Suzy-Homemaker

Anyone can make the ‘traditional’ Onion Dip with the traditional (salt and preservative-loaded) soup mix – right?

Well, that wouldn’t be the Suzy-Homemaker way. I doubt this recipe is any cheaper but it is so delicious you’ll never go back to the soup mix. A couple of notes about this recipe:

I don’t really measure much when I’m cooking so this is guesstimates – season to your taste. I use whatever onions I have on hand - yellow, purple, frozen pearl onions, shallots…you get the idea. I also like to make this ahead for two reasons, it’s better the next (or third) day and it allows you to let the onions cool before guests arrive.

RECIPE:

1 tub (the medium-sized one, not the single serving yogurt size) of sour cream

1/2 cup of Mayo

1 teaspoon of dried garlic (or roasted if you have it on hand)

1 heaping tablespoon of dried onion

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

4 green onion stalks chopped (with a teaspoon or so set aside for garnish)

1 Purple onion choped fine

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Heat the olive oil up in a skillet and add the chopped fresh onion (not the green). Saute on medium to-medium low until brown and caramelized. Watch carefully that they don’t burn and turn the heat down if needed. This probably takes about a half an hour. If the onions look too dry, add some more oil. If they seem like they’re browning too quickly add some chicken stock, white wine or even water to slow the process.

Meanwhile, mix the sour cream and mayo together thoroughly – I often will whisk it. Mix the garlic, dried and green onions and soy sauce into the sour cream/mayo.

Once the sautee’d onions are nice and caramelized and brown and COOL (you don’t want them to cook the sour cream) add them to the sour cream/mayo mix as well. Cover and let chill and come together. Give the dip a really good stir and scatter the reserved green onions on top before serving.

This can be served with chips or vegetables and I promise people will ask for the recipe.

 First and foremost: if you say “oh, I don’t like curry/Indian food” I beg you to try good Indian. India has amazing flavors and terrific uses of legumes and vegetables. By the way (in case you don’t know)  ‘Curry’ is not one flavor, it’s a mix of herbs and spices that are combined and called a curry; this is why curry (unless consumed from the same place) is always different. Curry differs from region to region and even from country to country, as is the case with Thai curries. I was in the mood for Indian and I pulled this together in about 20 minutes — it might have an Indian name but I don’t know what it is. You’ll probably have all the ingredients hanging around except for maybe the Turmeric which can be found in almost any market in the international section.

Ingredients in order of use:

1 Onion chopped finely

1 Tablespoon of butter

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

3 Fat chicken Breasts cubed  

1 can of tomatoes drained with juice reserved and added to chicken broth

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 teaspoon of garlic* (I use chopped roasted but any is fine)

1 teaspoon of turmeric*

1 teaspoon of coriander*

1 teaspoon of ginger*

1 teaspoon of cumin

½ teaspoon of chili powder (I use chipotle powder for the smoke)*

Dried or fresh cilantro (if you have it)*

Fresh ground pepper*

*Put all the spices and herbs in a small cup and add a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth to make a paste

½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste, this is a guess)

1 1/2 cups of rice (I like brown just because I’m trying to be healthy but jamine/basmati rice is sooo good)

3 cups of chicken broth or water (seriously, don’t feel bad if you use water, I like the chicken broth but I don’t always have it on hand)

 Directions:

Heat up a sauté pan on medium high heat, add butter and oil; add onions when the butter is melted and the oil is ‘wavy’. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onions until they’re soft and begin to brown.  I like my onions browned a little for that extra flavor component.  Once the onions are starting to brown, add the chicken and turn up the heat a little. Brown the chicken quickly (it will cook completely when we simmer covered so don’t over brown and dry it out), add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans and spice mixture  stir together and cook for 3-4 minutes at a rapid boil. Scatter the rice over the top of the simmering pan and then pour the chicken broth (or water) over all of it. Stir and bring to a boil then cover and cook according to the rice instructions (depends on what rice you use.)

One pan, quick meal that I served like I would a stew with a small salad. Plenty of protein, low fat and very high flavor.

Also known as Merlot Braised Short Ribs with Rasberry Chipotle glaze.

