Flank Steak 101

Every so often I really crave a piece of red meat. While for me I could just eat red meat every now and then and be fine, but Russ on the other hand could probably eat red meat at least four or five nights a week and love it. After all his favorite meal is a cheeseburger. Since I do enjoy red meat and Russ can’t live without it I have made myself learn how to cook different cuts of meat in order to fulfill our carnivorous appetites. You see when I started cooking I was completely intimidated by most cuts of beef except for ground beef. Ground beef is easy – it is packaged in small quantities, it is cheap, it is easy to cook, and there is only one choice when selecting it (how much or little fat you want included in the meat). The other cuts of meat are usually much larger portions, many have various names depending on what store you go to, and they are more expensive all of which make them intimidating to me. I still call my Mom from the store when I am buying any type of large cut of meat to make roast beef or something similar, however, I have found a couple cuts of meat that do not require a phone call to Mom and are not super scary to buy, prepare or cook. One of these is flank steak. I really enjoy flank steak and how versatile it is – you can marinade it with almost anything, you can grill it, cook it on the stove top, use it in tacos, put it over a salad, and the list goes on and on.

In my opinion there are a few simple keys to flank steak that will help you prepare and cook it perfectly no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen. First, I prefer to always marinade or put a rub on the steak and allow it to sit in the marinade or rub for a couple of hours if possible. In my opinion flank steak is not the type of steak you just salt and pepper and toss on the grill and have it turn out tasty. It needs a little more help from you with the flavoring, however, you can do a super simple marinade or rub or you can get fancy with it and both will yield good results. Second, don’t over cook it. It is best when cooked medium or a little less if you prefer. If you cook it well done it gets very tough. Third, after you remove it from the grill or stove let it rest for a few minutes. When you go to carve it cut it in thin slices on the bias. This is the only way we ever cut flank steak.

Tonight we tried a new simple marinade out of the May issue of Cooking Light. You simply add the four ingredients (reduced sodium soy sauce, ketchup, chopped scallions, and sesame oil) to a plastic bag and put the flank steak in the bag. I let it marinade for about 6 hours, but you can do it for as little as four hours or as long as ten or so hours. The recipe says you can marinade it for up to twenty-four hours, but I am concerned that it would get too salty despite using the reduced sodium soy sauce. Once the meat was marinated Russ cooked it on the grill until it was about medium in doneness.

This was a very quick and simple marinade to put together and it had a fantastic Asian flavor to it. We both felt like it was a little salty even with using the reduced sodium soy sauce. Next time I think I’ll add a little water to the marinade to try and cut the soy sauce a little more. One thing I love about marinating flank steak is that if you prepare it in the morning or at lunch then when you get home from work it is ready to be grilled / cooked. This was a great, easy marinade that had a wonderful flavor and smell to it. Russ rates it an 8.

Soy, Ketchup, and Sesame Marinade, Cooking Light May 2008

¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 and ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 lb. Flank steak

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add 1 pound flank steak trimmed of excess fat. Seal bag and refrigerate for four hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove steak from bag, and discard marinade. Grill steak six minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, and cut diagonally across the grain into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices.

Crunchy Tacos

I have mentioned a couple of times how much Russ and I love Jamie Oliver’s new show on the Food Network, Jamie at Home. Well, what I may not have mentioned is that his show comes on at 8:30 am on Saturday mornings. While this may surprise some of you, I am actually a morning person on the weekends (I can’t explain it, but I am… only on the weekends), so I am usually up by 8:30 but Russ is usually still sleeping. It has become our routine to record Jamie at Home and watch it when we are both up and drinking coffee. We don’t have a Tivo or DVR though, so Russ records it to a blank DVD which he sets to start recording just a couple minutes before the show starts. For the first few times we watched Jamie at Home we kept catching the very end of Tyler Florence’s show Tyler’s Ultimate and every time his dishes looked amazing. So, Russ started recording both shows and now we watch both of them once Russ wakes up over a cup coffee – a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning!

One episode that we caught the end of was for his Ultimate Beef Tacos and they looked so delicious that we had to give them a try. Luckily I learned my lesson earlier this year here to always read the recipe through ahead of time. To make the beef tacos you have to sear the meat and then let it simmer for three hours. Well, on a weekend this would be fine, but on a weeknight we would end up eating after 9 pm… I had already gotten the ingredients at the store, so I decided that I would sear the meat at lunch and then let it cook slowly in the crock pot for the afternoon. To make the beef you salt and pepper it on each side and sear it in oil until it forms a crust on each side. While it is searing you add the onion and garlic and let them cook. At this point I then moved the beef, onion, and garlic into the crock pot and added the crushed tomatoes, water, ancho chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and bay leaves. I left the crock pot on low for the afternoon. When I got home I turned it off and let it cool. Then I shredded the meat. I saved the tomato liquid to put the leftover meat back in to keep it moist for lunch the next day. While the meat was cooling I made the salsa. You basically just toss all the ingredients into the food processor and let it go. The only change I made was to substitute two jalapeno peppers for the Serrano (only because the grocery store was out of Serranos). While I made the salsa and chopped some lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and avocado for toppings, Russ fried the tortillas. To make the taco shells you heat vegetable oil in a large pot. You then add one or two corn tortillas to the oil and fry them until they are golden brown. The recipe calls for you to then shape them to fold in half once they are out, but ours folded up on there own while cooking, so we just took them out and put them on paper towels and sprinkled them with salt.

These tacos were wonderful and a nice change from our typical quick and easy tacos with ground beef. The beef had great flavor and texture and while I think our meat got a little over cooked it was still tender once it was shredded. The tacos shells were fantastic with great crunch and flavor. Russ is usually not a fan of corn tortillas and I am usually not a fan of hard taco shells (as I think store bought ones taste stale and have a fake corn flavor… I’ll admit it I’m a food snob at times), we both loved these! The taco shells had great crunch and nice flavor and were the perfect size. We decided not to use the slaw and instead used lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa, shredded cheese, and avocado slices as toppings all of which went really well with the meat. The salsa was so simple to make and very fresh tasting with a nice flavor from the cilantro. The only problem was that the two jalapenos I used had a huge kick to them and made it almost too spicy for me. Next time I’ll cut back on the pepper at first and then taste and add more only if it needs it. This salsa is not a chunky one, but more of a pureed salsa that still has some texture to it (not perfectly smooth). We usually eat chunky salsa, but I have to say I loved the texture of this one and thought it worked really well with the shredded meat and crunchy taco shell. These tacos were a real winner! Russ rates them a 9.

