Grilled Steak with Herb Butter and Rosemary Roasted Apples and Sweet Potato

Grilling season in February!? I can't say I'm for it but I ain't mad at it either. The apples and sweet potatoes made it a little more season appropriate. I'd make everything below again but especially the herb butter.  Herb butter, y'all!

Grilled Steak with Herb Butter
Adapted from Iowa girl eats

• 2 one pound bone in strip steaks
• vegetable oil

for steak seasoning:

• 3/4 tablespoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoons peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or dried minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

for herb butter:

• big pinch of the above steak seasoning
• 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 garlic cloved, minced

Add all ingredients from steak seasoning in a mortar and pestle and coarsely grind.

Add all ingredients for herb butter in a bowl and stir with a fork.  Place butter in a long sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log.  Refrigerate until firm (or freeze for 20 minutes).

Trim steaks of big fat pockets and dry the steaks with a paper down.  Drizzle oil on both sides of the steak and season generously with the seasoning.  You should use all the seasoning.

Light half of your grill burners on high heat for 10 minutes.  Seat steaks on each side for 1.5 minutes with the lid closed. Transfer steaks to the unlit portion of the grill with the lid closed for 7 minutes. 

Remove steaks and let rest 5 minutes.  Top with herb butter and serve.

Rosemary Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatos
Adapted from Paleomg.com

• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 3 pink lady apples, cubed
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix potatoes, apples, and oil on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with rosemary and salt to taste.

Bake for 35 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Moroccan Salmon with Cucumber Raita

I loooove me some Costco. And you know its been a good Costco week when there are two salmon recipes close together. Now all I need is four more people in my family to feed or find my food saver from deep within the dreaded corner cabinets, where you can't reach anything.

Moroccan Salmon with Cucumber Raita 
Adapted from Simply Whisked
Serves 4
Mix:

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic pwder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 4 salmon filets (total 1 pound)

Mix:

• 1/2 cup peeled and seeded cucumbers, finely diced
• 5 ounces of plain greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl mix first 9 ingredients and stir until a paste is formed.

Spread spice paste evenly on the salmon and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness.

While salmon is baking, stir the remaining ingredients to make the cucumber raita.

Serve cucumber raita on top of each salmon for serving.

Thai Basil Beef with Carrot Slaw and Coconut Rice

Coconut rice is going to be my new obsession. It is so...creamy and flavorful!  All you do is replace the water with half coconut milk and half chicken broth.  We used 'lite' coconut milk because we accidentally bought light instead of regular and it has been in our pantry for forever. So the extra pantry space is nice too.

As for the basil, buy a plant. Its a money-saver, especially in this dish which has a ton of basil in it.

Thai Basil Beef with Carrot Slaw and Coconut Rice

Adapted from Shutterbean

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 3 cups fresh basil, divided
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

In a rice cooker, combine uncooked rice, coconut milk, and 1 cup of the chicken stock.  Cook rice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on a large skillet, add garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 30 seconds.  

Add ground beef, salt, and pepper. Break up the meat while cooking until fully brown and even crisped in spots.  Add broth and 2 cups of basil leaves. cook and stir until basil has wilted.

For the slaw, mix carrots, scallions, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 cup basil leaves, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl.

For the dressing mix soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice in a small bown until sugar dissolves.

Plate rice, then beef, then slaw, and top with dressing.  Serve.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Friday night means Mexican food and nothing is more Mexican than a white girl making homemade enchilada sauce.  I was surprised (although I shouldn't have been) that it was a lot better than canned and super easy to do.  Steven, our resident Mexican, was impressed. Just stock up on chili powder because it turns out that is what enchilada sauce is. chili powder. 

Red Enchilada Sauce

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Makes 4 cups

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chili powder (use less to make it less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 4 cups chicken stock

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add flour and whisk for one minute.

Add in remaining seasons (everything but the stock), whisking constantly.

Gradually add in the stock, constantly whisking, working out any lumps.

Reduce heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes until thick.

Use right away or keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
The amounts depend on the size of your casserole dish

• Red enchilada sauce (above)
• corn tortillas, halved
• canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• canned whole kernel corn, drained
• green onions
• shredded chicken thighs
• Monterrey Jack Cheese
• avocado and cilantro for garnish

Heat oven to 375 degrees F and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Layer the following in shallow layers: red enchilada sauce, tortillas, black beans, corn, green onions, chicken, cheese.  Repeat 2 times. Reserving some cheese

For the final layer, layer tortillas and sauce. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove pan and foil.  Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas with the reserved cheese.  Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with avocado, cilantro, and any remaining green onions.  Serve!

