Recipe Monday - Lemon Feta Chicken

This was a great recipe. The original used drumsticks, but we prefer white meat around here, so I used breasts and it was fantastic.

Ingredients:

8 skinless chicken drumsticks, (about 30 oz total)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese, grated


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and lemon juice.

Place in a roasting pan and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center near the bone. When chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and sprinkle with feta.

Broil on low for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is golden brown (careful not to burn).

 

Recipe Monday - Beef Stroganoff

This is a great, traditional stroganoff recipe, that isn't too hard to follow. Ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 1/2pounds beef sirloin steak

1/2 inch thick8ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2cups beef flavored broth

1/2teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sour cream

3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions

1 Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.

2 Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.

3 Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4 Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

 

Recipe Monday - Onion Chutney

This actually comes from a friend of mine and not me. So you know it's good. She says it tastes great on basically everything.

2 onions, finely chopped
4 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 small tomato, seeded, chopped
3 tbs tomato paste 
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


1) In a bowl, combine onions, 3 tsp of the vinegar, and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2) Rinse the onions lightly, then drain and pat them dry.

3) In a bowl, combine onions, remaining 1 tsp of vinegar, bell pepper, tomato, tomato paste, vegetable oil, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and mix well.


Add garam masala, pepper, and salt as needed to taste. If you like it mild, stick to the given amounts. I ended up added a bunch more to make it nice and spicy. Generally, the chutney will be better after it sits for a while to let the flavors meld together.

Recipe Monday - Onion Mushroom Pork Chops

These chops are absolutely delicious. Make sure you saute the onions and mushrooms long enough so that they have their full flavor.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (4 ounce) pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
3 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 onion, cut into strips

8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
1 cup water

Directions

Rub chops with 2 teaspoons seasoning salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown pork chops on each side. Add the onions and water to the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn chops over, and add remaining salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until water evaporates and onions turn light to medium brown. Remove chops from pan, and serve with onions on top.















 

Recipe Monday - Hawaiian Ham Quesadillas

I felt like mixing up my quesadillas, so I gave this a try. Not half bad for a really quick meal, and, honestly, great for kids.

Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese (I used ricotta)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
3 sliced green onions
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice (I used fresh pineapple)
½ lb. smoked ham
1 pkg (of 8) 8 inch flour tortillas

tablespoon of vegetable oil

Instructions

Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before you begin. Combine the cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, sliced green onions, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Stir until well combined.

Drain the pineapple chunks as much as possible. Roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Roughly chop the sliced ham into small pieces. Add both to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of the filling in each tortilla and spread to cover half of the surface. Fold the tortilla in half to close. Cook each quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat in oil until brown and crispy on both sides.









 

French Meatpie - Guest Post

We all know by now that I'm not much of a cook, nor can I take pictures. But Sarah over at The Answer Is Garlic can do BOTH. Amazingly. Here's her awesome recipe for French Meatpie. I'm laughing just thinking about how my pics of this would have turned out.

...

One of the reasons I love cooking is that food is very nostalgic to me. This recipe is one that's been passed around my family for a long time. I always think back to a few years ago, when my parents and I were making a trek to Wegman's to get supplies for Thanksgiving dinner. My mom asked me to call her mother (my Memere) to ask if she had any requests. She asked me to make a "meat stuffing". Confused, I asked her what was in a meat stuffing. She said "Oh, you know. Beef, and pork. And potatoes. And those spices, and onions and garlic." I said that it sounded like the base for meat pie, and she said "Yes! That's what you make out of the leftovers. I'd like a meat pie." We laughed, because according to my mom, they'd never made stuffing like that, but they sure did make meat pies for holidays.

This is the ultimate in comfort food, for me. It may sound weird to you if you've never had a meat pie, but trust me, it's wonderful. Spicy and homey, and it will certainly fill up your belly. Peasant food is good that way.

Full disclosure: I cheated with this and used a pre-made pie crust from the refrigerator section of the grocery store. I know, it's shameful. I really am not fantastic at making homemade pie crust, no matter how easy everyone tells me it is. I'm working on it. In the meantime, there really are tasty pre-mades out there. You don't even have to tell anyone.