Stir Fry Night

As I mentioned in my last post I was just in a rut trying to decide what to make for dinner this week. I think I was also fairly tired because not counting last night’s very involved dinner I only selected fairly quick and easy meals for the menu. Tonight I went back to my New Year’s Resolution of using my underused and never used cookbooks. This is actually (Jess, sit down so you don’t faint)… the second time this year I have used one of my previously underused cookbooks, Southern Living’s Light and Easy Comfort Food. Tonight I made the Beef, Pepper, and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry from its Cooking for Two Section.

To make the stir fry you start by slicing the peppers, mushrooms, steak, shallot, and garlic (mince the garlic). Then heat the oil and cook the beef. Then remove the beef and wipe out the skillet. Then add all the vegetables except the mushrooms and stir fry for a couple minutes (I actually used more peppers than the recipe called for, so I did mine longer than the 1 minute the recipe says). Then add the mushrooms and stir fry for a couple minutes. Then stir in the wine and let it cook for a minute or so. Then add the broth and bring to a simmer for at least 3 minutes. Then add the beef back in and finally add the basil, salt, and pepper.

This was super fast and easy to make. The brown rice took the longest, but since I started it first it was ready by the time the stir fry was done. I love peppers and mushrooms and they really are showcased in this dish. The beef was tender and complemented the vegetables well. The sauce while very simple and fast was nothing exciting and a little bland. I love stir fry dishes and I think that this has a good base with the three colors of peppers and the shiitakes, but I think the sauce left a little to be desired. I think next time I’ll go with a stir fry similar to this one or this one both are still quick and easy, but their sauces have just a few more ingredients that give them a more exciting and tasty flavor. Next time I will use the tenderloin instead of the other cuts of beef (that the other stir fry recipes call for) and include the shiitakes. All in all it was super easy and a great week night meal. Russ rates the stir fry an 8.

Beef, Pepper, and Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry, Southern Living Light and Easy Comfort Food
Serves 2

Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 (6 oz) beef tenderloin steak, cut into ½ inch strips
½ cup sliced shallots
½ cup (1/4 inch thick) strips green bell pepper
½ cup (1/4 inch thick) strips red bell pepper
½ cup (1/4 inch thick) strips yellow bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushroom caps (about 1 [3 and ½ oz] package)
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup fat-free, less sodium beef broth (such as Swanson)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 and ½ cups hot cooked rice, cooked without salt or fat

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add ½ teaspoon oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove beef from skillet; set aside. Wipe drippings from skillet with a paper towel.

Heat remaining ½ teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, bell pepper strips, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook 1 minute. Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Return beef to skillet; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in basil, salt, and pepper. Serve over rice.

Spring Cooking and Spring Showers

I consider myself to be a fairly patient person; however, when it comes to the arrival of Fall and Spring I just get flat out impatient. It is almost April, Easter has come and gone, our azaleas are blooming, we have had a few warm days, everything is turning green, and it is officially Spring now… but we still have colder days and I haven’t worn my flip flops yet. Today has been gorgeous our and sunny and warm and just how I like Spring to be. So, we decided to dust off the grill and have some friends over to eat outside tonight. Well, I managed to forget another major characteristic of Spring is rain. After the major drought last year I am not going to complain about the rain, but it did remind me that for some reason though we always manage to pick nights when it rains to grill out. Tonight was no exception. While today was gorgeous and sunny it started raining just about the time that Russ was starting up the coals for the grill… Lucky for me Russ doesn’t seem to mind grilling in his rain coat.

Tonight we did a somewhat early Spring meal that came from my new Jamie Oliver cookbook, Cook with Jamie. I also made an appetizer from my other new cookbook, Jamie’s Italy. Elizabeth, Seth, Mary Catherine, and Allen (and their furry ones, Wagg and Bitzy) all came over to eat with us tonight. For the appetizer I did crostini with mozzarella and chiles and some with cherry tomatoes instead of chiles. Russ grilled the slices of baguette for me and then I rubbed garlic on one side of each. I topped them off with pieces of fresh mozzarella and either some of the red chile or tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and torn pieces of fresh basil.

For dinner we decided on Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks. Russ and I both like a traditional steak and potato meal, but I love it when I come across a recipe that takes a new twist on the traditional. Here Jamie keeps a creamy starch in the picture, but uses white beans and leeks instead of potatoes. The recipe calls for canned lima beans and while I am a fan of canned beans I have never used canned lima beans and the thought kind of scared me (especially when I looked at the sodium in them). I do use frozen lima beans fairly frequently and decided to use those instead because while I am sure the canned are fine I am much more comfortable with the frozen. I just cooked the frozen lima beans until they were done, but not too soft in water with a little salt and pepper. When the beans are cooked go ahead and drain them and set them aside. While the beans were cooking I put the sliced leeks, thyme, and chopped garlic into the pan with a little olive oil and butter. I kept it over low heat for about 20 minutes. Many of you may already know this, but if not then here comes a fun cooking fact. The combination of olive oil and butter here is not an uncommon combination and there is a reason why he is using both. Oil has a much higher threshold for heat and butter has a lower threshold for heat, but it has more flavor than oil. So combining them the oil will help keep the butter from burning and the butter will add flavor. Back to the recipe now… Once the leeks are soft and sweet then you turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to boil and then add the beans and a little water until the beans are almost covered (don’t cover them or it will take too long to reduce). Let the beans simmer and reduce a little until they are creamy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed for taste. Last add the chopped parsley, crème fraiche, and a little olive oil. For the steaks, Russ got some really pretty looking New York Strips and salt and peppered both sides. He then grilled them to medium and pulled them off to let them rest. While resting he drizzled them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. He decided to not carve the steaks into thin slices, but rather serve them whole. We served the steaks over the beans and with a simple side salad of mixed greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

The crostini were really simple and quick to put together. Russ grilled the baguette slices on the grill which was complicated by the fact that it was raining and since the grill was hotter than it needed to be (since he had prepared it for grilling the steaks since I forgot to mention to him that I needed him to do the bread too), but other than that is only took a couple minutes that had a great toasty texture to them. The mixture of mozarrella with the red chiles was wonderful! I was a little worried about the red chiles, so I did some with tomatoes too. Both were really good and I enjoyed having a little variety to them. I love simple appetizers like this and think you could come up lots of easy variations based on ingredients you have on hand or ones you love. Russ rates the crostini a 10.

Russ did a fantastic job on the steaks and they grilled perfectly. They were flavorful with great color and texture. The beans were fantastic! I love lima beans and leeks and the combination was wonderful. The crème fraiche at the end really added an extra creamy touch to the creamy beans and the parsley added a punch of flavor and freshness. The beans definitely take center stage in the dish with the other ingredients just adding to their flavor and creaminess. The steak and lima bean combination was fantastic and they both complimented each other well in texture with the chewiness of the steak and the creaminess of the beans and flavor. This was a great meal for entertaining and if I had been a little better organized and started the beans earlier then I think this is a dish that you could have ready before your guests arrive (up to where you add the crème fraiche, parsley, and olive oil) and then just turn off the heat and put the lid on it until a few minutes before you serve when you can reheat it and add the last few ingredients. Had it not been raining then we would have been outside before hand which would have allowed Russ to grill the steaks while still being with everyone. This is definitely a dish that I would recommend for Spring entertaining. Russ rates the Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks a 10.

Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks, Cook with Jamie
Serves 4

4 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
A knob of butter
A wineglass of white wine
1lb. 2 oz good-quality canned lima beans, drained and rinsed
A small handful of freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
Good-quality peppery extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. well-marbled fillet steaks, preferably free-range or organic, 1-1 and ½ inches thick
1 lemon

Sweat the leeks, thyme, and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are lovely and creamy. Add the parsley, crème fraiche and a good glug of the extra virgin olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Heat a griddle pan until white-hot, season your steaks and pat with olive oil. Grill a 1 and ½ inch steak for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can keep them on there for longer, turning as you go, until cooked to your liking. Remove from the grill on to a dish and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze over some lemon juice and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil. Carve the steaks into thick slices. Divide the creamy beans between your plates and place the steak on top, drizzling over some of the resting juices.

My Notes: I used frozen lima beans and just cooked them first. Russ grilled the steaks on the Egg and let everyone slice their own steak.

Crostini, Jamie's Italy

Ingredients:
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Grill your slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Finish with your favorite toppings.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Chili

Tear 3 5 oz. balls of buffalo mozzarella into quarters, then top each of your hot crostini with one of the quarters. Deseed and finely chop a fresh red chili and sprinkle this over the mozzarella. Add a little seasoning and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lovely with a little fresh basil torn over it.

Having the Girls Over

Shortly after I moved back to Birmingham Sumner moved back too and we lived in adjacent apartment complexes. My next door neighbor was Cathleen and we all had similar stories of going away for college and eventually ending back up in Birmingham. Not too long after the three of us started to hang out, Elizabeth, having followed the same pattern, moved back too. We all enjoyed getting together and quickly realized we shared a common interest in hanging out together, cooking, eating, and sharing a bottle or two of wine. I was very new to cooking at this point and anxious to cook more but tired and frustrated with cooking for one. I won’t speak for the others, but I think we all felt somewhat the same. As far as cooking skills and practice I was probably the most green of the four of us with Cathleen being the most experienced. A quick side note… Cathleen may not remember this, but I stopped by her apartment one day to say hi and she was making an appetizer of polenta topped with mushrooms and a sauce for her family and let me have a taste – fantastic and believe it of not it was my first time trying polenta! Anyway, I don’t remember what all I cooked or any of us for that matter when we would get together, but I do remember it always being lots of fun with lots of yummy food. One of us would host and cook the entrée and the others would divide up bringing an appetizer, side dishes, and wine. We got together fairly frequently over a span of a couple years until it gradually became more difficult to find times to get together and we slowly let our dinners fall to the wayside. We would still all see each other, but not with our frequent dinners. For a while now I have wanted to get the four of us together again for dinner, so with Russ out of town this week it was the perfect time to have all the girls over for dinner instead of cooking for just me. Everyone was able to come and it was a wonderful, relaxing, fun evening of eating, drinking, and catching up! Hopefully we’ll be able to get our schedules to coordinate again sometime soon and do it again.

I decided to try a new meatloaf recipe tonight as my meatloaf craving from back here was still hanging around. One of the latest issues of Fine Cooking had a section on meatloaves and all the recipes looked tasty. I decided to finally breakaway from using the same meatloaf recipe and try a new one. For tonight I decided to make Meatloaf with Fresh Scallions and Herbs.

To make the meatloaf you sauté the onions in a little oil until they are soft and then set them aside to cool. Combine the meat (I used ground beef and turkey) in a bowl until it is mixed well. Then add the onions, paprika, salt and pepper and combine. Next add the remaining ingredients: eggs (beaten), panko, sliced scallions, sour cream, flat-leaf parsley, ketchup, tarragon, thyme and garlic. Mix this all together and then take a small piece, about the size of a quarter, and cook it in a pan on the stove. Taste the sample and adjust the seasoning as needed. I added a little more salt and pepper after tasting.

This meat loaf is really moist, but not mushy. I love the sour cream in it and think it really helps give it a creamy, moist texture. The tarragon is the dominant herb in the meatloaf and even though I really like tarragon I think I’ll cut it back a little next time in order to balance the flavors of the other herbs a little better. I am not sure why, but in the past I have always baked my meatloaf in a loaf pan. This time I formed the loaf by hand on a baking sheet and I will never go back to the putting it in a loaf pan again. I really like the look and shape of the free form loaf and I think it stayed even moister and cooked faster since the shape was not as thick and deep as the loaf pan I have used before.

When Russ got back in town he had a plate of leftovers and rated the meatloaf an 8.

Meatloaf with Fresh Scallions and Herbs, Fine Cooking
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. vegetable oil; more as needed1 cup finely chopped yellow onion3/4 lb. ground beef (80% lean)1/2 lb. ground veal1/2 lb. ground pork1 tsp. sweet paprika, preferably HungarianKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper3 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 more if needed1-1/2 cups homemade dry breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs; more if needed1 cup thinly sliced scallions (both green and white parts)1 cup sour cream3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley2/3 cup ketchup1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon1 tsp. lightly chopped fresh thyme2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Put the ground beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl and gently knead them with your hands until just combined. Add the cooled onion, paprika, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper and gently knead to blend. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the remaining vegetable oil) and gently knead with your hands or stir with a large spoon until just incorporated.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 1 tsp. oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a quarter-size piece of the meat and cook, turning halfway through cooking, until the meat is cooked through, about 1 minute on each side. Cool briefly and taste. If it’s too moist to hold together, add up to 1/2 cup more breadcrumbs to the meat mixture; if it’s too dry, add an extra egg. If necessary, add salt and pepper. Repeat cooking quarter-size pieces of the meat until you’re satisfied with the flavor and consistency.

On a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, mold the meat mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf. Bake until the meat is firm to the touch and has an internal temperature of 160°F, about 1 hour. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

My Notes: For the meat I used ground beef and ground turkey.

A Delighted Husband

My favorite person to cook for is without a doubt Russ, but I also really enjoy cooking for friends and family. Some of my favorite meals with friends and family are the spontaneous, relaxing, casual weeknight dinners that seem to just plan themselves. Tonight I had planned to make Husband’s Delight for Russ and me for dinner. Russ and Allen just happen to be at a stage in the beer brewing process where they need to get together and move the beer from one container to another. So, Russ emailed Allen this afternoon to see if he wanted to join us for dinner and then beer stuff. Allen has heard Elizabeth, Seth, Russ, and me talk about Husband’s Delight before, but he has not eaten it yet and I just knew he would love it. Tonight was a relaxing, enjoyable dinner with Russ and Allen. While I enjoy entertaining on a more elaborate scale I also enjoy not worrying about how clean the house is, if the table is set, and how the food will turn out and just fixing a simple meal for a laid back evening with a good friend.

