French Onion Soup and French Dip Leftovers.

Maybe it's because I live in New Jersey, the land of diners. Or maybe its because...

What could be bad about caramelized onions, roast beef and yummy bread. Oh and Gruyere. Mmmmmm.

So if you are one of the billion people who are addicted to Pinterest like I am. You see French Dip sandwiches posted all the time. But when you actually read the recipes, its cream of this, packaged onions, blah blah blah. This lead me to the idea of the double dip weekend dinner (get it, double dip, french dip..har har har )

Basically after reading about 10 different recipes for a French dip I came to a few conclusions. Its basically beef cooked long and slow in french onion soup plus a few other ingredients and every single recipe is too darn lazy to make french onion soup so they tell you to use either packaged onion soup mix, which isn't the WORST thing. Or concentrated french onion soup from a can. YUCK.

Well... I made the darn soup and it wasn't that complicated.

I used my favorite source for recipes, The Pioneer Woman. The recipe for her soup is Here.

I do have a few err...corrections of things I'd change for next time. But the recipe is great and I am sure for most people its 100% perfect the way it is. For me and my wild taste buds, it could be doctored up a bit.

Feel free to follow my suggestions or to use her recipe exactly, either way it'll be a great soup.

Things I would change:
Use half the stick of butter.
Cook in the oven, completely covered AND for less time. I'd say 25-30 minutes tops
Use STOCK instead of BROTH. The difference between the two is that stock is completely unseasoned and takes the flavor of what you use it with. you can salt and pepper it yourself, to your own liking.

This made a really lovely dinner for hubby and I. It is a rich and delicious soup and the crusty bread and Gruyere cheese make it really filling, even for a meat lover such as my DH.

Even though its called french onion soup. French Gruyere isn't actually necessary, and in most cheese shops it is called "Comte"not "French Gruyere". The cheese man at Fairway thought I was an imbecile.

Swiss Gruyere is the best to use because of its melting qualities and less "stinky cheese-ness" yes I made that saying up.

On to the French Dip.

After two very large bowls of soup the night before. I filled the remaining soup into my crock pot and added 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes  and 1.5 lbs of "Bottom Round". After 5 hours of cooking on low. I sliced the meat very very thin and put it back for another 3 hours.

The beef was so moist, tender and delicious I almost ate it without the bread or the dipping!

Fairway makes some unbelievable french baguette and it was still warm when I bought it. YUM

No one will hold it against you if you add on the left over gruyere, I did :)

Side Notes:

While I have your attention I wanted to mention a few things.. First off. I am wondering if my followers? (assuming I have some) Prefer a step by step picture tutorial. Truth be told, I skip all of that mumbo jumbo and head straight for the recipe. But I would like to make you happy so let me know.

Secondly, If you have a blog that is at all related to having kids, food, desserts, parties, etc. Lets team up. I am always open to new affiliates.

Lastly, I need some web maintaince help, if you know HTML and can fancy up my blog and make me a button, I will gladly trade services with anything from my ETSY STORE.

xoxo

Poor Baby, Broccoli & Cheese Soup

The House of J's had a nice relaxing holiday week. We had some fun outings and all was well until...All of a sudden my little Julia wakes up with a cold. Poor baby :(

So far, Jacob has a little bitty temperature spike but it's no surprise because his everyday temperature is about 98.9. What a little hottie.

A Saturday at home, just trying my hardest to make both kids as cozy and comfortable as possible. I decided to make Julia one of her favorite things...SOUP!

She hadn't been eating much the past few days which makes sense now, so I wanted to make her a jam packed soup full of nutrition.

I started out with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 sweet onion. In a large pot on medium heat until the onions were soft. To this I added 1 tablespoon butter and 2 medium carrots, chopped.

I left the veggies on medium heat until the carrots were starting to get soft and the butter was fully melted, then I added 1/8 cup flour and stirred until smooth.

To this I added 1/2 cup of milk and 3/4 cup chicken stock. The milk can be substituted for half and half if you prefer.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I used frozen broccoli because it's what I had on hand, but fresh broccoli would be far superior if available. If you decide to go frozen, be sure its completely thawed and you squeeze the moisture out with a paper towel and a strainer.

