Beef in Ale Sauce

675 g chuck steak
290 ml brown stock
A little vegetable oil
1 tsp wine vinegar
3 large onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed
A little thyme & nutmeg
2 tsp browned flour
Salt & pepper
290 ml brown ale

Sweat the onions in oil until soft. Cut the beef into large steaks. Brown the beef in a hot pan with very little oil. Turn the beef only when it has gained color. Remove the beef and wash out the pan with water. If it is not burnt, keep it to go with the stock. Add the soft onions to the beef pan, raise the temperature and begin to brown.

Add the garlic and sugar, brown, add the browned flour, let it pick up a bit more color but do not let it burn. Add the ale and boil for two minutes, add the stock and boil again. Add the vinegar (to tenderize) and the thyme, nutmeg and seasoning. Put the meat and juices back into the pan, warm up, transfer to a casserole dish, add a lid and cook in the oven for two hours until the meat is completely soft. Serve with mustard mash & braised red cabbage.

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I haven't actually made this yet; the bf always does the honors. We usually make a double or 1.5x batch, and frequently run out of big enough pans to cook in. The meat always comes out completely tender, no knives needed. It's truly delicious. We serve it with mashed potatoes and a green (asparagus is always a good choice).

Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

I direct you to Dulcedo, where Dana has posted the recipe along with beautiful photos of sprinkle-laden cupcakes. Thank God for Notre Dame students!

My only addition to her recipe is to fix up some chocolate frosting and mix Bailey's in. Oh, that must be what heaven tastes like!!

Granddad Franklin's Potato Salad

10 white potatoes, still warm
2 medium peppers
2 celery stalks
1 onion
1 large tomato
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp celery seed
4 oz pimentos
1 cup sweet pickle relish

Cut and mix? I haven't made this yet--maybe I'll sit down with Grandma tomorrow and figure some more detailed directions out. She is apparently the only family member (aside from Great-Granddad Franklin himself) who can make this potato salad right.

Scott's Pasta Salad

1 pound pasta
2 heads broccoli
1/2 head cauliflower
2 carrots
1 cup chopped chicken
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped and raw
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook and drain pasta. Cut broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in bite-size pieces and steam until tender-crisp. Throw everything except the cheese into a big bowl and mix it up. The hot pasta will take a little of the edge off the raw garlic. Add the cheese last, on top of each serving if you like.

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I haven't tried making this recipe yet, but when I ate it (straight from the Kirner kitchen) for the first time, it was amazing. Now that I've rediscovered the recipe, I will make it soon!

Most Favoritest Pancakes Ever

makes ten four-inch pancakes

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp melted shortening or salad oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract

Beat egg; add remaining ingredients in order listed and beat with rotary beater until smooth. Grease heated griddle if necessary. To test griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles skitter around, heat is just right.

Pour batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle. Turn pancakes as soon as they are puffed and full of bubbles but before bubbles break. Bake other side until golden brown.

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This recipe, originally "Favorite Pancakes" from Betty Crocker's Cookbook of 1969, was a staple of my childhood. I changed the white sugar to brown sugar and added almond extract for truly delicious pancakes that are not your typical breakfast fare. With butter and real maple syrup, they are AMAZING.