Save any leftover enchilada sauce to add to reheated leftovers (they tend to be dry).

Honey-Soy Salmon with Green beans and Asparagus

Sheet pan dinner are the best dinners. All the things in one pan plus aluminum foil is also the best clean up.  Plus Southern Living nails it with the flavors. The asparagus actually goes with the salmon, which is not how the meals usually go in our house.

Honey-Soy Salmon with Green beans and Asparagus 
Serves 4
Adapted from Southern Living

• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 4  6 ounce salmon filets
• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 small orange, cut into 1/2 inch clices
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Preheat the broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat.

Whisk first five ingredients (honey, soy sauce, dijon, rice vinegar, red pepper) to make a honey mixture. Place salmon on foil-lined baking sheet and brush salmon with two tablespoons of the honey mixture. Reserve the rest.

Place asparagus, green beans, orange slices, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a bowl and toss.  Place vegetables around salmon on baking sheet.

Broil 4 minutes, remove from oven and brush salmon with 2 tablespoons honey mixture.

Broil 4 more minutes, remove from oven and brush salmon with remaining honey mixture. 

Broil for 2 more minutes. Then serve.

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Peanut Sauce

If I'm cooking with spaghetti squash you can bet your butt my pants are way too tight and I have to push out my head a little too far in order to avoid the double chin.  Oh how I wish I could eat with discipline and stick to small portions of rich food. 

This was packed with flavor and vegetables and you didn't feel the need to take a nap afterwards.  Steven even stole the leftovers I cleared said dibs on. 

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Adapted from Paleomg
Serves 4

• 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed
• olive oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups broccoli, cut into florets
• 4 cups spinach

For the Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Rub inside of spaghetti squash with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes until it gives when you poke the skin. Use a fork to scrape out the threads and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile- in a large pan, add pork, sriracha, and soy sauce and cook over medium heat.  Break up the pork while it browns. Once cooked through add to the bowl with the squash.

In the same pan as the ground pork, add the broccoli and a bit of salt and cover to cook.  A few minutes before the broccoli is done, add the spinach and a tablespoon of water, recover, and cook until wilted.  Add to the large bowl.

Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and pour in the large bowl.  Whisk and serve warm.

Crab Rangoon

Happy (belated...very) Valentine's Day.  Mine valentines are my in-laws.  They never miss an opportunity to send flower (or fruit) arrangements.  We spent the day driving back into town and eating fast food.  One day I am going to pack some dang sandwiches for the rode so we don't have to eat fast food.  And why are the fast food joints in small towns so much greasier?  Maybe it's just the car ride with a whining dog and crying babe that makes me eat twice as many fries as lady should. 

We normally cook something fancy to avoid the crowds at all cost. This year we did sushi and potstickers.  Some food is just better if other people make it for you. Sandwiches. Ice tea. Salads. And now sushi.  All the elements were there but it just wasn't the same.  The potstickers were good but they were frozen so we can't take credit for that.

We ended up with a lot of leftover crab so I made some crab rangoons to snack on the next day while dinner was running late. They were really good but I would have trouble keeping them warm for any amount of time for a party.  Maybe if I were having a party where waiters come by carrying dishes of food during the cocktail hour. I wish.

And now I have leftover wonton wrappers and cream cheese.  I love the slippery slope of getting rid of leftovers. Especially if it involves cream cheese. 

Crab Rangoon
Adapted from I am a food blog

• 12 wonton wrappers
• non-stick spray
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• squeeze of lemon - not juice from a whole lemon, just a quick squeeze
• 1/2 cup white crab meat, drained
• 2 tablespoons green onions, divided
• sriracha and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray both sides of the wonton wrappers with cooking spray then place in a muffin tin.

Mix cream cheese, mayo, and lemon juice until there are no clumps.  Add crab and half of the onions and mix.  Add sriracha and pepper to taste.

Spoon a tablespoon of crab mixture into each cup and bake for 15-20 minutes until wrappers are golden brown.  Top with remaining green onions. Enjoy warm.

Honey Mustard Fried Chicken Sliders

This past weekend we made our semi-annual trek to Austin to see the Thomas's and introduce Henry to Baby Lucas.  Dublin is a big fan but Lucas wasn't so sure.

We went to The Thinkery, a children's museum nearby, and it was so cool! I feel like we rushed through it due to naps and feeding schedules, but we could have easily spent all day there for a whole week.  Henry was a particularly big fan of the waterworks area. 

