Jenny MacBeth, Author at Girl Likes to Eat

dunkin donuts glazed donut breakfast sandwich

Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich at Dunkin Donuts

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Girl Likes to Eat was invited to tryout Dunkin Donuts new breakfast sandwich. I wasn’t interested in trying it, but when asked, I said, “Food? I’m there!” I’m also a big fan of their coffee, and of course, the donuts. I’m definitely a DD girl. I’ll buy a dozen of their plain donuts, drizzle them with maple syrup, and sprinkle lots of chopped bacon on top. It’s the perfect mix of salt and sweet. I just wasn’t sure about adding an egg to the mix.

DD says,

We’ve gone and changed breakfast forever. Again. Bite into this smorgasbord of bacon slices and pepper fried egg, sandwiched by a Glazed Donut.

Smorgasbord means hearty, right? This sandwich is airy and light. Nothing wrong with that, but it is deceiving. There are two thin slices of bacon and the egg isn’t fried, it’s microwaved. Again, a bit deceiving. You can choose your protein, and maybe that would be a heartier choice, say ham.

A good breakfast sandwich, to me, has cheese. This does not. I’m not sure why? Perhaps it didn’t work well with the donut, but they make cheese filled donuts, right? Am I being gross by wanting cheese on this sandwich? Having no cheese, the donut sandwich only has 360 calories compared to their bagel sandwich at 460. The glazed donut sandwich is obviously the smarter choice.

I took the first bite. At first, it was sticky and weird. Tip: If you eat one, use the wrapper to hold it. I took the second bite. Not too bad, I thought. You would hope for that perfect balance of salt and sweet, but the glazed donut overruled the egg and bacon. I still like the sandwich, but would suggest more bacon, and why not cheese? I’m not letting the cheese thing go.

Overall, it is a decent sandwich. It’s even better with a DD coffee, which I love. Will I try it again? Probably, but I’m asking for double bacon, and cheese!

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Mexican Pork Mole

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Do the Lambada if you like Mexican food. I love everything about the culture. – The dances, music, arts, and especially, the food. I tried my hand at a pork mole. Mole simply means sauce; a number of sauces.

Put on Santana, grab a Dos Equis and let’s get started…

You’ll Need:

1 Pork Tenderloin roast (cubed and unseasoned)

2 cups of onion, diced

2 Tablespoons of chili powder

1 Tablespoon of ground cumin

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 cup of Dos Equis (drink the rest)

2 (14 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

2 (4.5 oz.) cans of green chillies (fresh is best, but this will do)

1/2 cup of dark chocolate morsels

Splash of lime juice (fresh is best)

Cilantro, diced (garnish)

In a large pot, over medium heat spray in some olive oil. I use a Misto, or you can use PAM cooking spray. Brown your pork evenly for 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, add in your chopped onion and cook until slightly tender. Add in your chili powder, cumin and cinnamon. Let the ingredients do the Rumba for about a minute or two. Join in the dance by stirring often.

Time for the Salsa. Add in your diced tomatoes, beer, dark chocolate and chilies. Once those simmer for a minute or two, bring it to a slow grind over medium-low heat. Let the pork join the party and simmer until hot and tender.

Serve it over rice, or by itself. Finish it with a squirt of lime and sprinkle with cilantro to garnish. The next time I make this, I will use fresh chillies.

What’s your favorite Mexican Mole? Please share with us because this girl likes to eat.

Cha Cha!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

This is a continuation to our Mother’s Day dinner. This scrumptious pasta accompanied the beer braised baby back ribs.

The recipe is simple. My version was inspired by the Food Network Kitchens. Only, I added more garlic and lemon. I also bought already-cooked jumbo shrimp, and served it over Linguini. Because I served it over pasta, I increased the recipe.

Let’s get started…

Ingredients

31-40 count frozen cooked jumbo shrimp

1 pound of Linguini

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 garlic bulbs

1 1/2 cups of extra dry vermouth

2 lemons

1/4 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Lemon zest from one lemon

Sea salt and group black pepper

Directions

Thaw shrimp overnight in the refrigerator.

