Get Rid Of Garlic Breath!

I LOVE garlic!

If a recipe calls for 1 clove you can guarantee that I’ll be adding at least two, but more than likely three. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who doesn’t just get garlic breath, I sweat garlic for at least a day after I’ve eaten it in any form.

One of my favorite aggressively garlic forward meals is Shrimp Scampi.

Extra Tasty Shrimp Scampi

1 + 1/2 Pounds Large Fresh (or Frozen) Shelled & Deveined Shrimp
1/2 Pound Asparagus Chopped into 1″ Chunks
4 TBLS Olive Oil
6 TBLS Butter
1 Cup Dry White Wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc)
4 TBLS Chopped Fresh Parsley
4 to 6 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)
2 TBLS Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Freshly Ground Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Steamed Jasmine Rice
A Freshly Baked French Baguette (for sopping up the extra sauce)

Leaving the tail on or removing it from the shrimp is an individual choice. I prefer to leave it on so the maximum shrimp taste is passed into the sauce, but my husband complains about having to remove them, so I usually do just to avoid listening to him bitch…

Prepare the jasmine rice and set aside (keep warm)
Heat a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium high heat
Add olive oil, butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes
Sauté about 30 seconds then add chopped asparagus
Sauté about 90 seconds then add shrimp
Add the wine and make sure that the shrimp is covered completely with the sauce
Spread the shrimp so they are in a single layer in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes
Turn the shrimp over and cook for another minute
Remove the pan from the heat
Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp, lightly salt & pepper and toss shrimp & asparagus with the chopped parsley

Serve the shrimp & asparagus over a bed of the steamed jasmine rice along side a hunk of the baguette, making sure to pour a generous amount of sauce over it all. Enjoy!

Once dinner is over and you’re ready to start getting kisses from your grateful family, you might want to start thinking about the garlic breath you’ve unleashed on an unsuspecting audience…

Apparently the Italians, who serve a salad and/or a fruit course after a pasta course, have known what they were doing all along. The September 2016 issue of the Journal of Food Science reported the findings of a study that concluded that chewing on lettuce, raw apples, or fresh mint after consuming a meal high in garlic reduced the concentration of the garlic smell on the subjects’ breath by 50%.

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Sunday Family Dinner

When I was a kid, we saw my mom’s parents all the time. They lived just a few miles away so we often saw them during the week when they came to our various games. On those nights, because Grandma always seemed to be on some new diet, Grandpa was excited to eat whatever junk food was being served at the snack bar, but at least twice a month, my grandparents would come to our house for a proper Sunday dinner.

My Mom didn’t have a big cooking repertoire, so dinner would be one of a four things:

Roast on her counter top Farberware rotisserie;
Flank or Top Sirloin Steak marinated with an envelope of Lawry’s tenderizing marinade for beef then grilled on the BBQ;
Spaghetti. Her Bolognese was one of the few things she made from scratch and my Grandpa Bob loved it; or
Meatloaf. Another basic meal that, inexplicably, my grandparents loved coming over for.

Unless we were having spaghetti, we always had some version of the same side dishes:

Green salad tossed in Bob’s Bleu Cheese or Thousand Island Dressing
Some type of boxed potato she could throw in the oven
Rice-A-Roni
Peas, Broccoli with cheese sauce, or corn

I wasn’t kidding, cooking was not her thing.

If she was making dessert it was one of a very few things:

Basking Robbins Ice Cream
Frosted Cake
Cookies
Cherry Surprise

You may be asking yourself, what in the world is Cherry Surprise? It was Mom’s go-to, minimal effort, no-bake, bring to any occasion dessert:

2 Angel Food Loaf Cakes or 1 Angel Food Round Cake
1 Large Box Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 Cup of Milk
16 oz Sour Cream
2 Cans Comstock Cherry Pie Filling
Reddy-Whip Canned Whipped Cream or a Tub of Cool Whip Thawed

Assembly Directions

Tear the angel food cake into small chunks and put the pieces into a 9″ x 12″ Pyrex baking dish
In a medium bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) combine the milk, sour cream, and pudding. Mix on low until combined then switch to high and mix another 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until pudding is thick and fluffy.
Using a rubber spatula, spread all of the pudding mixture over the cake layer. Tap the baking dish against the counter to help the pudding settle into pockets between the pieces of cake.
Pour the contents of both cans of cherry pie filling over the top of the pudding layer, spreading to evenly distribute the cherries
Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
Scoop portions onto plate and top with whipped cream

Simple, but always a crowd pleaser.

