Ingredients for Irish Lamb Stew

• Lamb Shoulder. The lamb shoulder is best for stews. It becomes nice and tender when cooked long and slow. The shoulder has a bit more fat on it that you can trim off. I like to trim it off but then add it to the stew for the extra flavor. Before serving I take as much as the fatty timing and the bones out.

• Potatoes. You can use any type of potato you have for this stew but I prefer small red potatoes. They are soft and creamy, yet hold their shape well. I also just love the flavor of red potatoes, especially paired with rosemary.
• Carrots. We want our veggies cut large for this stew. You can use whole baby carrots for easier prep work.

• Cabbage. This is optional. Some people really don’t like cooked cabbage or cabbage at all and If that’s you, leave the cabbage out.
• Onion. An onion will add so much flavor as well as rich nutrition. Onions are rich in antioxidants and immune system building properties. They are great for you and great tasting.
• Garlic. Garlic also add a lot of flavor with some of the same nutritional benefits. Improving immune system and great for blood flow and heart health, garlic is a great addition to your meals.

• Broth. You can use any type of broth you want but lamb broth will be the best choice for this lamb stew. Beef broth and chicken broth also taste great in the stew. Vegetable broth will also work. The only thing I don’t advice is plain water, that will diminish the flavor greatly.
• Flour/Cornstarch. For a little thicker broth add about a 1/4-1/2 a cup flour or cornstarch to the broth. The more you use the thicker the broth will get. I advice add the flour half way (or later) through cooking the stew. We want the meat and vegetables to soak in the flavor of the broth while cooking. If the broth is to thick it will not soak in and you might will be tough and the flavor of the vegetables will be weak. You can add the flour in 20 minutes before serving and that should be long enough to thicken up.

• Rosemary. The only seasoning (besides salt and pepper) we will need for this recipe is rosemary. I like to use fresh rosemary but dried will work as well.
• Salt and Pepper to taste. If I am using homemade broth I typically need to add a lot more salt than if I’m using store bought broth. So as I am making my stew and get it a taste or two and add the needed salt and pepper to my liking.

How To Make Irish Lamb Stew

• Chop Vegetables. Cut your potatoes in quarter or large chucks, same with your carrots, onion and cabbage. Large chunks. Dice the garlic in small pieces.
• Chop Lamb. Cut your lamb shoulder into 1-2 inch pieces. Large is good but not to big.

• Saute. Get you pot nice and hot. I like to use cast iron, it works best but if you don’t have cast iron your normal pot should work just fine. With a little cooking oil in the pot sauce the onions first. As they soften add the garlic and lamb. Once the lamb is seared, not cooked though, but as soon as it is brown add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Stir in and cook for a few minutes.

• Add Broth. Pour in the broth till it just covers the meat and vegetables. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you let your stew simmer the more flavor your stew will have. I will often turn it on low and leave it for 2 hours or longer.

• Temper Flour. To thicken the broth add about a 1/4 cup flour to your broth. To do this without having cooked flour chunks you will need to temper the flour with the broth. To temper the flour and broth you will first add the flour with some room temperature water or broth at a 1:1 ratio. Then ladle some of the hot broth from the stew into you flour and water and mix together. Keep adding broth till the flour and broth are well mixed and hot. To make sure not flour chucks I strain the mixture while adding it to my stew. Simmer for another 20 minutes to thicken up before serving.

Irish Lamb Stew

Yield: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lamb shoulder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 carrots
• 10 small red potatoes
• 6-8 cups broth
• 1/4 cup flour or cornstarch
• 2 rosemary fresh sprigs or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop Vegetables. Cut your potatoes in quarter or large chucks, same with your carrots, onion and cabbage. Large chunks. Dice the garlic in small pieces.
2. Chop Lamb. Cut your lamb shoulder into 1-2 inch pieces. Large is good but not to big.
3. Saute. Get you pot nice and hot. I like to use cast iron, it works best but if you don't have cast iron your normal pot will work just fine. With a little cooking oil in the pot saute the onions first. As they soften add the garlic and lamb. Once the lamb is seared (not cooked though) but as soon as it is brown add the potatoes, carrots, cabbage and seasonings. Stir in and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add Broth. Pour in the broth till it just covers the meat and vegetables. Cover with a lid and let simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you let your stew simmer the more flavor your stew will have. I will often turn it on low and leave it for 2 hours or longer.
5. Temper Flour. To thicken the broth add about a 1/4 cup flour to your broth. To do this without having cooked flour chunks you will need to temper the flour with the broth. To temper the flour and broth you will first add the flour with some room temperature water or broth at a 1:1 ratio. Then ladle some of the hot broth from the stew into you flour and water and mix together. Keep adding broth till the flour and broth are well mixed and hot. To make sure not flour chucks I strain the mixture while adding it to my stew. Simmer for another 20 minutes to thicken up before serving.

