Month: October 2022

› › Cream Of Mushroom Soup

If you’re in the mood for cream of mushroom, a homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe is the way to go. Nothing can compare with the flavor of homemade. The cans are handy and versatile, but on their own… well, they pale in comparison!

It’s a bit more work than just grabbing a can opener, but it’s not actually all that hard — and it’s so worth it! Just try it once and you’ll never want to go back.

This cream of mushroom soup recipe is really versatile. You can use any kind of mushroom you like, and each will give its own subtle flavor to the soup. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you want to know more, check out our article on making cream soups.

And if you can… use a homemade chicken stock! It’ll make the soup way better. Find out how in our article on making chicken stock, or check out our chicken stock recipe.

And now for the recipe!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Preparation Time: 15m     Cooking Time: 40m     Total Time: 55m

Servings

Serves 8.

Ingredients

5 tbsp butter
2 lbs mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1/4 tsp thyme, or to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat, and saute half the mushrooms until they start to turn golden. Set aside.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Saute the onion, leek, garlic and remaining mushrooms until the onion is soft and translucent.

  3. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

  4. Puree the mushroom/stock mixture, and set it aside in a bowl.

  5. In the pot, melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour, and whisk until it’s smooth — this is called the roux. Cook the roux until it starts to smell nutty, and loses the smell of raw flour.

    • The roux will be like a thick paste. If it’s too thick, you can add more butter. If it’s too thin, you can add more flour.

  6. Add the milk to the roux, pouring it in slowly in a thin stream. Whisk constantly to keep it smooth. Let the mixture come to a boil, then simmer until it’s thick and smooth, whisking often.

    • If you need, stop pouring the milk and whisk until it’s smooth again, then start pouring again. It’s easier to get lumps out when there’s less liquid.

  7. Incorporate the mushroom puree and the reserved sauteed mushrooms. Stir until it’s well blended.

  8. Season to your taste with the thyme, salt, and pepper.

Tips

  • The reason you saute half the mushrooms at the beginning is to add them later, for texture. But if you prefer a smooth soup, you can skip that step and just saute all the mushroom in step 2.

  • This cream of mushroom soup recipe uses chicken stock. The gelatin in it gives the soup a better texture, and helps carry flavors. But if you want a vegetarian soup, you can use a vegetable stock, too… just make sure it’s very mildly flavored, otherwise it’ll overshadow the flavor of the mushrooms.

  • I usually use 1% milk, but you can use anything from cream to skim milk. If you use cream though, you don’t have to put as much, and you can cut down on the amount of flour. It’ll be thicker and richer on its own.

› › Cream Of Broccoli Soup Recipe

Sometimes there’s nothing like a good bowl of soup. This cream of broccoli soup recipe really hits the spot when that time rolls around.

I like it because it uses some nice, simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already, and it really brings out the yummy taste of broccoli rather than relying on lots of spices. Of course, I happen to love broccoli!

You might notice that this cream of broccoli soup recipe calls for cooking the broccoli in chicken stock, which is left in the soup. Some recipes call to boil the broccoli then throw away the water, but that just tosses a load of nutrients and flavor down the drain! It’s another reason I love this recipe.

Try it out, but feel free to tweak it. I rarely use exact measurement myself, so just adjust as you go along. If your soup seems too thick, don’t be afraid to add a bit of milk to thin it.

And now, here it is!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup, with Garnish

Preparation Time: 20m     Cooking Time: 40m     Total Time: 1h0m

Servings

Serves 8.

Ingredients

5 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups fresh broccoli florets and chopped stems
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute the onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent.

  2. Add the broccoli and chicken stock. Simmer uncovered until the broccoli is just soft enough to mash or puree.

  3. Puree the broccoli/stock mixture. Set the puree aside in a bowl.

    • For a chunkier soup, just mash with a potato masher.

    • If you prefer a smoother soup, you can use a regular or immersion blender to puree.

  4. In the same pot, melt the remaining butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth, and cook the mixture until it starts to lose its raw flour smell, and smells a bit nutty.

    • The fat-flour mixture, called a roux, should have the texture of a thick paste. If it’s too thin, add a bit of flour. If it’s too thick, just add a bit of fat.

  5. Add the milk to the roux. Pour it slowly in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Try to keep the mixture smooth at all times. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer until it thickens, whisking often.

    • Sometimes it’s easier to pour in a bit of milk, whisk until smooth, then add a bit more milk and repeat.

  6. Incorporate the broccoli puree. Stir until it’s well blended.

  7. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

  8. Serve, and enjoy!

Tips

  • If you like, you can save a few pretty broccoli florets to garnish your soup, just like in the picture. Just add them to the bowl right before serving.

  • This cream of broccoli soup recipe uses chicken stock because it has gelatin in it, which gives a nice texture and helps carry and blend flavors. But if you prefer a vegetarian soup, you can use vegetable stock instead.

  • You really only need enough stock to cover the vegetables so that they can cook. The more you add, the thinner your soup will be. So keep that in mind when you add the stock. Put as much as you like!

  • If you puree the soup in a blender, be careful. It’s very hot, and will get hotter as the soup purees. Let it settle a bit before opening your container.

  • You can use cream, half-and-half, whole or skim skim. If you do use cream though, you may want to cut down on the amount of cream and of the butter-flour mixture. It could end up too rich and thick. I use 1% milk myself, and it’s still creamy and awesome.

  • For this cream of broccoli soup recipe, you can substitute frozen broccoli for the fresh broccoli. If you do, you may also want to add extra flour or less liquid – the frozen broccoli might be more watery.

Home › Christmas Dessert Recipes › Cranberry BarsAs far as Christmas dessert recipes go, these cranberry bars are actually fairly healthy, and they make a nice change of pace from rich, heavy — but delicious — desserts.