Next up, throw in your broccoli, about 2.5 cups(can be more or less depending on how "broccoli-ish you like it)  and 4oz of cheese. I used a mix of grated monterey jack and cheddar. Add in 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring all the ingredients to a boil and then let simmer for another 30 minutes..

Serve with crackers and kisses :)

*side note* this was perfect for Julia and I and it filled up a small round Tupperware for lunch tomorrow. If serving a larger crowd feel free to double the recipe :)

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Sweet Cream Caramel Glaze

Picture this:

Julia in the shopping cart @ Fairway Market, fresh out of ballet class with a leotard, shoes and a PIRATE HAT.  Mommy & Grandma picking out some veggies.

Nice Old Lady: "How cute she's playing dress up!"
Grandma S: "No! Didn't you know...It's Talk like a Pirate Day!"

Isn't it funny how having little ones can make you totally comfortable with being a complete and utter goofball?

Of course, this also means fun play group activities and baked goodies! I decided to make a pumpkin something, because pumpkin is pretty healthy and sweet without requiring a ton of sugar. Which is great for toddler snackin'.

The caramel as a topping was an after thought as I felt that these little muffins just needed a littttle something sweet.

3 dozen cupcakes, iced, decorated and adorned with pirate garb. THEY ALL CRASH TO THE FLOOR. Of course I didn't get a picture before the accident. Just invision pirate flags and crossbones.

Yep, you read that correctly. 3 dozen mini muffins on floor + big mess + no muffins = one irritated momma.

Damn Ye Pirates!!

Well, crafty momma's do prevail. I made them all over again in the morning. Yes we were a little late, but they were enjoyed by all, especially Julia. Which is what really matters anyway.

So without further adieu:
Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Sweet Cream Caramel Glaze

First off.. These are made with whole wheat flour but can be subbed with white flour 1:1

3 cups whole wheat unbleached flour.
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

combine all ingredients and set off to the side.

In the mixer goes:
12 tablespoons cold butter cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
3/4 cup dark brown cane sugar

blend until the butter and sugar is blended nicely, the butter should not be smooshy, having a slightly hard butter will make for a richer tasting muffin.

add in:
1.5 cups pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling, please use actual canned pumpkin)
and 2 large eggs.

once blended, add in your dry ingredients very slowly while continuing to churn the batter with your mixer on its lowest setting.

Once incorporated, add in 1/3 cup buttermilk

If you are using miniature muffin cups, this makes about 5 dozen if you are using regular size it should make 16 muffins depending on how much you fill your liners. I fill about 2/3 up.

bake at 350 for 15 minutes for small and 30 minutes for large.

While your muffins are baking you can start on the glaze. 

1/2 cup pure cane sugar, melted completely
1/4 cup whole cream
vanilla to taste
Pumpkin Pie spice

combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and continuously stir until all melted and incorporated. If you have a candy thermometer great, the correct temperature is about 212* But it takes about 15 minutes on the lowest setting of your burner. You will know when its perfect, its amber in color and very smooth.

Just before you turn off the heat, throw in a pinch of your pumpkin pie spice to blend in all the flavors.

When the muffins are cooled, but while the glaze is still warm, lightly dip the top into the glaze and let rest.  It will not completely "harden" but it will be hard enough to transport or to set up on a cake stand, etc. As long as you don't drop them of course.

ARGGGH!

PS: I'm fully aware pirates didn't wear jean jackets, but it was pretty windy. HA!

Smokin' Hot Chuck Chili

It's been a roller coaster around here lately. The munchkins are growing so fast.

 I love the fall but I am still a bit sad to see the summer go so I've been trying to make the most of these last few bits of sunny, no jacket required weather.

This past Saturday we checked out the Brooklyn Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. While the different food stands are great the mass of people and the chaos isn't the best possible place to bring a toddler and an infant. Whoops. 

Maybe next season you'll get to see a House of J tent there... You never know :P

Anywho...

I might have jumped head first into the fall fare but I was dying to make a chili, so I did. 