I like boneless (yes, I know bones are traditional) make sure that the ribs are at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. If boneless ribs are unavailable, substitute 7 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs at least 4 inches long with 1 inch of meat above the bone. If you buy whimpy ribs, you’ll regret it. I was inspired to write this recipe at a food and wine festival after I had tasted a rasberry chipotle sauce and immediately thereafter took a swig of JAQK Cellars Black Clover merlot – match made in heaven. I make and serve this dish with JAQK wine but I understand that you might not be able to get JAQK wine in your area (yet) or that it’s not always a fiscally feasible to cook with high quality wine. If you substitute, I recommend a hearty Merlot or Cabernet with a nice ‘fruit forward’ flavor. Or…. skip the wine snobbery and choose the red wine that you like best and invite some friends over to love it too.

Serves 6
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds boneless short ribs , trimmed of excess fat

Salt and ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Large onions , peeled and sliced thin from pole to pole (about 4 cups)

5 Tablespoons of rasberry chipotle sauce (or substiture rasberry jam with 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder)

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

6 Medium garlic cloves , peeled

2 Cups red wine (see note above)

1 Cup beef broth

4 Large carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

4 Sprigs fresh thyme

1 Bay leaf

 1/4 Cup cold water

1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin

 Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of beef and cook, without moving, until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn beef and continue to cook on second side until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes longer, reduce the heat if things get a little too smokey. Transfer beef to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and meat.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (If onions begin to darken too quickly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to pan.) Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it browns on sides and bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. you will now have a mess in your pot and will doubt that this is right — carry-on, I promise this is both necessary and will wash out. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add wine and simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. You will see that I wasn’t lying about the clean pot promise.  Add broth, carrots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add beef and any accumulated juices to pot; cover and bring to simmer. Transfer pot to oven and cook, using tongs to turn meat twice during cooking, until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 2 to 2½ hours.

3. Place water in small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top; let stand at least 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer meat and carrots to serving platter and tent with foil. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator or bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Allow liquid to settle about 5 minutes and strain off fat. Return cooking liquid to Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mixture; season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meat and serve.

Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes.

gam·bol

 intr.v. gam·boled or gam·bolled, gam·bol·ing or gam·bol·ling, gam·bols To leap about playfully; frolic.

Rooftop deck at JAQK Cellars with (from L-R) my friend Patrick, our host and JAQK co-founder Joel Templin, Me and my other friend Leslie.

 Last week I was so fortunate to spend the evening at JAQK Cellars in San Francisco. What a fantastic evening it was! Once a month JAQK offers tastings of their DELICIOUS wines in their downtown San Francisco tasting loft. (I call it a loft – I think it better describes the cool uber chic atmosphere.)

 Turn the clock back to last fall when I was first introduced to JAQK wines while at the Carmel Harvest to Table event.  Admittedly, I was drawn to the wines by their stunning graphics and marketing.

Who could walk by and not try this??

 After I chatted with the wine maker Craig MacLean about food and wine and pairings – I had an immediate need to pair Black Clover with Beef Short Ribs Braised in Merlot with Rasberry Chipotle glaze -it turned out that Craig saw my vision and agreed with me enough to give me a bottle to use  to write the recipe. God only knows why I was thinking about braising beef on a near 100 degree day, all I can say is I was inspired, and it was all Craig McLean’s fault   I did create the recipe and I’ll share it later in this post.

Tipping it back like the pro that I am...

Fast forward almost a year and several shipments into my Society of the Tipsy King membership and I’m hooked. It’s not just the wine – it’s the stories and the people. Why do you think it’s so easy to love wine when you’re on that euphoric Napa (or Paso Robles, CA, Herman, MO, Long Island, NY, or Northern Virgina) wine tasting weekend?  It’s the stories that a wine maker or a tasting specialist a founder, or even a Sommelier was willing to tell you, trusting you with their passion and the stories of ‘growing up’. (Okay, well it’s also because you’re a little drunk… )

So, here’s my recommendation: support your local winemakers – regardless of where you live – give them a try, hear their stories. If you like what they offer, tell your friends, visit often and tell them how great they are- winemaking is a labor of love and very few are loaded [with money]. When you visit cities, look for local food, wine and arts and craft resources and experience something a little more rich and flavorful (literally and figuratively) than what’s on the tour guide script. If you visit San Francisco, get a taste of Napa without leaving the city! (There’s a party minimum so just call me and I’ll grab a few friends!)

