boneless chicken recipes: February 2012

A Blast From the Past With Big G Cereals Giveaway!

It’s time to dust off your sweat bands, leg warmers and neon tees and head on over to your local Target® to moon walk down the cereal aisle, as Big G cereals have brought back their “Retro” themed packaging, 80’s style. Big G cereals will be channeling their Retro roots and to help celebrate, they have partnered with Atari®, bringing classic 80’s games like Asteroids, Missile Command and Centipede to your breakfast table.
Collect all 5 different packages that include totally radical Atari Activities on the back of each box; available exclusively at Target starting February through mid-March.

Participating Big G cereals include: Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cheerios® (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz.)
Did we mention it was Atari’s 40th Anniversary this year? Be sure to check out GrocerySavvy.com and test your online Atari gaming skills at Asteroids while also entering in a sweepstakes for chance to win Target gift cards and Atari merchandise.

Now to get the retro party started one lucky reader will win this great gift package!

2 boxes of participating Big G cereals

$10 Target gift card

A free download for “Atari 80 Classic Games In 1”

To enter the giveaway be a follower of One Crazy Cookie and tell me something you like or remember about the 80's.

It's as easy as creating the big bangs we used to wear in the 80's!! HA HA HA!!

Winner will be drawn by random number generator
on March 10, 2012.

Have fun and good luck!!

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills, Atari and Target through MyBlogSpark.

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce ♥

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

Today's vegetarian quick supper recipe: Chickpea Cakes aka chickpea patties or chickpea burgers. What is the difference between a "cake" and a "pattie" and a "burger"? Never mind. Served with a little Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce aka tzatziki on the side, these are great, with a nubbly texture, plenty of moistness and lots of fresh flavor. Weight Watchers 4 to 5 points.

One thing's for certain, we each get 24 hours in a day. No matter who we are and where we live. No matter our age, our education, our bank accounts, our weight, our ambition, our baggage, our Facebook friends, our cars, our clothes, our homes, our good intentions. Nobody is shorted for 23 hours, no one can buy 25.

So February 29th is a special day, a day that comes just once every four years, often enough to take notice, rare enough to not waste. Every four years, we get the gift – all of us – of an extra day, a whole day, an entire yet-to-be-explored, yet-to-be-lived day.

How do you spend February 29th? Is it a day of contemplation? of carefree live 'n' let live? Is it a day to play it safe in simple gratitude for oh-so-many gifts or one to toss gifts to the wind, risking plain gifts for gifts with ribbons? Is it a day to step forward or step back? And oh yes, is taking a step back really ten steps forward? Or is it the other way 'round, that a step forward really means slipping twenty steps back? Life math so confuses me.

February 29th. Make it a good one.
Keep Reading ->>>

Butter Dip Biscuits

This is an old family recipe that comes from the Dough Queen my Aunt Karen. She has the touch that makes incredible breads, rolls and other delicious goodies. These were so delicious and a huge hit with the family!!

Butter Dip Biscuits

From Aunt Karen

2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups flour
additional melted butter
Put the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a saucepan. Heat on medium heat stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
Pour water into the mixer, sprinkle the yeast and stir just a bit. I added 1 teaspoon sugar to the mixture. Let yeast sit until it foams a bit (about 5 minutes). Stir in eggs and milk mixture. Stir in flour until you get a stiff dough. Let dough raise until doubled. Punch down and roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out round rolls (I used a drinking glass to cut mine.)

Dip each round into melted butter (I started with 2 Tablespoons butter and then melted more when I needed it) and fold in half on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Let raise again (about 20-30 minutes). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

The only issue I had was keeping the rolls folded.

These were light and delicious.

Fennel – Crusted Pork Sandwiches sandwiches with Salsa Verde

Fennel – Crusted Pork Sandwiches sandwiches with Salsa Verde

Why this recipe works: Boneless country – style spare ribs have much more flavor than the typical pork cutlet. Even so, we still needed to find a way to make them even tastier. We came up with a solution: coat the spare ribs with fennel seeds, top them with salsa verde, and stuff them into sub rolls to create flavorful and unique sandwiches. Pounding the fennel seeds into the pork helps the seeds adhere to the meat. When they’re cooked, fennel seeds release essential oils that infuse the spare ribs with a sweet anise flavore. The vibrant, herbal salsa verde comes together quickly in the food processor. Its garlicky punch brightens up the pork and intensifies the flavor profile of the dish. Finally, using 6 inch sub rolls to turn the whole meal into a easy – to – eat sandwich adds heft and makes for a quick, convenient supper.

Fennel seed – crusted pork sandwiches with salsa verde

Ingredients: serve 4

1 ¼ cups chopped fresh parsley

2 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons drained capers plus 1 teaspoon caper brine

2 anchovy filets, patted dry and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper

1 ½ pounds boneless country – style pork spare ribs, trimmed of excess fat

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

4 (6 inch) sub rolls, split open lengthwise

Procedures:

Process parsley, scallions, capers and caper brine, anchovy, garlic, and ¼ cup oil in food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Pat pork dry with paper towels. Sprinkle pork all over with fennel seeds, then place cutlets between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound to ¼ inch thickness. Discard plastic and season pork with salt and pepper.
Heat additional 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet until just smoking. Add half of pork to pan and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil. Repeat with remaining oil and pork. Let rest 5 minutes.
spread salsa Verde evenly on inner sides of each roll. Arrange pork on each roll, cutting pork pieces as needed. Serve

Easy fennel seed – crusted pork

Pat the boneless country – style pork spare ribs dry with paper towels, then sprinkle the pork all over with 2 tablespoons fennel seeds. Next, place the spare ribs between 2 layers of plastic wrap and pound them until they are ¼ inch thick. Discard the plastic and season the pork with salt and pepper.

