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’.

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Quick Cucumber Salad

cucsalad I wish I had all day to experiment in the kitchen, but that is one luxury I do not have.

Between my “real” job, the groups/charities I volunteer my time to, my family, my dogs and the few other things I get to do in my free time, I rarely get as much time to create new recipes as I’d like.

Today was another one of those days. You know, the kind with business meetings, tasks on the ever-growing to-do list, a trip to the hair salon, and a few other unexpected things, so I knew dinner time would be rushed as well.

This morning I put 2 frozen chicken breasts in a Rubbermaid container with some of my favorite marinade (Ponte’ Winery Scallion Oil Marinade/Dressing) with hopes that they’d defrost in time and then surveyed the refrigerator for what I’d be able to serve with them.

oxo I really am trying to cut back on the carbs, fat and extra calories in our diets, so a cold salad I could marinate all day would be just the right choice! Plus, I’d get to use my new kitchen tool: my OXO slicer/grater.

Quick Cucumber Salad

1 English Cucumber
2 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 Small Yellow Onion
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBLS Olive Oil
6 Large Leaves Fresh Basil
Freshly Ground Pepper

Using either a very sharp knife or a Mandolin slicer (I use the OXO Complete Grate & Slicer Set), thinly slice the cucumber, the tomatoes and the onion and combine in a gallon sized zip bag.
Stack the basil leaves and roll like a cigar and then thinly slice into narrow strips. Add the basil to the zip bag.
Add pepper, vinegar, and olive oil to the zip bag.
Seal the bag and shake the contents vigorously.
Open the zip bag then push the air out and reseal.
Place the salad in the refrigerator until time to serve.
Before serving, open the zip bag again to allow air to enter, then reseal and shake the salad to mix before place on plates to serve.

The Fridge Isn’t the Best Place to Keep Bacon

This article comes courtesy of Business Insider .

My motto is, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Well, that and, “If the Baby/Puppy/Parent (lol) is sleeping, DON’T WAKE IT!” Rebecca Harrington of Tech Insider got this one exactly right, so enjoy this great little piece on how to preserve that delicacy which makes just about everyone (sorry to those who don’t eat swine) happy, bacon!

baconrolls I’ve always stored bacon in the fridge. It’s what my mom and dad did.

But by the time I get to the end of the package, that bacon isn’t very fresh anymore.

Turns out there’s a better way.

America’s Test Kitchen chef and food science expert Dan Souza told Tech Insider that the freezer is actually a better place to keep bacon.

“It can help it last longer without going rancid,” Souza says.

Rancidity is what happens when fats start to break down, giving foods an unpleasant taste or smell.

That’s why the freezer is a great place for all kinds of fatty foods, Souza says, from butter to chicken stock.

“It’s dark and cold in there,” he told Tech Insider. “So it slows down rancidity, which is a problem with really fatty things.”

To keep your glorious bacon from going rancid before you can eat it all, it’s best to stick it in the freezer.

But if you freeze it as one big chunk, you’ll never be able to tear a single slice off. Souza says to roll it up and bag it so it doesn’t get stuck together.

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!

Pressure Cooker Braised Red Cabbage

Those of us who were raised in the 1970’s remember the infamous Brady Bunch episode where, trying to imitate Humphrey Bogart, Peter Brady repeatedly said (misspellings intended), “Pork Chops and Apple Shauce, that’s schwell.” I’m playing with a new pork chop recipe tonight and despite the expectation of mashed potatoes and, yes, apple sauce, there is no way I’ll be serving that boring combination!

I tossed around ideas for different types of cold coleslaw, carrot slaw and even considered going the sauerkraut route, but none of those seemed hearty enough to accompany the Smoky Ancho Cherry Pork Chops I have in mind. I grabbed some red cabbage, Granny Smith apples, aged balsamic vinegar and started tossing things into the pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooker Braised Red Cabbage

1 Medium Head Red Cabbage (chopped)
2 Large Granny Smith Apples (chopped)
2 TBLS Coconut Oil
2 TBLS Balsamic Vinegar
4 TBLS Honey
2/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2/3 Cup Water
3 tsp Allspice
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1/4 Cup Golden Raisins (Optional)