My mom has been making these for 16 years now. She got the recipe from a newspaper article… in fact, she still has it carefully stowed away, and brings it out every year for Christmas.

These cranberry bars are my dad’s favorite Christmas dessert. They’re not too sweet, but the cranberry-orange filling is super delicious and festive — they taste like Christmas!

So if you want a healthier option among all the rich Christmas desserts, try out this recipe. Here it is!

 

Cranberry Bars

Preparation Time: 20m     Cooking Time: 50m     Total Time: 1h10m

Servings

Yields 24 bars.

Ingredients

12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Instructions

 

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the cranberries, water, white sugar, grated ginger and orange zest until the mixture is boiling. Cook the mixture over medium heat until all the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
  2. Pour the filling into a bowl. Place it into the refrigerator and let it cool and thicken.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, ginger, baking powder and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
  6. Add the flour mixture and the rolled oats to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until the dough is well blended.
  7. Spread all but 1 1/2 cups of the dough into a greased 9″x13″ baking dish. Spoon the cranberry filling evenly on top of the dough. Spread the remaining dough over the filling.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is a nice, golden brown.
  9. Let it cool completely before cutting into little bars.

 

Tips

 

  • When cooking the cranberries, you should be sure to use a saucepan made from a non-reactive material like stainless steel. Otherwise, the acid in the cranberries could cause your pot to discolor, or even change the taste of the filling. For example, you should never cook cranberries in an aluminum saucepan.
  • If you don’t have time to make the whole thing at once, don’t worry. The cranberry filling will keep in the fridge for a few days, and you can make the crust later.
  • Don’t worry about spreading the topping perfectly evenly oven the soft cranberry filling. You can just drop the dough in little clumps and try to cover as much of the surface as possible. Keeping your hands wet or floured will help you spread the dough.
  • These cranberry bars are perfect for freezing. After cutting them into bars, just place them in an airtight container. If you need to stack the bars, separate them with a layer of wax paper. When you’re ready for them, just take them out of the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature for about an hour.

Source: Simmons, Marie. A to Z Bar Cookies. Chapter’s Publishing, 1994.

› Cooking Vegetables

Methods for cooking vegetables are important, because it’s a pretty well-known fact: vegetables are good for you. They’re full of vitamins, nutrients, and lots of other stuff our body needs to function properly. But a lot of people see eating vegetables as a chore – an unfortunate but necessary part of the meal.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Vegetables can actually be really delicious.

In my family, we always ate lots of vegetables and salads, and I never understood why people didn’t like them. Then I started going out more, and it all became very clear: cooking vegetables is a skill that not everyone has learned.

The thing is, cooking vegetables isn’t hard. But different vegetables need to be treated differently. Some are better sautéed, other are great roasted, and some are best raw. And it’s just something you have to know to be able to get the most out of your vegetables.

I’ll start by going over the different ways of cooking vegetables. Then, I’ll talk about specific vegetables and the best way to prepare them.

Vegetable Cooking Methods

There are lots of different ways of cooking vegetables. Each has its ownadvantages and disadvantages, and each gives the vegetables a particular texture and flavor. Some methods let you use spices, others let you keep the veggies crisper. And some methods are just better suited to certain vegetables.

So which method do you pick? In this section, I’ll go over the different methods for cooking vegetables, and some of their pros and cons.

Boiling

Boiling is one of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables. All you need is a cooking pot, some water, some vegetables, and maybe a bit of salt. It’s quick and convenient!

But boiling vegetables causes them to lose some of their nutritional value. The boiling water leeches some of the vitamins and nutrients, and even some of the flavor, right out of the veggies. The best way to minimize that nutrient loss is to make sure that they spend as little time as possible in the boiling water. And just how you do that depends on what kind of vegetable you’re boiling.

To learn how to get the most out of your vegetables, check out this article on boiling vegetables for all the details.

Steaming

Steaming is a great method for cooking vegetables. It cooks the vegetables and softens them up, but because they’re not immersed in water, they don’t lose as many nutrients. It also preserves more of the flavor than boiling does.

And like boiling, steaming is super convenient. Even though you can get a special cooking appliance, a steamer, you really don’t need one. If you have a pot, some water, and a steaming basket, you’re all set. Or if you don’t have a steaming basket, even a colander can do the trick. There’s even a way to steam vegetables using just a pot and a bit of water. What could be easier?

For more information and detailed instructions, check out this article on how to steam vegetables.

Sautéing

Sautéing vegetables, or stir-frying them, means cooking them over fairly high heat, and stirring them often. The high heat helps them cook quickly, which minimizes nutrient loss. And stirring them keeps them from burning!

Sautéing is a really tasty way to cook vegetables. They keep a lot more flavor than boiling or even steaming, so that you taste how delicious the veggie really is. And it also lends itself really well to seasoning the vegetables. A little bit of oil and spices or a tasty marinade can really make your vegetables go from good to outstanding.

Unlike some of the other methods for cooking vegetables, though, you really have to keep an eye on sautéing vegetables. They can burn pretty quickly!

Find out more about sautéing in this article on how to make sautéed vegetables.

Roasting

I like to roast vegetables in the fall or winter, when having the oven on warms up the kitchen in a wonderful way, and the smell of delicious food spreads through the house. And a lot of fall vegetables like squash taste so great when they’re roasted.

One of the great things about roasting vegetables is that even though it takes a while to cook, the preparation time is pretty much non-existent – just toss the veggies with a bit of oil and herbs, put them in a baking dish, and let them roast. It’s especially nice when the rest of your meal takes a little more attention, so that you can work on it in peace.

Roasting gives the vegetables a unique flavor that you don’t get by boiling or steaming. Cooking them slowly in the oven helps them caramelize a little bit, bringing out their natural sweetness and enhancing their flavor. And it’s so easy to add a few delicious herbs and spices. Yum!