This isn't for the faint of heart. It's SPICY and delicious.

I started with cubed Chuck roast cut up into little penny size bites(almost 1 lb.) 1 onion and 2 jalapenos, seeded. The more seeds that get in there the hotter it will be.

With enough canola oil to coat a heavy bottom pot, throw them all in on medium high heat until the steak is browned and the veggies are soft. 

Add in 1 can of Ro-tel, Diced tomatoes and green chilies. I used original flavor however there are spicier versions of this but this recipe is spicy enough IMHO.

Cook for about 2 minutes until well blended.

Add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, chili powder, cayenne, paprika and cumin and 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and cook until boiling.

Now its time for the beans, I prefer a combination of pinto and black beans but kidney beans are also a great choice. I recommend draining and rinsing before adding, to avoid that can taste.

Cover and let simmer on medium-low heat for at least 1.5 hours but you can leave this to cook even longer, 3 hours is a great cook time, the longer it cooks the softer the meat and the more blended the flavors. 

For an added kick, add in 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke half way through cooking and be sure to stir frequently.

We also shared a really delicious beer tonight, Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale. It was outrageously smooth and a perfect chili accompaniment. And as the name suggests, summer is truly gone and done, so make a chili and spend the last few days in the park! I know we will.

Meyer Lemon Donuts

The summer is almost over and the fall is approaching fast. I love the fall for so many reasons. Apple cider, pumpkins, Halloween, I could name a million.

I will post A LOT of fun dishes this fall. I know I've been MIA lately but I have been really trying to get my name out there locally. I would really love to show my children that you can be successful at doing something you enjoy while still being a great, active stay at home mommy. 

Anywho, I thought a great way to say farewell to summer is with a treat that's delicious regardless of the season. DONUTS!

The recipe  is a basic old fashioned but to add a little extra zing, I incorporated beautiful Meyer lemons I found at Fairway this week, they were perfectly ripe and added a nice delicate touch to a basic donut glaze.

Just a heads up, this dough must be refrigerated overnight.

Starting with 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of milk in a small sauce pan, I let it simmer until steaming and poured over 1 packet of active dry yeast.. Let the yeast and milk settle for about 10 minutes. Melt 3/4 cups of butter In the microwave for about 30 seconds. While the butter is cooling down a bit, take two eggs and put them in your mixer with the dough hook attachment and beat them for a minute. Add in the melted butter without turning off the mixer.

Continue to mix until fully blended and add in the yeast mixture. Once thoroughly mixed, add in 4 cups bread flour. Using the dip and sweep method.

Knead in your mixer or by hand for 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight.

When you are ready to make your doughnuts, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment and turn your oven on to 350 degrees. The cookie sheets should be on top of the oven as the doughnuts will need to rise in a nice warm area.

Roll out your dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. You can use a round cookie cutter or a cup for the shape. For the doughnut hole I used the smallest circular fondant cutter that is used for flower making (I think) But you could even use a bottle cap if you do not have a small round cutter.  Place molded doughnuts on the cookie sheets and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

In a large heavy pot. Heat enough canola oil to go about 2/3 of the way up your pot and heat until 375 degrees. In the mean time get a few cooling racks and place a nice layer of paper towel on top to catch the grease.

Once the temperature is about 360 it will rise pretty rapidly so get ready.

Place the doughnuts in, 2-3 at a time for 30 seconds per side, or until nice and golden to your liking.

The dough is very delicate so I recommend picking up with a heat resistant spatula.

While they rest and degrease on the paper towel, make your delicious glaze.

1.5 cups of confectioners suger, the juice of 1 Meyer lemon and enough water to get to medium-thick consistency, about 1/4 cup(warm).

Dip your doughnut in half way through and let rest right side up so that the glaze drips down. I also used Alton Brown's chocolate doughnut glaze for a few, it was...OK

Hubby loved the ones I left plain the best, a real old fashioned doughnut.

For a basic glaze, just omit the Meyer lemon juice.  I even fried up the donut holes and let Julia roll a few in some sprinkles for a little quiet kitchen time while baby Jacob was asleep. I'd advise you not to let your toddler do this if you JUST MOPPED THE FLOOR! Like I did...whoopsie.

