Another dinner party!

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Late 2012

pork tenderloin dish
gougeres

Crockpot Bean soup a la Mark Bittman

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Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless beef chuck roast

1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 package dry beef gravy mix

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

1/2 cup water, or as needed

5 whole peeled carrots (optional)

Directions

1.Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread the onion slices out into the bottom of the cooker.

2.Spread the flour out onto a work surface. Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and black pepper, and roll the roast in the flour to coat all sides. Using the edge of a small, sturdy plate, pound the flour into the meat. Place the floured roast into the cooker on top of the onions. Whisk together beef gravy mix, ranch dressing mix, and Italian dressing mix in a bowl, and whisk the mixes with water until smooth. Pour over the chuck roast. Distribute carrots around the meat.

3.Cover the cooker, set to Low, and cook until the roast is tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 hours.

Peanut Butter Noodles

This came from allrecipes.com. 

Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti (next time I will use udon noodles)

1 bunch green onions, sliced (white parts only)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (I used ginger paste)

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup hot water

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 

Directions

1.Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.

2. Combine oil and onions in a small skillet. Saute over low heat until tender. Add ginger; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes.

3.Toss noodles with sauce.

 

I threw some lightly salted peanuts on top of the pasta.

Another recipe I found used chicken broth, chile paste, honey and garlic in the sauce mixture.  I will add those the next time, they seem like a good addition.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

I made the below using a combination of two recipes.  One of them had a really good peach filling/mixture (I added the blueberries, you don't need to have them) and the other had a much easier rendition of the topping.  I made a few tiny changes and voila.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling:   Toss the peaches in a large bowl with the zest and lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

4-5 fresh peaches, pitted and cut into chunks

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh blueberries to taste (1/2 cup or more)

Pinch kosher salt

For the topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl using a pastry cutter or fork until evenly crumbled. Fold the rolled oats into flour mixture; sprinkle and press topping into peaches.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cold butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

Directions

1.Arrange peach mixture evenly in an baking dish (I used a 12 inch oval).

2.  Sprinkle and press topping into peaches.

3.Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.