Crock Pot Simplified Version

Saute the lamb on the stove top then place in the crock pot with all the other ingredients. Turn on high for 4-6 hours and low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

The post Irish Lamb Stew Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Puree

In these dinner rolls I use a good amount of pumpkin but the flavor of pumpkin actually not very strong. Most of the time when you think of pumpkin flavors you think of the spices that normally complement the pumpkin and bring the flavor out. Also most fall pumpkin recipe have a lot of sugar making it seem like pumpkin is naturally sweet like fruit but its actually not super sweet, just a little…

The pumpkin in the recipe real job is to add moisture and texture to our dinner rolls. The pumpkin holds on to the moisture without making it soggy but a warm, soft dinner rolls.

You can use canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin for this recipe. I like to cook a pumpkin or two at the beginning of the fall season and freeze my pumpkin puree for all my pumpkin recipes throughout the fall and holiday months. If you are using a whole pumpkin check out my post on how to make pumpkin puree.

Flour

In most of my recipes I like to use 1/2 all purpose 1/2 whole wheat but for these rolls I choose to use 100% All Purpose Flour. All purpose has a much lighter texture insuring a good rise and lighter dinner roll. When I’m feeding my own family I’ll use 1/2 whole wheat but if I’m making them for Thankgiving or Christmas or a potluck I’ll stick to 100% all purpose.

Yeast

Yeast is our rising agent. You could also use sourdough starter and just give the rising time 8-12 hours rather than 1-2 hours… At this time in my life I’m using yeast to rise my dough. I use Fleischmann’s Yeast, The photos say bread machine yeast but that’s just the jar I continue to refill with their larger bag of normal dry yeast. I keep the yeast in the refrigerator and activate it with warm water for about 5 minutes before adding other ingredients.

Warm Water

Warm water is needed to activate the yeast. It the water is cold you risk the yeast not activating during the rise time. If the water is hot your risk killing the yeast, stopping the rise, before its entered the oven. The yeast likes a warm temperature to do it job.

Sugar/Honey

Yeast feeds off of sugar and honey and will activate faster if you add your sugar or honey in with the warm water while the yeast is activating. To add a little more flavor as well as sweetness to you dinner rolls I prefer honey for this recipe but sugar will work just as well.

Oil

Fats actually slow down the and can even stop the activation process of the yeast so it is important to not add the oil until its already activated and right before or even while you add in the flour. We add a little oil to our dinner roll to keep them from drying out and maintaining their soft texture.

Spices

In this recipe I use ginger and cinnamon. The pumpkin flavor is not super strong in these rolls so adding these two complementary flavors bring out some of the pumpkin flavor. I like these rolls because they are not over powering with spice and pumpkin flavor but a nice complement to fall dinner.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Activate Yeast

Add yeast, warm water and sugar/honey together in your mixing bowl to activate the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should get foamy and bubbly. On warm days the yeast will activate faster on cooler days it might look like the photo below. That’s okay, its still active.

Add Oil and Pumpkin

After a few minutes add the oil and pumpkin to the yeast mixture. Stir together.

Add the Dry Ingredients

Next you can add the flour, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Add the flour slowly into your bowl. If you are using a KitchenAid use the bread hook attachment and begin on low (2-4) while you add in the flour.

If you are mixing and kneading by hand, use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix in the flour slowly until its not as sticky then start using your hands but don’t forget to flour them.

Knead

Knead the dough until it forms into a nice ball at the end of your hook (or in your hands). You want the dough to no longer stick to the sides of the bowl (or stick to your hands). This can take 5-10 minutes of kneading.

Rest and Rise

In a large bowl, let the dough rest and rise until double in size. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. In a warm house this might take 1 hour a cooler house this may take 2-3 hours.

Cut and Form Into Small Rolls

When the dough has double in size, fold it a few times over and cut in half, then cut those halves in half and those halves in thirds to create 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a nice round ball and place on a baking sheet.

2nd Rise

Cover again with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for a second time for an hour or until double in size.

Bake

Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy with butter, honey, soup or stews or a turkey sandwich!

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Yield: 12 rolls

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 33 minutes

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar/honey
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix together the warm water, yeast and sugar/honey. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to let the yeast bubble up and activate.
2. After a few minutes add the oil and pumpkin puree to the mixture.
3. Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix them in slowly till all combined. Knead for 5-8 minutes until the dough forms a nice round workable ball.
4. Let rise for 1-3 hours till double in size.
5. Cut into 12 pieces and form into nice round balls. Place an a baking sheet and let rise again for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
7. Let cool and enjoy your pumpkin dinner rolls!

The post How To Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for My Caprese Salad

Tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes! You can use Cherry, Roma, Beefsteak… Any type of tomatoes works. Cut them in medium-large bites.

Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella is best but if you don’t have any you can use regular it just isn’t quiet the same but is still good. You can either buy the slices or the pearls. For this salad I use a high quality regular mozzarella because its what I had on hand. I cut it into cubes the same size as my tomatoes.

Fresh Basil

I grow fresh basil in my garden and I advise everyone to grow basil. Its easy and so rewarding! If you don’t have a basil in your garden you can buy fresh leaves at your local grocery store or ask a friend who has a garden if they could spare a few basil leaves. This recipe will not work at all with dried basil.

Balsamic Vinegar

Although not a traditional ingredient I don’t ever make Caprese without a little balsamic. It adds a sweet, bold flavor that complements the other ingredients beautifully.

Olive/Avocado Oil

Traditionally you would drizzle olive oil on caprese salad but I was out so I used Avocado oil and it did not disappoint. You don’t need a lot just a little drizzle.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is another non traditional ingredients that I just can’t seem to live without! I love fresh garlic on just about everything. The garlic is bold flavor and some people don’t love it, if you are one of those people feel free to leave it out.

Salt and Pepper

Adding a little salt and pepper goes a long way.

How to Make Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is easy to assemble. Traditionally sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese with full leaves of basil, drizzle some olive oil and you are done! I personally like everything cut a little smaller so I can easily have all the ingredients in one bite.

Cut or slice your tomatoes the way you want, cut or slice the mozzarella the same way at the tomatoes. Cut or keep your leaves whole depending on your preference. Add minced garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Caprese Salad

Yield: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 4 Medium to Large Tomatoes
• 5-10 Basil Leaves
• 3-5 Mozzarella Slices
• 3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3-4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Garlic Cloves

Instructions

1. Cut or slice tomatoes, cheese and basil however you prefer.
2. Add minced garlic and salt and pepper
3. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar
4. Toss lightly and serve!

Add more….

Here I added butter lettuce and avocado to my Caprese Salad to go along with my Honey Balsamic Salmon. I may seem like you are ruining a good caprese salad by adding more ingredients but I like to think of it more as elevating my everyday salad with some caprese.

In my cooking I also encourage creativity and experimenting, its how we learn and grow to be a better cook. So add ingredients you think will make your meal complete and worry about tradition later.

The post How to Make Caprese Salad appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Heads up! My post do contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients for Pizza Dough

Warm Water

The warm water helps the yeast activate. If the water is hot it will kill the yeast, if it is cold it will not wake up the yeast and your dough wont raise.

Yeast

Active dry yeast is our leavening agent for our pizza dough. Yeast is a living, single cell organism that feeds on sugars and makes carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles in the dough causing the dough to rise.

Sugar

The yeast works best when given some food. A little sugar is just what the yeast needs to start its work. It also adds a bit a flavor.

Flour

All purpose flour works great for this recipe. We want our flour to be stretchy and strong. All purpose flour will give you your best change.

Salt

Add and enhance flavor with salt. Simple table salt works for this recipe as well as pink himalayan or any other sea salt. Salt will slow down the yeast process so it is important to remember to add the salt along with the flour and not straight into the water, sugar and yeast mixture. The flour will distribute the slat properly without disturbing the yeast’s process.

How to Make Pizza Dough

1. Mix Water, Yeast and Sugar

Activate your yeast! In a mixing bowl or kitchen aid mixer add yeast, warm water and then sugar. The warm water starts our activation and the sugar will feed it. Mix together and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

2. Add Flour and Salt

After the yeast is activated start adding flour 1/2 cup at a time mixing and kneading together. Once you’ve added a 1 cup add in the salt then add the rest of the four 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Knead Dough

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elasticity. This may take longer if kneading by hand.

4. Rest and Rise

Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rest and rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Its best to rise in a warm place for the yeast to work properly. If its a little cooler in your house it will still rise but it may take a little longer.

5. Roll Out Pizza Dough

Divide the dough into half for 2 large pizzas or thirds for 3 medium size pizzas or into fourths for 4 small pizzas. Form into a disc and roll out will a rolling pin into a nice round circle. Use some extra flour on your counter or table to avoid the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin. If the dough doesn’t want to spread or tears easily be patient with the dough and let rest.

6. Assemble Pizza!

Sauce, Cheese, Pepperoni, veggies, pineapple or whatever topping you like!! Your favorite pizza is only a few more minutes away. Choose your toppings and assemble and bake for 18-20 minutes at 450 degrees.

MORE than pizza!

This pizza dough recipe makes more than just pepperoni pizza…
You can use this recipe for calzones, dessert pizzas, cheesey bread sticks, garlic knots and even cinnamon monkey bread.