This recipe is one that I got from Elizabeth and it holds true to its name in that most males really like it. I will put a disclaimer out that I am not sure every husband or male will love it as much as Seth, Russ, and Allen do; however, if they at any point in their life were a fan of Hamburger Helper then I would pretty much guarantee they will love this! To make Husband’s Delight you start by browning the ground beef. Once it is cooked you pour off the excess grease and add the garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and tomato sauce. I also added diced white onion because I love onion and tend to add it to any recipe that doesn’t already call for it and if it does call for it then I usually increase the amount called for – I’m just wild and crazy like that! Cover this and let is simmer for about 15 minutes. While it simmers bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. I used spaghetti noodles, but almost any thin or small size pasta will work well. While everything is cooking you chop the scallions (I increased the amount – again just wild and crazy) and mix them in with the sour cream and cream cheese. Once the noodles are cooked you drain them and set them aside to start the assembly process. One note on the noodles though, when you are making a dish like this where the noodles are going to be cooked or baked more it is imperative that you do not over cook them. I would recommend cooking them to al dente and not a second longer. For the assembly you take baking dish and spray it with Pam and then start layering the ingredients into it. Start with the noodles first, then the meat sauce, then the sour cream mixture, and then a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Then repeat making sure that you end with the layer of cheddar cheese. This bakes for about 20 minutes at 350 F or until heated through and bubbly.

This really is like a fancier, homemade version of Hamburger Helper. It is gooey and cheesy and the pasta / beef / tomato sauce combo just seems to hit a homerun with Allen and Russ. I really like Husband’s Delight, but much like the Manly Sandwich while I like it Russ and Allen love it. It is a heavy dish, so I served it with a side of steamed broccoli to help balance it out some. This is a yummy comfort food dish that is great for a cold winter night. Russ rates it a solid 9.

Husband’s Delight, from Elizabeth (adapted from Linly Heflin’s recipe)

1 plus lb. ground beef (Elizabeth recommends doubling it)
1 clove garlic or garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Black pepper to taste
2 cans tomato sauce – 8 oz. size (Elizabeth recommends adding more)
5 scallions (I added more)
1 package small noodles – 8 oz. size
1 package of cream cheese, softened (the standard rectangular size, I used all of it)
1 carton of sour cream (I used the large size and used almost all of it)
½ cup grated cheddar cheese (I used more)

Brown beef, pour off excess grease. Add garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Cook noodles and drain. Chop part of tops and part of bottoms of scallions, finely. Mix with cream cheese and sour cream. Grease baking dish lightly. Put layers of noodles, meat sauce, sour cream mixture, and grated cheese, ending with the grated cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes – to heat thoroughly – at 350 degrees. Best mixed the day before. Serves 8, with seconds.

Leftover Pot Roast

My first experiences cooking on my own were in my apartment in Charlottesville, Virginia while I was in graduate school and I was pretty clueless. I distinctly remember one of the first meals I made just for me for dinner one night – sticky white rice, overcooked flavorless chicken, and steamed broccoli. I seasoned the entire dish with soy sauce and nothing else and it was edible, but not exactly tasty. To be honest I really didn’t cook all that often back then mainly because I was studying all the time and didn’t have much time to cook, the most amazing Chinese restaurant delivered, I have a wonderful friend, Betta, who also happens to be Italian and an incredible cook (think delicious pasta dishes, fantastic chicken cacciatore, and so many more) and she fed me and the rest of our grad school group frequently, and to be quite honest cooking for one is not that easy. Like most people I don’t really love to eat the same thing for several days straight and if you live alone and cook a meal that is often times what ends up happening. So, while this post doesn’t exactly show new recipes or anything really exciting it does show how to cook one main meal and then incorporate the leftovers into several different meals throughout the week that would work well for someone who lives alone or for a family. We are not always this creative with our leftovers, so I really wanted to show how you the pot roast could easily be incorporated into other meals where you won’t feel like you are eating the same meal over and over.

I started with a 3 lb roast and if you are cooking for one person you could easily do a 2lb or if you are cooking for a family a larger one. For lunch yesterday Russ made us delicious sub sandwiches. He toasted a whole wheat bun open faced in the toaster oven for a couple minutes. Then he put Swiss cheese and slices of the pot roast on the sandwich and put it back in the toaster oven (open faced) until the cheese melted and the meat was heated. We both added a little A1 sauce to them and they were delicious!

Tonight I made a version of Russ’ Mom’s Beef and Vegetable Soup like what I had made for my Mom last month here. This time I used the remaining pot roast instead of ground beef. I shredded the leftover meat and added it to the pot along with canned tomatoes (1 can diced and 1 can Rotel), a little vegetable broth, a little of Tony’s seasoning, the leftover vegetable gravy, and a little bit of all the frozen vegetables that we happen to have in our freezer right now (green peas, green beans, corn, and black eyed peas). Once I had all the ingredients in I added a little bit of water as it was too thick. You can always add more water (or broth) as it cooks – just eye ball it until you get it to the thickness that you prefer. I brought the soup to a boil and reduced it to a simmer for about an hour (you could do less).

The soup was perfect for a cold night! It was warm, hearty and filled with wonderful vegetables and tender, flavorful shredded pot roast. I really prefer this soup with the shredded roast over the ground beef for the texture and the added flavor that it brings to the soup. We’ll eat the rest of the soup for lunch this week, however, if you have lots left over it freezes really well. Russ rates the leftover pot roast soup and sandwich both a 9.

The Good Roast

Just a few weeks ago I spoke of my bone to pick with the weather and how I had decided to wait until it turned colder to make a pot roast. Well, I have been dying to make a pot roast, but since it needs to cook for a minimum of three hours then I really need to do it a weekend so we don’t eat at nine o’clock at night. It finally turned cooler, but our weekends just haven’t allowed time for a pot roast. So, today I decided that come hell or high water I was going to make a pot roast and not just any pot roast, but The Good Roast. My Mother has two pot roast recipes which I have dubbed The Good Roast and The Bad Roast. I’ll be honest The Bad Roast is not actually bad it just doesn’t compare at all to the flavor and vegetable gravy of The Good Roast. I have never made The Bad Roast, but apparently it is easier and takes less time than The Good Roast which is why Mom has two pot roast recipes. Today I finally make it to the grocery store to get the ingredients around five or so… and by the time I get the roast in the oven and cook it we still end up eating at nine o’clock… Luckily it turned out delicious and was worth the wait and late dinner.