Cook pasta according to packaged instructions. I like it al dente; firm but not hard. It depends on how much pasta you are cooking, but for one pound, I cook it for about 10 minutes. After eight minutes, I start checking the pasta by removing a piece and taking a bite. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Melt unsalted butter in a pan. Meanwhile, start to chop up your garlic and parsley leaves, and zest your lemon. Once the butter is melted, add garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.

Pour in your vermouth and squeezed lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Food Network says to use a wooden spoon to help scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. I’ve found this works the best.

Stir in the lemon zest and parsley. The sauce is done.

Toss the pasta, shrimp and sauce all together right before you are ready to serve. If you do it too soon, the pasta will suck up all the juice and become dry.

Grate fresh Parmesan over the pasta and garnish with parsley.

Cooking the pasta takes longer than the sauce, and it’s amazing. I really enjoy this dish, especially, with a crusty bread.

Next up, the dessert. Stay hungry.

bruschetta finished, photo by jenny macbeth

Bruschetta Dip. Great for Parties.

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

WOW your friends with this cool and easy dip. It’s awesome for picnics.

This yummy idea was inspired by, Monica Sieber from Pittsburgh, PA. Thanks girl. We love it!

You’ll Need:

3 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

2 (8 oz.) bricks of cream cheese

8-10 garlic gloves, crushed

1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

2 Tablespoons of balsamic glaze

3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Let’s get started…

Slightly drain the diced tomatoes.

Chop up the basil. I just love chopping fresh herbs. It makes our house smell so divine. Even our bunnies come running out to the kitchen to see what I’m making.

In a large bowl, toss in the tomatoes, basil and crushed garlic.

Add in the balsamic glaze and olive oil. Season with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper and mix.

Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of an eight inch round dish, or any type of shallow serving platter. Pour your mixture over the top of the cream cheese.

Slice down a baguette loaf. No need to toast the bread or bake the dip. It’s ready.

Hint: This dip tastes better the longer it sits, so you can prepare it the night before.

YUMMY!

Any cool ideas? Please share because this girl likes to eat.

Ranchero Chicken Muffins

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

The foundation of my recipe was inspired by Tablespoon.com. They always have cool ideas, and I love this recipe. I used Tablespoon’s Mini Tex-Mex Chicken and Cheese Pies as a foundation, but of course, I made my own version.

You’ll need

Featured by

2 (13 oz.) cans of Chicken, drained

1 1/2 cups of shredded Low-Fat Monterey Jack Cheese

1 (4.5 oz.) can of Green Chilies

1/4 cup of low-fat Hidden Valley’s Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup of cilantro

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/2 of lime juice, freshly squeezed

For the batter

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup of Bisquick

Let’s get started…

Preheat the oven to 375.

Using your hands mix together the chicken, cheese, chilies, ranch dressing, cilantro, onion and lime juice.

In another bowl, whisk together the batter.

I used a silicone muffin pan. LOVE it! If you use a tin pan, you’ll need to use cooking spray.

Pour a tablespoon of the batter into each muffin cup. Then place about two tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each cup. Then spoon over the mixture two tablespoons of the batter as demonstrated above.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick is clean when inserted.

Serve it with salsa, sour cream, or ranch dressing for dipping.

I’m also making a Tuna Melt version with homemade potato chips using Old Bay seasoning. Yummy!

These yummy muffins freeze and reheat well. – Great for grab and go lunches.

Let me know what you think because this girl likes to eat.

Stuffed Pepper Soup using one Dead Guy

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Well folks, this soup didn’t come easy. I ended up slicing two fingers and burning my arm. I should have gone to the hospital for stitches, but my inner Xena toughed it out. Warrior scars ROCK.

This soup comes in many different versions, but I simply follow the basics to making my stuffed peppers, only I use tomato sauce in this recipe. Not to mention, a good ale.

