Crockpot Balsamic Pot Roast

We have had a cold winter this year, it was 75 degrees yesterday, but overall, it has been cool for Houston. On Mondays, I don't get home until after 5pm because of Miss F's dance class. Crockpot meals are such an easy way to have a home cooked meal even when we get home late in the evening. I thought for sure C would call out the vinegar usage, but he didn't recognize it at all, thank goodness. He even took leftovers for lunch the next day.  This makes a large amount of food, so we both got to enjoy leftovers. I adapted this recipe from Julie's Eats and Treats.

Crockpot Balsamic Pot Roast

1 cup beef broth
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 pound beef roast
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound red potatoes, quartered
1 small onion, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the beef broth, brown sugar, balsamic, flour, soy sauce, red pepper and garlic. Set aside. Spray the bowl of the crockpot with cooking spray, place the roast in the bowl. Top with the carrots, potatoes and onion. Pour the broth mixture over top, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

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Balsamic Pear Salad

Miss F has been eating salad more often, which means I have been eating salad more often. There were gorgeous pears at the grocer this week and this salad was the perfect way to showcase them. I was shocked when C devoured the whole thing, I never figured him to be a pear-salad loving guy. Sweet balsamic dressing is one of my most favorite salad toppings and it works beautifully with fall pears.  I used Anjou pears, but Bosc pears would work just as nicely.

Balsamic Pear Salad

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup olive oil
4 cups chopped romaine
1 pear, sliced
¼ onion, thinly sliced

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and sugar. Stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly. Toss the romaine, pears and onion with the dressing. Serve.

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Apricot Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is such an easy cut of meat to prepare. There are so many great recipes for it, but this recipe for Apricot Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin from Kitchenette looked amazing. I love apricot preserves on nearly anything and add in some acid from the balsamic and you pretty much have perfection. The glaze also worked great for dipping the rosemary roasted potatoes into.  And I might have dipped my broccoli in it as well.  I do love apple cider vinegar on my broccoli, so this is just a little fancier.

Apricot Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

½ cup apricot preserves
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon herbes de provence
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat & silverskin

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small sauce pan, stir together the preserves, vinegar, lemon juice and herbs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve 1/3 cup of the glaze for serving.

Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper. Place on a greased baking sheet and coat the pork with the glaze, using a brush, on all sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees. Let the pork rest 10 minutes before slicing, serve with reserved glaze.

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Balsamic Roasted Beef

Filet of beef is always my go to dinner party main dish. It is easy to prepare, a crowd pleaser and reasonably priced when purchased at Ranch 99 Market, a local Asian grocer here in Houston. Ina Garten has never failed me whenever I follow her beef tenderloin recipes, so when I saw a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa that featured Balsamic Roasted Beef, I knew that was going to be a winner. I may have purchased two beef tenderloins because I always like to be over prepared, we lost of couple ladies to sickness the day of the party, so I went ahead and only cooked one, which worked out perfectly. Now I have another lurking in our freezer, the big question is which recipe to use next!

Balsamic Roasted Beef

2 ½ pounds filet of beef, trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place the beef on the sheet pan. Combine the mustard, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on the filet and brush it evenly over the top and sides. Sprinkle the cracked pepper evenly all over the meat.

Roast the filet for 30 minutes exactly for medium-rare (25 minutes for rare and 35 minutes for medium). Remove the pan from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the beef to rest on the pan for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot or warm.

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Balsamic Braised Short Ribs with Cheddar Polenta

I will admit, I totally tried to pull one over on C with this dinner. He hates vinegar, not sure what the issue is there, but I am guessing it all boils down to the smell (add it to chocolate, bread, garlic, whatever smells delicious...) As soon as I served this, he asked if there was vinegar in it. He loves my usual short rib recipe, I was hoping I could pass this off as the same. I couldn't. Which meant Miss F also complained of the funny tasting carrots. The good news was that he loved the polenta. The best news was that I adored this even more than my usual recipe. I love vinegar. I don't understand not enjoying it. Growing up, we put it on all sorts of things. I poured it on broccoli, dipped crabmeat in it and even had it on my baked potato. We had a cruet that sat on the dinner table like any other condiment. If you like vinegar like I do, then be sure to try this recipe. It is amazing. Thanks to Gastronomical Sovereignty for the recipe inspiration.