I try and do Sunday dinner but tonight didn’t even live up to Mom’s limited menus, I ordered pizza. To be fair, we did eat it together as a family while watching Sunday night football. 😉

I’ll do better tomorrow.

Ceviche Style Shrimp Cocktail

It may be starting to look like fall in the East, but here in Southern California, we’re getting ready for another 80°+ weekend. It’s late September, and I’m not complaining.

With any luck, I’ll be out of my cast (fingers crossed), my stitches will come out of the four incisions on my foot, and I’ll be able to spend all day Sunday floating in my pool, catching some rays and we’ll BBQ a steak, some fresh asparagus, and some sweet potatoes for dinner.

Well before dinner though, I’m absolutely going to have a couple of these shrimp cocktails (thanks for the recipe Pampered Chef) prepared and ready to have for lunch while I’m lounging!

Ceviche Style Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

1 pound shelled, deveined, large cooked shrimp, diced (21-25 per pound)
1/2 medium seedless cucumber, diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced and quartered red onion
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium avocado
Coarse salt, lime slices and whole shrimp (optional)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Directions

Combine shrimp, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño pepper and salt in mixing bowl; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving.
Immediately before serving, dice avocado and fold gently into shrimp mixture. If desired, rub the rims of four margarita glasses with one lime slice, then dip into shallow dish of coarse salt; spoon salad into glasses. Garnish with lime slices and whole shrimp.

Tip:

For the best texture, do not prepare this recipe more than 1 hour in advance. Once combined with the acidic lime juice, the shrimp will begin to firm up and eventually become tough and rubbery.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories 200, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 220 mg, Carbohydrate 8 g, Protein 26 g, Sodium 550 mg, Fiber 5 g

Fired-Up Mac & Cheese

I grew up on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. The blue box with the skinny little noodles that Mom combined with a 1/4 cup of “Oleo” as she called margarine (she NEVER used butter) and 1/4 cup of low-fat milk was a crowd pleaser to my sister, brother and I. Later she would splurge on the more expensive box of “Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese” with it’s tiny can of cheese sauce in it, but, to my taste, you still can’t beat the skinny blue box.

Thankfully, as I grew so too did my palate. I rarely pass up a macaroni and cheese on any menu and have developed a couple of favorite styles: Lobster macaroni and cheese, if it has large claw chunks (and not just minced remnants), is my favorite, followed by a good white cheddar shells and cheese prepared with a hint of truffle oil and just a few exotic mushrooms.

When I’m cooking Macaroni and Cheese, I like it to have enough flavor, that if I served nothing else beside it, except maybe a tossed green salad, it could stand alone as a “Meatless Monday” main dish. You won’t need a fire extinguisher nearby for this spirited macaroni and cheese, but you certainly won’t fall asleep while you’re eating it either.

Lisa’s Fired-Up Mac & Cheese

1 – 16oz Box Cellentani Pasta (I use Barilla)
8 TBLS Butter / Divided
1/2 Cup Flour
3 1/4 Cups Whole Milk
1 tsp Dry Mustard
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp White Pepper
3 Tsp Chili Powder
1/4 Cup Hot Pepper Sauce (I prefer Frank’s Red Hot)
1 1/2 Cups + 1/4 Cup (for sprinkling on top) Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
2 + 1/4 Cup (for sprinkling on top) Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2/3 Cup Panko

Before you start, I have a couple of tips.