With lid open, pre-heat the pressure cooker on the “Brown” setting
Add the coconut oil and chopped apple and stir about 1 minute
Add half the cabbage and stir to coat with the oil
Sprinkle the Allspice over the contents of the pan
Stir in the remaining cabbage
Stir in the 2 TBLS balsamic vinegar
Add the water and apple cider vinegar to combine
If you are adding the raisins, do so now
Close and lock the lid
Set pressure cooker to 194° (Medium-High)
When it comes up to temperature, cook the cabbage for 10 minutes
At the end of the cycle, unplug and allow to sit for 10 minutes
Release rest of pressure and remove cabbage to a serving bowl
Adjust sweetness with more honey or allspice as needed

Can be eaten hot or cold.

Lightened Without Losing Taste!

finishedcasserole I woke up this morning to raindrops and remembered that my Mom used to make us Tuna Noodle Casserole on rainy days. That started a mad craving but I wasn’t sure I had everything to make it. UG!

After surveying the cupboards and refrigerator, and preparing the emergency replacement for one of my main sauce ingredients from yesterday’s blog post, I was good to go and well on my way to satisfying my craving with the unintended bonus of lightening the recipe and making the soup gluten free, so I didn’t feel quite so guilty having seconds. Yes!

Mom’s Lightened T.N.C.

1 – 12 to 16 oz package Extra Wide Egg Noodles (Gluten Free if desired)
Scratch Condensed Cream of Celery Soup (follow link)
3/4 Cup Milk
4 – 2.6 oz Single Serve Pouches Starkist Low-Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water
1 Cup Mayonnaise

Prepare the noodles per package instructions
Drain most of the water off in a colander
Return noodles to the pan
Warm the soup (if not already warm) over low heat
Add the milk, contents of the tuna pouches, and mayonnaise and stir until combined
Bring to a boil then remove from heat
Using a heat proof rubber spatula, pour contents of soup pan over the noodles and gently fold it into the noodles.

Can be eaten hot or, as I prefer it, cold from the refrigerator!

AARGH! I Forgot ___ at the Store!

We’ve all done it. Started a recipe thinking we had everything we needed only to get to a critical stage and found out we are missing a key ingredient. A string of curse words later, after checking with the “go-to” neighbor, we are begging our kids who drive or our spouses to run to the store for what we desperately need to save our cooking creation.

I found a couple of resources online for the most common substitutions (thank you Kraft Foods & Life Hacker!):

Today I ran into an even tougher situation. I had no Condensed Cream of Celery Soup to make the comfort food I was having a big craving for: my Mom’s Tuna Noodle Casserole. But I had no one to bail me out! No one was home next door, my son has moved a state away (to avoid the emergency runs to the store??? hmmm… ) and my husband was still at work and nowhere near to coming home. FML!

Time to create a fix from what I had in the cupboard…First things first, I needed a creamy, thick base for the soup. Milk & Cornstarch would take care of that. The rest should be a piece of cake, right? Just some seasonings and the main ingredient, chopped celery.

Scratch Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

1 cup cold milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 C chopped celery
2 TBLS olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 chicken bouillon cube
⅛ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Salt-Free Seasoning (Mrs. Dash type) I use McCormick Perfect Pinch Original All Purpose

In a small pan, saute’ olive oil and the celery for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to low and add the bouillon cube (crushed), pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and all-purpose seasoning. Stir to combine and let it continue cooking until you complete the next step.
In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the cold milk and the cornstarch.
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly then whisk in the butter it melts and the sauce begins to thicken
Immediately add the celery mixture.to the sauce and cook another 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool until you need it for your recipe.

It took 10 minutes start to finish, made just a bit more than a 10.75 ounce can from the store, had no preservatives, no added salt and was lower in fat and calories because I used 2% milk to make it. Win-Win!

Carrot Pineapple Slaw

ribdinner I needed to add some color to what was going to be an otherwise bland (but really delicious) looking plate tonight, but my husband asked that it not be the things I had ready to whip out: Asparagus and Green Salad. Ug!

Having just put all of my creative brain power into making Zucana loaves and the spicy sweet sauce for BBQ ribs, I was just not feeling it.

I looked into the refrigerator and saw a lot of produce, dairy products, some leftovers and then inspiration struck when I found:

2 Pound Bag of Carrots
Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Cups
A Small Can of Crushed Pineapple

Aha! In 10 minutes there would be color on my dinner plate!