Mustard – Glazed Brats with Sweet and Sour Slaw

Mustard – Glazed Brats with Sweet and Sour Slaw

Why this recipe works: it’s good bet that almost everyone – especially football fans – has had a brat at some point in their life. But what exactly sets these sausages apart from other varieties? Simply put, bratwurst are German – style nutmeg, and caraway seeds. For this dish, we created a bold mustard sauce and a sweet and tangy coleslaw that pair perfectly with the highly spiced, savory sausages. We start by browning the sausages in the skillet, and then we add broth to the pan, cover it, and cook until the brats are no longer pink. The fond on the bottom of the pan releases during simmering and adds to the flavor of the sauce. Once the liquid is reduced, we whisk in tangy, whole – grain mustard with a bit of honey for added sweetness. The aggressive flavor of the sausages. To shred the cabbage, we use either a food processor fitted with a shredding blade or a mandoline. Prepackaged slaw is also an option.

Mustard – Glazed Brats with Sweet and Sour slaw

Ingredients : serve 4

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 ½ pounds bratwurst

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons whole – grain mustard

¼ cup honey

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ teaspoon celery seed

½ head green cabbage, shredded

½ red onion, chopped fine salt and pepper

Procedures:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium – high heat until just smoking. Add bratwurst and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes add chicken broth, reduce heat to medium – low, cover, and cook until sausages are no longer pink in center, about 10 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to medium – high, and simmer until liquid has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Transfer sausages to platter and whisk mustard and 1 tablespoon honey into sauce. Pour sauce over sausage.
Meanwhile, whisk remaining 3 tablespoons honey, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and celery seed in large bowl. Toss cabbage and onion in dressing and season with salt and pepper. Serve with sausage.

Smart shopping cider vinegar:

From colonial times until refrigeration came along, most American homes kept a barrel of apple cider vinegar for preserving foods. Even through cider vinegar is now used more for brightening sauces and salad dressing than staving off spoilage, most cooks still opt for the most generic brand possible. As local supermarkets have begun to offer a more varied selection – some in the vinegar aisle, some in the “natural foods” section – we wondered if any were worthwhile. To find out, we purchased 10 nationally available brands – six produced domestically, three from France, and one from Canada. Our winner? Maille Apple Cider Vinegar. Tasters raved about this French vinegar “deep, warm” flavor profile, complex notes of honey and caramel, and sweet apple taste. In the creamy sauce, tasters liked this vinegars “smooth cider flavor” which boasted a “good balance of richness and tang.”

Thai Green Curry with Pork and Zucchini

Thai Green Curry with Pork and Zucchini

Why this recipe works: although authentic curry originates in southern

India

, the word “curry” has evolved into a catchall term used to described any number of spicy, saucy dishes from all over the globe. For this take on a curry and pork dish, we drew inspiration from the flavors of Thailand. Intensely aromatic and unapologetically spicy, Thai green curry paste adds complexity and depth of flavor to almost anything it touches. It’s also convenient: you access its benefits by opening a jar, not by scrounging up a litany of exotic ingredients. Blooming the green curry paste in the skillet, then adding coconut milk and fish sauce – both ingredients often found in Thai cuisine – further enhances the Thai – inspired flavor scraping up the fond (the browned bits left behind after cooking the pork) before simmering adds even more depth to this rich, spicy dish.

Ingredients: serve 4

1 large pork tenderloin(about 1 pound), cut into ¾ inch chunks salt and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium zucchini, cut into ¾ inch pieces

3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

Procedures:

pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium – high heat until just smoking. Cook pork until well browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to bowl and set aside.
Add remaining oil and zucchini to no – empty skillet and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer zucchini to bowl with pork and set aside.
Add curry paste to now – empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer over medium heat. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 6 minutes. Stir in browned pork and zucchini, along with any accumulated juices, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Server.

Kitchen Know how Found in pan sauces

Fond is a term that refers to the caramelized browned bits that remain on the bottom of the pan after meat has been sautéed or pan seared. When meat or chicken browns, something called the maillard reaction occurs. This process is named after the French chemist who first described this reaction roughly one hundred years ago. When the amino acids(or protein components) and natural sugars in meat are subjected to intense heat, like that found in a skillet, they begin to combine and form new compounds. These compounds in turn react to form yet more new flavor compounds, and so on and so on. The browned bits left in the pan are packed with these complex flavors, which in turn are carried over to the pan sauce once the fond has been scraped free from the pan and dissolved into the liquids (broth, wine, etc.) used for the pan sauce. In classic French cooking, fond is also referred to as sucs.

Southwestern Pork and Bean Soup

Southwestern Pork and Bean Soup

Why this recipe works: pork – based soups often use tough cuts of meat from the shoulder or hind area of the hog. While flavorful, these cuts require hours of simmering before they becomes tender. In this dish, we use pork tenderloin, which only requires about five minutes of cooking and plenty of aromatic ingredients to give our soup a robust taste. Building the flavor profile of the broth is key: after browning the pork and creating fond, we soften corn, scallion whites, and an Anaheim chile in the Dutch oven. With our foundation in place, we add heft with beans and chunky salsa. A topping of fried corn tortilla strips and crunch to this spicy soup.