I think one of the keys to this pie (and most ground meat dishes, really) is using both ground beef and ground pork. Ground pork doesn't have a ton of flavor, but it's lighter, and really adds moisture. I use equal parts here, about 3/4 of a pound of each. You can also substitute ground turkey, chicken, veal, bison, lamb or meatloaf mix here. Just be sure to use a combination.

Another key to getting the perfect texture to this pie is one I almost forgot about. When I was pulling this together, there was a flurry of emails with my cousin Nicole and her mom, my Aunt Sue, as well as my own mom, about ingredients, proportions, timing. It's such an old family recipe that none of us (save maybe my Aunt Sue) has it written down anywhere, we make it from memory and asking each other the parts we forget. Nicole and I both forgot that one of the most important binders in this recipe is very, very finely diced potato. It's diced so small that it all but disappears into the filling, but it's essential in holding the pie together and thickening it up. I used a few Yukon golds, but a russet would work nicely as well.

It's also important, when browning the meat, that you break it up as finely as you can get it. You don't want any chunks of meat OR potato, you want it to be wholly incorporated and broken down. Sometimes I cook the meat first, pull it off into a bowl, and then cook the diced onion and garlic. Then I add the meat back and cook in the potato. Sometimes I saute off the onions and garlic first and then cook in the meat (it really depends on if I am feeling ambitious enough to drain off some of the fat. This time, I did not feel so ambitious).

Once this is all combined, it's just adding the liquid and the spices and really developing the flavor before baking it off.

Cook it all down until the potatoes are soft, then break them up. I think an important step at this point is pulling the meat off the heat and giving it time to cool before adding it to the pie crust. This helps ensure that the bottom crust cooks up crisp and not soggy. No one wants a soggy bottom crust.

This is an excellent time for a glass of wine. You can't make a French dish without a glass of wine, am I right?

I like to egg wash the bottom crust before adding the filling as well as the top crust.

Bake and enjoy!

French Meat Pie
double pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 large white or yellow onion, diced
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced or grated (my preferred method is grated)
3/4 pounds ground beef
3/4 pounds ground pork
3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, very finely diced
1/2-1 teaspoon ground clove (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground allspice (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)
1-2 cups stock or water
1 egg, wisked with a few TB of water to make an egg wash
3 TB butter or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup, for serving

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Prepare and set aside pie crusts, or take out pre-made crust and bring to room temperature.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add butter or olive oil. Add in onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, 5-8 minutes. Add in ground beef and pork and cook, breaking down, until all the pink is gone and it's very combined and fine, about 10 minutes. Season with clove, allspice and cinnamon and stir to combine (note: clove is a strong spics. I go heavier on the cinnamon and allspice to start, and then adjust to taste). Add in finely diced potato and the water or stock (the liquid should just about come up to the level of all the ingredients in the pan, use as much as is needed to do that) and simmer until potatoes are soft and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. When soft, mash a bit with the back of a fork to break up the potatoes. They will still be visible but start to combine, and will break down fully when baking. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as needed.

Move the mixture to another dish or allow to cool, stirring to help it along. This should take about 15 minutes, but it's a crucial step to the ever-important non-soggy crust.

Roll the bottom crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Brush with the egg wash. Spoon the filling mixture into the crust and smooth out so it's even. Roll the top crust over the filling and crimp the edges. Egg wash the top, and cut a few slits in the crust for the steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for a half hour, or until golden brown. You may need to use foil or a pie crust protector to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting, to let the filling set.

Slice and serve with ketchup. Trust me on this one.

Comfort food defined

Notice how broken down the potato gets

Mmmm flaky crust

I know it sounds weird, but the sweet/tang of the ketchup is perfect with the spice of the filling

For more real recipes and mouthwatering pictures, stop by The Answer is Garlic!


 

Recipe Monday - Lemon Spice Mahi Mahi

This has been the most delicious way I've yet prepared Mahi Mahi.