Carrot Pineapple Slaw

In a large mixing bowl combine

6 Cups Shredded Carrots (About 10 Large Carrots Peeled/Grated)
1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple (Drain first)
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
2 – 5.3 ounce Cups Vanilla Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt

You can use any yogurt you want to. I like the Oikos because it doesn’t add any fat, sugar or additional sweetness to the salad. I use a rubber spatula to combine everything.

My husband didn’t even complain about it 😉 Bonus!

Simple Salmon Croquettes

I have a standby recipe I use for salmon patties that stand up to being cooked on the grill, but I got really behind this Easter and couldn’t find that recipe when it came time to prep. Never one to be timid in the kitchen, and knowing that my husband would tell me if they sucked, I gathered my ingredients and started throwing them into my Vitamix.

Sriracha Cream Sauce

2/3 Cup Sour Cream
2 TBLS Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
2-3 TBLS Fresh Dill Chopped
2-4 TBLS Sriracha Hot Sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)

Combine and refrigerate until you are ready to serve dinner

Simple Salmon Croquettes

Combine these ingredients in your Vitamix (or food processor/blender) in the following order:

1 Medium Zucchini (or Yellow Squash) cut into chunks
2 Shallots (peeled & halved)
Juice of 1 Medium Lemon
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan/Romano/Asiago Blend Cheese
2 tsp Ground Pepper
4-5 Stems Fresh Dill (remove leaves from stems)

When the ingredients are well combined, add:

2 Pounds Fresh Salmon Fillet (skin removed)
2 Cups Panko Crumbs

Heat 2 TBLS olive oil in a large skillet (I used cast iron, but it doesn’t really matter).

When pan is well heated, scoop golf ball sized (or so) amounts of the mixture into your hands and flatten into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. The thinner they are the faster they will cook. I use about 1/2 inch as my guide. Fill the pan with patties and fry over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side. Because the ingredients are minced, they cook fairly quickly. Once each side is browned, remove patties to a paper towel lined plate and continue in batches until all of the mixture is cooked.

Serve immediately on a mound of yesterday’s Simple Sweet Potatoes and beside a crisp green salad for a light, yet hearty, mid week meal.

Simple Sweet Potatoes

whippedsweetpotatoes Usually when I make my mashed or whipped sweet potatoes, I go through the whole peel, chop, boil routine that takes a lot of time and effort.

Yesterday I got my Easter dinner stated a few hours later than I usually do and the pressure (no pun intended) was nowhere near what it would have been because I knew I had my time saving secret weapon in the bullpen! Another reason to LOVE my new T-Fal electric pressure cooker!

Steaming, instead of dry pressure cooking on the rack, while I prepared our main dish saved me more than an hour in prep time. That alone was worth it, but the resulting creaminess of the potatoes allowed me to remove some of the higher fat ingredients I normally would have used to whip them in to submission using my stand mixer.

Super Fast & Easy Whipped Sweet Potatoes

2 Large Sweet Potatoes (or Yams)
2 Cups Water
1/4 Cup (1/2 Stick) Butter
3 TBLS Brown Sugar (Light or Dark)

Pour water into bottom of pressure cooker pan and place open steamer basket inside
Wash your sweet potatoes and prick the skin a couple of times with a fork
Place sweet potatoes into the steamer basket and close/lock the pressure cooker
Set pressure cooker to high and, once it reaches temperature, cook for 30 minutes
When timer sounds unplug the pressure cooker and set it aside to come back to normal pressure naturally while preparing the rest of your dinner.
When you are 10 minutes from serving your dinner, open the pressure cooker and remove the potatoes to a medium sized bowl.
The potatoes should be so soft that you can easily slide the peels off without need of any tool/utensils.
Place the butter and peeled potatoes back in the bowl and, using a fork (you won’t need anything more – trust me!) whip the two together until the butter melts.
Stir in the brown sugar and cover until you are ready to serve.
If you want to kick them up a bit, add a pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon.

These are so creamy that they could easily be cooled and serve to a baby just starting table foods, but can be hearty enough to accompany turkey, ham, beef, pork or the salmon patties I rested on top.

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Pressure Cooker Braised Red Cabbage

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