Pizza Dough

Yield: 2 Large Pizzas

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl or kitchen aid mixture combine warm water, yeast and sugar together. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add olive oil, then flour and salt, add flour 1/2 a cup at a time. Mix and knead together.
3. Knead for 5-10 minutes until stretchy and smooth.
4. Let rise for 1 hour or until double in size.
5. Divide in 2 and roll out with extra flour into a two large pizza sized circles.
6. Add toppings and bake at 450 for 18-20 minutes.

Shop Pizza Making Tools

14″ Pizza Cutter Rocker by KitchenStar – Razor Sharp Stainless Steel Slicer Knife w Wooden Handle & Blade Cover, Silver – Premium Pizza Oven Accessories

Large Pizza Stone 20″ x 13.5″ Pizza Stone for Grill Rectangular Baking Pizza Stone for Oven Heavy Duty Cordierite Stone, Ideal for Baking Different Sizes of Pizzas

Pizza Peel 12 inch, Bamboo Pizza Board Wooden Pizza Paddle Spatula Oven Accessory for Baking Homemade Pizza, Wood Cutting Board for Cheese Bread Fruit Vegetables

GoodCook AirPerfect Nonstick 16” Pizza Pan – Pizza Tray for Oven, Perforated Round Pizza Pan, Carbon Steel Baking Pan, Homemade, Frozen & Leftover Slices

Watris Veiyi Small Rolling Pin, Wooden Dough Roller, Non-Stick Pizza Roller, Dough Baker Roller Set for Home Kitchen Baking Cooking(9.5cm/3.74in)

The post The Best Pizza Dough Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Prepping the Chicken

If your chicken is frozen thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you plan to cook it. Maybe you didn’t plan that far ahead, instead you can put the chicken in a Ziploc bag and place it in a bowl or container of cold water for about 1 hour, replacing the water every 30 minutes.

If your chicken is fresh or once it’s thawed out, pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other seasons you like. I choose my seasoning based on what I’m serving my chicken with.

Here are a few examples of different ways to season for different meals.

• Chicken tacos – Taco seasoning, or chili powder and garlic powder with salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a little cumin and cayenne powder or some lime juice.
• Lemon chicken – lemon pepper seasoning, or garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper and lemon slices.
• Chicken Alfredo – Italian seasoning or basil, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Sometimes a little paprika or cayenne.
• Chicken with roasted potatoes – rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.

You can also marinate your chicken in olive oil and your choice of seasonings in a ziplock bag for 2-24 hours in the refrigerator before you cook it. If you choose this way you don’t need to pay dry just place directly in the skillet to cook. Personally, I prefer to dry rub my chicken.

Cooking the Chicken

The trick to cooking good chicken is to sear it capturing the juice inside the chicken to keep it moist. After I’ve seasoned the meat I turn my cast iron pan on medium high with a little bit of oil. If you don’t have a cast iron pan don’t worry, you don’t need it to get perfect chicken but it does help. Get your pan hot. Place the chicken on the hot pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side on medium high heat. If using a normal skillet keep the heat a little higher. You want the chicken to have a deep golden sear on each side.

Once you’ve cooked the chicken on each side reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5-7 more minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast. If cooking on a cast iron you can take off heat completely if the chicken breasts are small and let sit, covered, in the pan for 10 minutes. If they are larger keep them on low for at least 5 minutes before taking them off the heat. With your regular skillet you will want to keep on low longer (7-10 minutes) since it won’t hold on heat like the cast iron. After you’ve cooked it on low take off the heat completely, let it sit covered for another 10 minutes before serving.

Serving the Chicken

When the chicken is ready to serve I always pre-cut the chicken for everyone just to make sure it’s done all the way through before serving. I also have little kids who require me to cut the chicken so it makes sense. When cutting remember to slice against the grain. Not with the grain like I did in the photos, I always do it wrong but usually I’m cutting in cubes for my little ones. Cutting against the grain will keep it tender while cutting with the grain tends to make it tough.

Depending on how I’ve seasoned my chicken definitely depends on what I serve it with. Chicken and rice with broccoli is a favorite here. Chicken tacos with rice and beans. Rosemary Chicken and potatoes is another favorite. I could go on.

Whatever you serve it with I hope you enjoy it. And remember, cooking is a science but also an art. Feel free to experiment with seasonings, temperature and timing to make your perfect meal. Every kitchen and cook is a little different. Embrace your home by cooking your best.

Rosemary Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. Mix all seasonings together in a small bowl.
2. Pat dry your chicken with a paper towel and rub seasonings on all sides of your chicken breasts.
3. Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat, or regular skillet on high. Add a little bit of oil to your pan.
4. Sear seasoned chicken for 4 minutes on each side.
5. Cover the chicken and reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breast.
6. Take off heat, leave covered and let sit for another 10 minutes before cutting the chicken and serving.

The post Rosemary Chicken Breast Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.