Ingredients: serve 4

¼ cup vegetable oil

6 corn tortillas, halved and cut into ¼ inch strips salt and pepper

1 large pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into ¾ inch chunks

1 cup corn kernels

1 Anaheim chile, seeded and chopped

6 scallions, sliced thin

1 (16 – ounce ) can black, pinto, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

²_/3cup chunky salsa

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 cups low – sodium chicken broth

Procedures:

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium – high heat until shimmering. Fry tortilla strips, stirring often, until crisp and deep golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer tortilla strips to paper towel – lined plate and season with salt and pepper.
Add pork to oil in pot and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer pork to bowl and set aside. Add corn, chile, and scallion whites to pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in beans, salsa, ½ cup cilantro, and broth and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer over medium heat until soup is slightly thickened and flavors meld, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in browned pork, along with any accumulated juices, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Top soup with scallion greens, remaining cilantro, and tortilla strips. Serve

Smart shopping salsa

If you don’t want to bother pulling out the food processor, or if you can’t find acceptable tomatoes, the fresh salsa in your supermarket’s refrigerated case can be nearly as good as homemade. But if you’re really looking for convenience and need a salsa with a longer shelf life, our two top salsas – medium and hot – are a descent option. Old el paso thick and chunky medium salsa, praised for its “bright, spicy flavors,” is our favorite medium variety. If you’re looking for heat, try pace chunky hot salsa, which tasters described as both “full – flavored” and “fairly spicy”.

Hoisin Pork with Garlic Noodles

Hoisin Pork with Garlic Noodles (dish)

Why this recipe works: Hoisin sauce, with its mix of sauce, with its mix of spicy, sweet, and salty flavors, is the ideal ingredient for dressing up unassuming pork tenderloin. In this dish, we waste the spicy aspect of housing to stand out, so we mute some of the sweetness and add some zing by stirring in fresh ginger and chili – garlic sauce. This mixture is brushed on the pork right at the end of grilling so the flavors bloom and infuse the meat. Chinese noodles have a slightly denser texture than most other types of pasta (spaghetti, for instance), and they’re extra starchy. That means they tend to grab on to the sauce and cling to it more tightly than other noodle varieties. Here, we add flavor to the workaday ingredient with a garlicky dressing of scallions, ginger, and soy sauce that falls in line with the flavor profile of the Hoisin pork.

Ingredients: serve 4 to 6

¼ cup Hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon chill – garlic sauce

8 scallions, sliced thin

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pork tenderloins (1 ½ to 2 pound total salt and pepper

2 (9 – ounce ) packages fresh Chinese noodles

Procedures:

Whisk Hoisin, 1 teaspoon ginger, and chili – garlic sauce in small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine scallions, garlic, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ginger.
Pat pork dry with paper towels. Rub with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until browned on all sides and pork registers 145 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with Hoisin mixture and cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve ½ cup noodle water, drain noodles, and return noodles to pot. Stir in scallion mixture, adding reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Slice pork. Serve with noodles.

Quick Prep Tip: Reserving Pasta Water

Many cooks forget to save a bit of pasta cooking water to thin an accompanying sauce, even when a recipe recommends it. Here’s an easy way to remember: Before cooking the pasta, set a colander for draining in the sink, then place a measuring cup inside the colander. The sight of the measuring cup is sure to nudge your memory at the appropriate moment.

Smart shopping Hoisin sauce

According to our tasters, the perfect Hoisin sauce balances sweet, salty, pungent, and spicy elements so that no one flavor dominates. One brand, Kikkoman’s Hoisin Sauce, come closest to this ideal, with tasters praising its initial “burn,” which mellowed into a harmonious blend of sweet and aromatic flavors.

Glazed Pork Chops with Figs and Blue Cheese

Glazed Pork Chops with Figs and Blue Cheese

Why this Recipe works: this dish is quick to make, so it’s suited for a typical weeknight dinner. But the figs and blue cheese dress it up enough to make it suitable for company if you’re feeling social. In the test kitchen, we prefer rib chops over center – cut chops because, without a piece of tenderloin attached, they’re easier to cook. The blue cheese adds rich, salty counterpoints to the honeyed figs, and both provide nice accents to the mild – tasting pork. The pepperiness of the pork and the bay leaf in the glaze and savory notes that help balance the sweetness of the honey. White balasamic vinegar has sweet – sour notes reminiscent of traditional balsamic vinegar, but its lighter color won’t darken the glaze. We found it best to choose a firm blue cheese rather than once that is soft and creamy since the firmer variety is easier to crumble

Ingredients: serve 4

4 bone – in rib or center – cut pork chops (8 to 10 ounces each) salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup white wine

¹_/3cup honey

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 small bay leaf

12 fresh figs, halved

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Procedures:

Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season each with salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium – high heat until just smoking. Cook chops until well browned and chops register 145 degrees, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil. Discard fat in skillet.
Add wine, honey, vinegar, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon salt to skillet and simmer over high heat until frothy, thickened, and a wooden spoon leaves a wake that quickly fills in , about 5 minutes. Add figs to skillet and cook until coated and just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer figs to plate. Pour any accumulated pork juice into skillet and cook until glaze is syrupy, about 1 minute.
Spoon glaze over pork chops. Sprinkle cheese over figs. Serve with chops.

Smart Shopping: Balsamic vs. White Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is produce in Italy white Trebbiano grapes, which are cooked down and concentrated until they’re deep, dark, and rich. The vinegar is then aged for varying periods of time – from as little as three years to over 100 years – in wooden barrels. Many balsamic vinegars contain sulfites, which are added to inhibit the growth of flavor – detracting bacteria. White balsamic vinegar also comes from Italy, but is made by an entirely different process. The grapes undergo pressurized cooking, which prevents caramelization that would effect both flavor and color. White balsamic vinegar is aged only one year in uncharred barrels to further assure both the flavor and color will stay light.