If you can’t find shredded Pepper Jack or Sharp Cheddar you can always use the packaged slices and tear them up. Generally the 8 ounce package should equal about 1 1/2 Cups. Use your own judgement. I usually err on the side of too much cheese in that type of situation and gauge it based upon the thickness of my sauce. You can always thin (God Forbid) a bit with milk if you think it’s too thick.
You can use any macaroni type noodle you prefer (elbow, shell, spiral) but I prefer the Cellentani because it combines the features of a slightly larger elbow with a spiral and then throws in some textured grooves so you get as much of the sauce grabbing to it as possible in each bite.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F
Prepare 2 – 13 x 9 Pyrex baking dishes (I use the deepest ones I have), or 1 deep dish throw away baking pan, by buttering the sides and bottoms – then set aside while you prepare the ingredients.
In a large stock pot, boil your pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and pour into largest mixing bowl you have. Set aside.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat melt 4 TBLS butter. Whisk in the flour and cook about a minute while constantly whisking then begin stirring in the milk about a 1/2 cup at a time until it’s well combined.
Stir in the spices and 1/4 Cup of the hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in cheeses (not the cheese reserved for the top) until melted and smooth.
In a small pan melt the remaining 4 TBLS butter and stir in the bread crumbs.
Combine the remaining cheeses together.
Pour the sauce over the macaroni and, using a large rubber spatula, stir until all of the pasta is well coated.
Divide the pasta between the 2 prepared pans
Sprinkle 1/2 of the remaining cheese mixture over the top of each and put the pans, uncovered into the oven.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and beginning to brown on top.
Slide the baking dishes out of the oven and set the oven temperature to broil
Divide the panko mixture between the two pans and return to the oven
Watch the pans carefully and remove from the oven as soon as your crumbs begin browning.

Make sure you’ve got a bottle of hot sauce out for anyone who wants to spice it up even more! Serve your macaroni and cheese with a salad as a dinner on it’s own, alongside burgers, steaks, or inside a great steak/brisket/tri-tip sandwich!

Pressure Cooker “BBQ” Brisket

Inspired by this picture of a decadent BBQ Brisket Macaroni & Cheese Burger, tweeted out yesterday by @FoodPorn, which, while it looks like an orgasm in food form, few of us could actually take down in a single seating, I went to the internet to find the recipe so I could surprise my husband with this culinary monstrosity.

But, lo and behold, there was no credit for the photo, and no linked recipe. What’s a Food-a-holic to do? Careful deconstruction of the photo and reconstruction using my favorite recipes for the parts, of course!

So, obviously there is a pile of gorgeous, juicy BBQ’d Brisket piled on top of what looks like a lightly toasted brioche bun. I see some beautiful, but not overly gooey macaroni and cheese and a hint of coleslaw spilling out the side, but what I am not seeing is a burger patty. Hmmm.

After carefully considering my options I went to my recipe file to start on the main ingredient: the BBQ Brisket. Because I am still essentially confined to my bed or a recliner with my leg elevated from my surgery 10 days ago, manning the BBQ is out of the question, so plan B is immediately enacted: Pull the pressure cooker out of the cupboard!

Lucky for me (and hopefully for you!), Emeril Lagasse has recipes adapted for using the pressure cooker on his website, and brisket happens to be one of them!

Emeril’s Fastest BBQ Brisket

4 1/2 pounds beef brisket, trimmed and quartered
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
One 12-ounce bottle lager beer
1 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Brioche or slider buns for serving
your favorite coleslaw for serving (we’ll be using my recipe for coleslaw: Lisa’s Kicked Up Memphis Coleslaw)

Place the brisket in a large bowl, add the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, mustard, chili powder, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and toss. Let the brisket marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
When ready to cook, season the beef with the salt.
Set a 6-quart pressure cooker to the “browning” program. When it is hot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown the beef in batches. As it is browned, transfer the beef to a baking sheet and set aside.
When all the brisket is browned, add the onion and garlic to the pressure cooker and cook for 6 minutes, or until the onion is soft and slightly translucent. Return the beef to the pressure cooker and add the beer, barbecue sauce, and brown sugar. Close and lock the lid, and set to “high pressure” for 1 1/2 hours.
Open the pressure release valve, allow the steam to escape, and carefully unlock and open the lid. Transfer the beef to a baking sheet, and when it is cool enough to handle, thinly slice it across the grain.
Set the pressure cooker to the “simmer” program. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the cooker and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve the brisket on slider buns, topped with the coleslaw.
The brisket can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

If you are going to also add macaroni and cheese, as in the photo above and like I am, I will be using my recipe for Fired-Up Mac & Cheese.

