carolina sparker

January 2, 2013

beef stew, a winter staple and delicious dish

happy new year!!

feliz año!! as they say back in my home country ;)

It’s been a GREAT year and here’s to another amazing one. i love starting a new year; you become wiser, more experienced and there’s always a brighter future ahead that you can’t wait to get your hands on. Welcome 2013!!

2012 was a bit bittersweet. it was amazing because my boyfriend of 6 1/2 years and I got married and it was the best day of my entire existence; words cannot describe the day. it was sweet because i got to see my mom after 3 years {she lives in venezuela}. it was sweet because our niece Pearl was born :)

it was bitter because we lost a family member and i was faced with a few health problems, which was hard on me and a bit on my faith. but i never lost sight of my faith and it’s stronger than ever!

to celebrate the start of 2013, i’m going to share one of my favorite winter recipes ever. beef stew. but this time i tweaked my recipe and added christmas ale. christmas ale is a local beer from the city of cleveland, ohio brewed by great lakes brewing company. it’s an amazing beer brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and other spices.

here’s the how to and down below you’ll find the recipe and directions.

a few of the key ingredients!

coat beef chunks with all purpose flour before browning.

cook in a hot pan with some oil until brown. do it in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.

cook the chopped onion to medium heat for a couple of minutes until caramelized.

add water, beef stock or chicken stock to hot pan and celery. cook for a few minutes.

onions ready to go in the crock pot!

turn crock pot to high and add broth, celery, onions and tomato paste.

i used a masher for the tomatoes so they weren’t as a whole. you can use a food processor and then add the tomatoes to the crock pot.

mix well until combined.

carrots are probably one of my favorite vegetables!!

add beef, potatoes, the rest of the broth and bay leaves. mix well.

and here it is!! mmmm.. so good!

a slow one, but good one!
christmas ale beef stew

ingredients:
2 pounds stewing beef
6 carrots, cut in 2 inch chunks
4 russet or yukon gold potatoes, cut in 3 inch chunks
4 celery stacks, cut 1 1/2 inch chunks
2 ripped tomatoes, cut in 2 inch chunks
1/2 big white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves

seasoning:
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sea salt, and more if needed
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups homemade low fat/low sodium chicken broth or store bought {beef broth or water works great too!}
1/2 cup {or more} Christmas ale beer or any other beer you have in the fridge
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp olive oil

serves 8 people {aka leftovers}.

directions:
turn crock pot on {slow cooker} and set to high.

coat beef with flour. i do it in two batches so the beef it’s well covered. do 2 tbsp of flour at a time.

heat skillet to medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. let it heat up and add beef chunks covered in flour in two batches so it’s easy to manage. brown beef until golden and let it rest in a bowl.

in the same skillet add 2 tbsp of olive oil to cook the onions. cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. put onions and garlic in a bowl and set aside.

add 1 cup chicken broth to same skillet and add celery. cook for 3 minutes and add to crock pot along with tomato paste and tomatoes. mash tomatoes with a potato masher in the crock pot or you can mash them with a food processor.

stir celery, tomato paste and mashed tomatoes until well combined.

add carrots, potatoes, beef, onions, garlic, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, bay leaves to the crock pot and stir until all ingredients are combined. add 1/2 cup chicken broth and if it’s too dry add an extra 1/4 cup. don’t add more than that since it’s going to cook for a long time and all the ingredients will release water in the process.

cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 7 hours.

add beer 2 hours before the final cooking time. i.e. hour #3 if you cook it on high or hour #5 if you cook it on low. if you can’t, then add beer when you start cooking the beef stew :)

taste and if it needs extra salt, go ahead and season to taste, stir.

serve hot!!

{i made this recipe in a 6-quart crock pot. if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook the beef stew in a 350f oven for 3 hours or so.}

here’re some more pictures related to this post! if you follow me on instagram probably saw it already ;)

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December 19, 2012

tis the season with peppermint chocolate chip cookies

happy holidays!!!!

here’s a great peppermint chocolate chip cookie recipe to give you a break from all the shopping.

when you make these cookies you are going to be the star everywhere you take them. these cookies are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. … seriously. go right now to your kitchen and preheat your oven. they are that good.

measure flour and sift in a large bowl.

add baking soda and salt to the flour.

cream butter until fluffy.

add brown sugar and granulated sugar!

almost cookie dough…

add flour slowly

weigh your chocolate chips.