Menu Plan Monday

After a super crazy week I am finally back!! Amazing how much I missed blogging and all my blog friends!! This week I am hopefully back on track starting with a weekly meal plan.

This Week's Menu
Monday: Taco Salads
Tuesday: Cheese Stuffed Meatball Subs
Wednesday: Kelly's BBQ Chicken Pizza
Thursday: Picnic Night
Friday: Sloppy Joes
Saturday: Chicken Quesadillas
Sunday: Potato Bar

Thanks for your patience! I've got some good things planned to add to the blog this week!!

Happy Monday!

Linked to:Menu Plan Monday

Open – Faced Ham and Brie Sandwiches with Arugula Salad all recipe

Open – Faced Ham and Brie Sandwiches with Arugula Salad

Why this recipe works: open faced sandwiches are the de facto lunch of choice in Nordic countries, and for good reason: they’re tasty and easy to make, and the flavor combination are virtually limitless. We turned this European noontime staple into an all American weeknight supper with a little help from other parts of the world. Our neighbors to the north provide the protein. Canadian bacon, straight out of the package, precooked, and already sliced, I a convenient way to get big pork flavor. France chips in with the bread and the cheese, plus a little Dijon mustard for added zing. For a finishing touch, a little honey goes a long way. Here, we use the versatile nectar to balance the flavors in both our sandwich and our accompanying salad. In the sandwich, a quick drizzle of honey cuts through the saltiness of the Canadian bacon and the richness of the brie. In the salad, the honey tames the sharpness of the mustard in the vinaigrette as well as the peppery bite of the arugula. Using honey in both components also serves to unite the flavor profile of the dish as a whole.

Ingredients: serve 4

3 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 (24 – inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and each half cut into 4 even pieces

1 pound Canadian bacon

8 ounces brie cheese, sliced ¼ inch thick

6 cups baby arugula salt and pepper

Procedures:

Adjust oven rank to upper – middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, lemon juice, and oil in large bowl.
Arrange bread, cut side up, on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Spread remaining mustard evenly over bread. Top with bacon and brie and bake until brie is melted and edges of bread are golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to platter and drizzle with remaining honey.
Add arugula to bowl with mustard mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Served with sandwiches.

Easy Open – Faced sandwich

Arrange eight slices of French bread cut side up on a aluminum foil – lined baking sheet. Spread Dijon mustard over the bread, then top with the Canadian bacon and brie. Bake in a preheated 475 – degree oven until the brie is melted and the edges of the bread are golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.

Cheesy Beef - Stuffed Zucchini all recipes

Cheesy Beef - Stuffed Zucchini

Why this recipe works: Roasting our zucchini on a preheated baking sheet and in browning, meaning we shave down the roasting time without sacrificing flavor. After stuffing the zucchini, we sprinkle them with panko and Parmesan before they go into the oven for baking.

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini (6 to 8 inches each), stem ends removed salt and pepper

4 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

¼ pound 85% lean ground beef

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup panko (Japanese – Style bread crumbs)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup shredded provolone cheese

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 (28 – ounce) can diced tomatoes

Procedures:

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position, heat oven to 425 degrees, and place rimmed baking sheet on rack. Halve zucchini lengthwise. With small spoon, scoop out seeds and most of flesh so walls of zucchini are ¼ inch thick. Season cut side of zucchini with salt and pepper and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Set zucchini halves cut side down on hot baking sheet and roast until slightly softened and edges are beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer zucchini, cut side up, to a 9 by 13 – inch baking dish.
Heat additional tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium – high heat until just shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beef and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add 3 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. off heat, stir in ½ cup bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons basil, and provolone. Season with salt and pepper.
Stuff Zucchini halves with beef mixture. Toss remaining bread crumbs with parmesan cheese. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top. Bake zucchini until topping is golden, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in empty skillet until shimmering. Add remaining garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with zucchini.

Easy Stuffed Zucchini

Scoop out the seeds and most of the flesh so the walls of the zucchini are ¼ inch think. After roasting, transfer the zucchini, cut side up, to a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Stuff the zucchini halves with the beef mixture. Toss the remaining bread crumbs with the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on each zucchini and bake.

Grilled Italian T – Bone steaks with Tuscan Beans all recipes

Grilled Italian T – Bone steaks with Tuscan Beans

Why this recipe works: Tuscan Beans – a hearty pot of white beans, slowly simmered with tomatoes, garlic, and sage – is both a timeless and time – consuming Italian favorite. We don’t have the daylight or desire to endure hours of simmering, so we substitute convenient canned beans for the dried ones. We start by infusing extra – virgin olive oil with the flavors and aromas of garlic and sage. We then add tomatoes and let them cook until all the liquid has evaporated and their flavor has concentrated and intensified. That way, when we add the canned beans to the pot, there’s already plenty of flavor there for them to absorb and interact with. With a final drizzle of olive oil just before serving, we give the beans a vaguely peppery, fragrant finish. We’re left with beans that are so tasty and complex that it would be a shame to pair them with something that would steal their spotlight; that’s why a perfectly grilled, no frills T – bone steak makes the ideal dinner companion.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra – virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup low – sodium chicken broth salt and pepper

2 T – bone or porterhouse steaks (1 ¼ pounds each), 1 ½ inches thick

Procedures: serve 4

Heat 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and sage in large skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously, until oil begins to sizzle and garlic turns pale gold, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, increase heat to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato liquid has evaporated, about 10 minuets.
Stir in beans and broth and simmer until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in remaining olive oil just before serving.
Meanwhile, season steaks with salt and pepper. Grill over medium – hot fire until charred on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice meat off bones. Serve.