There’s only a few places you’ll get this iconic San Francisco view – one of them is from the JAQK Cellars rooftop lounge.

TransAmerica Pyramid Building

Some details: I love JAQK High Roller and you’ll buy it for the bottle and die over what’s inside. I love Black Clover Merlot with its berries and fruit and love affair with beef.  I adore both of the Chardonnays Pearl Handle and Her Majesty and cannot wait to crack open my bottle of Charmed now that I know more history about Craig MacLean’s passion and success with Sauvignon Blanc. I came home with a couple of extra bottles of 22 Black and can’t wait to have some friends over with a hearty helping of Tri-Tip and grilled vegetables.

New Member 'stuff'

Bragging to friends and family about our evening.

Now before I go any further and share my recipe, I have to thank Mister, my wonderful Mister who not only took these pictures, he drove our silly drunk butts to and from this great evening.

The gang at dinner - yes, there was more wine.

See the next post for the Braised Short Ribs recipe, you’ll love it!

I work ‘by day’ as a communications /public relations consultant. I am lucky enough to work from home almost 100% of the time. I thought it was funny the other day as I looked in my lap and realized I’d been mixing business and pleasure a lot on one particular day.

An average day at Suzy-Homemaker headquarters aka: Bed Island

Just thought I’d give you a glimpse into my world. Writing up a recipe to share in a real blog post tomorrow.

I know this is late but my blog has been broken and I haven’t been able to add pictures.  I wanted to share the fun I had at Maker Faire in Northern California this last Spring. If there is a Maker Faire near you, put on your patience-hat and take your kids — it’s truly amazing. There are so few events that are as hands-on as this one and I assure you, you will be amazed at how creative people are and you’ll be sure to learn something new.

Think of Maker Faire as Etsy on steroids and Burning Man on prozac.

Bicycle Powered Band. Note the guitar made from a shovel!

I am fortunate enough to live close to Maker Faire (well, it’s a blessing and a curse since it’s become the largest event held in our city and the overflow is a neighborhood nightmare) I volunteered to teach people how to sew in the BurdaStyle.com booth and was given a two-day pass in return. Mister and I had some friends come down from Oakland and we spent all of Saturday wandering the creativity and artistry.  It’s easiest to show in pictures:

San Francisco in toothpics, who has this kinda time?

The BurdaStyle booth was across from the Make.com craft booth where there were a plethora of crafty courses and ongoing craft demos.  Imagine a fair where there are dozens of booths offering to teach you to make stuff!

Legos!

Using household 'trash' to grow stuff.

This is a really cool 100% sustainable grow your own mushroom kit developed by students.

There was an entire expo center hall darkened and dedicated to lighted electronic arts and performances. The kids were fascinated in the darkness.

Electric talking giraffe that spoke in a calm English accent when you touched 'him'.

Saturday Night Fever experience for a whole new generation.

It was so cool to see every age learning something new. I taught people from age 4 to age 40 to sew a small tote bag and I enjoyed every second!

Learning to knit!

I wish someone would send me a picture of my sewing students — I know the pictures were taken because I was trying to give instructions and encouragement while sucking in my gut

Free-motion sewing art that was AMAZING.

Not only was this guy amazingly talented but he did this on a solar powered sewing machine with dozens of people watching.

If you weren’t ready to tackle making some things yourself there was a big ‘Bizarre Bazaar’ where you could purchase the most beautiful handmade items from upcycled clothing to fine jewelry. 

My sentiments exactly!

On that note, I’m going to sign out and work on a blog for tomorrow.

I had to post a picture of the beautiful cherries I got from a roadside stand in the middle of a cherry orchard. The trees were so full of cherries you could see them from a distance. I didn’t have my camera or I would have taken a picture. for those of you who think California is a concrete jungle, you’re mistaken.

