Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas Individual Wellingtons




This dish is usually prepared throughout the day that we will be serving it.  Most of the time we prep each part early so that we can throw it all together at the end and eat within an hour of company arriving.


Duxelle



Ingredients:

  • 2 pints mushrooms
  • 2 Shallots
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/8 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and Freshly ground Black pepper

Directions:

  1. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  2. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat, add salt and pepper stir frequently until the mixture has lost most of its moisture (10-15 min).
  3. Add wine and reduce again, when mixture looks like the consistency of moist cake, add 1/8 cup heavy cream and mix until there is little residual moisture.
  4. Set aside to cool.

Beef









Ingredients:

  • 3+ lb Beef Tenderloin trimmed
  • 8 Prosciutto Slices (enough for 1 slice for each portion)
  • 8 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
  • Sprinkle of Flour
  • 2 lb puff pastry
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Coarse Sea Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

  1. Portion Tenderloin as large or small to make 8 individual steaks.
  2. Drizzle olive oil on steaks and season with Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.
  3. Sear individual tenderloins on all sides - about 2 minutes.
  4. After searing set aside to cool and let juices redistribute.
  5. Flour work surface and roll out the Puff Pastry.  You will want to have about 2"+ larger than each of your portioned tenderloin.
  6. Once rolled, place sliced prosciutto on your section of puff pastry, then spread a layer of Duxelle.
  7. Place portioned tenderloin on top of the Duxelle, smear the portioned tenderloins lightly with Dijon Mustard.
  8. Wrap the sides of the Puff Pastry, brushing with egg wash to seal edges and flip it over onto a parchment covered cookie sheet.
  9. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
  10. Brush the tops of each individual wellington with egg wash and make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - creating vents for steam to escape.
  11. Bake until pastry is golden and beef registers at least 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

Red Wine Shallot Sauce



Ingredients:

  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Garlic clove lightly crushed
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can beef stock
  • 1 Tablespoon of Butter

Directions:

  1. Saute your sliced shallots in a medium saucepan with the oil over high heat for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
  2. Season with fresh ground black pepper adding the garlic and rosemary.
  3. Continue to cook and stir for 3 more minutes.
  4. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pot and reduce until it is a syrup.
  5. Add wine and reduce by 2/3's.
  6. Pour in the beef stock and bring to a boil, turn down the heat to medium and simmer until reduced by 2/3's again.
  7. Remove the garlic and rosemary.
  8. Add salt to taste and whisk in the tablespoon of butter to finish before serving.


Thursday, December 1, 2016

DIY Laundry Detergent - Update for 2016



So it's that time of year where we're running low on laundry detergent! Please see our 3 prior blog posts:

Last year, we spent $39.86. This year, we spent $39.73 (decrease of $0.13). I used used Fels Naptha this year because I couldn't find the Zote soap. I also bought a cheap grater to grate the soap instead of microwaving and using the Magic Bullet. We used the same Purex Crystals Fabric Softener "Fresh Spring Waters" scent.


Ingredients

  • 1 (4 lb. 12 oz.) Box of Borax
  • 1 (3 lb. 7 oz.) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
  • 1 (4 lb.) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
  • 1 (3 lb.) Container of OxyClean
  • 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Fels Naptha
  • 2 (48 oz.) Bottles of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener

Cost Break Down

Total Cost of ingredients listed above: $39.73
Total ounces by weight = 367.2 oz.
2 Tablespoons = 1 oz. (for 1 load of laundry)

This means about 367 loads of laundry at about $0.11 per load.

Cost of living doesn't change, since I spent $0.13 less. Still, that is LESS THAN $40 for laundry detergent. FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. (Actually, more than a year, since the last time we made it was in June of 2015).

As I said last year and the year before, "the math don't lie."


Picture Proof:



Directions

  1. Grate Fels Naptha until finished (tiring).
  2. Get a very large bucket and mix everything together. It is recommended that you layer the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  3. You only need 2 tablespoons (even for the largest load of laundry)! The Purex Crystals lid is perfect for measuring.

Pictures (with comments)


The ingredients. List is above.


Ready to grate the Fels Naptha.


Grated Fels Naptha


Full bucket.


2 handy helpers!


Full containers.


Time to do some Laundry!