Someone posted this to Facebook and I shared on my FB page cause it look good and easy. Lyn batted her eyes and asked what about Valentines Day …I said once again our minds were in meld. So off to Wholefoods we went bracing the subzero temps. this came out pretty good, melted in your mouth but could have been cook just a little more maybe 5  minutes or so. the meat thermometer said it was done but then one never knows. The video – link below- does not mention putting the beef in freezer after searing and letting the mushroom mixture cool but over all it is not that long. I put meat in freezer while I was doing the mushroom. I also think I over cooked the mushrooms but still tasted pretty damn good.

Anyway her was my first attempt

INDIVIDUAL BEEF WELLINGTONS <<<here is the video link

Serves 2 generously

You’ll Need
– Two 2 ½-to-3-inch-tall pieces beef tenderloin (filet mignon), about ¾ pound
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
– 6 ounces finely-chopped baby bella mushrooms
– 1/3 cup finely-chopped sweet onion
– 1 large clove garlic, minced
– ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
– Freshly-ground pepper, to taste
– ¼ cup dry sherry
– 1 large sprig fresh thyme
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
– 1 sheet (1/2 box) puff pastry
– 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
– Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tablespoon milk)

How To

Expert Tips

• Make the puff pastry easier to work with by keeping it cold. That’s why this recipe calls for chilling the meat and filling in between steps!
• The pan needs to be very hot in step 3 because it’s the key to searing the meat and subsequently adding flavor. If the pan isn’t hot, the meat either won’t brown, or it will take too long to brown and the middle will start to cook.
• You can make this recipe ahead of time by following it up to step 9, then freezing until ready to bake. When you’re ready to cook, just put it in the oven directly from the freezer without thawing, and cook until the interior temperature of the meat is 135 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (for medium rare), which may take longer than the 25 minutes.

I’m not sure what it is about the cold winter but it brings out the gut cooking in me. You know opening the frig and saying what do I have and throwing something together. Lyn takes advantage of these days and throws different ideas at me. Last night I grabbed a couple of chicken breast that had been sitting in butter milk pound them flat and did a little salt and pepper. In a  bowl I took some ricotta cheese, chopped up some spinach and tomatoes mixed together until it look right to me. I spread the mixture on each of the breast and rolled like a jelly roll. A couple of toothpicks to hold them together and scrapped off the cheese that was oozing out. I browned in a little oil on all sides (start with the seam side down) then put the pan in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Yum it was good. I supposed some pasta sauce and shredded cheese on top would have been nice but did not have any at that time. There is still one left perhaps I’ll make a quick sauce and shred some cheese and have with some zucchini spaghetti and leftover meatballs.

This is a combination of two recipes that I have made before, fruit stuffed pork chops and fig stuffed pork loin roast with chestnut puree gravy. I started with about a 3 lbs pork loin which I butterflied and pounded  to uniform size,  then salt and peppered (1 tsp kosher salt 1\2 tsp pepper). Made fruit stuffing 1\4 chops fresh orange, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1\2 cup raisins, sprinkle of nutmeg mix well and spread over pork leaving room on edge roll and bind with twine at 1 inch intervals. I wrapped and refrigerated about 6 hours but over night works. Melt 1 tbs butter and olive oil in pan and brown roast all sides about 5 minutes. Put in preheated oven 325 cook until about 142 degree. Remove and cover let sit for 30 minute to an hour.  Reheat pan that you used to brown pour and dripping in melt 2 tbs butter, add 1 cup of hard apple cider, 1\2 cup water, 1 tbs fresh chop thyme. Bring to boil reduce half. Whisk in 1 cup chestnut puree. There ya go slice the meat pour the gravy and eat.

Sorry Lyn I like this better than pork tenderloin.

For Xmas Lyn wanted to do a Thanksgiving redo since it came out so tasty. It was a Wholefoods brined turkey that I smothered with my herb infused butter. Got to admit it did come out good. So we got a natural turkey grabbed the brine that Missy gave us way back when and brined that baby overnight. Of course this one came out better and it is one of those never to duplicate ones well at least the brining part.

Anyway the next day I made turkey soup,  canned it and today as I prepared to watch the Patriots play like shit I made my first turkey Pie. I don’t bake its to much of exact measurements for me but at least this way the inside was my cooking style. It came out pretty darn good.

I made this last night , man was it good. I made little crisp pancakes from the left over stuffing.

I was lucky, Lyn prepared everything I just did the stuffing and cooking.

By Andrea Nguyen

There are many kinds of eggplants in Asia and the egg-shaped Indian variety is particularly wonderful. It peaks during hot months and as the season winds down, I make this terrific Indian recipe, which I learned from Ruta Kahate’s 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. You’ll find the Indian eggplants at South Asian markets as well as at some farmer’s markets where they’ll be sold by Asian farmers. In California where I live, Hmong farmers are my summer time go-to source for eggplants. They have a medium-thick skin and creamy flesh, and are much smaller than the regular globe variety. You can certainly grill them, but better yet, stuff them with a rich mixture of ground peanuts and sesame seeds and let them get kind of crusty. Serve warm or cold.

Serves 4

1/4 cup toasted white (hulled) sesame seeds

1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons water

8 Indian eggplants, or 6 small Italian or Japanese eggplants (1 1/2 pounds total)

3 to 4 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup water

1. For the filling, use a mini food processor to grind the sesame seeds, peanuts, sugar, salt, turmeric and cayenne to a crumbly texture. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the cilantro and water to create a compact, spreadable mixture. Set aside.

2. Use scissors to trim the eggplant stems so that they are about 1/2 inch long. Use your fingers to remove the green pointy flaps of the eggplant caps. Make a deep cross incision in each eggplant, stopping 1/2-inch short of the stem. To do that, position each one on its side on your cutting board. Hold it down with one hand while you wield the knife with the other hand to make the first horizontal cut. Roll the eggplant 90 degrees and make the second horizontal cut.

3. Use a teaspoon to stuff each eggplant with about 1/8 of the filling. Gently pry open the eggplant, stuff in the filling. Make sure there is filling between each of the cuts. Gently squeeze the eggplant to make the filling sticks and fills the crevices.

4. Pour the oil into a large nonstick skillet over medium heat to film the bottom. When hot, add the eggplants in a single layer. Fry the eggplants for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently, to brown them on two sides. Don’t fret when some of the filling spills out. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water, cover with a lid or foil, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender. Pierce with the tip of a knife to test. There will be filling in the skillet bottom. If you want to crisp those bits and serve them with the eggplant, increase the heat to medium high and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the heat, let the sizzling subside, then transfer to a plate and serve hot or warm.

7 months old and cooking

It’s almost done can you smell that?