The pot roast was moist and flavorful and the vegetable gravy that it cooks in just makes this dish. I served it with green beans and mashed red potatoes. It is definitely a favorite winter time comfort food of mine and Russ will never turn down a meat and potatoes meal. It was delicious and I look forward to using the leftovers in a couple different ways in the coming days… so stay tuned. Russ rates The Good Roast a 9.

The Good Roast is a family recipe that I have been asked not to post on the blog which I respect. However, if you are family and would like a copy of the recipe then you are more than welcome to submit a blood sample, appropriate paper work (including a marriage certificate if you are related by marriage), and a formal letter requesting the recipe… or just email me.

Planning for the Weekend

When Russ and I were first dating I would ask him on Sunday night what he wanted to eat for dinner the next couple of nights. I am a planner and while I don’t mind grocery shopping I loathe going to the grocery store multiple times in a week. So, I like to make a meal plan for the week on Sunday night and go do all my shopping or at least most of it on Sunday. That way when I get home after work I am able to relax and cook dinner and not have to hurry to the crowded store to hurry home to put away groceries and get dinner started. However, Russ was used to a bachelor lifestyle that included little meal planning and more pulling a box of macaroni and cheese out of the cabinet when he gets home from work. Russ wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to know what he would want to eat on Thursday night when it was only Sunday night. So, I started to try and build a little more flexibility in to our meal planning and Russ accepted the Sunday meal planning. Russ may disagree, but I think he has become more of planner since we’ve been together. This weekend we are going to Mentone with Gil (Russ’ college friend) and Allen. Russ started talking about the menu for the weekend days ago. One dish we decided on was Santa Fe Soup. Since I am a planner I decided to make the soup tonight to take up for lunch on Saturday.

This is such a simple, fast recipe that everyone always loves. (Nicole you could easily make this.) To start you brown ground beef with chopped onions (if you want sub ground turkey). Once it is cooked you drain the grease off and add the taco and ranch seasoning and mix it all together. You then start exercising your biceps as you open cans and dump them into the pot – beans, corn, and tomatoes. One tip that I think makes a big difference is to drain and rinse canned beans. The liquid that is in with canned beans to me is not tasty and takes away from the flavor of the soup. I always drain and rinse my canned beans with cold water. I love black beans, so I used two cans of black beans, one of light red kidney beans, and no pinto beans. Any combination will work, so just use what you like. Add water to the pot, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer away.

Making Santa Fe Soup is really easy and you end up with a delicious, hearty, flavorful soup. I served it with several options for toppings – sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce, and tortilla chips. I usually have chopped raw onions as a topping too, but forgot them this time. This is one of those dishes that everyone always loves and unless you want to you don’t have to tell them that it is super easy. If you are having people over for Super Bowl Sunday this could be a great dish to serve! Like most soups, stews, and chilies this one is even better a day or two later. Russ rates the Santa Fe Soup a 9.

Santa Fe Soup, adapted from the recipe in the JLB cookbook
Serves 6 (large servings)

2lbs ground beef or turkey
1 onion, chopped
2, 5oz packages of Ranch style dressing mix
2, 1.25 oz packages of Taco Seasoning
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can white corn, undrained
2 cups of water
(all cans are 14 oz)

Cook the meat and onion together until meat is brown. Drain the grease. Stir in taco seasoning and Ranch mix. Drain the beans and rinse them in water. Add all remaining ingredients including water. Simmer for 2 hours. It is best when made a day in advance and then reheated on the stove.

Garnish each serving with sour cream, chopped green onion, and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

A Frozen Gift

I am sure many of you can almost impossible to buy gifts for my Mother. She always says she doesn’t need or want anything and she truly doesn’t want any “stuff” for the house or clothes for her closet. So, as December rolled around this year Jessica, Will, and I were back to trying to figure out what to get Mom for Christmas. The only things that Mom ever needs are more hours in the day or more energy to get through them. Since we can’t exactly give her either of these we decided we would go out on a limb and try a new gift idea for her – homemade frozen food. She and my Dad both love home cooked meals, but some days it is hard for Mom to find the time or energy to make them. This way she will be able to have a few stored up in the freezer for days when she wants a break, but doesn’t want to pick up Chinese food or go out to eat. After running the idea past our Dad and Mom’s sister, Aunt Judy, we decided to make one frozen meal each for her and then supply her with coupons for more meals at later dates.

For my frozen meal I decided to make a version of my mother in law’s Beef and Vegetable Soup. To make the soup you use either leftover roast beef or brown ground beef with some onions. You then add any mix of vegetables (canned, frozen, leftovers from the week, fresh), some canned tomatoes, a can of Rotel, salt, pepper, and a little Tony’s and let is simmer away. You can also add rice or pasta if you like. I used ground beef and a mix of frozen and fresh vegetables. Russ and I did a taste test and thought it was yummy and would make a great gift for Mom. I divided it into three containers and froze them. (This is pretty much the recipe, but I'll post the full recipe shortly.)

Mom loved our new gift idea and will hopefully love the soup when she tries it in the near future! The soup is hearty and filled with lots of yummy different flavors from the various vegetables. I really like the vary the sizes of the vegetables which not only gives the soup a good look, but a nice variety of textures. We served it with a piece of cheese toast per Russ' request. It is delicious for lunch or dinner and freezes and reheats very well. Russ rates the soup a 10. (I didn't get a picture of Mom from Christmas, so instead I included one of her favorite child, Bernie.)

The Manly Sandwich

Early on when Russ and I were dating I learned that he is without a doubt a meat and potatoes kind of guy or more specifically a cheeseburger and French fry kind of guy. I am pretty sure that there is nothing that Russ prefers to eat over a good cheeseburger with a side of fries. If he let himself then he could eat them several nights a week without getting tired of them. I too enjoy a good burger, but for me it is more of an every now and then kind of food. Despite Russ thinking I try to sneak vegetarian meals in on him we eat meat at most every meal, however, I would not describe our diet as a meat and potato one. While I know Russ enjoys the meals I make ever now and then I try to make something that I know caters to his meat and potato side. Tonight it came in the form of a sandwich that I knew not only Russ, but also Allen would more than appreciate.

Seeing as I have a blog I do enjoy checking out other blogs especially other food blogs. I ran across The Pioneer Woman Cooks a while back and have enjoyed following her food and non-food blog ever since. This is her husband’s favorite sandwich and I think it may now be my husband’s favorite too. To make the Marlboro Man Sandwich you sauté onions (and I did mushrooms too) in a cast iron skillet with butter. While the onions cook you cut cube steak across the grain and sprinkle it with Lawry’s season salt. Once the onions are cooked you remove them and add more butter to the skillet. Then you add the beef and once it browns you add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and a little more butter to it. While it finishes cooking you butter the buns and toast them on a buttered skillet. Once everything is done you layer the beef, onions, and mushrooms on the bun and I topped it with some of the sauce and sliced mozzarella cheese. To try to put something a little healthier on our plates I served it with a simple salad of mixed greens and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Let’s just say Russ and Allen fell in love with the sandwich and said they would be just fine eating these every day for the rest of their lives… well not the rest of their lives, but they did say they wouldn’t mind having these at least once a week. I’m pretty sure we don’t need to eat this much butter once a week, but I could see these becoming a traditional beer brewing dinner. Russ rates them a 10 and if our rating scale went higher I imagine so would the rating on this sandwich.