First, you brown the ground beef in a five quart pot. This recipe calls for about 1.5 pounds of meat. Use 98% less fat. This way, you do not have to drain it. I simply keep layering in the next ingredient.

Dice up the veges.

I use one large green pepper, one large red pepper, one medium sized vidalia onion, and one whole garlic bulb. Add all that to the meat mixture with a 1/2 a bottle of Rouge Dead Guy Ale. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes to marry the flavors.

If you’ve read my post, No tomato sauce on these Stuffed Peppers, then you know I’m not a big fan of tomato sauce. When a recipe absolutely calls for it, I use Hunts Fire-Roasted, low-sodium. Add two 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, two 14 oz. cans of tomato sauce, two cups of reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth, and the other half of the Dead Guy. I’m talking beer here.

Stir it up and add some spice. Add fresh ground pepper, ground sea salt, and lots of dried oregano (about 2-3 tablespoons). Add as much as you like. I love oregano, so I can get a little crazy with it.

I let the spices sit on the top and work their way into the mix of things. Cover and simmer for about an hour. Stir in a 1/2 cup of instant rice, remove from heat, keep the pot covered, and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.

Dress it up with some Romano cheese on top, pour yourself a cold Dead Guy, and enjoy. This is a great soup to have with Mancini’s bread.

Thanks for reading. Please share your ideas because this girl likes to eat.

Magic Hat Black Lager Dark Chocolate Pasta Sauce

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

When creating a name for the recipes, I want to use every ingredient. All of those sound scrumptious.

It’s Friday night happy hour at my house. Grabbed me a Magic Hat (or 2), and turned on Pandora’s Foreigner station. It’s not all Foreigner. It’s a mix of Journey, Bon Jovi, and a few others similar to the era.

Good times…

My friend Cheri asked me to try something using dark chocolate and beer, so I came up with this…

Adding dark chocolate (DC) and a lager to red sauce dishes give the recipe an amazing lift to hearty goodness. You might think that adding DC would make the food sweet, but if you use an 82 percent cacao bar, you will be amazed. Not to mention, this recipe is spicy. Glen’s not a fan of DC, but really enjoyed this plate of happiness. He said, “This is interesting in a good way!”

Next time you make chili, pasta sauce, really, any red sauce dish, add in a little DC. I dare you.

You’ll need…

1 pound of pasta (whatever you fancy)

1/2 stick of butter

4 chicken breasts

4 shallots (finely chopped)

1.5 tablespoons of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup of real bacon

24 ounces of no salt added tomato sauce

1/2 cup of Magic Hat Black Lager

1.5 ounces of 82% cacao (about 1/2 of a dark chocolate bar)

Fresh ground pepper

Sea salt

Parmesan (freshly grated)

A bunch of fresh sage (chopped)

Loaf of Pain de Campagne

Time to get the party stared…

Here are ‘some’ of the ingredients. By some, I mean, I thought I had all the ingredients set up for the photo shoot. As I was preparing the sauce, I had realized that I didn’t. Oh well. The problem is that I got so excited, it slipped my mind.

Use real bacon crumbles. I’m a big fan of fresh everything, but using the bacon-already-crumbled-in-a-bag helps save time, especially, when you are coming home from a long work day.

Also, I like Hunt’s ‘no salt added’ tomato sauce. This is a salty recipe to begin with, so you want to pull back on it where you can. The recipe calls for 24 ounces – I used three 8 ounce cans.

If you haven’t had Magic Hat Black Lager, I suggest you do. Especially, if you like Guinness. I usually use Guinness in my red sauce foods, but I wanted to try it. It’s perfect to eat and drink.

I have no idea why I put a can of tomato paste in the shot. I’m laughing my ass off. Again, excited to get cooking, I must have grabbed the wrong can for the picture. I assure you that I didn’t add it to the sauce. The sauce is already thick and does not need more oomph from the paste.

First up…

Boil the water. Add in a little salt. I’m a big fan of sea salt and so happy that they came out with an iodized version.