To find out more about how to do it, check out this article on roasted vegetables.

Grilling

Some vegetables are just better on the grill. Grilling gives that special cooked outdoors, perfectly browned taste that no other cooking method can match. And you can easily marinate the vegetables, or add some herbs or a sauce to them before cooking to give them some extra flavor.

Zucchini, with just a bit of oil, garlic, salt and pepper is one of my favorite vegetables to grill.

Grilling isn’t quite as convenient as some of the other cooking methods though. For one thing, you need a grill. And that also means it’s usually more of a warm weather kind of meal. But you also have to keep a close eye on the vegetables while they’re cooking. They’ll usually need to be flipped, and checked to be sure they’re not burning. Not as convenient, but well worth the effort!

Braising

Braising is a cross between steaming and boiling. Instead of cooking the vegetables by completely immersing them in boiling water, you only add enough water to cover about half the vegetables.

Like steaming, it cooks the vegetables a bit more gently than boiling. But it’s usually a bit quicker than just steaming, since part of the vegetables are in the water. And using just a bit of water means that you don’t lose as many nutrients or flavor, so you get extra delicious vegetables.

And it’s so easy. Vegetables and a pot filled with a bit of water is all you need for a delicious vegetable side dish! You can even use stock or wine for some extra flavor. Find out how in this article on braised vegetables.

Preparing Specific Vegetables

As we saw in the previous section, there are lots of different ways of cooking vegetables. Some work for almost any vegetable, and other are better for some vegetables than others. And in most cases, the vegetable you use is going to affect things like the cooking time or the amount of water to use.

In this section, I’ll go over how to cook specific vegetables: which methods work best for that particular vegetable, and what exactly you need to do to get the veggie just right!

Asparagus

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. It has such a delicious, distinct flavor! And it’s wonderful served hot or cold, in salad or as a side dish. Here are a few ways to cook asparagus.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a great vegetable. It’s really good for you, and it has the potential to be super delicious, if you know the right methods for cooking vegetables. So here are a few ways to cook broccoli, the right way!

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are a misunderstood vegetable. They have this terrible reputation from a time when people liked cooking vegetables by boiling them to death, and that’s just about the worst way to cook Brussels sprouts. But reading this article on how to cook Brussels sprouts might help you appreciate this wonderful little vegetable.

Carrots

Carrots are delicious, colorful vegetables that are packed with nutrients. There are lots of different ways to cook them, and each method brings out a different quality of this tasty root. Here are some ways to cook carrots.

Spaghetti Squash

I find that spaghetti squash is one of the coolest vegetables out there. It’s a squash, and it tastes like a squash, but it separates into long spaghetti-like strands. Perfect for a light, pasta-like meal! It’s so mild tasting, it goes with almost any sauce. The only trick is cooking it! There are a few ways you can do it.

Home › Cooking Beef › Roast Beef
Roast beef is a wonderful meal. It’s juicy, tender, and full of flavor. But cooking roast beef can be a bit scary if you don’t know how to do it. Beef roasts aren’t the cheapest cut, so you want to make sure it comes out perfect!Roast beef is usually the center of a special meal, like a Sunday dinner with the family or a get-together with friends. That adds to the pressure, doesn’t it? No one wants to serve a burnt roast on a special occasion.

Wondering how to cook roast beef? Well, I’ve got good news for you. Cooking roast beef is actually surprisingly easy. Just follow a few simple guidelines and you’ll end up with a perfect roast beef every time!

In this article I’ll go through all the steps of making roast beef. First, I’ll talk about selecting the right cut of beef for roasting. To get the best possible results, you need the right ingredients! Then, I’ll talk about seasoning the beef. Lastly, I’ll go over three different ways of cooking roast beef. Each method gives different results, so be sure to pick the right one for you!

Here we go!

 

Step 1: Selecting a Cut of Beef

Cooking roast beef is just like any other cooking method. If you want great results, you have to start with the right cut of beef.

Roasting is a dry heat cooking technique. The meat would burn before it got hot enough to melt collagen down to gelatin, so you need to start with a tender cut of beef.

You also want to have a bit of fat in the meat. The fat melts and bastes the meat while it’s roasting, so you end up with a juicier meal. A cut with some marbling and a thick layer of fat (a quarter of an inch to an inch) on one side is just about perfect.

So what are you looking for? Large, tender cuts with a decent amount of fat on them. Here are a few good cuts to pick for roast beef:

  • Cuts from the rib. Try prime rib or a rib-eye roast.
  • Cuts from the loin. Strip loin, top sirloin and tenderloin roasts are especially tender, but sirloin tip and tri-tips roasts are tender enough for cooking roast beef, too.
  • Cuts from the round. Be sure to pick the more tender round cuts. You can use eye of round, inside round, outside round, top round or rump roasts. These aren’t as tender as the rib and loin cuts, but they usually aren’t quite as expensive, either.

Step 2: Seasoning the Beef

Beef is pretty delicious and flavorful all on its own. If you want, you can stick to just plain old salt and pepper when cooking roast beef. You’ll still end up with a fantastic meal. But there are other great ways to season a roast that add a bit more flavor. I’ll go over two ways to season the beef, a spice rub and a seasoned paste.

Spice Rub

The simplest way to season your beef roast is to make a spice rub. A spice rub is just a mixture of spices that you rub into the meat before cooking it.

The two main ingredients in a spice rub are salt and sugar. Salt is there for the flavor. Sugar is there to help caramelize the meat – it’ll give the meat a wonderful golden brown color.

Apart from salt and sugar, you can add just about anything you like to a spice rub. You don’t even need to stick to the sugar/salt base, if you don’t want.

Really, the only thing to worry about is putting in flavors that you like. Try dried or crushed garlic, onion powder, oregano, Cajun seasoning, thyme, rosemary, chili powder, or any other spices you like.