Baked Chicken in Creamy Poblano Sauce

I’ve fallen in love with Amazon Fresh. Not just because I can be lazy and not go into the grocery store, although that keeps me from making impulse buys which is a definite plus, but also because the quality of the produce allows me to be creative when I cook on the weeknights. Not only is the produce generally larger than what I am seeing in my local grocery store, but it stays fresh longer, and I’m paying less money per pound. Win, Win, Win!

I hadn’t decided what to do with the chicken breasts I thawed this morning then remembered that two large Poblano chilies have been in the crisper for just over a week – in my eyes they are begging to be made a couple! Throw some rice into the pressure cooker and we have a trio!

Baked Chicken in Creamy Poblano Sauce with Mexican Rice

2 Poblano Chilis
1/2 Yellow Onion
2 TBLS Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic
3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 – 8oz Package Cream Cheese
2 TBLS Dried Cilantro
1 Can Evaporated Milk
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
2 TBLS Flour
4 TBLS Butter
1/4 Cup Milk
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F)
Cut the poblano peppers in half, stem & seed, then slice thinly with a Mandoline
Cut the cleaned and skinned half white onion into thin slices on the Mandoline
Peel the garlic
Place these above items in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, turn to coat completely
Place in the oven and roast for approx 20 minutes
In the meantime cut your chicken breast halves with the breast flat on the cutting board use your knife to cut parallel to the board to divide it into two equal pieces
Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides
Remove the roasted veggies from the oven & lower the temperature to 350 degrees
Place the roasted veggies, cilantro, salt and evaporated milk in a blender
Puree the mixture
Saute’ the chicken breast pieces in the 2 TBLS oil for about 2 minutes per side until they have a little color on them
Remove the chicken to the baking dish you used to roast the veggies
In the same pan you used for the chicken, over medium heat, melt the butter
When the butter is melted add the flour and stir for a minute until fully incorporated and brown bits are scraped up
Add the poblano puree to the sauce pan and stir
Add the 1/4 up Milk to the pan and stir
Add the Cream Cheese to the sauce pan and stir constantly for a couple of minutes until fully incorporated – it will be thick
Remove from the heat an add the juice of the half lime, stir to incorporate
Pour the Poblano Cream Sauce over the chicken
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through

Serve with your favorite version of Mexican or Spanish rice and a salad or sliced and roasted zucchini squash.

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Decadent Sunday Dinner

Every once in a while I get a craving I just can’t shake for a thick, juicy steak and a moist, tender lobster. Thankfully we are in an area where there are Asian markets with whole live Maine lobster in a tank, ready to be steamed for me on the spot, that are surprisingly affordable ($9.99/lb!).

Yesterday I got the craving while shopping in Costco (On a Sunday! What was I thinking?) and I just couldn’t face the weekend crowd we were sure to encounter if we trekked to the Ranch 99 Market. I knew I had a pair of thick filet mignon steaks in the freezer and Costco had previously frozen Canadian lobster tails that looked meaty enough to satisfy my craving, so I decided to give them a try.

Knowing timing would be my biggest hurdle to making sure everything would be ready and warm at the same time, I set my cooking schedule for a true 30 minute meal:

5:30 – Get the steaks started. I turned the burner to medium-high and pre-heated my favorite pan in my kitchen arsenal, my cherry Le Cruset Square grill pan, then added a spray of olive oil spray, seasoned the steaks with Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning, then put them on the sizzling pan to cook. Assuming your filet mignon steaks are at least 1 inch thick, turn steaks over after 8 minutes (for medium rare), 10 minutes (for medium/medium well), or 12-13 minutes (for well done). When you have turned cook the steaks for the same amount of time for your desired degree of wellness and, when there is about 2 minutes left in your cooking time, put a pat of cold butter on top of the steak.

In a pan with a lid, put in 1 inch of water and a steamer insert then bring to a boil. When water reaches a boil, place the lobster tails inside the steamer insert, cover, reduce heat to low-medium and steam for 8 minutes. While the lobster tails are steaming, in a small pan (or a ramekin in the microwave) melt a half cube of butter to dip the lobster in.