Smart Shopping T – Bone vs. Porterhouse

Both T – bone and porterhouse steaks contain a central bone that divides a New York strip from a tenderloin. The difference? A T – bone must have a tenderloin section at least ½ - inc across, while that of the porterhouse must be at least 1 ½ - inches across.

Simple side : Lemony spinach Salad

Whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove minced garlic, and ¼ cup extra – virgin olive oil in bowl. Toss with 1 (6 – ounce) bag baby spinach and season with salt and pepper. Use vegetable peeler to shave enough pieces of parmesan cheese to make 1 cup curls. Toss salad with parmesan curls. Serve 4.

Mexican – Style Beef Sandwiches all recipes

Mexican – Style Beef Sandwiches

Why this recipe works: these sandwiches are a bit like a burrito. Except that the “wrappers” are hollowed – out rolls instead of a tortilla. We grill a flank steak, slice it thin, then cut the slices into smaller bite – size pieces. Then we assemble the sandwiches – throwing on refried beans, sliced avocado, cheese, lettuce, and a spicey mayonnaise with chipotle chiles and lime juice – before returning them to the grill to give them a quick warm through. We place the sandwiches on a baking sheet for two reasons: first, it makes the sandwiches easy to transport to and from the grill, and second, it allows them to warm through without burning the bread. Be sure to keep the lid down on your grill during this time – the sandwiches need an “oven” effect to warm through in a timely fashion.

Ingredients:

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles

1 tablespoon lime juice salt and pepper

1 pound flank steak

4 bulkie rolls, halved

½ Cup canned refried beans

1 avocado, pitted and sliced thin

½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese

2 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

Procedures

whisk mayonnaise, chiles, and lime juice in small bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper
season steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak over hot fire until chard on both sides, and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer steak to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Scoop out most of soft bread from top and bottom of buns. Grill bread, cut side down, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes.
Slice beef thin against grain and cut slices into small bite – size pieces. Divide beef into 4 equal size portions. Spread 2 tablespoons refried beans on bottom half of each bun and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixture on top halves. Place beef slices on top of refried beans, followed by sliced avocado, cheese, and shredded lettuce. Replace tops of buns and gently press. Transfer sandwiches to baking sheet and place baking sheet directly on grill. Cover grill and heat sandwiches through, about 2 minutes. Serve

Easy Maxican Sandwiches

Spread refried beans on the bottom half of each bun and the mayonnaise mixture on the top half. Place the beef slices evenly on top of the beans, followed by the sliced avocado, cheese, and lettuce. Replace the tops of the buns and gently press. Transfer the sandwiches to a baking sheet and place baking sheet directly on the grill.

Lasagna Soup

This recipe was such a HIT at my house. Even my picky eater had two servings. It was simple to put together and VERY DELICIOUS!! I received a message from hubby who hates soup and it said; "If you change the name from soup that dish is AWESOME!" Wow that says a lot coming from the man of few words. Guess it passed the test!!

Lasagna Soup
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
1/2 cup onion diced
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 cup small shell pasta (I used small penne)
grated parmesan
shredded mozzarella (optional)
In a skillet, brown sausage with the onion. Drain if needed. Place sausage in the crock pot. Add all the ingredients but the pasta. Stir and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add pasta to the crock pot about 10-20 minutes before serving.
Garnish each serving with some parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella.

Delicious!!

Balsamic Steak Tips and Tomato Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese all recipes

Balsamic Steak Tips and Tomato Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese

Why this recipe works: this recipe only works if the steak tips brown well and form flavorful crusts, so when we cook the pieces, we turn them only occasionally with tongs instead of stirring or moving them frequently. Balsamic vinegar draws all the elements together and adds a sweet – tart accent to the meaty, salty flavors of the steak, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese. Heirloom tomatoes come in many sizes and colors; we use a mixture for an eye catching salad. Because the salad doesn’t have much staying power, we assemble it at the very last moment, just before serving. Once dressed, the tomatoes begin to release their juices, and the watercress quickly wilts.

Ingredients: serve 4

4 ounces bacon, chopped

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 ½ pounds steak tips, cut into 2 inch chunks salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges or chunks

½ small red onion, sliced very thin

2 cups watercress

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup crumbled blue cheese

Procedures:

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium – high heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel – lined plate. Pour out fat and wipe skillet. Add 4 tablespoons vinegar and simmer over medium – high heat until syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Rinse skillet and wipe dry.
Pat steak tips dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in now – empty skillet over medium – high heat until smoking. Add steak tips and cook until well browned all over, 6 to 8 minut4es. Transfer to serving platter and tent with foil.
Combine tomatoes, onion, and watercress in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. And sprinkle with blue cheese and bacon.
Drizzle balsamic glaze over steak tips. Serve with salad

Quick prep tip : Storing tomatoes

We’ve heard that storing a tomato with its stem end facing down can prolong shelf life. To test this theory, we placed one batch of tomatoes stem end up and another stem end down and stored them at room temperature. A week later, nearly all the stem – down tomatoes remained in perfect condition, while the stem – up tomatoes had shriveled and started to mold. Why the difference? We surmised that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provides both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar. To confirm this theory, we ran another test, this time comparing tomatoes stored stem end down with another batch stored stem end up, but with a piece of tape sealing off their scars. The taped, stem – end up tomatoes survived just as well as the stem – end – down batch.

