Top 12 Recipes From a Sweet Pea Chef

Top 12 Recipes From A Sweet Pea Chef A Cookbook By Lacey Baier
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the property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2015 by Lacey Baier of Sweet Pea Chef.
Cover design by Sean Baier
Book design by Lacey Baier
All images and recipes by Lacey Baier
All Rights Reserved.

Cinnamon Rolls 16
Hearty Beef Stew 23
Banana Nut Muffins 26
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. dried rosemary
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Make several (8-10) small incisions (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep) around the meat and then insert a slice of
garlic into each. Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack over a roasting pan. Pour water and beef broth into the
pan (not over the roast) to very lightly cover the bottom of the roasting pan.
Rub the roast with olive oil until coated. Sprinkle salt, pepper and herbs all over the roast and spread to
evenly coat with your hands.
Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes (or until temperature in the deepest part of the roast registers 125
degrees). Do not open the oven during these 45 minutes to baste or check on the roast.
After 45 minutes, reduce heat to 250 degrees and cook an additional 10-20 minutes, or until thermometer
reads 135 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. While it is resting, it will continue to raise in
temperature to 145 degrees.
Remove the slices of garlic, if desired. Slice across the grain in very thin slices.
*Save reserved juices to make your own Au Jus and French Dips!
Roast Beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
Fill a large pot half-way with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the lobster tails and
boil for 8-10 minutes, or until the shells are bright red and the flesh is opaque. Remove the lobster from the
boiling water and allow to cool. Reserve the water -- this will become your lobster base.
Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and onion and saute until tender,
about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
To make the lobster base, remove the lobster from the shell either by cutting through the shell with kitchen
shears (my preferred method) or chopping in half and pulling out the flesh. Place the lobster on a cutting
board and, after removing any remaining veins, chop into bite-size pieces. Throw the shells back in the water
you just boiled the lobster in and boil for another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, strain the water from the
shells using a fine mesh strainer, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the base.
Add the flour to the onion-shallot-garlic mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
Lobster Bisque
8
Slowly add the wine, taking care to slowly incorporate the wine into the thickened mixture. Once mixed in and
smooth, add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for 1-2 minutes until this
mixture becomes a thick paste.
Slowly add the sherry and deglaze the pan if any bits are sticking to the pan at this time.
Add the paprika, tomato paste and lobster base and stir to combine well. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Blend the mixture in a blender or using an immersion blender. The mixture should be very smooth. Return the
blended mixture to the pan and add in the heavy cream and butter. Taste at this time to check if any additional
salt or pepper is needed. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Once simmering, add the lobster chunks back in and cook until heated though.
Serve hot and with crusty sourdough bread.

1-2 tbsp. chicken broth or almond milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Heat a large stock pot (with steamer attachment) over high heat until boiling.
Remove the stem from the cauliflower and cut into pieces for steaming. Add the cauliflower and garlic cloves
to a steaming basket and place over boiling water. Cover and steam until cauliflower is soft when poked with a
fork, about 6-8 minutes. (Tip: If you let the cauliflower cool down a bit after it’s done steaming, it’ll dry out a
bit, which makes it much easier to get a good texture on the mash. It also lets you add other flavorful liquids to
balance out the moisture content.)
Add the steamed cauliflower and garlic to a food processor (or, if you'd prefer, mix in a large bowl with an
immersion blender or a potato masher). Add the parmesan, salt and pepper.
Pulse the food processor until all contents are mostly smooth. You want some texture here, but not a lot. You
may need to scrape the sides of the blender or to move around the cauliflower to make sure it all gets mashed.
Use the chicken broth (or almond milk), tbsp. by tbsp., as needed to bring the mixture together. Try not to use
too much as this will cause the mixture to get soupy. You want to keep it as thick as possible (like mashed
potatoes).
Serve hot. Feel free to garnish with some butter, chives or whatever you like on your mashed potatoes.
Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Using a large pot and a steamer basket or colander that will fit inside, add approximately 1-2 inches of water
to the pot and heat over high heat. Once the water has reached a boil, add the green beans to the steamer
basket or colander and cover. Allow to steam for 6-8 minutes, or until the green beans are starting to become
tender but have not finished cooking. Remove from heat and set aside.
Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
Transfer steamed green beans to the melted butter and garlic. Toss to coat green beans evenly and continue
to sauté for approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and add more if
necessary, to taste.
Remove from heat and sprinkle grated parmesan. Toss once again until parmesan is melted.
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
14
Ingredients
1 lb. package penne noodles (can also use macaroni or shells)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter (plus more to grease baking dish)
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup milk
2 cups jack cheese, grated and divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a medium-sized casserole/baking dish with softened butter and set
aside (I use a 9x9x2 dish).
Fill a large stock pot full of water and heat over high heat. Add 1 tbsp. kosher salt to the water to help flavor
the noodles.
When the noodles are "al dente" (still firm, but mostly cooked), remove and drain. Make sure to not
completely cook through, as they will continue to cook when baked. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, sprinkle in flour and stir to
combine.
Mix in the remaining 2 tsp. kosher salt, the pepper and the garlic powder.
Slowly add the cream into the mixture, stirring constantly. There will be tiny bits of the flour mixture that
remain once the cream in fully combined, but that's okay.
Add the milk and stir to incorporate.
Bring the mixture almost to a boil, then reduce to low and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until
thickened.
15
Sprinkle in 3 cups of the cheddar and 1 cup of the jack, stirring well to melt. Cook an additional 4-6 minutes.
Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl (or in the pot used to cook the noodles), mix the drained noodles with the cheese sauce.
Add mixture to the greased baking dish.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup jack cheese evenly over the top.
Bake 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and golden brown.

