flour, and deflate gently.  Roll to a 14x6 inch rectangle and fold again.  Turn 90 degrees and repeat.  Wrap, and chill 2 hours.

To shape, roll dough out to a 20 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, and chill half while shaping the other half. Roll out to a 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut into three 5 x 5 inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Roll each triangle lightly to elongate the point, and make it 7 inches long. Insert filling (recipe to follow).  Grab the other 2 points, and stretch them out slightly as you roll it up. Place on a baking sheet, curving slightly. Let shaped croissants rise until puffy and light. In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Glaze croissants with egg wash.

Bake in a preheated 475 degrees F (245 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp butter, melted

cinnamon and sugar for topping.

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugars, cinnamon, and pumpkin.

Put a generous Tbsp of filling onto each triangle of croissant dough, and roll up, starting with the thickest end.  Place each croissant, point side down, on the baking sheet.

Brush melted butter over each crescent, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained

1 (46 fluid oz) can tomato juice

1 (28 oz) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 cup white sugar (optional - I skip this)

In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef until brown, drain.  Stir in onion and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in beans, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, and pumpkin puree.  Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder, and optional sugar.  Simmer 1 hour.

Personal note:  I find the chili sweet enough without adding the sugar.  I also added a generous dash of sriracha pepper sauce to taste.