We finally ate at the In and Out Burger and the hype. was. justified.  That was the best dang burger I have had in a long time.  Don't forget to 'animal-style' for some secret sauce and sauted onions.  I could not stop talking about how good it was...for days afterward. 

I didn't even try to recreate it, but burgers have definitely been on my mind.  These were the next burger-like meal on my recipe queue.  It wasn't "animal-styled" and it didn't come with a guilt free chocolate milkshake (vacation calories don't count!), but we would have been happy if we ordered these at a restaurant. And that is how you know you cooked a damn good dinner. 

Honey Mustard Fried Chicken Sliders
Adapted from Shutterbean
Makes 6 sliders and 3 servings

Chicken coating:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Buttermilk Coating:

• 1 tablespoon lemon 
• 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 salt
• freshly ground pepper

Fried Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 6 pieces 
• grape seed oil for pan

Sliders:

• 6 slider buns
• brown mustard
• honey
• spinach
• tomato, 6 slices
• pickles
• cheddar cheese

In a shallow bowl mix together chicken coating ingredients.  In another shallow bowl mix together buttermilk coating ingredients.

Heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until temperature reaches 350 degrees F. (seriously, check the temp!)

While the oil is heating up, dredge the chicken in the chicken coating, then dunk it in the buttermilk coating, then dredge it in the chicken coating again. (this is key!)

Fry the chicken until golden brown (3 minutes on each side).  Remove from oil and drain on a rack or paper towel.

Toast the buns using the oven broiler until toasted. Assemble: bottom bun, mustard, spinach, sliced tomato, pickles, fried chicken, cheese.  Top each sandwich with the top bun drizzled with honey.

Vinaigrette Dressing and Mustard Croutons

Sundays and salads are boring but necessary.  I was going for a soup and salad combo but the soup was really bad.  The croutons made up the slack and savaged the meal.  Thanks, croutons.

Vinaigrette

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons champage vinegar or white wine vinegar
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salad greens with avocado and cucumber. 

Whisk together first four ingredients in a small bowl.  Slowly add the olive oil while contining to whisk.  Serve on salad.

Next time: egg yolk to thicken it up even more!

Mustard Croutons

• 6 ounces whole wheat bread, torn
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons stone mustard
• kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix butter, olive oil, and mustard in a large bowl.  Stir in the torn bread to evenly coat.  Place on baking sheet in a single layer.  Sprinkle with salt and bake 7 minutes, stir, and bake 3-8 more minutes.  Croutons should be browned.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip and Birthday Celebrations Part II

The birthday celebrations continued with an infamous Buskirk Barbeque.  These guys can cook.  It's usually 10-15 adults and 20-25 kids (at least).  We sit on the driveway while the littlest ones play at our feet and the medium and big kids run in packs outside and in. The barbeque is good. Real good. And we do our best to help out our hosts with appetizers, sides, and desserts. Although they handle the smoked meat (usually two types), legendary mac n cheese, and a peanut butter cake that even Steven has trouble resisting. 

We contributed a dip, fruit arrangement, and pie. The greatest of those was the fruit arrangement. No kid can resist a flower shaped pineapple, but we didn't come home with any dip either. 

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip

• 8 strips cooked bacon, finely chopped
• 1 block cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3 tablespoons ranch mix (1 packet)
• kettle potato chips

Combine all ingredients except for potatoes chips, a little bacon, and a little green onions. 

Top with reserved bacon and green onions.

Serve with kettle potato chips.

Next time: Saw a buzzfeed video clip where they had the exact same ingredients but baked it.  Possibilities.

Goat cheese - Honey Bite and Birthday Celebrations

Three fruit arrangements were sent to the house for my birthday. Three! And only one of those was by accident! How lucky can a lady get!?  Aside from an incredible amount of fruit,  we hit up discovery green (Henry's first time) to find an art/fun project of spinning rainbow benches.  That describes it terribly, but that is what it was. Then we were off to Trader Jo's for snack plate picnic purchases.

Steven gave me the Flavor Bible and while it seems way too advance from my "find pretty food pictures and cook it" system, we were able to test it out right away with goat cheese and honey.

Our goat cheese was nothing fancy. Our honey, however, was illegally imported from Spain.  Everything tastes a little better with a dash of unauthorized smuggling.  

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

One of Steven's coworkers is really ripped.  Like eats tuna and vegetables for every lunch, ripped. Like eats a clove of garlic for every meal, ripped.  Apparently, that makes you ripped. I'm currently waiting for my abs to pop out after eating a couple of helpings of this...any day now.