Korean – Style Lettuce Wraps all recipes

Korean – Style Lettuce Wraps

Why this recipe works: this recipe is inspired by kalbi, a Korean – style grilled short rib dish featuring an irresistible combination of meaty, salty, sweet, and garlicky flavor. The marinade does double duty in this recipe: Before the meat is added, a small portion of it is set aside for drizzling over the steak after it’s been cooked and sliced. This adds a punch of flavor that makes up for the abbreviated marinating time. Fresh pear that’s been grated on a microplane grater not only serves as a tenderizing agent but also adds a subtle fruitiness to the marinade. We toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until they’re golden and fragrant before adding them to the marinade. The thinness of skirt steak makes it a candidate for grilling over high heat, but there’s a fair amount of sugar in the marinade that will scorch, so medium – high heat is preferable. We cut the steaks into sections before grilling so we can remove the thinner end pieces ahead of the thicker sections to ensure even doneness. Flank steak, which has slightly less flavor, can be used in place of skirt steak if desired. Diners wrap the meat in lettuce leaves at the table, which makes for an interesting, interacting eating experience.

Ingredients: serve 4

½ cup soy sauce

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and grated

3 ½ tablespoon sugar

3 scallions, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon tasted sesame seeds

½ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ pounds skirt steak, trimmed

1 head red leaf, green leaf, or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated

Procedures:

Combine soy sauce, pear, sugar, scallions, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and pepper in large bowl. Measure out and reserve ¼ cup marinade. Cut skirt steaks crosswise into 3 or 4 sections and add to marinade. Marinate while heating grill.
Grill steaks over medium – hot fire until well browned and steaks register 125 degrees(medium – rare), 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice steak thin against grain, transfer to platter, and drizzle with reserved marinade. Serve with lettuce leaver for wrapping.

Easy Wrapping the Beef:

Start by slicing steak thin against the grain. Next, lay apportion of the steak strips on top of a lettuce leaf. Drizzle the steak strips with a little of the reserved marinade, then fold both the top and bottom of the lettuce leaf inward over the steak strips. To finish, beginning on either side, roll the lettuce around steak strips.

Tried & True: Crescent Chicken Bundles

This is one of my family's all time favorites that I posted early in the life of this blog!! My husband and I argue about where this recipe originated from, but that really doesn't matter, because it is easy and DELICIOUS!! It so deserves a second post!

Crescent Chicken Bundles

original post here

2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced in small pieces
1/2 cup diced olives
2 cans refrigerator crescent rolls
1 small onion, minced
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
Mix all ingredients together. Roll out crescent rolls. Place a small amount of mixture on the large end of the crescent.

Roll up the top and sides around the filling. Continue to roll the dough up. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Until lightly browned.

Make a gravy out of the following:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 soup can of water
Bring to boil and simmer until gravy like consistency.
Serve gravy over top of the rolls.

*As you can tell I renamed this recipe because I could not figure out how to get the filling to stay in the roll if made into a crescent shape. That is why it is a bundle. I try to wrap the dough around the filling right from the start.

There are better directions for rolling the dough in the original post!!

Snickers Popcorn

If you are in need of a quick sweet for your "sweet" today, this is a good one!! So delicious and very addicting. I found it over at Walking on Sunshine which is an amazing blog. Lots of delicious food and inspirational posts!!

Snickers Popcorn
from Walking on Sunshine
1 cups of unpopped popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
30 "Fun Size" Snickers bars, coarsely chopped
3 oz. milk chocolate, melted (optional)

Pop your popcorn. Sift through and remove all the unpopped kernels.
Over medium heat, boil butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and corn syrup for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.
I used my LARGE roasting pan.
Pour this mixture over your popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
Bake your popcorn in a 200 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and stir in your coarsely chopped Snickers. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes so the Snickers can melt into the popcorn. The candy does not have to completely melt.
Remove from oven and drizzle with the melted chocolate
Let cool before packaging or transferring to an air-tight container.

She packaged hers up all cute. We ate it straight from the bowl and loved it!!

Menu Plan Monday

A little more from my quick trip to San Francisco. Me and the Golden Gate Bridge. What you don't see is what happened just before this picture. I saw people standing up on a ledge for a better photo opt. So I decided I would do it also. Not a good plan...I was the one who fell!! Hubby got a good laugh out of it. So a little excitement before we walked across the bridge and almost got ran over by bikers. It was all good though. Loved the experience!!

After another power outage last week, I am crossing my fingers that will be the last for the season. It puts a big damper in my cooking and blogging habit! Now on to this week..

This Week's Menu
Monday: Burritos
Tuesday: Chicken Puff Pastry Pockets
Wednesday:Lasagna Soup
Thursday: Picnic Night
Friday: Malibu Chicken
Saturday: Chip Chicken
Sunday: Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

Anyone got any good ideas for Valentine's Day?

Linked to Menu Plan Monday

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Something worth checking out!

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with Cauliflower Salad all recipes

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with Cauliflower Salad

Why this recipe works: the slightly nutty, mildly sweet essence of our cauliflower salad is and ideal accompaniment to the rich flavor of char grilled beef. Instead of boiling the cauliflower, we steam it so it doesn’t get waterlogged; without all that excess moisture, the clean taste of the cauliflower really shines through. The simple adornments of pickled onion, capers, and fresh parsley and tarragon lead the salad complementary flavors that are sharp enough to stand up to the beef. The pickled onion and cauliflower(without the dressing) can be prepared several hours ahead of time. Though we prefer rib – eyes in this recipe, any steak can be used.