mmm!

put candy canes in food processor and pulse a few times.

add candy canes to cookie dough.

i use a tablespoon to make the cookie dough balls. you can use a small sized ice cream scoop. or a large one but the baking time will be different.

sprinkle with sea salt!

i wish you could SMELL this!!

and here i went crazy and started to take a million pictures. i love the santa.

recipe and directions are below!

peppermint chocolate chip cookies

ingredients:

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 candy canes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 large egg, room temperature {sitting on the counter for 30-50 minutes approx.}
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 stick {8 tbsps} unsalted butter, room temperature {cold to the touch and not melted; sitting on the counter for 30-50 minutes approx.}
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 tsp sea salt, and more to sprinkle cookie dough balls
1/2 tsp baking soda

yields about 28 cookies

directions:

preheat oven to 375F.

measure flour and sift. add salt baking soda and mix well.

cream butter in medium-high speed until fluffy {2 minutes}. add sugars and mix well.

reduce speed to medium and add egg and vanilla. make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of mixing bowl so everything is mixed well.

reduce speed to low and add flour slowly until combined. don’t over mix.

add chocolate chips and mix with a rubber or wooden spatula.

in a food processor grind candy canes until they are powder. well, you’ll have chunks, but that’s the idea :) add candy canes to cookie dough.

spoon cookie dough with a tablespoon and release dough with the help of a teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. i could fit 12 cookies in mine {about 2-3 inches apart}. sprinkle with sea salt.

bake for 8-10 minutes rotating cookie sheet half way through. yes. you have to rotate it because it makes a huge difference.

let cookies cool a minute and transfer to a cooling rack to cool even more. then you’ll have the chewiest cookies you ever did eat ;)

repeat the steps above until you are out of cookie dough!

***note*** if using a large ice cream scoop, bake for 10-12 minutes. if you have a thin cookie sheet turn down oven temperature to 350F or bake for less time. If the cookie dough it’s too soft, put it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes and start baking away! you may make this recipe without the peppermint and watch everybody drool ;)

have a great holiday season!

love,

carolina

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chocolate • cookies • exotic flavors • peppermint • 2 Comments

December 11, 2012

crowd pleaser side dish

for some reason I didn’t take as many pictures of the “how to” for this post. i truly don’t know what happened. um, maybe too much cooking and distractions {insert laziness here} during thanksgiving day that i completely spaced it out. my sincere apologies.

mashed potatoes are that type of food {not so good for you} but, mmm, sooo good that if you do it in moderation, the guilt cloud hanging over your head won’t be as big and heavy as you’d think.

this recipe is for classic and flavorful mashed potatoes. it’s also versatile since you can add either garlic, chives, cheddar cheese {or other type of cheese}, green onions, you name it. trust me, you can’t go wrong!

we accompanied our ~~traditional~~ thanksgiving meal {lemon chicken & roasted carrots} with these mashed potatoes!!!!

let me know if you make this recipe, your thoughts and if you made any variations – i’d love to hear from you!

classic mashed potatoes {yields 8 servings}

ingredients:

5 russet potatoes, scrubbed and washed
1 cup of milk, extremely hot
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp sea salt, more if needed
fresh ground black pepper to taste

preparation:

put a large pot with cold water to boil. enough water to cover the potatoes. salt water to taste and let it boil.

meanwhile cut potatoes in big chunks, approximately 3 inches. it varies by potato. when water is boiling add potatoes and cover half way with lid. boil for 30 minutes or until tender when pinching with a fork.

once potatoes and ready to be mashed, rinse and put half in a large bowl. add 1/2 cup of hot milk and 2 tbsp of butter. mix with a hand mixer on the medium high setting until combined and potatoes are mashed and creamy.

add the rest of the potatoes to bowl and follow with the other 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tbsp of butter. mix with hand mixer until desired consistency. add salt and black pepper. taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

serve hot!! {i garnished with parsley} mmmm!!!

i decided to grind some black pepper in the middle of taking pictures. haha.

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December 5, 2012

and my pumpkin obsession continues

i’m ~~mildly~~ extremely obsessed with pumpkin and anything that has a hint of the awesome flavor in it. i didn’t used to like it. but now. now. now i can eat it all day long.

pancakes on the other hand are my weakness. i could also eat them all day long for breakfast, lunch and dinner. one day i went to an “all you can eat” pancakes breakfast and ate 9. nine good sized pancakes!!! nine! not good for a bride-to-be hahaha.

i created this recipe for you to enjoy on sunday mornings or like me, any day/any time of the week :)

one thing about this recipe is that it has tons of spices, which makes them really flavorful. you can add more, less or substitute with your favorite spice. you can also add pecans, walnuts or chocolate chips.