Add in 1 pound of whole grain pasta. Boil for about 10 minutes. – I like my pasta al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In the same pasta sauce pan, melt your butter over a medium-high heat.

Add your chicken breasts. I use thin-cut breasts. They cook up in half the time. I’m also a worry-wort about, “Is my chicken cooked?”. No need to worry with thin-cut.

Add some fresh ground pepper and a dash of sea salt. Brown the breasts on both sides for two minutes.

Once the chicken is a little brown on both sides…

Add in your diced shallots, and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium and let it all mingle for five minutes, or until the shallots are transparent, and the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Remove chicken, cover, and set aside.

Stir in the bacon, tomato sauce and beer. Let it cook for two more minutes.

Fresh Parmesan, red pepper flakes and sage. These are the ‘other’ ingredients that I forgot to add in the picture above. I’m kind of glad I did – it’s a nice photo. If I do say so myself.

Stir in the cacao and a little grated Parmesan. Let it melt into bliss…

Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Time to plate it…

Some people like to mix their pasta in the sauce first. This sauce is heavy, so, I recommend you don’t.

Layer a chicken breast over the pasta…

Add a layer of sauce, then fresh grated Parmesan, then top it off with a few sprinkles of diced fresh sage. Delicious!

Since the chocolate in this recipe reminded me of a French dish, I used a loaf of Pain de Campagne. All breads are cool in my book, but this was perfect for this dinner.

This recipe is gourmet, and when we think gourmet we think, “A long time to prepare.” I have to tell you, this took less than 30 minutes. Magic!

Do you have any cool ideas you want me to cook up? Please share because this Girl Likes to Eat!

Bluemoon Pulled Pork

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Sweet citrus. This was a lot of work; even using a slow cooker, but well worth it. I’m not much of a BBQ girl. Imagine that! It has to be really yummy BBQ for me to like it.

I did a little Internet search to find a qualifying pulled pork recipe. My inspiration came from Bobby Flay‘s Cuban Pulled Pork Tacos with Guava Glaze, Sour Orange Red Cabbage-Jicama Slaw and Chipotle Mayonnaise. That’s a mouth full. Check out his recipe. It’s awesome, but I’m not as talented as this man. Hell! I had to Google Jicama.

Of course I changed it a little bit. Actually, I changed it a lot, but the inspiration is still there. Thanks Bobby. Love. You.

Let’s get started. Grab two Bluemoons, and turn up the iTunes.

First, get a pork roast. Toss it in your warming crock pot. Take 1/2 cup of fresh oregano leaves, eight garlic cloves, 3/4 cup of EVOO, some sea salt and grind it together in a blender. Put it over the pork roast.

Looks like something from Untold ER Stories.

Add in a 12 ounce jar of red raspberry jam, 1/4 cup of Dijon, and 1/2 cup of Bluemoon pale ale. Add in a zest from one large orange. Squeeze in two small fresh limes, and lots of fresh ground pepper. Let it cook for about seven hours on low, or until the pork pulls apart nicely. My friend Monica told me to cook it while I slept. Great idea. Or, you can do this while you are at work, but I’m not a big fan of leaving appliances plugged in while I’m not home.

Next up…

Chipotle Mayonnaise. This is the cherry on top. Mix it in a grinder/blender two small chili peppers, squeeze in one fresh lime, and 3/4 cup of low-fat Hellmann’s mayo. I like it spicy, but this was not spicy enough. When I make this again, I’m going to use two more chili peppers. And, if that’s not hot enough, I’m going to add in hot sauce – Damn it!

Let the ingredients party together for a night or two.

Coleslaw topping. Bobby Flay, God love him, uses all kinds of fresh veges that I never knew existed. His job is cooking, but I worked the next day, so I did a little improv. Use two bags of coleslaw mix and add in a half of red onion. Done!

For the dressing I used one large fresh squeezed orange, two packets of Truvia, two tablespoons of honey, and lots of fresh ground pepper, and some sea salt. Toss it in a baggie for a few hours. It’s also good overnight, but can become wilted. Still good.

