onion and garlic mashed potatoes

I picked up some crab-stuffed salmon at Central Market yesterday and thought it was SO good. Turns out Taylor doesn't like crab. So I get to enjoy the rest of it myself! I made mashed potatoes, and I got to use two of my red kitchen gadgets! Mashed potatoes are one of the things I have the earliest recollection of helping make. I think I may have been delegated the job as a teenager when I kept telling my mom to add more butter and milk.
Onion and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
2-3 potatoes, scrubbed
1/3 cup 2% or whole milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, get fresh cheese and grate it if possible
salt
pepper
DIRECTIONS
Put potatoes in large pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered 20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile in small sauce pan, melt butter over medium and add onions. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes. Add garlic and simmer about 8-10 minutes more until butter appears to be reduced and onions are translucent and tender. (some wine in there might be fun to try next time!) Allow onion butter mixture to cool a bit and then pour into food processor and puree. Once potatoes are cooked, peel them if desired, cube them and add to blender. Mix on low until potatoes are slightly mashed. Add butter mixture. Mix. Add milk until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, perhaps about 1/2 T. each.

Oniony and garlicy and good! Maybe I'll try truffle oil next!

{image belongs to vegcooking.com}

chex muddy buddies

Family traditions! We made this at home growing up and usually gave (give) containers of it away to friends. Logan and I ate it non-stop once we'd made it. In college I made it with my roommates who called it "Puppy Chow." That name weirds Taylor out and he refuses to try it. ...that and the involvement of peanut butter. Typical.

Chex Muddy Buddies
INGREDIENTS
9 cups Corn Chex
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Do not overheat. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Add more powdered sugar until well coated and white. Store in airtight container.
Hello, heaven.

beef soup

What's the difference between stew and soup? What's the difference between broth and stock? In that regard, I'm no Emeril.

But speaking of Emeril, I made Beef Stouwp in my awesome blue dutch oven that is Emeril's line. So not only am I guaranteed culinary awesomeness by cooking something endorsed by a celebrity but, best of all, it has an 'E' on the top. So in other words, I used my monogrammed dutch oven the to make this stouwp.

Beef Stouwp
INGREDIENTS
1.5-2lbs Beef tips ( I think that's what they were. The chopped up beef that said "Great for Stews" at HEB)
4 new potatoes, or 3-4 cups, peeled and bit-sized cubed
2 cups baby carrots
1/2 onion chopped
4-5 c. low sodium beef broth
1 c dry white wine
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves minced garlic
flour
salt
pepper
olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Coat beef in combined flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high. Brown meat about 8 minutes. Remove to platter and brown vegetables, about 4 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, reduce heat and cook, about 2 minutes. Add wine, thyme, garlic and bay leaves. Simmer liquid until wine is reduced, about 6 minutes. Add meat and juices from platter; add enough broth to cover ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer gently about one and a half hours.

Great for the cold! Adapted from Allrecipes.com and Epicurious. Next time I'll try using a big roast in my crock pot. Fun winter kitchen toys I haven't used yet!