A Formal Dinner

Russ and I have been married for almost a year and a half now and we have yet to use our wedding china, silver, and crystal. I thought about cooking a nice meal for our anniversary and using it and I’ve joked to Russ that maybe I would pull it out sometime when we were having burgers and beer, but I still haven’t used it. I guess I always thought that something would come up where I would need to serve a dinner on fine china. The reality is that Russ and I are just not that formal and we don’t have situations that come up where wine needs to be served in crystal goblets and meat must be cut with a silver knife. So, I decided that I would make a reason to pull out the china plates, beautiful chargers, silver forks and knives, crystal goblets, and linen napkins - we invited my parents over for dinner. We have had them over before and used our regular everyday plates and glasses and they have always enjoyed it. While I know they would be happy even if we used paper plates I also know that there is not a single person that would appreciate my using all these beautiful things more than my Mother. So, tonight we are pulling out all our finest things and having a formal dinner… well kind of formal as I’m wearing jeans and Crocs and Russ is in jeans and tennis shoes.

For our formal dinner we decided to serve beef tenderloin, roasted asparagus and brussel sprouts, and mashed red potatoes. While Russ has lots of experience on the grill he has never cooked a whole beef tenderloin before and always wanted to give it a try. Tonight he marinated it in Mr. P’s for about an hour and then grilled it perfectly on The Egg. It was fantastic! The meat was juicy, tender, and flavorful. Russ rates it a 9.

The October issue of Fine Cooking had a section on brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts and Russ hates them. I have cooked them once before just for me, but since I know my Dad also loves them I put them on the menu for tonight. All the recipes in the section looked wonderful, but I decided on their To prepare the brussel sprouts you quarter them and then toss them with Dijon mustard, olive oil, and Worcestershire. The recipe also calls for Caraway seeds which I thought I had… but I don’t, so I left them out. These roast for about 20 minutes and then are topped with fresh bread crumbs that are toasted with a little bit of butter and chopped walnuts. They were very tasty and Dad loved them! The beef took a little longer than Russ expected, so the brussel sprouts got a little over done, but they were still very tasty. Russ ate a quarter of a brussel sprout, but he is going pass on rating them. I give them an 8.

For the asparagus we went with a Cookling Light recipe that we have made before and loved, Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter. It is super simple and usually a 10. You roast the asparagus with a little salt, pepper, and cooking spray. When you pull them out you drizzle them with melted butter that has soy sauce and balsamic vinegar mixed in it. Tonight the asparagus got a little overcooked and they turned out okay, so Russ gives them a 9. When they are not overcooked then these are very tasty and a 10.

Family Recipes

The best thing about living in Birmingham for Russ and me is our family. Our parents, all our siblings, and Russ’ grandfather all currently live within ten minutes of us and we love it! Not a week goes by when we don’t see at least one or more family member. Just this past week Jess, Scott and Hugo came over for dinner, we ate lunch with my Dad, and we hung out in Tuscaloosa at the Alabama game with all of Russ’ siblings. Our families have lots of things in common including a love of food and sharing meals together. Not long after I started this blog I realized I needed a category for family recipes. Maybe I am a sap, but there is something really special to me about making a recipe that I remember my Mom or Dad making when I was younger or learning a family recipe from Russ’ Mom. Both our families have recipes that go back several generations and that is an incredible gift to have. When it comes to family recipes I always ask if I can put the recipe up on my blog. Usually the answer is yes, but sometimes like tonight’s dinner the answer is I’d rather keep this one in the family. I can appreciate that some family recipes are just that recipes for the family. Its not that Mom is worried that someone might go make a million dollars off of her Stroganoff, but there is something special about keeping some recipes just in the family.

For Bachelor Night tonight Russ and I hosted and served Mom’s Beef Stroganoff over egg noodles. Elizabeth and Seth brought a Cesar salad and bread and Emily and Dowe brought cheese and crackers and chocolate chip cookie bars. Everything was yummy! Russ rates the stroganoff a 10.

Since I didn't post on Halloween and there have been a few requests I am posting a picture of Russ and me in our costumes (Mario and Princess Peach) from last weekend.

A Similar Yet Different Stir Fry

Lately I have been in the mood for a stir fry with lots of veggies and some warm brown rice. Since we have an abundance of ripe green peppers in our garden I wanted to find a stir fry recipe that would use them as a main ingredient. I did a search and ended up deciding on an older CL recipe called Three Pepper Beef.

One of the great things about making a stir fry is that it cooks very quickly. Brown rice on the other hand takes about 45 minutes. So to get things started I got the rice going first. Then I sliced the flank steak (across the grain and very thin) and mixed it in a bowl with a little cornstarch, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl I whisked together cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, beef broth and soy sauce. I then prepped the rest of the ingredients by slicing the green onions, cutting the peppers and onion into thin strips (green, red, and yellow ones), trimming the sugar snap peas, and mincing the garlic and ginger. Then in a non-stick skillet I heated the oil (I used dark sesame oil instead of veggie oil) and sautéed the onions, ginger, and garlic. I then added the beef mixture and let it cook for a couple minutes. You then remove the beef mixture and stir fry the remaining veggies until they are almost done. Lastly you add the beef mixture and sauce into the pan and let everything cook together for a couple minutes until the sauce has thickened. Serve it over the rice.

I was excited to not only use the green peppers from our garden, but also to try cooking sugar snap peas for the first time. Unfortunately the green peppers from our garden had a distinct bitter taste to them. I am not sure if they were not ripe enough or if we they are simply not allowed to grow to their full potential in both size and flavor due to being in pots... I am still working on a green thumb. As far as the stir fry we both really liked it, however, Russ thought I had served it before... It was a new recipe for us, but I believe he was confusing it with the Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir Fry I made not too long ago. While the two are similar I actually prefer the flavor of the sauce from the ginger stir fry over tonight's. Tonight's was good, but the sauce was a little too plain for me. I did however love the flavor and color of the red and yellow peppers and sugar snap peas in it. Maybe next time I'm in the mood for stir fry I'll combine the two recipes. Russ rates tonight's stir fry a 8.

