Strawberry shortcake

Simple, always delicious, particularly when strawberries are on sale. I like strawberries over shortcake (revolutionary, I know) far more than pound cake or angel food cake. Sadly, forgot to take pictures, but it was yummy.

My illustrious source of this recipe? Adapted from the back of a bisquick box. I really dislike bisquick pancakes, and the biscuits it makes are just OK, but I LOVE the shortcakes. Possibly because of the large amounts of strawberries and whipped cream involved.

Makes 4 shortcakes (the recipe says 6, but who are we kidding?)

1-1/2 lbs. strawberries (or so)
1/4 c. sugar
2-1/3 Bisquick mix
1/2 c. milk
4 T sugar
3 T butter, melted

whipped cream, if desired

Slice strawberries, add 1/4 c. sugar, mix, set aside for a couple of hours.

Mix (with spoon) remaining ingredients; drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Split shortcakes in half horizontally; fill and top with strawberries and, if desired, whipped cream.

Porter braised pot roast

Or stout braised pot roast, depending on what kind of dark beer you have languishing in the back of the fridge.


This pot roast turned out better than any roast I have done before; something approaching the platonic ideal of the pot roast. Make it for your in-laws. They will love you forever. It's that good.

2 lbs. chuck steak (often conveniently labeled 'pot roast'), trimmed of excess fat
1 bottle (12 oz.) porter, stout, or other dark and flavorful beer
1 large onion, sliced
a couple of large carrots, peeled and sliced
8 oz. mushrooms
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1 T. dark brown sugar
Salt, pepper, olive oil for searing roast

Slice veggies and put them in the bottom of a large crock pot.

Sprinkle both sides of roast liberally with salt and pepper; heat up a large skillet with some olive oil it until the oil shimmers. Sear both sides of the roast (2-3 minutes a side should do)-- this step is mostly cosmetic, but it caramelizes the outside of the meat and keeps you from eating greyish brown pot roast later.

Place roast on top of veggies; sprinkle top with brown sugar and rosemary. Deglaze the pan with some beer, scraping up the brown bits from the pan, and pour it into the crock pot over the roast. Pour the rest of the beer over the roast, cover, and cook on low (200 degrees) for 10-12 hours or high (300 degrees) for 5-6.


Slice meat and scoop out veggies. Serve with mashed potatoes and horseradish on the side, or better yet, horseradish mashed potatoes. Ladle the sauce left in the pot over everything.

Note on cooking with crock pots: this is ideal for meat that would otherwise be tough; done in a slow cooker, it's fork tender. However, you do not need to cover everything completely with liquid-- the idea is to braise it slowly in a moist heat, not boil it for 12 hours.

Horseradish mashed potatoes

These are always served alongside something else, usually beef of some sort. They're great with steak, and sublime with pot roast. Of course, this isn't an exact recipe, and is quite flexible.

1 large potato per person
some butter (1/2 T per person; more will be tastier, less will be healthier)
1/4 c. milk per person (I don't measure anymore-- just splash some in and if it needs more, add more.)
a dollop of sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 T. horseradish per person

Note: Horseradish, not horseradish sauce. You want something that will clear out your sinuses, not something that's mostly mayonnaise.

Scrub and boil potatoes until they feel done when you put a fork into them; drain. Add all other ingredients (less at first), and mash or beat with an electric mixer. I like them with skins on; you can peel them if you prefer.

If you slice the potatoes into quarters, they should boil in about 20 minutes. Larger chunks will be done slower; smaller, faster.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookie perfection. I only make other kinds because sometimes one gets ever so slightly tired of peanut butter.


Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New! Cookbook, which has the greatest cookie recipes (sorry, Betty Crocker.)

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1-1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. rolled oats (NOT the instant kind)
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugars, baking powder, baking soda; beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour; stir in rolled oats and chocolate chips.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet; bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Cassata cake (again)

It was easier and more delicious the second time around. I've already posted the recipe; here are some pictures of cake assembly.





mmm.

Cilantro pesto

I love it when I come across a recipe that uses what I already had in the fridge. In this case, a bunch of cilantro and some garlic, and lo and behold, this was on Bitten. I had all the ingredients (except ginger) for the salsa, and figured that chicken goes with just about anything.


Plus, pesto is easy to make (the hardest part is cleaning the blender.)

1. Throw a LOT of herbs, a clove or two garlic, a couple tablespoons olive oil, and maybe some nuts or whatever else you feel like in a blender:


2. Blend.


That's it. No simmering, no reducing. Simple.

Served over sauteed chicken breasts and zucchini (would be even better over grilled chicken breasts, but as I may previously mentioned, I lack a yard or a grill.)

Other suggestions: over pasta (hot or cold), veggies, anything grilled-- I think it would be great over grilled fish.

Blueberries and cream

Even though it's too simple to really count as a recipe, this is one of my favorite summer desserts. Also something you can easily make with one hand. The ingredients, as you may have already guessed, are:

1. blueberries
2. cream (or half-and-half, or whole milk. If you're using anything with less than 4% fat, just eat the blueberries plain.)
3. sugar (optional)


Do I really need to write assembly instructions?