The bread. I used Tuscany style ‘Tear and Share’ bread from Giant Eagle. Oh My God! So, moan-worthy. It’s perfect for small sandwiches.

The finale…

Toast your bun, top with pork, slaw, mayo. Ah! Sweet pork.

For the calorie conscience, serve it in a whole wheat wrap.

As my ex-brother-in-law would say, “Good Groceries!”

Did you drink the second Bluemoon I told you to grab? Good for you! Grab another and drink and eat and be merry.

I served the leftovers to a few coworkers and they absolutely loved it. Thank my lucky stars because this took me two days. Whew!

If you try it, or if you do something different, let me know; because this girl likes to eat.

Thanks for reading.

White Ale Potato Leek Soup

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Someone asked me recently, “Do you have a case of beer for each beer you use in your recipes?” That’s expensive! I do not buy by the case. Only for parties. The state of Pennsylvania has strict LCB laws. Boo hiss. There are a few (not many) venues that can sell by the bottle in the Pittsburgh area. It too can be expensive, but I like a variety. Different beers for different days; I’m moody. I really wish the liquor stores would start selling craft beer like they do wine. When I travel to other states with stores dedicated to rows and rows of craft beer, I think I’ve died and gone to beer-haven.

After planning out my recipes, I head over to my favorite Pittsburgh beer emporium, 1 For The Road, for a little grocery shopping. I pick and choose a few flavors I haven’t tried along with my must haves, and a few for my drinking pleasure. I have a beer cellar where I store most of my beer. It’s nothing fancy. More like a large place on the floor in the basement that I call my beer cellar. I hope to one day have a Kegerator and a chair.

Enough with my babble. Grab yourself a Stella Artois and let’s get cooking.

This soup is yum-yum good. I love it. It’s thick and creamy, but with a light taste. I think Stella is the perfect ale for this recipe. Of course, you can use any light beer, but make sure it’s a white ale. Anything darker will change the flavor.

It’s easy and can be made in less than an hour. You’ll see in the instructions, I’m using my immersion blender. It rocks! If you do not have one, you need to get one. It’s my favorite cool tool. It makes it quick, easy, and less messy. That leaves more time for beer.

You’ll Need

3 tablespoons of butter
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 large shallots, peeled
4 leeks, only whites roughly chopped
6 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups of chicken broth ( or vegetable broth)
1 bottle of white ale (I use Stella Artois)
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon of nutmeg
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Olive oil and chives, for garnish

Let’s get started…

Roughly chop up three potatoes and all four leeks. No need to do any fine chopping. The immersion blender will take care of it. We will get to the other three potatoes later.

In a large dutch oven (or soup pot) toss in all the ingredients except for three potatoes.

Over a high heat, bring to a boil. While you wait for it to boil, chop up the other three potatoes into quarter size bites, and set aside.

Once the soup reaches its boiling point, reduce heat to medium. Using an immersion blender, slowly blend the ingredients until smooth. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add in the chopped potatoes to chunk it up. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 8-10 minutes). And, salt and pepper to taste.

Drunken good! Garnish with olive oil and chopped chives, and grab another S T E L L A.

Irish Lamb Stew in Guinness and Puff Pastry

Guinness Irish Stew in a Puff Pastry

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Happy First Day of Fall!

This time of year is awesome. I really enjoy it for the the vibrant orange and yellow colors, and for the smell of baking. Even if it’s colder outside our senses are filled with warmth. Not to mention, I love Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This is my first attempt at stew. I have to tell you, I’m not a fan of stews. Mainly, because it has cooked carrots in it. I have no idea why, but I’m not a fan. In my humble opinion, carrots are best served raw dipped in ranch dressing. Glen, my significant other, loves a good stew. So, I thought, “I’ll make it for him.” And, I thought, “I’ll add beer. Maybe that will make it all the better.”

