Chef John's Peanut Butter Cookies

These are tasty! You can find the recipe here.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Beat butter, white sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a stand mixer until smooth.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater with a spatula. Add egg and mix for about 1 minute.
3. Slowly mix in flour with the mixer on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Mix on medium until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Portion out cookie dough in equal-sized balls on a baking sheet covered with a silicone baking mat. Use damp hands to roll dough into smooth balls. Stamp each ball with a fork in a criss-cross pattern.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden.
8. Leave on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Chef John's Italian Braised Beef and Potatoes

This has become a favorite in our house. The original recipe is here. We've modified it just a bit for our taste so that's why I'm saving it here.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• 3 pounds beef 
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 cup white wine, or one 187 ml bottle
• 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth (we use the whole package)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 3-4 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Mix salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl, and generously season both sides of beef.
3. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat; add beef to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides. Remove beef to a plate; set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and celery to the pot with a large pinch of seasoning. Cook, stirring, until onions begin to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and dried herbs, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook for a few minutes until most of the wine has disappeared.
6. Add broth and bay leaf, and turn heat to high to bring the pot back to a simmer. Add beef back in along with any liquid from the holding bowl.
7. Roast, covered, in the preheated oven until meat is almost fork tender, but not falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
8. After 2 hours check the meat. If it's close add your potatoes and carrots. Add more stock if needed (or water).
9. Cover; roast at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until meat and potatoes are very tender, about 1 hour more.
10. Serve in a bowl with cooking liquids spooned over. 

Blackberry Bramble

1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 1/2 ounce blackberry cordial
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice, garnish with fresh blackberries.

My Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

1 bag of Barilla Collezione Cheese and Spinach Tortellini pasta

1 shallot or Onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed (or minced)

4 carrots, sliced

4 stalks of celery, sliced

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2-3 cups Spinach (or more, use as much or as little as you like)

4 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, beef-it's up to you!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    In a large Dutch oven, or large pot, cook pasta according to the package. Drain and set aside.

2.    In the same pot add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the shallot, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning until vegetables are tender. You will want to keep an eye on the veggies, stirring often, or you risk burning the garlic. Use more olive oil if the bottom of the pot gets too dry.

3.    Once the vegetables are tender add 2 cups of your stock. I bring this up to a simmer and I add the the spinach. Cook just until it's wilted (it doesn't take long).

4.    Add the cooked tortellini, and add enough or the remaining broth to cover. For me, that's usually 2 more cups. The pasta really soaks up the stock. I bring this up to a simmer again just so it's all the same temp, and the pasta is reheated. Taste the broth and see if you need to add additional seasoning, like a little more Italian seasoning or salt and pepper. Then enjoy! 

Chef John's Irish Soda Bread

From Foodwishes, see the video here! And Allrecipes for the recipe here!

Makes 2 loaves of Irish Soda Bread:

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal or regular rolled oats
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it’s fresh)
1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it’s fresh)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 or 3 tablespoons honey
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup dried currants
1/3 cup gold raisins

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2.    Whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3.    Beat buttermilk, egg, honey, and orange zest together in a bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture, currants, and raisins into flour mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until a wet, sticky dough comes together.

4.    Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface; press dough together into a soft ball of dough and cut into 2 pieces. Form each half into a smooth, round loaf. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut a 1/2-inch deep "X" into the top of each loaf with a serrated knife.

5.    Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 45 minutes. Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Meatballs version 2

This is a modification of our other meatballs recipe. This is if you only have 2 pounds of meat, or if you'd like to make a meatloaf instead.

Ingredients for the slurry:

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Ingredients for the meat mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients for the slurry and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the meat mixture until well combined and one good lump. Use your fingers to poke holes in the lump of meat. Take your slurry mixture and put on top of the meat mixtures, using a spatula to spread and smush slurry into the holes you made.

I like my meatballs about golf ball size. I make my ball, and then slightly flatten. I then put them in a sauté pan on medium heat and brown on each side for about 4 minutes per side. Then I transfer to a foil lined, lightly oiled, sheet pan and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes until they're nicely browned and cooked through. No need to turn.

Garlic Butter Sheet Pan Salmon & Asparagus from Chrissy Teigen

Please check out her site! The recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:
4 skin-on, center-cut salmon fillets (about 1 ¾ to 2 pounds)
1 bunch asparagus
2 lemons
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (but not melted!)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried parsley 
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 good drizzle of olive oil (for the pan)
   freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning

Directions:

Make the magic butter:

Zest one of the lemons into a medium bowl (reserve the lemon), then add the softened butter, garlic, parsley, and salt. Mix it up really good and set aside.

For the Sheet Pan:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

Cut or snap the whiter ends off the asparagus. Halve both the reserved zested lemon and the second lemon. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. (Makes clean up easier!)

Generously drizzle some olive oil onto the foil. Arrange the salmon, halved lemons, and asparagus so it’s nice and pretty.

Now it’s butter time! Go crazy and schmear most of it on the salmon, but also dot some on the asparagus. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top.

Pop it into the oven for 11–14 minutes or so, depending on how you like your salmon. (Less time in the oven is more tender.)

Once cooked, remove from oven and tilt your pan and spoon more of that melty butter goodness onto your filets. Season with more salt and pepper, if you want. Squeeze the roasted lemon juice all over the top.