Open a bag of frozen C&W (A.K.A. Birdseye) whole petite green beans, pour into a covered 2 quart dish and set the microwave for 6-7 minutes on high power.

This timing will have all of your parts done at the same time so that you can quickly plate and serve your dinner at 6:00. I opened a bottle of Eberle Rare & Reserve 2012 The Ravelin red wine blend to serve alongside. The wine was a perfect complement to the boldly spiced steak. Bon Appetit’.

Pot Roast That’s Truly Drool Worthy

My Mom made an ok pot roast, but it was never a meal I looked forward to or asked her to make. In fact, if I called home and heard pot roast was for dinner I’d stay at school late for a Del Taco run with the Walnut High School Cayuse Yearbook crew.

She’d grab a 7 bone (blade cut) roast at the grocery store, heat some vegetable oil in a skillet, coat each side of the meat in flour, salt & pepper, then brown it over high heat. After that she’d fill the pan up about halfway with water, reduce the heat to medium-ish, put the lid on and let it braise for about 2 hours. When it came time to serve it there would be boxed mashed potatoes (my Mom didn’t do peel/boil/mash), and peas or corn. My Dad used to smother it in ketchup. Not sure what that said about her pot roast, but in my eyes, if you’re hiding the meat under ketchup it’s a waste of the 2 hours she took to cook it.

I never want to see a meal I have taken the time and effort to prepare covered in ketchup (unless it’s meat loaf or a hamburger…), so I’ve changed Mom’s prep a bit and come up with a pot roast that doesn’t make my husband suggest we eat out instead.

Drool Worthy Pot Roast

3 to 3 1/2 pounds Boneless Chuck Roast (Because they will trim the excessive fat, I prefer to get it from the butcher case instead of grabbing a pre-packaged roast from the meat aisle)
1 can (14.5 oz) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (Tonight I used Hunt’s)
6 Carrots peeled, and cut in half
8-10 Small Red or White Potatoes
1 large Onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2 TBLS Olive Oil
3 Bay Leaves
Any Garlic/Onion Spice Blend you prefer (I used Dangold Gourmet Collection Garlic & Onion Spice Blend)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Beef Broth
1 TBLS Corn Starch dissolved in cold water (about 3 TBLS)
3/4 Cup Bold Red Wine (Like a dark blend or Zinfandel – tonight I used Gnarly Head Authentic Black)
3 TBLS Vanilla Extract
2 TBLS Worcestershire Sauce
3-4 TBLS Prepared Horseradish

Set the pressure cooker to the Brown setting.
Add the Olive Oil and brown the Roast for about 5 minutes per side.
Remove the meat to a large bowl.
Add the onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add the Beef Broth, Vanilla, Wine, Worcestershire Sauce, Tomatoes, and the dry seasonings to the pressure cooker pan and stir until the mixture starts to bubble.
Add the Bay Leaf and Carrots to the pan.
Return the Roast and all of the juices to the pan.
Spread the Horseradish on the exposed side of the Roast.
Close the pressure cooker, lock and set to the highest setting (248° on mine)
Once the pressure cooker reaches the cooking temperature, cook for 1 hour.
When cooking is complete unplug the pressure cooker and allow it to come back to normal pressure (about 10 minutes).
Open the pressure cooker, remove the Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, and Bay leaves.
Turn the pressure cooker back on to the Brown setting.
Stir in the corn starch mixture until it begins to boil and thicken.
Cut the Roast into chunks and serve in a bowl with the carrots and potatoes (smash them with a fork) covered in the gravy. If you have some French bread to dip in the sauce, serve that too!

I didn’t have any potatoes on hand, so we ate ours with some steamed Brussels Sprouts and a can of Bush’s Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin’ Beans. The roast came out tender, moist and flavorful and my husband really enjoyed sopping up the gravy/sauce with the chunks of French bread!