Once you have a spice rub ready to go, the next step is to rub it into the meat. It’ll be easier if the meat is a little bit moist, so you don’t have to pat it dry.

A spice rub works best if you get an even coating all over the roast. The thicker the coating, the more of a crust it will make when you cook the roast beef. If you like a good thick crust, you can even add some breadcrumbs to the rub.

Rubbing a Paste

A paste is a lot like a spice rub, except that you add a wet ingredient to it. That makes it easier to spread on the roast. You can add oil, butter or margarine, mustard, molasses, or anything you like. Just make sure that it’s thick enough to stick to the meat. Mix all your spices and the wet ingredient, then spread it evenly over the roast. That’s it!

Step 3: Cooking

There are a few different ways of cooking roast beef. Some people will tell you that the right way of doing it is this way or that way, but really, the only thing you should worry about is which way you like best.

No matter which method you pick for cooking roast beef, there are a few things you should do:

  • Let the beef reach room temperature before cooking it. If you don’t, it won’t cook evenly. Season the meat, then leave it out for about an hour – it’ll give your seasonings time to sink in, too. Be careful though. If it’s very hot, leaving the meat out for too long isn’t safe. Use your best judgement here. You want the beef to lose the refrigerator chill, but you don’t want it out too long, or bacteria will start to grow.
  • When cooking roast beef, you don’t want it sitting in its own juices, and you want it to cook evenly all around. The best way to cook roast beef is to have it sitting directly on the oven rack, with a tray underneath to catch the drippings. I know, it sounds like a hassle, but it creates air flow all around the roast which helps it cook evenly. If you don’t feel like having to clean the oven rack, a shallow roasting pan with a rack works too. It keeps the roast out of its own juices, but it doesn’t create quite as nice an air flow, especially if the edges are on the high side.
  • A good way to keep the meat moist is to baste it. Be sure to baste it in its own juices every 15 to 20 minutes. It’ll keep the outside moist and prevent it from burning. If you have a layer of fat on the meat, place that on the top when you put your roast on the rack. That way, when the fat starts to melt, it’ll baste your roast for you!

  • Use a meat thermometer. The only way to tell if a roast is done is with a thermometer. You can estimate how many minutes per pound you need, but the truth is that the cut of beef, its shape, and your oven’s own little quirks make those estimates just a best guess. A meat thermometer makes sure you get it at just the right doneness. Just insert it into the center of the thickest part of the roast. Make sure it doesn’t touch any bone, though, because that can affect the reading. Here are the temperatures for cooking roast beef:

    • Rare: 125 F
    • Medium Rare: 130F to 140F
    • Medium: 145F to 150F
    • Well done: 155F to 165F

    It’s worth mentioning that the USDA recommends that beef be cooked to 145F to be completely safe. If you’re worried about food-borne illnesses, it might be best to settle for a medium cooked roast beef.

    Method 1: Slow cooking roast beef

    Want to know how to cook roast beef that’s evenly cooked the whole way through? Slow cooking roast beef is the best way to do it. Whether you want it rare, medium rare, or well-done, slow cooking will make sure the whole slice has the right doneness for you.

    The catch? It’s slow! Slow cooking roast beef can take 4 to 8 hours depending on the size of your roast and how cooked you like it.

    It also generally won’t give a nice brown crust around on the outside of the roast. The temperature just isn’t hot enough to brown the meat. If you really want a browned exterior, try Method 2 instead.

    Here’s how to slow cook roast beef:

    1. Cook the beef at 200F until its internal temperature reads 5-10 degrees below the desired doneness. This can take 4 to 8 hours. It depends on the size of the roast and how done you like it.
    2. Remove it from the oven, and let it stand for 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up while it stands, so it actually finishes cooking outside the oven.

    Method 2: Slow cooking roast beef with a crust

    This method lets you get a pretty evenly cooked roast on the inside and a nice crust on the outside. It’s a little bit more work than just slow cooking roast beef though.

    If you oven sear your roast to get a browned outside, it takes a while. The oven gets really hot, and the outer edges of the roast cook a little bit too much. You get a nicely browned roast, but your roast won’t be evenly cooked on the inside – a good portion near the edge will be more cooked than you want it. And then it takes time for the oven to cool down, so you’re actually cooking your roast hotter than you need to.

    So, what we do in this method is pan-sear the roast quickly enough that the interior doesn’t get much of a chance to cook, and then oven sear it at the end of the cooking time. The meat is already hot, so the outside doesn’t take very long to sear and the inside stays evenly cooked.

    Here’s how you do it:

    1. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium-high or high heat. You want it to be hot enough to sear the beef quickly without cooking too much of the inside. Sear each side of your beef.
    2. Cook the beef at 200F until its internal temperature reads 25-30 degrees below the desired doneness. This can take 4 to 8 hours depending on the size of the roast, and how cooked you like it.
    3. Turn the heat up to 500F and cook it until it reaches 5 to 10 degrees below the desired doneness. It shouldn’t take much more than 10-15 minutes.
    4. Remove the roast from the oven and let it stand about 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up, so it’ll finish cooking as it stands.

    Method 3: Cooking at 350F

    What if you want to know how to cook roast beef, but you don’t a whole lot of time?

    This method is probably the most convenient one for cooking roast beef if you don’t have all day. It’s also really simple.

    Unlike slow cooking, cooking roast beef at 350F lets the oven get hot enough to brown the outside nicely, so there’s no need to pan-sear or oven-sear the roast. It won’t be as evenly cooked as a slow cooked roast though. If you cook it until the center is rare, there might still be meat near the outside that’s medium rare or even well-done.

