Behind the Apron: Dara

Who has been the biggest influence on your cooking?
My biggest influence was probably my mom and my grandmas for most of my life growing up. All of my comfort food recipes come from them. However, with husband's obsession with Food Network and cooking, I am learning so many new ways to cook and prepare food through Josh.

What is your favorite dish to cook…your signature dish?
I am probably best at roasting meats of all sorts, but my signature dish would probably be French, herbed-roasted chicken. I actually served this to bookclub the first meeting I hosted after we read "A Year in Provence." I absolutely love roast chicken, because it always turns out wonderfully delicious. Other meats have many factors that can affect how well it tastes, but whole roasted chicken is good every time!

What was your biggest cooking disaster?
Oh goodness, there are so many! Many overcooked items and recipes where I left out a main ingredient. One of the strangest ones was cupcakes gone wrong: I used the wisk attachment with my KitchenAid instead of the normal mixing attachment which, apparently, made the cake much too full of air, and I wasn't able to frost them at all. They, literally, just fell apart. I was hosting Bunko that evening, and the cupcake were the dessert. I quickly gave up on frosting the cakes and made a glaze out of powdered sugar and orange juice (the cupcakes were lemony) to drizzle over the tops instead. It worked out, but I was amazingly stressed by that situation.

If you could travel to another country just to taste their cuisine, where would you go?
Italy!!! Maybe Amberly and I can go sometime! :)

What is something you have never cooked, but would like to try?
Homemade breads and rolls. I hear they aren't really difficult, I just never make them! My brother-in-law makes great homemade rolls; maybe he could teach me sometime!

What do you consider the 5 most essential ingredients you keep in your kitchen?
Olive Oil
Natures Seasoning
Garlic
Onions
Butter

What is comfort food to you?
Beef pot roast with potatoes and carrots, my version of ghoulash, Thanksgiving meal, homemade soup... many more!

What are the ideal toppings for pizza?
Fresh mozzarella cheese, prosciutto, fresh leaf basil & tomato slices (same thing I like in panini sandwiches)

What kitchen utensil/gadget can you not live without?
I really love my pampered chef chopper. I love my onions or jalepenos to be super finely chopped when they are going into mix recipes or the saute pan, and the chopper makes that so easy!

Herb-Simmered Beef Stew

This is Lindsay's absolutely wonderful beef stew recipe from our November 2009 meeting. Yum!

2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups thickly-sliced mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves, crushed (or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram leaves)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed (or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed (or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves)
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 cups beef stock
3 cups fresh or frozen whole baby carrots
12 whole small red potatoes
(*Lindsay also added some chopped asparagus)

Season the beef with the black pepper. Coat the beef with the flour.

Heat the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in 2 batches and cook until well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Add the mushrooms, garlic, herbs, and bay leaf to the saucepot and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the stock and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the carrots and potatoes and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until beef is fork-tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Grand Champion Chili

I found this recipe in the Richardson East cookbook, Cooking at Richardson East: A Taste of Heaven. It's Teresa McAfee's chili recipe, on page 63. I made it on Halloween evening & took it to a friend's house for dinner. It received tons of rave reviews & requests for the recipe.

2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. Cajun-style sausage
2 c. chopped onion
2 (28-oz.) cans pinto beans
2 (28-oz.) cans dices tomatoes, undrained
1 c. Heinz ketchup
2 T. chili powder
4 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. McIlhenny Farms spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. salt

Combine ground beef, sausage and onion. Brown in skillet; drain. Drain pinto beans, reserving liquid. Add liquid to meat mixture; stir in remaining ingredients, except beans. Cover and simmer at least 45 minutes (longer to bring out flavors). Stir in beans and cook an additional 15 minutes.

(I didn't have spicy brown mustard, so I just used plain 'ol yellow mustard.)

Tex-Mex Beef & Cheese Enchiladas

These are the enchiladas we brought to Life Group. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 4 cups shredded American cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until no longer pink. Drain off grease and season with chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Mix in the tomato sauce and 2 cups of the water. Simmer over low heat. Mix the remaining water with the flour and sugar until flour is dissolved; stir into the simmering meat sauce. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. While the sauce is cooking, heat oil in another skillet over medium-high heat. Warm tortillas in the hot oil until pliable. Fill each tortilla with a little bit of cheese, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish, reserving some of the cheese to sprinkle on top. Pour the meat sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas. Top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Some of the comments on the website mentioned that the enchiladas were a bit bland, so we added a can of green chiles to the meat mixture. Even with that, I might add a bit more of something to spice it up, if you like a little more kick to your Mexican food.

Layered Southwestern Salad

I received this recipe in an email forward from Sara Snyder, but I think it might have originally came from Beth Fullerton:

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. lime juice
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. sour cream
4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c. purple onion, chopped
1/2 bag (8 oz.) shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 c. crushed tortilla chips

Process first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Layer lettuce and next 7 ingredients in a 3-quart glass bowl. Pour vinaigrette over salad just before serving, and gently toss.
(I didn't layer the salad because it had to be tossed anyway before serving.)

Yield: 8-10 servings

Easy Cheesy Stromboli

1 can Pillsbury Country Italian Bread Dough
Genoa Salami
Pepperoni
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Dried Oregano
Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese Slices (not grated)
Pizza Sauce (for dipping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or if you want to use foil on top of the sheet, spray the foil).

Flour a cutting board or other surface lightly and unroll the dough flat. Place salami on top of the entire surface of the dough, leaving about a 1 inch border around the edges. On top of the salami, sprinkle sea salt, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. Place a layer of mozzarella cheese on top of everything, leaving the 1 inch border again. Do the same with a layer of pepperoni.

Roll the dough like a jelly roll or cinnamon roll dough, using the longest side to roll. Pinch the seam and sides shut and lay seam-down on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of the roll with sea salt, oregano, and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bread is browned. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into desired portions. Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

*can also be made with Italian Sausage instead of one of the other meats or in addition to them.

Quick and Hearty Chili

This recipe was given to me by Verdonna Brundige at my recipe shower that she hosted right before our wedding. It very quickly became a family favorite.

1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cans kidney beans, undrained
1 can Rotel-type tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced

Brown meat over medium heat. Drain and return to skillet. Add all other ingredients and combine. Simmer over low heat for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve with crackers, Fritos, or cornbread. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.

Makes approximately 6 servings.