Bobby Flay's Prime Rib Roast with Thyme Au Jus

WOW. We are still talking about this unreal, delicious, lick-your-plate prime rib roast with thyme au jus (because that's EXACTLY what we did).

For our Christmas dinner, we thought - what can go wrong with a Bobby Flay recipe? Especially a meat recipe. This was most definitely restaurant quality, it's just too bad the price came with it (prime rib roast is not cheap). So, this will be a one or two-time-a-year meal. In fact, we agreed this IS our annual Christmas dinner roast recipe.

Prime Rib Roast with Thyme Au Jus (Bobby Flay)
1 bone-in prime rib (6 to 7 pounds)
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups red wine
4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

1. Thirty minutes before roasting the prime rib, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make small slits all over the prime rib and fill each slit with a slice of the garlic. Season liberally with the salt and coarse pepper, place on a rack set inside a roasting pan and roast for about 2 hours until medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 135 degrees F (we cooked it until medium, about 140 degrees). Remove the meat to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over 2 burners set on high heat. Add the wine to the pan drippings in the pan and cook over high heat until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
4. Slice meat as desired and serve with thyme au jus.

Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots

These were a perfect sidedish to our Christmas prime rib roast. And, they're super easy. I love roasting all kinds of vegetables because it brings out their sweetness - you especially should try asparagus, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, squash and potatoes. 'll definitely be doing these carrots again. Thanks to America's Test Kitchen for another great recipe.

Sugar-Glazed Roasted Carrots (America's Test Kitchen)
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 2 by 1/2" pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

*Note: if the carrots have very narrow tips, trim the thin ends; they scorch easily

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Heat rimmed baking sheet in oven for 10 minutes. (This jumpstarts the browning process)
2. Toss carrots, melted butter, sugar, salt and pepper in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer carrots to sheet and spread into even layer. Roast until carrots are beginning to brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove pan from oven, toss carrots to redistribute, and continue to roast until tender and deep amber in color, about 3 minutes.

Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies

These could also be named gingerbread sugar cookies...and they will be a holiday favorite for me. Even though I accidentally forgot to include 4 tbsp of butter, they still turned out soft, chewy and full of sweet and spice. America's Test Kitchen has never failed me, and this recipe comes from their "All-Time Best Holiday Recipes" magazine. Loved them!

Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies (America's Test Kitchen)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (yes, pepper! not a mistake)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup light or dark molasses

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in medium sized bowl.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt and pepper in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.
3. Using standing mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Decrease speed to med-low and add egg yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Decrease speed and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula. Decrease speed to low; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once more. Give dough final stir with spatula to ensure no pockets of flour remain. Dough will be soft.
4. Using tablespoon, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into 1 1/2" ball; drop into extra granulated sugar and set on prepared baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Do not overbake.

Pumpkin Pie Streusel Cake

Even though I made this for Thanksgiving several months ago, just looking at these pictures makes me want to make it right now. The bottom layer is a basic pumpkin pie, but it's topped with a mixture of yellow cake mix, melted butter and pecans. Yum. Make sure to add some whipped cream!
























Pumpkin Pie Streusel Cake
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
4 eggs
13 oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)
1 cup melted unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients except nuts, melted butter and cake mix. 
2. Pour into ungreased 9x13" cake pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Pour melted butter over mix, followed by pecans.
3. Bake for 1 hour. Top with whipped cream (Whisk together with electric beater or mixer: 1 cup heavy cream, 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla).

Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers

Told you we're liking our Mexican lately! We've also been looking for ways to make delicious dinners that cost less, and hamburger meat is probably the cheapest out there. I use red peppers in this recipe, they are a bit sweeter and seem to carry a bit more flavor and heat than green peppers. You can actually assemble these peppers ahead of time and bake them later if needed.


Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers (Country Magazine)
6 medium red peppers
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 - 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (use as much as you like - I love cilantro so I use the full cup)
1-1/4 cups salsa, divided
1 tablespoon chopped green chillies (optional)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheese (I like extra sharp cheddar, but others would work like Mexican blend)

Directions:

1. Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. In large pot, cook peppers in boiling waters for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.
2. In a nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, 1 cup salsa, chilies, chili powder, cilantro and salt. Spoon into peppers
3. Place peppers in a 13x9x2" baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup water to dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. 
4. Uncover; spoon remaining salsa on top of peppers and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve.

Mama Julie's EASY Cinnamon-Sugar Rolls

Eat these rolls for breakfast, brunch or along with dinner. They are always a hit, but people are SHOCKED when they realize how EASY they are to make. Thanks to my mom for introducing me to these yummy treats.

Mama Julie's EASY Cinnamon-Sugar Crescent Rolls
1 tube of refridgerated crescent dough (I like the reduced fat version)
Handful of sugar
Generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll directions. 
2. Combine handful of sugar with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon in a bowl. Coat each crescent dough triangle in cinnamon-sugar mix, roll up starting with the wide end of the triangle, and place on greased (or parchment papered) tray with small end of roll tucked underneath.
3. Serve immediately!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

We have been loving our Mexican food lately. I don't really like cooking with pre-made mixes, although easy, there is usually fake stuff in there. So, we tried a taco seasoning recipe from Allrecipes.com, and it has become our go-to for taco making.

If you like pico-de-gillo, but have never tried to make your own, it's so easy and is delicious on tacos. Just dice up a couple tomatoes and one small red onion. Then, chop about 1/2-1 cup of fresh cilantro, put it all together and squeeze half a lemon (or lime) and add a pinch of salt. Delicious! (Add a quarter of diced jalapeno pepper for heat).

Taco Seasoning (Makes enough for 2 lbs of beef)
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional - I usually don't add because of the kids)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients together. Cook beef in a little bit of vegetable oil and add seasoning mix (add half if cooking 1 lb of beef, add entire mix if cooking 2 lbs of beef). Cook until beef is no longer pink.
2. Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water to beef, stir, spoon into tacos and enjoy! (My favorite layering is a smear of sour cream on a crunchy taco shell, beef, cheese, homemade pico-de-gillo, and lettuce...and maybe a little hot sauce!).