With a little research on the Internet, I reviewed many recipes. A few from Food Network, Food.Com and AllRecipes. There are a lot of stew recipes out there. I needed to make it my own, but how? I dig Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheets. I use those for all kinds of things, especially, my baked brie that I make over the holidays. The pastry sheets are super easy to use. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you get some.

Being this is my first time at stew, I should call it Virgin Lamb Stew, but who knows what kind of spam comments I’d get. Er… I’ll end it here and get on with the show.

You’ll Need

1 pound of smoked bacon, chopped
3 to 4 lbs of boneless leg of lamb or beef for stew
1/2 cup of flour
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
2 Guinness (one for the recipe and one for you to drink)
4 bay leaves
7 cups of beef broth
3 carrots, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
Cornstarch, as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

For Pastry

Pepperidge Farms Ready to use Pastry Sheets (two sheets per box)
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water

Let’s get started…

In a cast iron skillet cook your bacon. Transfer it to a paper towel and let it cool before chopping. Keep the bacon grease in the skillet.

While you cook your bacon, cut (cube) up your leg of lamb (or beef). Toss it together with the flour, a little sea salt, and fresh ground pepper until your meat is nicely coated. That’s what he said.

Once your bacon is cooked, brown the meat pieces on all sides and toss into a five quart dutch oven, or stock pot.  The bacon should be cool enough to handle. Roughly chop it up and toss it into the pot with your meat.

In the same skillet, sauté your onion, garlic, and thyme for about five minutes over medium heat. Pour in your Guinness to help scrape up all the goodie bits sticking to the bottom of the skillet.

 Toss it all into your pot with the meat and bacon.

Add the beef broth and bay leaves. Bring it all to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is nice and tender.

Add in of carrots and potatoes. Mix your cornstarch with a little water. Bring the stew back to a boil. Add in a little cornstarch mixture at a time. Take baby steps. This will help thicken your broth. I put in a tablespoon every few minutes until I like the consistency. The broth should be a little creamy but not overly thick.

Continue to simer over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

The Umph

Follow the instructions for thawing on the Pepperidge Farm Pastry Sheet box. I usually set it out on the counter before I start to prepare the stew.

Once the pastry is thawed,  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Beat an egg and a little water together for the egg wash.

Here are two ways you can bake the stew in a puff pastry:

In a 16-ounce oven safe dish, spray with PAM. Place one puff pastry into the bowl  like a pie crust; wrapping over the sides. It doesn’t have to be a perfect fit.  Add in a scoop (about 3/4 to 1 cup) of stew.  Fold your pastry over the stew and pinch dough to seal shut.
Or, before placing the pastry sheet in the bowl, first scoop your stew into it. Cut the pastry sheet in half and place on top. Pinch the dough around the sides of the bowl to seal shut.

For either method, brush the top with the egg wash. Place the bowls on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 – 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Side note: Oven-to-table bowls are a must! I love that I can use it for everything. From eating cereal to baking a pot pie. I only have two, but want more. I’ve added a set of four Le Creuset Stoneware Soup Bowls to my wish list. I’m hoping Santa brings me these this year.

I’m hungry!

This recipe serves 8-10, depending on the size of your bowls. Since I freeze the majority of it, I only use one box of pastries. If you plan to use all 8-10 servings in one meal, you’ll need to buy more than one box of pastry sheets. Use one sheet per bowl. Of course, you do not need to use the puff pastry. You can serve it in a bowl all by itself with a sweet crusty bread. However, the pastry really makes the dish.

Glen always pokes fun at the fact I never cook the same thing twice. Since blogging, I need to make sure I have something to write about. He said the stew was by far the best thing I’ve made, and has requested I make it again for his Birthday. Beginners luck! But, I truly believe that the secret ingredients are the cast iron skillet, the smoked bacon, and the puff pastry. The iron skillet gives it that rustic flavor, the smoked bacon makes it smoky, and the puff pastry makes it gourmet. Not to mention, the Guinness does make it all the better.

Let the soup & stew season begin.