I love this event and I’m sorry if I beat it to death this week.

I thought I’d take a second to point out some of the trends I experienced with wine and just share more pictures with y’all.

Overall, I noticed that winemakers are making more drinkable wine. Several wineries blended grapes for the sole purpose of creating a wine that was drinkable the minute it was released. Smart, since most of us can’t afford a house big enough to store a bunch of wine for ten years. Okay, well maybe you can, but my hall closet is pretty full.

Clever naming and marketing are still king for getting attention in the wine world. I stopped by Wrath (get it? Grapes of …), Inception, Purple Cowboy, Donkey and Goat, Oh Wines, Educated Guess, Meteor and WindRacer — just because of the names. I couldn’t pass up Cherry Pie Wine nor Layer Cake anymore than I’d ever be able to pass up their namessakes. I suppose it’s a bit like shopping for wine by the label. The benefit of going to an event where world-class chefs are cooking is that you won’t get crappy wine. All of these wineries had something to offer me that I wouldn’t turn down. I can’t say that I loved all of the wine I tasted but none of it singed my nose hairs or left my tongue feeling like it had grown carpet. One of the things I love about this festival is the requirement that the winemaker and/or vinyard owner must be present, pouring the wine. Tasting a wine while the ‘owner’ tells you with such enthusiastic passion why his or her wine is what it is — is a terrific experience. I found that questioning and challenging a winemaker made for the most enlightening and educational experience and truly made a loyal fan out of me for many wineries. I’m also starting to learn what regional grapes I might prefer for Pinots and Cabernets that I never had (or cared to have) before.

Of course, I couldn’t help but stop at some of my stand-by favorites to taste offerings that I either haven’t had before or am just too cheap to buy. I’m telling you these guys pull out all the stops – many wines I tasted retail for more than $200 or more a bottle and aren’t even available for commercial sale because of their limited availability. Opportunity of a wino’s lifetime, I tell ya!

One final note about a trend I noticed (and granted, I did not taste all of the wine, no way I would have been able to and stay concious.) My experience with the Chardonnays that I tasted was that the over-oaked, smokey and whiskey-like Chards are a thing of the past. I tasted fruit forward, buttery and delightful Chardonnays that I have promised to bring back into my life — we had to break up for while since about the 90’s when Chardonnay started tasting like Scotch.

Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll have to group some more photos together into a theme for tomorrow’s post – I’m thinking it might be about the wonderful people I met and what they cooked for me (and about 2,000 other people).

I made my trip this last weekend to the PBF&W Festival (or Food and Wine Mecca as I like to think of it.)

I think I’ll start with the trends that I noticed.

Ducks and Pigs were king this year. Amongst the usuals there was an abundance of duck breast, fois gras, pork belly and bacon.

Also “Spring Chives” which are basically chive sprouts-some still with seeds entact – were the garnish of the season.

This WAS delicious...

 And Salt had a HUGE presence – salt tastings, salt still life and salt displays.

Here’s a little peek at a few of the  many dishes I sampled. I’ll go into more detail about my favorites, my celebrity chef sightings, wine trends and just some overall pretty pictures. Stay tuned!

I have been blessed throughout my life with great friends.

Some are still friends, and some are not. I hope that my friends feel the same way about me as I do them.

Some friends I’ve had for a lifetime (literally); some I have never met in person.

Some people whom I consider friends are truly so kind and generous and frankly, I don’t know why.

I have friends who come in and out of my life as though they never left.

So today, I’m sending out some small gifts for some people whom have been kind to me.

This little number is for someone who I’ve only met once but feel as though I’ve known her forever; she is kind and generous and makes me laugh. The other gifts I’m sending are going to people who have been supportive and participatory in what I’m doing on Facebook.

Tomorrow I’m going to make some things for a few friends who are having a hard time right now and challenging very different but similar hurdles.

What friend comes to your mind? Whip something up and send it off or better yet, leave it on their doorstep — with a doorbell ditch. If you’re not a whipper-upper, send off a nice note or find an everyday object that reminds you of them and pen a few words about why.