4 mahi mahi filets, about 6 ounces each

Seasoning (see instructions):
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried dill weed
Lemon pepper
Sweet Hungarian paprika

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 cup sweet white wine (may substitute fish or chicken broth) ... I used broth. I needed the wine.
Juice of half a lemon (reserve other half for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard

Preparation:

Rub each mahi mahi filet with olive oil, then sprinkle both sides of the fish lightly with each of the listed seasonings.

Preheat broiler on high.

Place a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter, swirling to combine and coat the pan. Sear filets until golden brown on one side. Remove to a platter. Add wine, lemon juice, and honey mustard to the hot skillet. Whisk, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter.

Return fish to the skillet, uncooked side down, and place in the broiler 6 inches from the heat. Broil 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with pan sauce and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.




 

Kindergarten Kids - Eat your Food!

Problem:

Sometimes, kids are picky eaters. And sometimes (like in my case) they just don't like to eat at all. At 5 and a half, my kids stand at 44 and 43 inches respectively, and weigh 40 and 35 pounds. They're not in danger, healthwise, but they are thin.

And they don't like to eat.

Doesn't matter what it is. Their favorite food, their least favorite food. The most you can get out of them willingly is a few bites.

In fact, up until way past when I should have (think 3), I was feeding them. Because somehow, getting that fork from the plate to the mouth is the longest, most arduous journey that has ever been undertaken. And it happens at least three times a day.

The joy!

Solution:

What I've taken to doing is giving them more than I would normally give them. Because my kids exist to make my life miserable, so as long as they feel like they're getting one over on me, they're more likely to do what I need them to do. Like eat.

So that as long as they get to leave half their food on the plate, they don't care how large that half is. To them, they've won the battle of whether or not they have to eat their whole dinner. And to me, I've won the battle of getting them to eat just as much food as I would have given them normally.

Then I make a show of not wanting to let them leave the table because there's still food on their plate (because if this were too easy, they'd get suspicious). And when I let them get up "after two more bites" they are pleased at their will being indulged.

Only not. Because I win again, you fools!

Sometimes, anyway.

The extra food I either eat or pack it up for the next time, because, honestly, we're not rich enough to just waste a whole bunch of food to play a game like this when I really should just force my kids to eat what's on their plates.

Whatever. I do what I've got to do. It's working, so far.



 

Recipe Monday - Gorgonzola Mushroom Steak

If you're looking for something a little different on your steak, this gorgonzola mushroom sauce is a great alternative to regular seasonings. Next time I make it, though, I will cut down on the recommended gorgonzola amount. The cheese is so strong that using the full amount can be a little overpowering!

Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce:
1/2 c butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3-4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
1 T Worcestershire sauce

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and then add the mushrooms and green onions. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, and then add the gorgonzola cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Serve over the beef.

In terms of the steak itself, I seasoned mine with rosemary, basil, salt and pepper, then broiled it in the oven for a few minutes on each side before serving with the sauce.



 

Recipe Monday - Asian Inspired Tuna Steaks

 Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 clove garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
4 8oz yellowfin tuna steaks (1 1/2" thick)

 Set a large frying pan on med-high heat. Remove tuna from the marinade and dry on paper towels. When the pan is hot, pour 2 Tbsp of oil from the marinade into the skillet. Add tuna steaks to a pan. Shake the pan couple of times so that steaks don't stick. Sear 2.5 minutes on one side. Flip and sear 1.5 minutes on the other side. This will cook 1/4" of tuna on each side and leave the rest rare. If you like your tuna more cooked through, cover the pan, turn down the heat to medium and cook flipping the steaks half way until desired doneness.

 I cooked the shit out of these because I don't trust my own rare tuna. I'll leave those to the restaurants.





 

Recipe Monday - Easy Fajitas

I have a complicated fajita recipe I love, but this one does the trick in one-third the time!

2 red bell peppers or 2 green bell peppers, cut into strips (or one each)
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs lean beef sirloin or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch strips
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 -2 teaspoon chili powder (depending on how much heat you want)
1 dash fresh lime juice
olive oil
vegetable oil
8 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed (I toss mine in a frying pan with vegetable oil for a few seconds on each side...way better than oven warming, tbh)

Directions:
Toss your olive oil in a pan on medium high heat
When skillet is very hot add bell peppers, onion and garlic; (be careful not to burn garlic or it will taste bitter) cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly golden and peppers are tender.
Stir in beef or chicken, cumin and chili powder; cook, for just a few minutes
Squeeze a little lime juice over meat and stir occasionally, until meat is no longer pink.
Serve in tortillas; top with desired toppings.