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes  

preheat oven to 170F and place an oven proof platter or plate in upper rack. preheat griddle to 400F or skillet to medium high. if you are using a skillet, heat up when you are almost done with the batter so it’s not too hot. burnt pancakes are a crime ;)

in a large bowl, whisk in flour, sugars, spices, salt and baking powder.

add egg, vanilla, melted butter and pumpkin puree to flour mixture. whisk in together for a few seconds. don’t over mix. it’s okay if there’re lumps in the batter :)

add buttermilk {i made mine by adding two teaspoons of lemon juice to the milk and let it rest for 10 minutes or until a curd forms}.

add 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter to griddle or skillet and push down batter with the back of the spoon {if needed} so it’s flat. i used an ice cream scoop and the pancakes were too thick. if using a skillet, coat with butter or cooking spray prior adding pancake batter.

{my husband wanted to show you his r2d2 spatula}

let pancakes cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. place cooked pancakes in the oven so they stay warm.

serve with butter and really good quality maple syrup. i like target’s archer farm organic maple syrup.

ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or regular flour
2 cups buttermilk or regular milk {skim, 1%, 2% or whole}
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp all ground spice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, lightly beaten

yields 15 pancakes

directions:

in a large bowl, whisk in flour, sugars, spices, salt and baking powder. add buttermilk {i made mine by adding two teaspoons of lemon juice to the milk and let it rest for 10 minutes or until a curd forms}.

add egg, vanilla, melted butter and pumpkin puree to milk and flour mixture. whisk in together for a few seconds. don’t over mix. it’s okay if there’re lumps in the batter :)

add 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter to griddle or skillet and push down batter with the back of the spoon {if needed} so it’s flat. i used an ice cream scoop and the pancakes were to thick. if using a skillet, coat with butter or cooking spray prior adding pancake batter.

let pancakes cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. place cooked pancakes in the oven so they stay warm.

serve with butter and really good quality maple syrup. i like target’s archer farm organic maple syrup.

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pancakes • pumpkin • 4 Comments

November 26, 2012

lemon chicken with roasted carrots

now with thanksgiving behind us and leftovers pretty much gone, you can cook some other comfort food good for you even though it’s not a special holiday.

you can make this recipe with a whole chicken, but with a family of only two, i like cooking with chicken breasts instead.

my husband and i actually decided to make this chicken and carrots with mashed potatoes {which i’ll post recipe later} for thanksgiving. if we cooked all the “amazingness” thanksgiving has to offer, we’d still have food! so since it’s too much and we wanted to mix it up, we went ahead and cooked something different :) and still absolutely delicious.

his take on the chicken was “the lemon explodes in your mouth and punches you in the tongue.” in a good way i shall add, haha.

lemon chicken ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
3 lemons, zested
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp italian herbs such as rosemary or oregano
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

serves 4 people.

directions:

preheat oven to 400°F.

juice two lemons in a bowl and add garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, italian herbs, zest, salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp of butter. combine well until a paste forms. rub paste onto chicken breasts and place in baking dish previously greased with butter or cooking spray so it doesn’t stick. pour in lemon juice left in bowl to chicken. cut remainder lemon in thin slices and place throughout the pan.

bake for 25 min and set oven to broil. broil for 7 minutes or until golden brown. internal temperature should be 165°F.

once out of the oven, put chicken in a serving dish and let cool for 10 min. pour lemon/chicken juice left in the roasting pan into a sauce pan or skillet. bring to boil with 1 tbsp of butter and juices from the chicken cooling. whisk until thick and creamy. add a bit of flour or corn starch it it’s too liquidity. remove from heat and add leftover parsley. drizzle this delicious sauce over the chicken and serve!

oven roasted carrots ingredients:

6 large carrots, washed and cut in chunks
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced

directions:

preheat oven to broil setting.

season carrots and coat with olive oil. add to roasting pan followed by sliced lemon and butter. broil for 30 min.

{i steamed carrots for 20 minutes prior roasting. if at 30 min they are not tender, broil for 15 min more}.