    Here’s how you do it:

    1. Cook the beef at 350F until its internal temperature reads 5-10 degrees below the desired doneness. It’ll take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes per pound, depending on the shape of the roast, and how well done you like it.
    2. Remove the roast from the oven, and let it stand for 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up while it stands, so it’ll finish cooking outside the oven.

    Now that your roast beef is cooked, you’re just about ready to sit down and enjoy a great meal.

    Be sure to let the roast stand about 20 minutes before carving (I included that in the cooking instructions, but it’s important so I’m saying it again!). This gives the roast time to finish cooking, but it also lets the juices redistribute through the meat. That’ll make it much easier to carve the meat, and each slice will be perfectly evenly juicy. Yum!

    Well, now you know all about cooking roast beef!

    All that’s left is to slice the roast, serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

› Contact Me

Enjoy How To Cook is very much a work in progress. I’m constantly adding new pages and articles.

I’m always curious to hear new ideas for improving the site, or any other questions or comments you might have.

If you have something you’d like to share about the site, just fill out the form below!

Thanks,
-Melanie

Home › Christmas Dessert Recipes › Sugar Cookie RecipeThese Christmas sugar cookies are a part of the holiday tradition in my family. I’ve made them a few different ways over the years — with colored sugar, topped with mini chocolate chips, or drizzled with chocolate — but they always come out delicious.

This sugar cookie recipe gives you beautiful, golden sugar cookies, that can be soft and chewy or crispy, depending on how long you cook them.

I particularly like this recipe for Christmas because they’re simple drop cookies. My other Christmas dessert recipes are a bit more time consuming, so this one is a nice break. And since I already have rolled out and shaped gingerbread cookies, the round cookies actually add variety!

Simple, easy, delicious!

If you’re looking for cut-out cookies to cut into fun Christmas shapes, try this easy sugar cookie recipe.

 

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Preparation Time: 15m     Cooking Time: 10m     Total Time: 25m

Servings

Yields 30 cookies.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
  2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it’s smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until it’s well blended.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until you have a smooth dough.
  5. Drop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread a lot).
  6. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden brown.
  7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

Tips

 

  • Be sure that the butter is nice and soft. The softer it is, the easier the dough will be to work with.
  • When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, be sure to add them gradually: add a bit, mix until smooth, then add a bit more.
  • If you want soft cookies, they’ll have to be very soft when they come out of the oven — but don’t worry, they harden a bit as they cool.
  • Feel like decorating your Christmas sugar cookies? Here are a few ideas for the best sugar cookies:
    • I always drizzle mine with a bit of chocolate after they cool. I use the leftover chocolate from coating truffles, so it’s super convenient.
    • You can roll the cookies in a bit of colored sugar before baking them. Red and green sugar can make it extra festive. Or you can roll them in a sugar/cinnamon mixture for extra flavor.
    • If you flatten the cookies a bit before baking them, you can press little candies on the top, or miniature chocolate chips.
  • Want to make these easy sugar cookies ahead of time? Here are some tips.
    • The dough freezes nicely. You can shape the dough into little balls and freeze them. When you’re ready for the cookies, just thaw the dough a few hours and then bake as directed. Cookies in no time!
    • These Christmas sugar cookies stay good for a few days, but after a week or so they’ll start to harden, even if you keep them in an airtight container. That’s why I usually freeze or refrigerate the dough, or I just make them last of all my Christmas desserts. They’re so easy to make that it’s no trouble.

Home › Christmas Dessert RecipesSkip Ahead to Christmas Dessert Recipes

I love pretty much anything that has to do with Christmas. The decorations, the lights, the family togetherness, the spirit of giving, and the food! And even though all the food is wonderful, Christmas dessert recipes have a special place in my heart.

I’ve always loved to bake. I didn’t really start cooking until a bit before leaving my parents’ house, but I’ve been baking as long as I can remember.

And there’s no baking I love more than Christmas baking!

For me, it’s just not Christmas without lots and lots of different desserts. And it’s not even just so that we can pig out – although let’s be honest, we do.

It’s really about the variety, having lots of beautiful desserts, and being able to sample a bit of each.

But making all those different desserts means that you need a good plan. If you wake up on the 24th and decide you want to have 6 different homemade desserts, you’ll be in trouble. Luckily, a lot of delicious Christmas desserts are awesome even if you make them weeks ahead of time.

So read on. First, we’ll talk about different ways to make desserts ahead of time. And then, we’ll get to the good stuff: Christmas baking and dessert recipes.

 

Planning Ahead

We always have a lot of desserts around Christmas time in my family. My mom and I each make 3 or 4 different kinds, and we’ll usually buy a cake or yule log, and have a whole bunch of little extras like peppermint patties or chocolate covered almonds.

It might seem like a lot of desserts, but we eat them over a few different meals. Christmas Eve, Christmas day, New Year’s, and pretty much any gathering in the middle. And it’s just so pretty to have a plate full of lots of different treats.

And of course, each one of those desserts is a part of the tradition and if we didn’t make them all, something would just be missing. So how do we manage all those desserts?

Using the Freezer

A lot of Christmas desserts freeze really well, which means that you can make them way ahead of time. So instead of having to make a whole bunch of Christmas baking recipes the week before Christmas, you can spread out the baking work all throughout the month of December.

Whenever you have the time, just bring out those Christmas dessert recipes, make the treats, then wrap them carefully and freeze them. Some desserts that freeze really well are:

  • Bar cookies, like lemon bars or brownies.
  • Soft cookies. Hard cookies don’t freeze as well because they can lose their crispiness.
  • Squares, like date squares.
  • Cookie dough freezes really well. You can even freeze it in the shape you want to bake it in (cut out or in balls). Then just thaw it for a few hours and follow your recipe to bake the cookies.

Not all Christmas desserts freeze well, but the ones that do can be made ahead of time. If you wrap them carefully, they can last over a month in the freezer.