P.S This recipe makes 18.

Enjoy :)

Black Tea Lemonade Au Naturale

I love drinks.. Not specifically alcoholic, but in general. It stinks that they have to be so high calorie and filled with sugar. Especially high fructose corn syrup which is a NO NO in our house.

That said, Soda is OUT. Boylan's is actually HFCS free and delish but we don't have a $1,000 a month soda budget here.

Long story short, to keep things interesting, I try to make drinks at home, using raw sugar, water, teas, and fruits. Jason LOVES Arnold Palmer, but the one in the supermarket has HFCS and the diet version is just as gross, with tons of "calorie free" chemical sugars. EW

Target had Tazo Iced Tea bags on sale last week which is my fave. So I bought a box of the black tea.  I boiled 6 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar (next time I will use 1/2 cup). I used 1 cup lemon juice which was about 6 lemons.  I left the tea bag to steep for about 10 minutes because I like a strong brew. I poured into a 2 quart pitcher an filled it up the rest of the way with cold water.

Once chilled, this was really delicious, tasted exactly like an A.P. It was a little on the sweet side for me, I like a lightly sweetened tea. But if you are used to the prebottled version this is exactly on point.

Break down:
6 cups boiling water
1/2-1 cup sugar in the raw depending on preference
1 iced Tazo tea bag

steep 10 minutes for strong brew

1 cup lemon juice, 6 lemons approx.

After doing the math, and depending on the size of your drinking glasses, 1 8oz glass is approx 110 cals of NATURAL ingredients, no processed BS.

ENJOY :)

Overnight French Toast with Blueberry Compote

When you have young children at home your house is never spotless...Unless you have a maid (we don't) or you have odd children who sit quietly and let you clean everyday (we don't). So I thanked my lucky stars(and Jacob for taking a nice long morning nap) when I was given the opportunity to dust, sweet, mop and wipe this morning. The point of telling you this is because now, instead of spending all weekend cleaning, Hubby and I can relax, hang loose and spend some quality family time.

What better way to start off a lovely weekend than with a 5 star breakfast!

If you know anything about me you know that I LOVE COFFEE. I gave it up cold turkey for both pregnancies so that means that for 18 out of 24 months I had ZERO cups of coffee. Needless to say I am back with a vengeance.

If you want a 100% gourmet cup of iced coffee follow my cold brew recipe HERE. If you rather prep  the night before and whip up something delicious and FAST in the AM here is the easy road...

I pulled out our 100 yr old Mr. Coffee and brewed 11 cups of coffee, (Melita Classique) for 11 cups I used 11 HEAPING tablespoons of coffee. We like it bold here at the House of J. If you like your coffee lighter, regular tablespoons should do it.

Once it finished brewing I popped it straight in the fridge. This will be our iced coffee for the weekend, no ice required :)

For a classy touch I froze regular milk, vanilla soy milk and my caramel sauce(recipe here) in Julia's ice pop maker. Once it was half way frozen I stuck in some toothpicks for easy removal. This will flavor the iced coffee and make it even more cold and delicious without watering it down with ice.

You can stop here of course or you can make "Overnight" french toast...

Recipe as follows:

6 Pieces of bread. We used honey whole wheat
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients 2-5 until eggs are beaten and smooth.

Line a baking dish with 2 tablespoons melted butter and dust with cinnamon.

I did the dip and pour method, many online recipes say pour over bread but to make sure all pieces were saturated I did both.

place bread in dish sprinkle with cinnamon and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight...

When you wake up in the morning, take your baking dish out of the fridge and preheat oven to 350.
Bake for 30 minutes.

While your french toast is in the oven, realllllly impress your hubby with blueberry compote :)
1/2 pint blueberries, juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1 tablespoon sugar.

Boil until blueberries "pop" and mixture becomes saucey. Serve on the side in a cute little spouted cup :)

Enjoy a beautiful breakfast for 2. Or a fun, hectic, delicious breakfast for 4!