Shish Kebabs

Tonight is Bachelor night and Russ and I are hosting which means we are in charge of the entrée. Since the men have been more involved in entrees the last two times and steak has been involved Russ felt like he should fire up the Egg for tonight and red meat should somehow be involved. We decided that steak and chicken shish kebabs fit the bill. We have done kebabs before, but we still haven’t found a recipe that we love so we are trying a new one tonight for Emeril’s Wine Marinated Beef Kebabs.

Since the meat needs to marinate for 6 to 24 hours we went ahead and put it together last night, so that it can marinate overnight and all day today. We wanted to do steak and chicken even though the recipe only calls for steak. We looked around for a different marinade to use on the chicken, but in the end decided to use the same marinade for both. Russ started by cutting the steak (top sirloin) and chicken into large cubes. While I worked on mincing the garlic and gathering the herbs Russ tossed the meat with Emeril’s Essence seasoning in a large Ziploc bag. We then added soy sauce, red wine, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, minced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, and dried thyme (as our fresh thyme has dried out). When we got home from work tonight we put the wood skewers in water to soak. I then cut the onions, green pepper, and red pepper into large chunks. I washed the cherry tomatoes and cleaned the mushrooms and cut the tips of the stems off. The recipe does not call for marinating the vegetables at all, but we decided to throw them in for a little while until we were ready to skewer them. We did a mix on the skewers of chicken, beef, and veggies. Russ then grilled them on the Egg.

The shish kebabs were good, but not great. The first thing that we should have done differently is use a different cut of meat. We used top sirloin as the recipe had called for and it was a beautiful cut, but it was too tough for a kebab. I think next time we’ll try tenderloin when we do steak kebabs and see how that goes. The other thing we should have done differently is to not mix the chicken and steak on the skewers. The steak had to cook a little longer than it needed in order to have the chicken cook through. As far as the marinade we thought it was okay, but not aything super special or different. Russ and I both agreed that we liked it better on the chicken than on the steak which was surprising since the recipe is actually for beef. Overall Russ was fairly disappointed with the kebabs and gave them a 5.

Elizabeth and Seth were in charge of the sides and brought butter beans and roasted potatoes. They were both very yummy and I really liked the size of the potatoes. Elizabeth had them cut into bite size pieces which I loved! Emily and Dowe brought the appetizer and dessert. Emily made an excellent Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip which was very creamy and tasty with a kick to it. This is one that I will definitely keep in mind next time I need an appetizer. For dessert they brought a cute cookie cake which was devoured! As always it was a fun filled night with good friends, lots of food and drink, and another entertaining episode!

The rest of this week and the weekend already look to be filled with fun cooking and baking. We have several small, ripe green peppers in our garden that will show up soon. I also am very excited to have two and a half pecks of beautiful apples from an orchard where Russ, Cash, and I stopped at on our way home from Highlands, North Carolina. I am hoping to be able to have lots of time for baking with the apples this weekend!

Back in the Kitchen Again

After being away from the kitchen for most of this month I started to make up for it this weekend cooking on Friday night and then spending a lot of today in the kitchen too. When I talked to Jess earlier this week she was telling me about Scott and her menu for a brunch they were hosting on Sunday (today). She already had several great menu items, but she wanted a veggie to round it out. I offered to take on the veggie because I have wanted to try Ina Garten’s Spinach Pie for a while now. In addition to the Spinach Pie I wanted to make the first pot of chili for the season. Russ seemed to think I was jumping the gun since it is still warm out, but it is technically Fall now… Lastly I started a baking project that is for tomorrow night’s Bachelor. That’s right a new season starts tomorrow night and Emily, Dowe, Elizabeth, Seth, Russ and I are back to our Bachelor Nights! I am in charge of the appetizer and dessert, but you’ll have to wait until later for the rest of the details!

First up is the Spinach Pie. Ina describes the inside as all the yummy tastes and flavors that you find in spanakopita, but with more of it. You start by sautéing chopped yellow onion in olive oil. Once it is done you mix in the salt and pepper and set it aside to cool. You then drain the defrosted spinach and put it in a bowl. Then add the onions, egg, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, feta, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, and pine nuts to the spinach and carefully mix it all together. You then butter the pan and place the phyllo in it brushing each layer with melted butter. Then put the spinach mixture into the phyllo covered pan and fold the phyllo over. I needed to add more phyllo to cover the top of the mixture. Then brush the top with melted butter and bake for 1 hour at 375F.

This turned out really yummy! I only have a picture of the outside since I took it over to Jess and Scott’s for their brunch where it received good reviews. It has the wonderful flavor similar to spanakopita only more complex. It is served at room temperature, so it would be great to make for company since you could make it earlier and let it slowly cool while you finish the rest of the meal. This will definitely be repeated! Jess rates it a 9. (A quick thank you to Jess for standing in as the blog rater for this dish. Russ only had one bite and it was too early in the morning for spinach for him, so he passed on rating it.)

Once I delivered the Spinach Pie I came home to start the chili. The last couple times I have made chili I have used an old CL recipe for All-American Chili. While I am not sure it will be my forever recipe I do really like the flavor and texture. Until I find a recipe that catches my eye more than this one it is my go to recipe for chili.

You start by sautéing the turkey sausage (casing removed), ground beef, onions, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno (from our garden). Once the meat is cooked and the veggies are tender then you add chili powder, brown sugar, tomato paste, cumin, bay leaves, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix the seasonings in and let them cook for about a minute. Then add the wine, tomatoes (I use 1 [28 oz] can of crushed tomatoes and 1 [28 oz] can of diced tomatoes), and the beans (which I drained and rinsed first). Bring this to a boil and then down to a simmer for at least one hour. Check it for seasoning as it may need a little more salt and pepper (especially if you use the no salt added tomatoes). Like any chili it is always better the next day. I served the chili with corn bread and toppings (sour cream, shredded cheese, diced onion, oyster crackers etc.).

This is exactly what its name says All-American Chili. It is a good solid recipe that we have enjoyed for a couple seasons now. Russ rates the chili a 8.

Spinach Pie, by Ina Garten

(Serves 6 – 8)

3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
6 extra-large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dry plain breadcrumbs
1/2 lb feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
1/4 lb salted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted

Preheat the over to 375 degrees.

In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible. Put the spinach into a bowl and then gently mix in the onions, egg, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta and pignoli.

Butter an ovenproof, non-stick, 8-inch sauté pan and line it with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter and letting the edges hang over the pan. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and neatly fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling. Brush the top well with melted butter.

Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Comfort Food - My Spaghetti Sauce

This week our schedule is up in the air where meal planning is not going to work very well. However, I don’t want to end up eating out every night for dinner and I would like something that we can share with family, so I decided to make a large batch of spaghetti that we can eat off of the nights we are at home this week and share and freeze the rest. I don’t have a recipe that I really follow for my spaghetti sauce, but it is loosely based off of my Mother’s version which also doesn’t have a recipe. I am going to try and put a recipe to my version, but just know that if you try it you can play with it by adding to it or removing anything you don’t about it.