Balsamic Braised Short Ribs with Cheddar Polenta

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 to 1 ½ pounds boneless short ribs
1 onion, chopped
4 to 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup polenta
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add ribs to pan; cook approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned, turning occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and carrots. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the broth, vinegar and sugar, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomatoes and nestle the short ribs with their accumulated juices into the pan. Cover and bake at 300° for 3 hours.

Make the polenta about 30 minutes before ready to serve. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring milk, water, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese. Serve the short ribs over the polenta.

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Chicken with Mushrooms in a Balsamic Cream Sauce

I had pinned a recipe for Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce weeks ago. I glanced at the recipe and got the ingredients from the grocer. When I went to review the recipe the night before, it was gone.  The blogger was self-publishing a cookbook, so they decided it would be a great idea to take down their recipes, but leave up the original post.  That did not help my plight one bit and I certainly wasn't going to wait and buy their cookbook.  Luckily, that same day a friendlier blogger had made Champagne Chicken, which inspired me to create my own recipe for Chicken in a Balsamic Cream Sauce.  The original recipe came from a low carb blogger, so I added flour and served it over mashed potatoes...seemed like the right thing to do.

Chicken with Mushrooms in a Balsamic Cream Sauce

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ white onion, sliced
1 pound baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
½ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup heavy cream

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, set aside. Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium-high. Brown the chicken on both sides, remove to a plate. Add the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, mushrooms and flour; sauté until caramelized, about five minutes. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and vinegar; add the red pepper flakes. Stir in the cream. Return the chicken back into the pan, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

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Peach Chicken

As soon as I saw this recipe on Branny Boils Over, I made an immediate change to my weekly menu.  So out went barbecue beer chicken thighs and in came Peach Chicken.  I had everything on hand since it is the height of peach season right now.  I know Miss F and I are going to both be very upset when it ends, we really like having a peach or "nectardream" every morning with breakfast.  Next time I might finish this on the stove top instead of in the oven to try and thicken the sauce up a bit more.  The peaches were a lovely complement to the chicken and they weren't overly sweet.  This is a perfect summer meal.

Peach Chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large firm-ripe peaches, cut into ¼” slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in an oven safe skillet with a lid over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and broth in a small bowl and set aside. When the chicken is browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture and the peaches to the pan. Turn the heat up to high and cook, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to thicken and the peaches soften. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake 10 minutes more. Serve.

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Balsamic and Brown Sugar Pork Chops

I saw this recipe on Pinterest from the C+C Marriage Factory.  I was very interested in the flavors, but I wasn't set on making a pork roast in the crockpot.  I am not a big fan of pork roast in the crockpot, unless it is for pulled pork, Dr. Pepper pulled pork to be specific.  I adapted their recipe to work with oven baked pork chops for an easy weeknight meal.  I used thick cut boneless pork chops, but it could easily be made on the stovetop with thinner cuts, bone in or not.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Pork Chops

4 thick cut pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons corn starch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub the pork chops with the oil and salt and pepper liberally, place in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. While the pork chops are baking, bring the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, water and corn starch to a boil in a small sauce pan. Glaze the pork chops with the vinegar mixture and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, or until cooked through.

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Ratatouille

I had never considered making Ratatouille before. It was just never on my radar, other than the kids' movie. One weekend, both Anne Burrell and Melissa d'Arabian both featured it on their shows. I was curious to try it. This recipe is a mix of both of their very different recipes. Apparently, Kroger didn't support my plans, seeing as how they were out of Eggplant. Normally, I convince them to sell me the organic at the regular price, but they didn't have any organic either. I gave the recipe a go without it. C turned up his nose initially, he thought it was all tomatoes. The tomatoes had melted into an amazing sauce. I guess his vinegar aversion wasn't in effect when we ate this, because he ate a ton. He kept sneaking more bites from the serving bowl.