4 cups plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups brown sugar
2-3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. dried rosemary
Instructions
Combine the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until heated
through. Do not heat enough to boil, just until heated through.
Set aside and allow to cool until it turns from hot to warm. You'll want the temperature to feel warm on your
finger, but not to burn it. If the temperature is too hot, it will kill the yeast which would mean the yeast would
never rise.
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk mixture and let it sit for approximately 2-3 minutes, until the yeast
starts to grow and smell yeasty.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk-yeast mixture with 4 cups of the flour and stir until just combined.
Cinnamon Rolls
18
The mixture will be sticky. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and let sit for 1 hour to rise. It will
double in size.
After 1 hour, remove the towel, and add the baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and the remaining 1/2
cup flour. Using your hands, knead the dough and stir together to make dough go from semi-crumbly and
powdery to smooth. This process of kneading the dry ingredients into the dough will take approximately 3-5
minutes.
Start preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
Take 1 tbsp. of the melted butter and pour into a 9x13 baking dish to butter the dish. Set aside.
Now, it's time to assemble the rolls. Clear a very large, clean surface and sprinkle it generously with flour.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, trying your best to keep the corners as square (90
degrees) as possible. The dough should be relatively thin.
Take the remaining melted butter and pour all over the rectangular dough. Spread until dough is completely
covered with the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar very generously over the entire surface of the dough. All
the dough should be covered well. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon over the brown sugar, making sure to cover
all the dough. Don't be afraid to go for it with the cinnamon - it's gonna be delicious.
Beginning at the end farthest from you, start to roll the dough towards you by using both your hands and
working slowly, taking care to keep the roll as tight and as even as possible. Once it's completely rolled up,
carefully lay the log down on its seam.
Using a sharp knife, divide the log into 12 equal pieces. I start in the middle, then keep halving the two halves
until there are 6 equal halves on each side, totaling 12 rolls. Carefully, place the sliced rolls down flat into the
buttered baking dish in 4 rows of 3 rolls. You may need to slightly shape the rolls back into circles after slicing
them. Cover the baking dish again with the kitchen towels and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. While the rolls are in the oven, make
the icing. Add the softened cream cheese to a stand mixer bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth, about
3-4 minutes.
Add in the milk and maple flavoring and mix for an additional minute to incorporate. Check to see if the
mixture needs to be scraped from the sides of the bowl at this time and, if necessary, mix for an additional
minute after scraping.
On low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until blended. The consistency should be thick, but
pourable. If not, add in about 1 tsp. more milk.
Remove the rolls from the oven and, while still hot, pour the icing over the rolls and spread evenly. The rolls