Maybe you're looking for easy-peasy quesadillas. If so, check out this site.




 

Recipe Monday - Salsa Salad Mix

This was amazing. I used it as a side dish for enchiladas the other week. It's really simple, too.

1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 fresh diced tomatoes
2 avocados
1 small onion
lime juice
garlic
salt
pepper

Cut up anything that needs to be cut. Mix it all together. Refrigerate for an hour.

DONE.








 

Recipe Monday - Shrimp Pesto

This was pretty good for my first time out.

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment needed: A food processor

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic and cheese and pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

If you're making it with shrimp, like I did, toss those suckers in a frying pan with olive oil, lemon and salt, then toss with the pasta!




 

Recipe Monday - Mushroom Mahi Mahi

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water



In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until onions are transparent.

Cut the mahi mahi into 3 inch long filets. Place the Mahi Mahi fillets over the onions, mushrooms and garlic.

Salt and Pepper the first side of the filets to taste.

Add white cooking wine and lemon juice. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes.

Turn the filets over and salt and pepper the second side to taste. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Remove only the fish to a heated plate and keep warm until sauce is ready.

In the same skillet with all the onions, mushrooms, garlic and cooking wine, raise heat to medium/high. Bring to a boil.

Dissolve cornstarch in the 2 tablespoons of water; stir into skillet. (I didn't do this part...the sauce thickened for me without it.)

Stir the sauce continuously until sauce thickens to desired consistency. Pour sauce over mahi mahi filets.

 

Recipe Monday - Cheesy Pork Chops

If you're looking for a different taste for your chops, this recipe is simple, quick and very good!

4 boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 teaspoons butter, softened
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place pork chops in a baking pan.
Spread 1 teaspoon of butter over each chop, then spread 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise over butter. Season each one with seasoning salt, pepper and parsley.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the top of each pork chop.
Bake 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until the internal temperature of the chops has reached 145 degrees.

 

Recipe Monday - Easy Beef Turnovers

This meatpie uses a homemade version of "manwich" which is so good, especially for kids!

Ingredients:

2 lb ground beef (80/20)
1 1/2 large onions, chopped, about 2 cups total
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbs fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups ketchup
Kosher Salt to taste, about 1 tsp
Water – 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Biscuits in a can

Instructions:

Brown the ground beef until all the water is cooked out and only grease remains, then throw in the onions and cook until they just start to turn translucent.

Then add the garlic and onion powder, black pepper, ketchup and salt.

Combine well, then add water to almost cover the mixture. This helps absorb the meat absorb the flavors, and gives a good fine texture, instead of hard chewy lumps.

Cook over medium heat until moisture dissipates, stirring every 10 minutes or so, then turn to low.
Stretch out biscuits to make large round 'pizza-dough' like circles (I used two biscuits per circle.) Spoon four to five tablespoons of beef mixture into them, a little to one side. Fold the other side over and seal like you would a calzone.

Cook in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, if that.


 

Recipe Monday - Sausage, Rice and Veggie Dish

So, I don't have an amazing name for this because I made it up myself, but it's basically delicious, throw-everything-together fare.

It involves:

Sausage

Onions

Peppers

Diced Tomatoes

Black Beans

Cheddar Cheese

Yellow Rice

Salt

Pepper

Chicken or Beef Broth

Olive Oil

Heat sausage and oil in pan over medium high heat until browned on all sides, about ten minutes. At the same time, start making your yellow rice.

Cut up your pepper and onion and throw them into the pan with the sausage.

Open the diced tomatoes and beans, stir your sausage mix, and throw them in, too.

Toss in enough broth so that you're not burning your veggies to the pan and turn the heat down to low medium.

Throw in the finished rice and stir it all up.

Cook until the rice absorbs the broth.

Cover with cheese.

DONE.