Although your breath may be questionable after this, roasting the garlic takes all the burn away from fresh garlic. It becomes creamy and warm.  Almost...meaty? Definitely delicious.

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

Serves 3 or 4 as a side

Adapted from Gimmesomeoven

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled but cloves separated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (or pine nuts), toasted

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

(I have no idea what this next step does but it didn't make peeling the garlic any easier- since I don't know what the point is, I don't want to omit it) Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add garlic.  Boil for 15 seconds, then drain and peel off the skins. Half any abnormally large cloves. 

Toss the cauliflower, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast in a single layer for 20 minutes (or until garlic is browned and cauliflower is tender) stirring twice.

Put the roasted cauliflower and garlic into a medium bowl. Toss in the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and slivered almonds. Serve warm.

Next time: Pine nuts instead of almonds, add two tablespoons of lemon juice at the end, maybe some freshly grated Parmesan.

Shrimp, Corn, Pepper Quesadillas

Oh man. These were 'Mexican food-truck after a couple of beers' good.  You wonder how something so good can come from easy ingredients and in quesadilla form. No hate to the 'dillas but they are like the easiest thing to cook so the fact that these are delicious just confirms: life can and should be wonderful (no matter your cooking skillz).

But really, Kim, my sole-reader, make these. Steven would have broke his no-seafood at work rule if I hadn't had called dibs on the leftover shrimp mixture (which is also nice on a salad).

Shrimp, Corn, Pepper Quesadillas
Adapted from shutterbean.com
Serves 3

• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 12 medium uncooked shrimp
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• non-stick spray
• 6 tortillas
• 1 block pepper jack cheese, shredded
• sour cream and salsa, for serving

Heat olive oil on a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until shrimp is pink. Remove shrimp to a cutting board, remove the tails, and roughly chop the meat.

Add onion, red bell pepper, corn, and garlic to the skillet and cook until vegetables are charred and tender (about 6 minutes).  Add the shrimp meat back in and cook until warm.

Heat a second skillet over medium high heat.  Spray each skillet with non-stick spray. Lay a tortilla on each skillet and let toast until the tortillas start to puff.  Flip both tortillas and add a layer of cheese to each one.  Add a portion of the shrimp mixture to one of the tortillas.  When the cheese has melted, place the non-shrimp tortilla on top of the shrimp tortilla, cheese side down. 

Remove to plate and quarter with a pizza cutter. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Mushroom Rice

We can never eat this again.  It was really good at the time and it kept being really good until our family-wide stomach bug hit.  It wasn't the chickens fault but correlation v. causation is hard to take to heart while worshiping the porcelain gods.  And then we went on a road-trip to Waco.  And very bad things almost happened to my brother-in-law's bed. 

It was bad.  Of course I don't have a picture of the plated or even cooked chicken. So I'm looking at raw chicken while re-living a less than gentle time.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how well did I sell this recipe? Ha. I bet I can convince Steven to eat it again if I call it by something else entirely.

Also I don't think cutting up a whole chicken will ever be easy or fun, but at least I'm less bratty about it now. Bonus- you get to make nice chicken stock.

and this might be helpful- how to cut up a chicken

Chicken, Broccoli, and Mushroom Rice
Serves 4
Adapted from Southern Living

• 3 1/2 to 4 pound whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 pound of rice, cooked
• 1 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1 pound of mushrooms, stems removed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread rice in an even layer on an aluminum foil lined pan.

Toss broccoli florets, mushrooms, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl then spread of rice. Then spread on top of rice.

Rub the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then sprinkle with 2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Place chicken on top of the broccoli and mushrooms 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour until chicken is at least 170 degrees F.  Let stand for 5 minutes then serve.

Old Philadelphia Pecan Dip

I put your hand up on my hip. When I dip, you dip, we dip. (sorry).

This dip was odd in the best ways.   It has one of those can't-put-my-finger-on-it ingredients which is dried beef. (Found in a jar, next to the spam.)

In other news, I still hate football but the food at super bowl parties is subperb!

Old Philadelphia Pecan Dip

Adapted from Simply Whisked

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 1/2 ounces dried beef, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Melt butter and salt in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pecans toss to coat in the butter. Saute until toasted.

Blend cream cheese, milk, and sour cream.  Transfer to mixing bowl. 

Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Spread in a pie plate and top with the toasted pecans.

Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm with crackers.