Ratatouille

¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small eggplant, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 small tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 or 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Splash balsamic vinegar

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or Dutch oven. Cook the vegetables one at a time (separately) for 5 to 7 minutes, adding a little more oil as needed and seasoning with salt, in the following order: eggplant, zucchini, pepper, onion, and tomatoes. Combine all of the cooked vegetables together in the pan, add the garlic, red pepper, and basil and let simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and then turn off the heat. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

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Pork Chops and Peppers

One of my most favorite bloggers, Tide and Thyme, has been back to blogging lately. Joy!  I didn't change her recipe at all.  And it was absolute perfection.  C's vinegar aversion had completely vanished when I plated this meal.  He ate the entire thing and thought the peppers were amazing.  Well, maybe he didn't use the word amazing, but he definitely loved them.  There wasn't a bite left on his plate.  Even curiouser, he didn't complain about the garlic smell.  Can you believe he asked me to stop cooking with garlic because he hated the smell so much?  Obviously, that isn't going to happen.  I used red and yellow bell peppers since they are sweeter than green.

Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers

6 pork chops (bone-in or boneless, 1 inch thick)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
fresh ground pepper

Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Heat over high heat until shimmering. Add half of the pork chops. Cook for 3 minutes, or until nice and golden on both sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add remaining chops, and repeat process, remove to the plate when cooked.

To the now empty pan, add the sliced pepper. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are beginning to soften. Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar, and scape the bottom of the pan vigorously with a wooden spoon to loosen up fond. Let vinegar reduce until it coats the peppers and is almost syrupy in consistency.

Plate pork chops, and top with the vinegar peppers.

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Sticky Chicken Noodle Salad

One of my most favorite dishes is Bun, Vietnamese vermicelli. I love the lettuce, cucumber and herbs tossed with the vermicelli. I drown mine in peanut sauce instead of the traditional fish sauce. When I saw this recipe on JBean Cuisine, I was intrigued. It was part of the chicken recipe swap I did a few weeks back and I put it on my list to make for the following week. This dish did not disappoint. I did make a couple of changes, adding soy sauce to enhance the flavor of the delicious sauce.

Sticky Chicken Noodle Salad

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon cooking oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup chicken stock
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 pack of Thai rice noodles, cooked and cooled
½ cucumber, diced
½ head of romaine lettuce, sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons mint, minced

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and heat for a minute.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to sauté pan and cook, flipping half way through. Cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove cooked chicken from pan and set aside.

Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for one minute. Stir in tomato paste and chicken stock. With a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up all the yummy bits. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and honey to the pan and bring to a boil for 3 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

Return the cooked chicken to pan. Continue to cook over medium heat, for an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked and covered in the balsamic sauce. Season to taste. Toss the noodles with the chicken and sauce. Divide between two bowls and top with cucumber, lettuce, cilantro and mint.

Adapted from JBean Cuisine

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Pork Chops with Agrodolce Sauce

When I saw this on Confections of a Foodie Bride, I knew I had to try it. I have never brined a pork chop before and after having it, I doubt I will ever eat a pork chop that hasn't been brined again. It was so good, moist, tender, flavorful. Sadly, C wasn't a fan of the sauce at all, "You know I don't like vinegar." Except for the fact that we dipped our bread in balsamic and olive oil at nearly every restaurant we ate at in Italy. So sadly, I won't be making this again for a family dinner.   Which is really too bad because I really loved the sauce.  It thickens up so nicely and melts so nicely onto the hot pork.

Pork Chops with Agrodolce Sauce

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 green onions, sliced
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 brined pork chops (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

In a small sauce pan, stir together balsamic vinegar, honey, white and light green parts of the onions, and garlic over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook for ~10 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent boil overs. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted, and set aside to cool and thicken.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-safe pan. Liberally season both sides of the pork chops with red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sear for 3 minutes, flip pork chops, and finish in the oven to an internal temp of 150. Remove and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Serve topped with a generous spoonful of Agrodolce sauce.

Pork Chop Brine

6 cups cold water
¼ cup of kosher salt
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon black pepper corns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 pork chops, 1 1/2-2 inches thick

Add salt and molasses to water in a large Tupperware container. Add roasemary, peppercorns and pork chops. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Remove from the brine and pat the pork chops dry before preparing.

Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

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