A Perfect Feast

I have been making this gorgeous braided bread for the past 20 years. It is my go to bread for entertaining, especially on Jewish holidays. But, really, it’s a bread I love to make any day of the year because it is so easy to make and always turns out great.

There are times when I am absolutely required to make this bread, and those times always involve needing my Bread Machine Challah to make the world’s best French toast. I cannot imagine making French toast with any other bread, and tomorrow I will be sharing my Crunchy Cereal French Toast recipe with you.

The day before I make my French toast, I like to make my Bread Machine Challah. I’ve had my bread machine for over 20 years, and it is my very favorite kitchen appliance. I have a Zojirushi bread machine and I love that it heats all the ingredients up to the perfect temperature, so I just have to put everything in the pan, wet ingredients first. Then, I just ignore it for one hour and fifty minutes and my dough is completely ready. It’s really the easiest way to make bread.

Bread Machine Challah

An easy and beautiful braided bread machine bread.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 10

Equipment

• Bread Machine

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup water
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1¼ tsp. salt
• 3 cups flour (360g)
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast

For Egg Wash:

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tbsp. water

Instructions

 

• Add all the ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine. Set your bread machine for the dough cycle, and let the machine run that full cycle.
• When the dough is ready, divide it into 3 sections and braid it and place it on a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise 20 minutes.
• Brush it all over with the egg wash and bake it at 375° for 25 minutes.

Keyword bread

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Creole Grillades with Cheddar Grits are a classic New Orleans brunch entree. But, they also make a terrific dinner for any time you want a taste of New Orleans without leaving home.

My husband asked me to make this dish after seeing someone eat on a television show. I honestly did not have high hopes that he would like it, but decided to make it anyway because I love making anything that braises for hours and that doesn’t need much attention. That way, I can do other things while dinner cooks away all by itself. But, I was very pleasantly surprised at how fall apart tender the beef became, and how flavorful the sauce was. I loved that the sauce wasn’t too spicy or too salty, but still had great flavor.

We also loved the Oven Baked Cheddar Grits. They were so light and fluffy, but had great cheddar flavor. We really like the Bob’s Red Mill brand of grits/polenta. I store them in the refrigerator where they keep for months. I left the cheese out of a portion of the grits, and then they were perfect for my picky eater. These cheddar grits bake in the oven, so they take about 5 minutes of non-baking time to prepare.

I served these Creole Grillades with Cheddar Grits with some sauteed spinach, and it was a huge hit. It was so good, that unfortunately, we had no leftovers. Otherwise, I know these would have reheated in the microwave, and been absolutely delicious for today’s lunch.

The Equipment I Used

• A Dutch Oven- I like to cook my Grillades in a Dutch oven, but you can use any large pot.
• A Baking Dish- Use a glass or ceramic baking dish, about 9×11, to cook your grits.

If you like Creole flavors and tender beef, you need to try these delicious Creole Grillades with Cheddar Grits.

Creole Grillades with Cheddar Grits

Tender beef cooked in a Creole sauce and served over buttery cheddar grits.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Creole

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Creole Grillades:

• 2 lbs. chuck steak or roast
• ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 chopped plum tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 2 tsp. chopped parsley

For Oven Baked Cheddar Grits:

• 1 cup coarse corn grits/polenta
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 tbsp. salted butter
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

 

• Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes and pat dry.
• Mix together flour, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Stir the beef into the flour mixture until it's fully coated.
• In a Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of oil and brown about 6 cubes of beef at a time. Do not overcrowd the pot, and brown the beef on all sides. Remove the browned beef to a plate, and cook the remaining meat in small batches. Add more oil as needed.
• When all the meat is browned cook the onions, celery, and peppers for about 5 minutes until they're softened.
• Add the garlic, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and thyme and cook for two minutes.
• Next add the red wine, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Cover the pot and let simmer, without boiling, for 2½ hours, or until fork tender. As it cooks, stir it often, and see if it needs more salt, pepper, or other seasonings.
• Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and add parsley. Serve over grits.

For the Oven Baked Cheddar Grits:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a 13 by 9 casserole dish mix together the grits, salt, and 4 cups of water. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
• Stir casserole contents together, and add butter and cheese. Serve topped with grillades.

Keyword beef

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Last night we had the most delicious dinner of Spicy Pulled Pork Tostadas with Refried Beans and Crisp Vegetables. The pork was nice and spicy, with a hint of sweetness, the beans were light and creamy, and the vegetables were so fresh and crunchy. Best of all, we have a ton of leftovers.

To make this dish, it’s important to select a pork butt. If you would like to double the recipe, this pulled pork freezes very well and can be used in a multitude of dishes. I froze most of my leftover pork, and will be using it to fill sandwiches and quesadillas.

If you don’t like spicy food, cut down or omit the spices. The pork will still be terrific.

These refried beans are not actually fried, just pureed. But, that keeps them light, and actually fat free.

Spicy Pulled Pork Tostadas with Refried Beans and Crisp Vegetables

Crisp tortillas piled high with creamy beans, tender pork, and fresh vegetables.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For Spicy Pulled Pork:

• 2 onions, cut in one inch slices
• 3 lbs. boneless pork butt
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar

For Refried Beans:

• 1 cup dried black beans
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup cilantro

For Assembling Tostadas:

• 8 large flour tortillas
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup chopped red and orange peppers
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 4 radishes, sliced
• 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

 

For the Spicy Pulled Pork:

• Preheat the oven to 300°.
• At the bottom of a large Dutch oven, place the sliced onions. Then put in the pork butt, fat side up. Mix all the spices and spread them all over the pork. Add chicken broth and garlic to the bottom of the pot.
• Bake, tightly covered, for 5 hours.
• Shred the pork with two forks, and stir in the sugar.

For the Refried Beans:

• Rinse the beans and put them in a 3 quart saucepan, with enough water to cover the beans by a few inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and let sit one hour.
• Drain and rinse beans and return to the pot. Add the onion, cilantro, garlic, salt and chicken broth, plus enough water to cover the beans by a couple of inches,
• Let beans cook about 2 hours, until tender. Add more water, if needed, so the beans stay covered at all times.
• Puree beans in food processor, and serve.

To assemble the tostadas:

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Rub tortillas on both sides with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
• Top tortillas with beans, then cheese, then pork. Top with vegetables and sour cream.

Keyword pork

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!