Caesar Salad Dressing and Croutons

I will never get through my soup recipe queue.  'Winter' in Houston feels more like salads than hearty soups.  It would be nicer to grill right now than it would be in the summer.  I have even been preferring white wine over red...and I love red!

I have a love/hate relationship with Caesar salads.  I always order them and am always disappointed. I know exactly what I want, I just can't find.  I want extra anchovies and all the croutons. Like a reasonable amount of croutons...but doubled. So I made it. 

P.S. The dressing was even better and thicker the next day but the croutons were best the day of.

The Dressing
Adapted from shutterbean
Mix:

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, pounded
• 1 - 2 tablespoons anchovies, chopped - Start with 1 then add more if you want.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg yolk

Add:

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Mix the above ingredients in a small bowl with an immersion blender.  Add the Parmesan cheese while still blending. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Croutons (updated 10/8/16)

• half a loaf of old french bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cube the bread and layer on a baking sheet.

Mix the olive oil, melted butter, and garlic together. Drizzle over the bread cubes and toss.  Sprinkle salt and Italian seasoning over the cubes and toss again.

Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 5 minutes until croutons are golden brown.

Coconut Date Rolls

My husband really loves health foods.  It's annoying and guilt-inducing from my standpoint but we are probably better people for it.  He only tried these rolls from Froberg Farms because they had the word 'date' and 'coconut' in them.  Both superfoods, don't you know.  He went on a full-on bender when sugar, or any fancy word for sugar, was missing from the ingredients list. As we spend way too much money at Froberg Farms anyway, we made them ourselves.

Coconut Date Rolls
Adapted from Shutterbean

• 1 pound pitted dates
• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes, some reserved for rolling

Blend in a food processor until paste is form.  It takes a long time and if your patience is wearing, add a teaspoon of water at a time while processing.

Roll paste into tablespoon sized balls. Rolls the balls into the reserved coconut.  Top with almond if you are feeling fancy, but all of mine fell off.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Crostini

Simple, Sweet, and Seasonal!  Get your strawberries before someone else does. These are simple so the flavor of the strawberries really needs to be there. If the strawberries aren't good, this appetizer won't be either. While we will make these again at home with any lingering strawberries, I don't think it's Megan-shower worthy.  The taste was there but I'm afraid the crostinis will get soggy before anyone eats them. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Crostini
Adapted from Shutterbean

• a french baguette's worth of crostinis
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• kosher salt

Soak cut strawberries in balsamic vinegar in a small bowl for about 10 minutes.  Spread a layer of goat cheese on each crostini and top with strawberries.  Sprinkle salt on the crostini and serve.

Next time: add some chopped fresh basil on top and grill the crostinis instead of using the oven.

Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions

Well if it isn't another Sheet Pan Dinner!  The peppers were fought over, all leftovers were eaten without complaints, and it was easy to make. Win. Win. Win.

Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions

Serves 5
Adapted from Southern Living

Toss:

• 2 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large yellow, cut into strips
• 2 large sweet onions, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4  ground pepper

Bake:

• 5 bratwurst sausage (about 1 1/2 pound)

Serve:

• 5 hoagie rolls, omit for low-carb obvi

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Spred mixture in an even layer on a foil lined baking sheet.

Make several small pokes in the sausage with a toothpick. Place sausage 3 to 4 inches apart on onion and pepper mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes then increase the temperature to broil.  Broil for 8 minutes, flipping the sausages half way through.

Serve the sausages in a hoagie roll with the pepper mixture on top.

Grape, Sage, and Walnut Pizza

Is a pizza still a pizza without a sauce? Wouldn't that just be a flatbread? What's the difference between a pizza pizza and a flatbread pizza?  In Steven's world a pizza without sauce is an appetizer, not a meal.  Also in Steven's world this was a pretty damn good appetizer. 

It also sounds impressive to say grapes coated in sage-infused-butter. 

Grape, Sage, and Walnut Pizza
Serves 4

• 1 package frozen pizza dough, thawed
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 15 fresh sage leaves
• 1 1/2 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella, buy a block and shred it yourself
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• balsamic vinegar, for serving

Preheat over to 450 degrees.

In a small skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and add sage. Cook until sage is crispy (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Remove the sage to a paper towel and add the grapes to the sage infused butter. Stir around.

Stretch pizza dough to a thin crust on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Top with mozzarella and gorgonzola cheese.  Add grapes and walnuts on top. 

