Carla Hall's Roasted Garlic Spread 11.15.11

So simple, yet I need a nudge whenever I decide to make this.

Four ingredients...

Whole heads of Garlic
Olive Oil
Fresh Thyme
a pinch of Salt

Can not be easier... Slice the tops off the Garlic
Add the herbs
Drizzle with the oil and a sprinkle of Salt

Wrap in tin foil and roast at 375-425 for 30 minutes to an hour.
When done, squeeze the heads and remove the delicious roasted garlic and spread like butter!

Now, on The Chew website printed version of the recipe (Click HERE), Carla says to roast at 425 for 30 minutes.

I was multitasking...

I was baking bread at 375.  So I just slower roasted mine for about 45 minutes.

Michael Symon's Caramelized Onions 10.31.11

I am sorry about the terrible picture of the finished product, but I was in the midst of Halloween plans (that The Chew figured prominently in).  But, here these little sweet jewels are...

Not going to spend a lot of time talking about these, as I want to show off my Halloween...

BUT... Incredibly easy and incredibly useful little condiment.  Of course, on The Chew website you will find a delicious tutorial in print (Click HERE for the printed recipe), and also the video of Michael making his (Click HERE for the video recap).

I did make one small change (two ingredients and I still make a change... go figure).  I had fried up a pound of bacon, so i caramelized my onions in BACON FAT!!!

About the only trick is to keep the heat low so nothing gets burnt.  Be patient, it takes at least 30 minutes, sometimes more,.  Beyond that, you are waiting for the natural sugars to work their way out of the onions and then to melt and become... CARAMEL!  Well, a form of caramel any way.

I do love that The Chew crew are adding little extras to the dishes they make.  It's the little extras that really can make a dish stand out.

Like here...

It's my world (well, Cul de Sac) famous REDNECK SHEPHERD's PIE!

But I wonder, since I used the incredible warm vinaigrette potato salad using Mario Batali's recipe, should I still call it "redneck"???

It is my favorite left over dish.  Especially after a great smoke (Ribs, pulled pork and beans, not Marlboros).

Layer of leftover Smoked Beans
Layer of leftover Pulled pork
Add a can of Creamed Corn
Add a layer of these caramelized Onions
add a drizzle of BBQ sauce
Add a layer of mashed potatoes

And for the mashed potatoes this time I used the leftover warm potato salad that Mario showed The Chew back on October 12th.

It's an incredible salad, made with a vinaigrette, capers, fennel seeds, scallions and lots more.

I had just enough left over from our party last weekend to make this dish. I just warmed it up a bit, made mashed potatoes from the original salad and viola... an incredible mashed potato salad, perfect top top my former Redneck Shepherd's pie.

Guess I need to start calling this my Mario Batali Redneck Shepherd's pie!

Which we served to my favorite taste tester just before we settled into our annual Norman Rockwell Halloween.  My neighborhood is pretty popular for trick or treaters.  It's a neighborhood of 4 bedroom houses, so everyone has kids.  My wife and I and our neighbors join forces, sit out on our drive way and hand out candy, bouncy balls and light sticks.

We also dress for the occasion...

That's my wife on the left as my Spoon, my favorite taste tester neighbors, Jim and Herme as my knife and fork...

And here's me as...

The IRON Chef !!!

And, in hopes that Michael Symon would stop by for a memorable Halloween...

The secret ingredient was Bacon... Chocolate Bacon Buttons for all the Mom's and Dads (well, the first 100 moms and dads, that's how many I made with a pound of bacon and 1 bag of Chocolate Chips.

Happy Halloween from the suburbs...

Carla Hall's Compound Butter 10.28.11

If you take a look at yesterday's post, you can just imagine the leftovers I have.  Ribs, Beans, Tater Salad, Cole Slaw, Pulled Pork and a full refrigerator.  I am under orders from the boss (my wife) to not cook anything new until we make a dent in the remains of the day!

BUT, if you have pulled pork, you need sandwich bread.

And if you make a loaf of bread, you need some butter!

Today's The Chew featured a quick easy condiment.  A reminder that meals are coming up soon (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve) when something just a little bit extra is expected.

Like Herb Compound Butter!  Takes just a couple of minutes and just sets the table off as something special.

It's just about the easiest thing you can imagine.

The night before you plan to serve this (or, as Carla suggests, make ahead and actually freeze for the special occasion), just leave out a stick of butter (or a couple) to reach room temperature and to get soft.

Then add a tsp of herbs per stick.  Carla suggests Thyme and Chives.  I prefer my pre-made mix I call, :Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence".  I make a batch up at least once a month to have around the house to add to eggs, make some herb bread (like this loaf).  Here's my recipe...

BTW, I make my own Mediterranean spice mix I call, "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence".  You will be seeing this ALOT.  It's a fast way to add that special savory taste to any dish.  I make about 2 cups worth a month and bit by bit, it is gone!  Tastes great on everything from eggs to chicken and anything in between!

While Oregano spice on it's own is fine, It was so much easier to just add a couple of TBS of this...

Here's my formula...

• 1 part dried tarragon
• 1 part dried Oregano
• 1 part dried Dill
• 1 part dried Rosemary
• 1 part dries Thyme
• 1 part dried Garlic Flakes
• 1/2 part course grind Sea Salt
• 1/2 part fresh ground Peppercorns
• 1/2 part fresh Lemon Zest
  Note: if I know I am going to use this up in a week or two, I will go ahead and zest the lemon.  Sometimes I make enough to last a month or two with no real plans to use it.  On those occasions, I do not add lemon zest, instead I will add fresh zest as I make whatever recipe I am using the spice mix.

So, just a couple tsp of this added to the soft butter and mix and you have something special!

I was still having people around, so I served the fresh baked bread with the soft herb compound  butter from a dish (don't you love the heart shaped serving dish).  I did not have enough to freeze for later as suggested.  Click HERE to see The Chew website printed recipe, or HERE to see the video recap of Carla making her version.

Great way to add a little panache to a Redneck Shepherd's Pie meal made of leftovers...