Using the Refrigerator

The refrigerator can also be a big help when you’re planning out your Christmas dessert recipe schedule. Some foods might not freeze very well, but sometimes they can stay in the fridge for a few days, without a problem. Some examples are:

  • Cookie dough can usually stay in the refrigerator for a few days before you bake it. Just keep it well wrapped, then bake the cookies when you’re ready.
  • A baked, frosted cake can stay in the refrigerator and still look and taste great after a few days. Some cakes taste better at room temperature though, so if that’s the case, take it out ahead of time.

Airtight Containers

If your favorite Christmas dessert recipe doesn’t really lend itself to freezing or refrigerating, there’s still hope.

There are a lot of Christmas candy recipes or other types of desserts that store really well just in an airtight container. And then’s there the bonus of not using up fridge or freezer space — which around the holidays is very, very valuable.

Here are some good candidates for airtight storage:

  • Hard cookies. Soft cookies don’t work as well, because they’ll still lose some moisture and get hard, but hard cookies can stay good for well over a week.
  • Truffles. Just like the ones you buy in a box, homemade truffles stay good for a long time.
  • Christmas candy recipes usually keep really well. Hard, sugary treats like peanut brittle, caramel corn or mint candies are perfect to make ahead of time… if you can keep people from eating them all before the big day!

When you’re choosing your Christmas dessert recipes, it’s not a bad idea to pick a few you can freeze, a few you can store, and a few that can be made fresh. That way, you spread out the work. Plan ahead, and you’ll have a much more relaxing holiday.

Christmas Dessert Recipes

Well, now that you’ve got a good idea of how to plan things out so that you can have way too many different kinds of Christmas desserts, you need some recipes. A lot of these are the Christmas dessert recipes we’ve used in my family forever.

Cookies

It’s not Christmas without a few good Christmas cookie recipes. Cookies are great because they’re easy to make, easy to store, and decorating them is a ton of fun.

  • Gingerbread cookies are a Christmas classic. This gingerbread cookie recipe will let you bake a whole army of gingerbread men! And you can use this royal icing recipe to decorate them.
  • I make these Christmas sugar cookies every year, and drizzle them with a bit of chocolate. They don’t stay fresh as long as some of the other desserts, but they’re so easy to make, you can make them at the last minute.

Bars

My mom is always the one in charge of bar cookies. Every so often, she’ll say we make too many desserts and suggests removing one recipe from the menu, but someone always vetoes that!

  • Caramel pecan bars are a completely decadent holiday dessert, like a bar cookie pecan pie. Try out this completely homemade recipe for pecan pie bars.
  • Cranberry bars make a great change from the usual super heavy and rich Christmas dessert recipes. These cranberry bars are my dad’s favorite holiday treat.
  • Lemon bars are sweet but tangy, and a bit lighter than some of the other desserts. Try this easy lemon bar recipe for a quick, tasty dessert. This one is great for freezing, so you can make it ahead of time!

Candies

There’s nothing like some yummy Christmas candy recipes. Something to nibble on during the day, a sweet little treat here and there.

Having a nice variety of Christmas baking recipes is awesome. You end up with lots of delicious holiday treats. But remember, having a fun, relaxing holiday is important, too. So plan ahead — you’ll get all the treats without the stress.

Enjoy!

Home › Dessert Recipes › Chocolate Truffles RecipeWith this chocolate truffle recipe, you won’t have to go buy gourmet chocolate truffles to enjoy a decadent treat! You can just make them at home for a fraction of the price. And even better, you can make the flavors you like best.

I make these every year for Christmas, and they’re always a huge hit. Everyone is surprised that they’re homemade, and usually follow up the stunned look by asking for the recipe.

Now, this recipe is just a basic recipe for chocolate truffles. But it’s super flexible. Using orange extract instead of vanilla makes amazing orange truffles with a completely different flavor. You can use milk or dark chocolate, whichever you prefer. You can turn this into the perfect chocolate truffle recipe for you! See the tips section for more ideas, or this article on making chocolate truffles.

One little note though — this chocolate truffle recipe can’t magically transform regular chocolate into gourmet chocolate. If you use plain old chocolate chips from the grocery store, that’s what the truffles will taste like. So it’s worth putting in a few extra dollars for better chocolate. You’ll still get very thrifty chocolate truffles.

 

Chocolate Truffles

Preparation Time: 20m     Cooking Time: 10m     Total Time: 30m

Servings

Yields 30 truffles.

Ingredients

2 cups high quality chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

  1. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the chocolate chips and cream. Melt the chocolate, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and well-blended.
  2. Remove the chocolate from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.
  3. Pour the truffle mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate for about an hour or two. The chocolate should be firm enough to hold together and not melt when you handle it, but soft enough to scoop out with a spoon.
  4. Shape the chocolate mixture into little balls.

 

Tips

 

  • Chocolate chips are ideal for melting because they’re small and uniformly sized. But you can also use chocolate squares and chop them up into chip-sized bits. If you do, you’ll need 12oz of chocolate.
  • Wondering whether to use milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate? Use whichever you like. The only thing that matters is what you prefer. For example, I like a sweet chocolate for my vanilla truffles, but I prefer a darker chocolate with orange truffles.
  • You can add more or less cream depending on what kind of texture you like. More cream gives you a softer, creamier texture — which is nice if you’re planning on dipping the truffles in chocolate.
  • Instead of vanilla, there are lots of different flavorings you can add. Try orange extract with a bit of orange zest, peppermint extract, or almond extract with some praline powder. You can even add different liqueurs.
  • You can add more or less vanilla, to suit your taste. The flavors will intensify a bit as the chocolate cools, so keep that in mind if you’re tasting while the chocolate is still warm.
  • You can also add extra flavoring to the truffles. After adding the flavoring, taste the chocolate. If it’s not flavorful enough, add a bit more vanilla or liqueur or whatever you’re using, until it tastes just right.
  • Technically, this chocolate truffle recipe just makes the truffle filling (called a ganache). To coat the truffles, you have a few options.
    • The traditional way to do it is just to roll them in cocoa. That way they look like real truffles out of the ground.
    • You can also roll the chocolate truffles in some confectioners’ sugar, chopped nuts, grated coconut, or candy sprinkles.
    • I like to coat my truffles with melted chocolate that hardens to a shiny finish. If you do coat the truffles though, it’ll add a bit to the preparation time, so be ready! For more information on how to do it, check out this article on tempering chocolate.
Home › Dessert Recipes › Chocolate StrawberriesChocolate strawberries aren’t just delicious. They also make a beautiful and elegant dessert. Whether you’re preparing a romantic treat for Valentine’s Day, or making a classy, easy-to-eat dessert for a bridal shower, chocolate strawberries are awesome.