Bake until crust is browned (15-18 minutes).  Top with reserved fried sage and a light drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Green Smoothie

I love food a little bit more than I hate football. Even if I force myself to watch it I usually end up looking around the room.  It was a big people-watching day when I used to actually attend games in college. But now, I'm just in it for the dips, desserts, and drinks. 

So- if you also ate an offensive amount of cream cheese (like myself) this past Superbowl Sunday then this should be your next step.  

Green Smoothie

Serves 2

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 granny smith apple, cored
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 orange, peeled
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and well combined.

Pork Chops with roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts

Another sheet pan dinner winner.  My pork chops were extra thin so everything cooked really fast.  I made this again with green beans instead of brussel sprouts and it was also really good.

 

Pork Chops with roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts

Serves 4

Adapted from Southern Living

Mix:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Rub:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 bone-in center cut pork chops

Whisk:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 Gala apple cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 pound fresh brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

Stir together first batch of ingredients. Rub each pork chop with 1/2 teaspoon of oil each then place in a gallon size zip lock bag. Add in the sugar mixture and shake to coat pork chops. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

 Whisk all ingredients under "whisk" in a large bowl.  Add apple and brussel sprouts and stir to coat.

Line sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place pork chops in the center and brussel sprout mixture around the pork chops in a single layer.

Bake for 12 minutes, flip the pork chops, bake for another 10 - 14 minutes. Remove from oven and place under foil tent so the meat rest for 5 minutes.  Serve.

Next Time: more apple since that was H's favorite and no one else got any.

Italian? Dressing

Steven agrees to the "dressing" portion of the name Italian Dressing but doesn't agree to the "Italian" bit.  He can't think of anything else to call it so we are settling with Italian Dressing. Can you imagine how interesting our dinner conversations are!?  Wow, what will we come up with next.

Italian? Dressing

Makes 1 1/2 cups (which is a lot, but it keeps well in the fridge)

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Whisk and serve.

Tips and Tricks: Salad

I learned this handy trick from Iowa Girl Eats.  When trying to pack in the greens, but even a reasonable amount of lettuce takes up the entire bowl- use a pizza cutter to quickly cut the lettuce.  You can do it on a cutting board but I used to cut it in whatever tupperware I was taking to work.  It gives you a lot more space for toppings which is the only reason I eat salad anyway.

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip

We threw ourselves a snack plate and movie party and dang this dip was good.  We even ate it in the living room and Henry behaved like a gentleman and didn't throw food everywhere like his usual monkey self.

It was an A for taste, lightness, and freshness. But.....it didn't leave our breath smelling fresh, so it's a maybe-but-probably-not for the shower. It is good for any private movie viewing parties though!

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip
Appetizer for 10

• two red bell peppers, cored and deseeded
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 8 ounces feta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut the red peppers into smaller pieces and place the peppers on parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Boil in the oven for 10 minutes.

Put them straight into a seal container or a plastic bag for another 10 minutes to steam. After 10 minutes the peels should come off easily with your fingers.

Place the peeled red peppers and the rest of the ingredient in a food processor and pulse! Serve with pita chips, crackers, veggies.

Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

It turns out, Steven goes insane for baked pasta. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?  He was like a kid hopped up on candy and icecream. He couldn't wait to cut into it, had two giant helpings, then brought it to work every day for lunch.  I mean, I thought it was pretty good too (although I prefer regular old stovetop spaghetti, myself), but Steven gobbled this stuff up!

Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Adapted from Shutterbean

Serves 6

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 9 by 13 casserole pan with cookie spray and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add ground turkey to the skillet and breaking it up while it cooks.  Once meat is cooked, add red pepper flakes and marinara sauce.  Simmer and occasionally stir the meat sauce for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil spaghetti according to package directions in a large pot.  Drain and turn to pot. Stir the meat sauce into the pasta.

Transfer half the spaghetti into the baking dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese.  Add the rest of the spaghetti and top with the rest of the cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and cook pasta for another 3 minutes until the cheese starts to crisp. 

Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Spinach Dip

Megan is having a baby!!!! Okay, so it's old news but I'm super excited about it.  We are throwing her a baby shower and it has to be perfect. Because that baby is perfect, and Megan is perfect, thus the shower shall follow suit.  I'm in charge of food (because you really don't want me in charge of decorations) so get ready to see a lot of heavy appetizers.

You better bet your butt this spinach dip is perfect.  Shower approved.

Spinach Dip

• 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 4 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 2/3 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup onions, super finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir all ingredients together in an oven-proof dish.  Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with french baguette slices, veggies, or chips.