This Omivore's Dilemma

I know fast food is bad. It's not just bad because of the fat, salt, sugar and many other ingredients I can't pronounce, but because the beef or chicken comes from questionable sources. One burger can have beef from many different cows, and these cows are kept in deplorable conditions which is why they need to be injected with mega doses of antibiotics to keep them healthy. Chickens fare no better. I won't even go into what they do them. Despite knowing this information there are still times when I succumb to the rat race and feed my family fast food. Probably not as often as most families, but we still eat it. Why? Lack of proper planning and grocery shopping. We need to be responsible food consumers. Know where your meat market or grocery store gets their beef, chicken, milk, and eggs. Are they coming from commercial feed lots where the animals are being pumped full of antibiotics and steroids? Are the chickens in cages so tiny they can't move and forced to lay eggs unnaturally? Real food, naturally and locally raised, and eaten as close to God made it. That's what we should all be doing. It's better for our bodies, the environment, and our local economy. Stay tuned for recipes and ideas of how to make this happen.

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Plat de Cote de Boeuf au Cabarnet avec pates ~ Beef short ribs braised in cabernet with pearl onions, mushrooms, and pasta

With the chill in the air and the fall weather we experienced last week I naturally start thinking about warm meals of slow cooked goodness. Beef short ribs lend themselves beautifully to braising. Braising is a term used for cooking with both moist and dry heat, searing the meat first to give a nice caramelization then cooking slowly with liquid to allow the breakdown of the connective tissue. I have braised other meats before, but this was my first attempt at short ribs. I rubbed the ribs with chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and let the ribs sit in the fridge overnight. The next day I seared the ribs on all sides in a heavy french oven. Remove the ribs to a plate and drain off some of the fat then add the Cabernet and brought to a boil. I added the ribs back to the french oven along with pearl onions and sliced cremini mushrooms and transferred to the oven. It cooked for two hours. I brought back to the stove top and added a two tablespoons of buerre manier to th...

Sloppy Joe's without the can!

This recipe for Sloppy Joe’s has gotten the stamp of approval from my picky eaters and it’s so easy you will never go back to the canned stuff. What’s great about making your own Sloppy Joe’s is that you control the sodium and spices so you can customize it for your own picky eaters. Another healthful benefit to making your own is that there will be no high fructose corn syrup or other nasty ingredients. Did you know that for just a few cents more you can buy organic ketchup and it does not have corn syrup in it? Here’s what you will need…. 2 pounds of lean ground beef, organic preferably 1 can organic tomato sauce 1/3 cup organic ketchup 1 onion chopped 3 cloves of garlic finely minced 2 tsp dry mustard 3 T Worcestershire sauce 2 T brown sugar 1T apple cider vinegar Salt and Pepper to taste Sauté beef in large sauté pan on medium heat and drain any fat if necessary. Add on...

Herb Coddled Eggs

Chilly mornings call for a warm breakfast and one of my favorites would be Herb Coddled Eggs. I like these eggs because not only are they off the beaten path, but they are easy to prepare and I almost always have the ingredients to make them in my fridge. Now I can’t take credit for the original recipe, that would go to Ina Garten, but I have modified it slightly. Preheat oven broiler. Chop herbs and garlic and mix with grated Parmesan cheese, set aside. Crack two eggs each into two small dishes and set aside (taking this step will insure no shells accidentally go into the gratin dish).In two small gratin dishes (or ramekins if you want only one egg per person) place one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of heavy cream in each and place on baking sheet under broiler until butter is melted. When melted gently pour two eggs into each gratin dish and top with herb and cheese mixture. Place baking sheet back under broiler and broil for about 5 or 6 minutes until egg whites are slight...

The Accidental Epicurean

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