You Can’t Hate On This

I’ve spent the past 5 days traveling cross country and back for a college graduation. I loved the trip, but hated the flight schedule and one of the airlines in particular (I’m talking about you Allegiant Air). How in the world does an airline have a plane that departs a 24 hour city (Las Vegas) at 6 AM filled with seats that don’t recline?? MAJOR FAIL! The cost of a one way flight from Las Vegas to Oklahoma City was great ($103 each with the stupid $15 carry on bag fee, $6.59 credit card processing fee, and the various taxes and fees) but the lack of reclining seats for a 3 hour flight is a deal breaker!

Having finally gotten back late Monday afternoon, with a cough, sore throat and ears that ached, all I wanted was a fuss free meal, some cough medicine, and to sleep in my own bed.

Thinking back to when you were a kid, what meal resulted in no complaints ever?

If you were me, that complaint free plate featured a perfectly crisped grilled cheese sandwich. If my Mom wanted to make me really happy she’d serve it alongside a bowl of Campbell’s Tomato Soup she’d doctored up with milk, butter and freshly popped popcorn floating in it.

That’s my idea of heaven!

Knowing the schedule of the flights I’d booked, the likelihood of tornado delays (big thanks to Jim Cantore at The Weather Channel), and that I would be eating huge meals & drinking a lot of wine over the weekend, I had prepped my kitchen ahead of our trip with the essentials.

My perfect grilled cheese

Thick Cut Sourdough Bread – My first choice is Francisco Sourdough
Butter – ONLY real butter, no margarine or anything else
Cheese – If I am in a hurry it can only be Kraft American Singles, but if I have the luxury of time, I like to slice thick chunks off of a block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat a skillet over medium heat on your stove
Butter one side each, of two pieces of sourdough bread
Place first piece, butter side down, into the pan
Layer either the American or Sharp Cheddar cheese (don’t skimp) on the piece in the pan
Place the second piece of bread, butter side up, on top of the cheese
Cook until you no longer see bubbles around the edges of the bread and a quick peek verifies that you have a crispy, well browned, bottom piece
Using a spatula, flip the sandwich over onto the uncooked side and cook as directed in step 6
Once cooking is complete slide the sandwich out of the pan and onto a plate.
Slice down the middle and enjoy the gooey goodness.

Yeah, that (and a glass of ice cold milk) makes this girl happy!

Steak & No Bake Baked Potatoes

It’s a hot, lazy Wednesday evening and I’m not in the mood to cook.

I’m looking for something to make for dinner that:

Won’t take a lot of time;
Will satisfy post-basketball practice hunger;
Won’t heat up the house more than the 89° day did already;
Won’t make a huge mess in the kitchen; and
Won’t interrupt my Girls Drinking Wine time

A quick review of items on hand resulted in a hearty dinner that satisfied my family and, bonus, took minimal effort on my part so I could enjoy a rare mid-week treat of girl time!

I pulled out my handy (practically hands off) go-to kitchen saviors, my T-Fal Electric Pressure Cooker & cast iron skillet and dinner was well on it’s way to being made.

Baked Potatoes & Boneless Rib-Eye Steaks with Garlic Mushrooms

First, get the potatoes started:

Wash 2 Large Baking Potatoes
Put rack and 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker pan
Place potatoes on rack
Brush Potatoes with a touch of olive oil & sprinkle with sea salt
Close and lock pressure cooker, set to cook on high
Once pressure cooker reaches temperature, cook potatoes for 20 minute
When cooking time is done, unplug machine and leave closed until your steaks are done

While the potatoes are cooking:

Heat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat;
Place 6 slices of bacon in the pan and cook for about 4 minutes per side (give or take) until crispy but not over browned;
Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Salt and pepper 2 Boneless Ribeye Steaks on both sides & put in hot skillet;
Add about 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic salt & pepper to the pan;
Cook the steaks to desired degree of doneness while also stirring the mushrooms while they cook. My husband likes his medium rare, so I cook them roughly 4 minutes per side at medium-high heat.

When the steaks are ready:

Turn off heat and immediately remove steaks from the pan;
Place steaks on a serving plate and mound 1/2 of the mushrooms on each;
Release the remaining pressure in the pressure cooker;
Place potatoes beside the steaks on plates;
Cut the potatoes open, butter generously, crumble 1/2 the bacon inside each potato and top with sour cream, salt & pepper.

Extra Tasty Shrimp Scampi

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