Ingredients: serve 4

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar salt and pepper

½ medium red onion, slice thin

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed cored, and cut into florets (about 6 cups)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 rib eye steaks (8 to 10 ounces each), about 1 inch thick

Procedures:

Bring ½ cup vinegar, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt to boil in small saucepan. Add onion and return mixture to boil. Immediately remove pan from heat and transfer mixture to small bowl to cool.
Fit large saucepan with steamer basket and fill with enough water to reach below bottom of basket. Bring water boil. Add florets, reduce heat to medium, cover, and stream until cauliflower is tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to large bowl filled with ice water to cool. Drain cauliflower and pat dry.
Whisk remaining vinegar, parsley, tarragon, capers, and olive oil together in large bowl. Toss in cauliflower and season with salt and pepper.
Season steaks with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until charred on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to platter and let rest 5 minutes. Transfer cauliflower salad to platter and top with pickled onion. Serve.

Quick prep tip: Cutting cauliflower

Separate the individual florets from the inner stem using the tip of a knife. Cut the florets in half or quarters if necessary so that the individual pieces are about 1 inch wide.

Smart Shopping Capers

We tasted six nationally available supermarket brands of brined non – pareil capers, evaluating them on their sharpness, saltiness, and overall appeal. Our winner was Pareil capers, which taters praised not only for their bright, acidid punch but also for being slightly crunchy, which conveyed a sense of “freshness.”

Molasses Glazed Beef kebabs with Black eyed Pea Salad all recipes

Molasses Glazed Beef kebabs with Black eyed Pea Salad

Why this recipe works: The sweetness of the orange juice, combined with the slightly bitter, smoky edge of molasses and the subtle hint of heat from the jalapeño, gives these beef kebabs a big boost of flavor and adds complexity and intrigue. Steak tips, a.k.a. flap meat, are sold as whole steaks, cubes, and strips. To ensure equally sized chunks that will cook evenly, we prefer to purchase a whole steak and cut it our selves. If whole steaks are not available, our second choice is to cut the tips from strips. The bottom line? Precut steaks tips should be avoided. For maximum caramelization of the glaze, we cut the beef into large 2 inch pieces. This ensures that the meat won’t overcook in the time it takes to brown and caramaelize the exterior. We increased the amount of steak from our usual 1 ½ pounds (for four people) to 2 pounds, who what our kebabs have 4 to 5 pieces of meat per skewer. Fresh squeezed or bottled orange juice can be used in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice

½ cup, plus 1 teaspoon unsulfured molasses

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

3 garlic cloves

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced salt and pepper

2 pounds steak tips, cut into 2 inch chunks

Procedures:

In medium saucepan, bring orange juice to boil over high heat and reduce to ¹_/3cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in ½ cup molasses and continue to boil until mixture reduces to ½ cup.
Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, remaining 1 teaspoon molasses, jalapeño, 1 clove garlic, cilantro, and olive oil in medium bowl. Toss in peas and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper
Whisk molasses mixture with remaining 2 cloves garlic, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt in small bowl. Toss beef with molasses mixture. Thread meat evenly onto four 12 – inch metal skewers. Grill kebabs over hot fire, covered, and turn frequently until meat is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with black eyed pea salad.

Tools skewers

If you’re cooking over very high heat, bamboo skewers will burn and break apart – no matter how long you soak them in water beforehand. We had better luck with metal skewers. They may cost more, but they’re reusable and they can handle the heartiest kebabs without bending or breaking. Not all metal skewers are created equal, however. We had a tough time flipping food on round skewers – the skewer itself turned just fine, but the food stayed in place. Double – pronged skewers turned the food, but some were flimsy and most had a tendency to twist out of their parallel configuration. Other models were to sturdy, with bulky skewers that mangled the meat. Flat skewers proven much more effective, and although any flat skewer will do, we found one set we particularly liked for its price and thickness: Norpro’s 12 inch Stainless Steel Skewer

Grilled short Ribs with Parsley Sauce and Hearts of Palm Salad all recipes

Grilled short Ribs with Parsley Sauce and Hearts of Palm Salad

Why this recipe works: Conventional wisdom aside, beef short ribs are great for a quick, summer supper. Many home cooks consider this cut of meat best suited for long simmering braises. Surprisingly, though, short ribs taste just as good when they’re grilled over a hot fire, and grilling takes a fraction of the time that braising does. When sliced thin, the grilled short ribs are moist, juicy, and quite tender. The intense beefy flavor of short ribs really blooms when the meat is charred on the grill; the key is to be sure not to overcook it. We like ours cooked to medium – rare, so we pull the short ribs off the grill when they’re still pink inside. The accompanying parsley sauce, which has the consistency of a loose, fresh salsa, provides a bright, herbal, and slightly spicy counterpoint to the rich meat. If there’s a thin layer of connective tissue on the short ribs you purchase, be sure to carefully trim it off with a sharp knife before grilling.