But gourmet chocolate covered strawberries can be pretty expensive. And that makes them seem like they must be really hard to make, but in fact, it’s one of the easiest desserts you could possibly make.

Chocolate covered strawberries are just that – strawberries covered in chocolate. If you have chocolate and strawberries, you have just about everything you need. Still, there are a few tricks to making them. Nothing complicated or hard to do, but if you don’t know them, it can make things a bit more difficult.

In this article, I’ll go over everything you need to know to make perfect and delicious chocolate covered strawberries. First, I’ll talk about picking and preparing the strawberries. Then, I’ll go over how to prepare the chocolate. Finally, I’ll talk about dipping the strawberries in chocolate and storing them.

 

Step 1: The Strawberries

Delicious chocolate strawberries start with delicious strawberries. Chocolate is really forgiving. Even if you don’t have the best strawberries in the world, dipping them in chocolate makes up for a lot. But still, the better your strawberries, the better they’ll be as chocolate covered strawberries. Here are some tips for picking and preparing your strawberries.

Picking The Strawberries

The very first step when you make chocolate covered strawberries is to pick out your strawberries. Here’s what you should consider when selecting the berries.

  • Good, ripe berries have a pretty, bright red color.
    • If they’re a dark red, they’re overripe. Sometimes they’ll even have mushy spots that you’d have to trim off, ruining the look of the strawberries.
    • If they have white or green spots, they’re under-ripe and won’t be nearly as sweet or flavorful.
  • Big strawberries are a bit easier to work with when you make chocolate covered strawberries. But remember that bigger isn’t always better. Smaller ripe berries are always better than bigger, unripe ones.
  • A perfectly ripe strawberry shouldn’t be either mushy or too hard. When you press on it, it should give just a little.
  • Ripe strawberries smell awesome. If you’re in the grocery store and you smell strawberries, only to realize they’re at the other end of the fruit section, odds are you’ll get good berries. But if you hold them up to your nose and don’t smell a thing, they’re probably not very ripe.

Strawberries are best when they’re in season. They don’t have a very long shelf like, so if they have to be shipped, they’re usually picked under-ripe to make sure they still look good when they get to your store.

Preparing The Strawberries

Once you’ve picked out delicious, ripe strawberries, you need to get them ready for dipping. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

  • You should always wash strawberries before using them, but you want to be sure to treat them gently. Place them in a colander or just hold them gently, and run water over them.
  • There’s no need to remove the stem or leaves. Chocolate strawberries actually look better with a bit of green! And the stem makes a nice little handle for dipping the berries.
  • Any bit of water can completely ruin your dipping chocolate, making it seize up and go all hard and lumpy. And chocolate won’t stick to a wet berry. So you need to make sure your strawberries are completely dry.
    • Let the strawberries reach room temperature. If they’re too cold, they might form little beads of condensation.
    • Dry the strawberries. Gently pat them dry with a paper towel or a dry kitchen towel.
    • Don’t soak the strawberries in ice water to keep them fresh. They’ll absorb too much water, and you won’t be able to get them dry enough to coat.

Once your strawberries are picked out and prepared, you can start thinking about the chocolate!

Step 2: The Chocolate

Getting the chocolate right is the most important part about making chocolate strawberries. Depending on how you do it, though, there are a few factors that’ll affect how your chocolate turns out, like how cold your house is.

In this section, I’ll go over what kind of chocolate to pick, and two different ways of melting the chocolate for coating: tempering, and simple melting.

Which Chocolate To Choose

The nice thing about making your own chocolate strawberries is that you get to choose just how to make them. You can pick the nicest strawberries, and you can also pick your very favorite kind of chocolate! Here’s what you should consider when picking your chocolate.

  • You can use white, milk, semi-sweet, bitter-sweet or even dark chocolate. Just pick whatever you like best, and you’re sure to end up with great strawberries. My favorite is semi-sweet, but try out different kinds and see what works for you.
  • It’s easier to melt little bits of chocolate than a big block. Chocolate chips are perfect, because they’re all the same size so they melt evenly. But if you can’t find the kind of chocolate you want in chip form, you can always chop up a big piece.
  • If you start with a higher quality chocolate, you’ll end up with a higher quality chocolate strawberry. You don’t have to spend lots of money on the chocolate though – just be sure to pick a brand that you love.
  • The amount of chocolate you need depends on the amount of strawberries you have.
    • Depending on how big the strawberries are, you’ll need between one to two cups of chopped chocolate or chocolate chip per pound of strawberries. And remember, any left over chocolate can turn into a delicious chocolate fondue!

Once you’ve picked out a chocolate, it’s time to figure out how to melt it.

Tempered Chocolate

Tempering chocolate is a special and very cool cooking technique for melting chocolate. Tempered chocolate hardens to a firm, shiny finish that doesn’t melt at room temperature, or get sticky in your hands. If you want to make chocolate strawberries that look professional, tempered chocolate is the key.