1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand, electric mixer or food processor), beat the cream cheese until
smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients and continue to mix on medium speed until well combined.
Pimento Cheese Spread
6-8 hoagie rolls
1-2 lbs. cooked roast beef PLUS reserved pan drippings in roasting pan
1 1/2 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce, plus more as needed
2-4 tbsp. unsalted butter
Instructions
Heat oven broiler to high.
Using drippings from roast beef pan, spoon out most of oil, if applicable. Place roasting pan over medium high
heat on stove top. Add beef stock and soy sauce to pan and, using a wooden (or non-abrasive) spoon, scrape
off browned bits from the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. If sauce
is too salty, add more beef broth. If not salty enough, add more soy sauce, as needed, until it reaches desired
flavor.
Slice hoagie rolls in half, lengthwise. Spread a thin layer of butter over each half (top and bottom) of roll. Place
rolls, butter side up, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place bread under the broiler and broil until
butter is melted and bread starts to turn golden brown. Careful not to let bread burn. Once golden brown,
remove from oven. Take the "tops" off the baking sheet and set aside. Leave the "bottoms" on the baking
sheet for later. Keep broiler on.
Slice roast beef into very, very thin slices. Place slices in hot Au Jus on the stove and cook for 1 minute. Using
tongs or a fork, carefully remove roast beef slices and layer on each "bottom" half of the sandwich with
desired amount. Top each with a slice of provolone cheese and replace under the broiler until cheese is
melted, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from broiler and place the "top" half on each sandwich. Slice each french dip in half and serve
alongside a small cup of Au Jus (and a dab of horseradish, if desired) for dipping.
French Dips With Au Jus

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ground black pepper, for seasoning beef
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, for coating beef
2 carrots, unpeeled and quartered PLUS 3 carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
2 celery ribs, quartered
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
4 cups beef broth
2 lbs. red or yukon potatoes, unpeeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
7 cremini mushrooms, quartered
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef chunks with kosher salt and ground black
pepper. Pour flour into a shallow dish and lightly coat the beef with flour. Without crowding the meat, brown
in batches, turning to brown all sides. You will have approximately 3-4 batches. Transfer to a plate and set
aside.
Once all meat is browned, reduce the heat to medium and add the quartered carrots, celery, onion and garlic.
Cook approximately 10-15 minutes until well-browned, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste to the pot
and mix to incorporate. Add balsamic vinegar to the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Cook 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the wine, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer until liquid is reduced by two thirds, approximately 10-15
minutes.
Add beef broth to the pot, along with the beef (with any residual juices), and bring to a simmer. Cover and
braise in the oven until meat is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Hearty Beef Stew
25
Carefully remove the meat, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Set beef aside and discard the herbs. Using a stick
blender, blend the remaining contents in the pot (if you don't have a stick blender, you can use a food
processor or blender). After blended, return the meat to the pot and bring to a boil.
Add the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms to the braised beef mixture, taking care to submerge as many
vegetables as possible. Simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 40-60 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.
Add the baking soda and salt and stir to combine.
Add the flour and mix until just incorporated.
Fold in the chopped walnuts. The less you stir the mixture at this time, the fluffier the muffins will be when
baked.
Pour mixture into prepared muffin pan lined with cupcake liners or greased with butter or vegetable oil.
Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and once a knife inserted into the center of the muffin comes out
clean.
Banana Nut Muffins
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Combine the herbs, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish to blend. Cover chicken breasts with
mixture and shake off any excess.
Heat olive oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown,
about 3 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Spoon the tomato sauce over and around the chicken. Sprinkle parmesan over each chicken breast. Cover
each chicken breast with mozzarella slices.
Bake, covered with foil, for 10 minutes, and then uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and the
chicken is cooked through.
olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup oil per 1/2 loaf)
kosher salt, to taste
Optional: Parmesan cheese, dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary), garlic powder
Instructions
Using a bread knife, cut the bread into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch cubes. If you prefer larger or smaller croutons,
make your cuts accordingly--just be sure to make your cuts as similarly as possible to help them bake evenly.
In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add kosher salt, freshly ground black
pepper to taste and any seasonings you prefer. Once cubes are evenly and lightly coated, pour bread onto a
baking pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up).
Bake bread in oven for 20-30 minutes until bread is golden and very crunchy. Toss cubes several times during
baking.
Homemade croutons, stored in a plastic container or a plastic bag, last up to two weeks unrefrigerated.
Homemade Croutons
32
Thank you for downloading this cookbook. I hope you enjoyed reading through the recipes and that
you have found lots of tasty-looking goodies you can’t wait to make.
If you try one of the recipes, I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to reach out by any of the
following methods:
Email me at [email protected]
And find more great recipes on the blog at http://www.asweetpeachef.com/
Thanks again — I hope to hear from you soon!
- Lacey :)
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Top 12 Recipes From a Sweet Pea Chef