Ingredients: serve 4

½ cup minced fresh parsley

1/3 cup, plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup minced red onion

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon water

1 (14 – ounce) can hearts of palm, drained, rinsed, and sliced on bias into ½ inch pieces

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 ½ pounds boneless beef short ribs

Procedures:

Whisk parsley, ¹_/3cup oil, ¼ cup minced onion, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and water together in medium bowl.
Whisk remaining vinegar, onion, garlic and olive oil in medium bowl. Stir in hearts of palm and tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
Season short ribs with salt and pepper and grill over hot fire until browned and beef registers 125 degrees (for medium – rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice meat against grain. Serve with parsley sauce and hearts palm salad.

Smart shopping Beef Short Ribs

Short ribs are just what their name says they are: short rib cut from any location along the length of a cow’s rib section. Short ribs can be butchered in a variety of ways. In most supermarkets, you’ll find English style short ribs. This widely available choice contains a single bone, 4 to 5 inches long, with about thick piece of meat below the bone. In some supermarkets you can also buy boneless short ribs; when doing so, look for meat that’s uniform in shape and at least 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. It is best to avaoid tapered pieces of meat, which cook up unevenly.

Seared Black Peppercorn Steaks with Horseradish – Potato Salad all recipes

Seared Black Peppercorn Steaks with Horseradish – Potato Salad

Why this recipe works: we were inspire by the technique used in steak aupoivre – coating beef with black peppercorns before searing – but we wanted to do it faster. Cracking peppercorns with the bottom of a pan takes a fair amount of both times and brawn, so we do the job with an adjustable pepper mill set to its coarsest grind. Instead of making a horse radish sauce to go with our steak, we incorporate the same flavors into a potato salad, prepared horseradish can vary from brand to brand; for the best results, use the refrigerated kind instead of one off the supermarket shelf.

Ingredients: serve 4

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ¾ inch chunks salt and pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

^1/₃cup sour cream

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons prepared horseradish, drained

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup chopped chives

4 boneless strip steaks (about 10 ounces each), about 1 inch thick

4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Procedures:

Bring potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. While potatoes simmer, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, 1 tablespoon vinegar, horseradish, mustard, chives, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in large bowl.
Drain potatoes, then spread in even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle remaining tablespoon vinegar over hot potatoes and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt. Rub 1 side of each steak with coarse black pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium – high heat until just smoking. Place steaks with peppered side down in skillet and cook until well browned on both side, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Toss cooled potatoes with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Serve with steak.

Tools Pepper Mills

Pepper mills come in a vast range of styles and materials, but what really matters to us and other serious home cooks is performance. The ease of adjusting the grind was an important factor we considered in our testing – we wanted a mill that could flawlessly transition from producing fine grains for light seasoning to making large, coarse ones for constructing crusts on meat. Changing the grind from fine to coarse involves changing the tolerances of, or distances between, the male and female grinding components. We preferred mills that use a screw or dial at the base of the grinding mechanism rather than a finial at the top of the mill which must be screwed down very tight for a fine grind. With that in mind, our hands – down winner was the easy to use, easy to adjust Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill

Quick Cinnamon Bread

Wow! I just realized I have doing alot of bread posts lately. Guess I have been in bread mode. This is a quick and simple recipe. It will impress the kids for an afternoon snack or even breakfast idea. I wanted a picture of it outside of the pan, but the family ate it and very fast. I wouldn't really classify it as bread per say, but more a pull a part version. Either way it is yummy!!

Quick Cinnamon Bread
2 (10 count) cans refrigerated biscuits
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cut each uncooked biscuit dough into 4 pieces and place half in a greased loaf pan. In a saucepan add butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Heat to a boil. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour some of the mixture of the biscuit pieces and then add the rest of the remaining biscuit pieces on top and pour the remaining mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Beef, Green Bean, and Scallion Stir - Fry all recipes

Beef, Green Bean, and Scallion Stir - Fry

Why this recipe works: Since cooking a stir – fry is fast by nature, it’s important to be prepared. To do this, we make sure all of our ingredients are prepped, measured, and at the ready before we start cooking. Lining up the ingredients in the order we will place them into the pan also helps us stay organized. We use a 12 – inch nonstick skillet rather than a work, and we stir – fry over high heat with the oil just smoking. It’s temptation while stir – frying (as the name implies) to stir constantly, but once the ingredients are in the pan, we wait 30 to 45 seconds between each round of stirring so the pan can regain its heat. We put our flank steak in the freezer for a few minutes before we slice it; the meat firms up and becomes easier to slice thinly.

Ingredients : serve 4

¼ cup oyster sauce

¹/₃ cup low – sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 small flank steak (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and sliced thin

8 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Procedure:

Whisk oyster sauce, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper flakes in bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
Heat additional 2 teaspoons oil in empty skillet and cook half of steak until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl with green beans and repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil and remaining steak
add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and scallions to skillet and cook until scallions are browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until freagrant, about 30 seconds. Return steak and any accumulated juices to pan. Add oyster sauce mixture and cook until thickened, about 30 seconds.

Tools Skillet Vs. Wok

We have always preferred a skillet to a wok in our stir fry recipes, regardless of the ingredients being cooked. A skillet’s flat bottom design allows more of its surface area to come in direct contact with the flat burner of a western stove, delivering more heat over more of its parts than a wok – and enabling it to remain hot even after food is added. To quantify the differences between the two, we heated oil both in wok and in a heavy 12 inch skillet over high heat on gas burners. Once the oil was smoking(at around 415 degrees), we added stir – fry ingredients to each pan. The wok’s temperature plummeted dramatically, to 220 degrees at its center, raising only another 50 degrees over the course of cooking. The skillet’s temperature dipped to 345 degrees, then recovered quickly, continuing to rise to almost 500 degrees. This higher heat translated to better browning and more flavors.