To start I sauté the onions, peppers, and mushrooms in olive oil with a little salt and pepper and dried Italian seasonings. Once these are soft I add the ground beef to it and sauté until the meat is cooked through. I then drain it to get the grease out of it. I then start adding the different tomatoes and tomato sauces. I also add the black olives and more of the dried Italian seasoning. I’ll let it simmer for a while and then will check it to adjust the seasoning as necessary. Usually it will need more spices, salt and pepper. Let is simmer for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Serve with hot cooked spaghetti.

The spaghetti served it purpose this week by filling in meals for us and allowing us to share some with Russ' family. I like the variety of vegetables in it and the flavor and textures they add to it. This is a thicker, hearty sauce that for me is yummy comfort food. You can also make it anyway you want and it will still be yummy. If you don't like olives then leave them out, if you have other veggies around then throw them in, if you don't want red meat then try it with ground turkey and so forth and so on. It also freezes and shares very well, so whenever I do make spaghetti sauce I make a lot of it. Russ rates the spaghetti sauce a 9.

A Colorful, Tasty Stir Fry

The August CL is the first issue in the past few months that has really gotten me excited to try lots of new recipes. This issue has lots of recipes that caught my eye and had me dog ear the page. I decided to not waste any time and go ahead and give one a try tonight. One of the recipes stood out to me as it looks very similar to one of our favorite dishes from Surin. So, I decided to give the Ginger, Beef, and Green Bean Stir Fry a try.

To make the dish you sauté chopped garlic, ginger, and green onions in a little dark sesame oil. You then add the sliced beef and sauté it for a few minutes. You then remove the beef mixture and sauté the green beans and red peppers for a few minutes. Then you add the beef mixture back into the pan and add the sauce to it. The sauce has chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, and cornstarch. You bring the sauce to a boil and then cook it for another minute. The beef, veggie, sauce mixture is then plated over white rice.

Russ and I really liked this dish. I followed the recipe exactly and used the sirloin that it called for, however, next time I think I will use flank steak instead. We didn’t like the texture of the sirloin compared to that of flank steak. We also thought that brown rice would have worked well with this dish. The only other changes I would make is to maybe add sliced onion to the stir fry and try adding some fresh basil at the very end (like the dish we like from Surin has). This stir fry had great flavor and I really liked the green beans and red pepper in it. They add great flavor, texture, and color to the dish! This one will definitely be repeated in our house. Russ rates the stir fry a 9.

Hot Lunch for My Sweet Husband

Ever since Russ and I bought our house we started going home on most weekdays to eat lunch. We not only eat healthier, but also it is less expensive than eating out all the time. We could take our lunches to work, but this way we get to see each other and hang out with Cash for a little bit. Typically we just eat sandwiches, usually turkey, sometimes chicken salad. Sometimes we have leftovers or something, but more often than not it is a turkey sandwich. Last week Russ had one too many sandwiches and requested some variety this week for lunch. For the first couple days we had leftover Chinese food thanks to Russ’ parents, but I wanted to come up with something hot that I knew Russ would like. I decided on a CL recipe I have made once before for Sloppy Joes.

To make the Sloppy Joes you brown the ground beef with chopped onion and green pepper. Once the meat is cooked through you add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, pepper, sugar and chile powder. You then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. I went ahead and made it last night and more than doubled the quantity in order to have some to share with family. Consequently I just eyeballed the seasonings, but if I remember correctly from last time I felt like it needed a little more salt and pepper than called for if you use the no salt added tomato sauce. I like to use no salt added sauce and then control the salt I add. This is one of those dishes where you need to taste it as it simmers to adjust the seasoning as needed. (Note: CL had this recipe as a party option for children, so the serving size is kid size not adult. Just something to keep in mind when planning.)

This is a quick and easy dish that is both hearty and yummy. I especially like the flavor and texture that the chopped onion and green pepper add. This is a great dish for our lunches for the rest of the week since it reheats well and the flavor only gets better after it has sat for a day. Like other meat sauces, such as spaghetti, this will freeze very well. While it is not a fancy dish it is a winner in our house and has saved Russ from turkey sandwiches... at least for this week! Russ rates the Sloppy Joes a 9.

(Nic, If you like Sloppy Joes this is a recipe you could definitely make.)

We take dinner on the road!

Tonight Russ and I are making dinner at home and taking it over to eat with his grandparents and Great Aunt Eunice. So when we were deciding what to make we kept in mind that we would want dishes that transfer well and will stay hot or work well at room temperature. We decided on marinated, grilled flank steak, orzo with roasted vegetables, fresh tomato slices, and corn on the cob.

Russ marinated the flank steak in Mr. P's Original Marinade. This is our new find from a local butcher shop. We tried the spice blend (in spicy original) the other night and liked it, so this time we decided to try the marinade. We timed it to have it come of the grill right before we left and then it would rest while we drove over and be ready to slice once we arrived and were ready to eat.

The marinade tastes similar to Dale's or Moore's only less salty and with a more complex flavor. Russ and I both agreed that we preferred Mr. P's to the others. The flank steak had great flavor and Russ grilled and sliced it perfectly. (Flank steak should be cut thinly against the grain.)

As I mentioned in an earlier post we have lots of yummy fruits and veggies from the Farmer’s Market to eat this week. I decided to use some of them in Ina Garten’s Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. I did make one major change in substituting the bell peppers with squash and zucchini since this is what I had from the market. I also used a small white and purple eggplant in mine. I peeled the eggplant and then diced it along with the squash, zucchini, and onion. These are tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for about 40 minutes. While they are roasting I cooked the orzo (which being small cooks very quickly), made the dressing, and prepped the topping. Once the vegetables are done they are mixed with the orzo and dressing and at the last you add the toppings.

I doubled the orzo because I was worried that we wouldn't have enough for everyone and that was a mistake. While the flavor was wonderful and all the elements mixed together really well there was too much pasta (as you can see from the picture). The extra pasta mainly made it harder for the vegetables and other flavors to show through as I had wanted them to. Next time I will definitely not increase the pasta. The dressing gave the dish a wonderful lemony flavor that complemented the roasted vegetables, fresh basil, and feta perfectly. This was a delicious side dish that definitely should be served at room temperature making it great for transporting it or using it this Fall for tailgating.

We also served fresh corn on the cob and tomato slices. For dessert we had blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. It was a very summery meal that transported well and everyone enjoyed. Russ and I had a wonderful time eating with his grandparents and Great Aunt Eunice. We may have to take the food on the road to Somerby again soon! Russ rates the flank steak a 8 and the Orzo a 9.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, Ina Garten

1 small eggplant, peeled and ¾ inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ pound orzo or rice shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
¼ cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
¾ pound good feta, ½ inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.