It’s not hard to do, but it does take some explaining. If you decide to go for tempered chocolate, you can read this article on tempering chocolate for all the details.

Melted Chocolate

Tempering chocolate is the key to getting really professional looking chocolate strawberries that don’t melt at room temperature. But if you’re kind of in a rush and have never tempered chocolate before, you might be thinking you want to skip the whole tempering thing.

And that’s totally fine! You can get really good results without tempering. The difference is that your chocolate strawberries might not be as stable. You might have to keep them in the refrigerator, or the chocolate might get a little bit soft after being out for a while – but they’ll still taste great.

If you decide you just want to melt the chocolate, plain and simple, here are a few guidelines to follow:

  • Chocolate needs to be melted very gently. If the chocolate gets too hot, it’ll scorch, and then it’ll get thick and lumpy and you won’t be able to coat your strawberries with it. That means:
    • The best way to melt chocolate is over a double-boiler. Bring a pot of water to a simmer, take it off the heat. Then place the top pot, or a glass or stainless steel bowl over the water. The bowl shouldn’t touch the water, or the chocolate won’t melt evenly. Place the chocolate in the bowl and stir it till it’s just melted.
    • You can also melt chocolate in the microwave. You have to be extra careful not to scorch it though. Heat it 30 seconds at a time on high heat, or 90 seconds at low, until the chips start to melt when you stir them. Add another 10 seconds or so at a time until the chocolate is smooth.
  • If you decide not to temper chocolate, then the best way to make sure it hardens properly is to not overheat the chocolate. Heat it until it’s just barely melted, but still smooth. That way you don’t destroy the tiny crystal structure that lets chocolate dry hard and shiny.
  • If the chocolate is too thick when it’s just barely melted and smooth, you can add a little butter or shortening to thin it out. It changes the flavor a bit, but the chocolate will be much easier to work with and the strawberries will look smoother and prettier.
  • Remember, when you’re melting chocolate, it’s really important not to let any water or moisture in the chocolate, or it’ll seize up and get too hard and lumpy to use as coating.
  • A rubber spatula is the best choice for stirring chocolate. You can make sure it’s completely dry, so that no moisture gets into the chocolate, and it’s perfect for scraping the bowl so that the chocolate melts evenly.

Just melting the chocolate is a little bit easier than tempering. You might not get the perfect shiny finish that tempering gives, but depending on the heat and humidity of your kitchen you can still get beautiful results. And more importantly, delicious results!

Notes

  • If you want something a little different, whisk a bit of flavoring in the chocolate before you dip the strawberries. Not too much, so you don’t alter the texture, but a bit of orange or lemon extract can put a whole new spin on chocolate strawberries.

Step 3: Dipping

Once you have your strawberries picked out, washed and dried, and your chocolate is melted, it’s time to dip the berries! And nothing could be easier.

Here’s what you do.

  1. Cover a cookie sheet with a sheet of wax paper. You need a nice flat surface for your strawberries to dry on, and using a cookie sheet means you can move it out of the way if you need to.
  2. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate. It’s easiest if you hold them by the stem. Or, if they don’t have a stem, you can stick a toothpick in the stem end and hold on to that.
    • If the chocolate is deep enough, you can just dip the strawberries in tip first, up to just below the leaves. This will give you a nice, straight, clean line where the chocolate ends.
    • If the chocolate is too shallow to fit a berry, dip the strawberry on its side, and turn it around until it’s coated all around.
    • Chocolate covered strawberries look best if you leave a hint of red at the top.
  3. Take the strawberry out of the chocolate and rotate it a bit to shake off the excess chocolate. You can also tap it very lightly against the side of your bowl. Just be sure not to damage the berry!
  4. Lay the chocolate covered strawberry on the wax paper.
    • Start by placing the strawberries as far away from the chocolate as possible, then working your way closer. That way, if any chocolate drips while you’re moving the strawberry, it won’t get all over your other chocolate strawberries.
  5. Repeat for all the strawberries.
  6. Once you’re done, give the chocolate time to set.
    • If you tempered the chocolate, it’ll start to harden within a few minutes, and should be pretty much set within 30 minutes. You can leave them at room temperature.
    • If you didn’t temper the chocolate, you can refrigerate the chocolate strawberries for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the chocolate sets.

Notes

  • Before the chocolate dries, you can dress up the chocolate strawberries a little bit by rolling them in finely chopped nuts, or shaved coconut.
  • Once the chocolate dries, you can make the chocolate covered strawberries a little fancier by drizzling them with a bit of a contrasting color chocolate. A white chocolate drizzle looks awesome over dark chocolate strawberries!

Step 4: Storage

Chocolate strawberries definitely do not have a long shelf life. Ideally, you should eat them the same day you make them, although you can store them for about a day if you really, really have to. How you store them depends on a few things.

  • Once the chocolate is set, you should be able to take the strawberries out of the refrigerator. Storing them at room temperature is the ideal situation, because chocolate absorbs smells really easily and refrigeration can affect its taste.
  • If it’s really hot out, and your chocolate isn’t tempered, you might need to keep storing them in the fridge, or the coating will melt. Or you can find a cooler part of the house.
  • If your fridge is too cold, the chocolate might start to sweat or crack, and it could get mushy and much less pretty. Keep an eye on the strawberries. If it looks like the chocolate is starting to look funny, take them out right away.
  • If you’re storing the chocolate strawberries in the fridge, be sure to take them out about an hour before serving, so that they have time to warm up. They’re generally a lot more flavorful at room temperature.

Notes

  • If you want to give chocolate covered strawberries as a gift, try placing them in paper muffin or mini-muffin cups, in a nice little gift box. It’ll be a very elegant looking gift!

And that’s how to make chocolate covered strawberries. It’s much easier to do than to explain, and so much more delicious!

Enjoy

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