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Sunday Dinner on a Saturday, Part 1 – Sunday Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast

For many families, having a roast on Sunday is something of a tradition. I can remember having the meal as a child either at my parents’ home or at my grandparents’ home fairly regularly. Unfortunately, really good cuts of beef for roasts have gotten very expensive, making the roast something that does not happen very often. Even just getting a cut like an eye round or top sirloin can be quite expensive unless it happens to be on a good sale. The chuck eye roast is not one I typically buy because it is quite fatty. it’s fine if you are going to cube it up for a beef stew or even use it to grind for your own hamburgers, but it can be tough to turn a quality roast dinner into this cut of beef. That is why when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Cook’s Country magazine, it intrigued me enough to want to give it a try. They take the chuck roast and transform it into a tender roast fit for a Sunday meal.

Slow-Roasted Chuck Roast

1 (5- to 6-pound) center-cut boneless beef chuck-eye roast

5 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup prepared horseradish, drained

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Separate the roast into two pieces along the natural seam of the roast and trim the fat to 1/4-inch thickness. Tie kitchen twine around the larger roast at 1-inch intervals. Cut the smaller roast into 1-inch cubes. Combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, and granulated garlic in a bowl. Rub the surface of the tied roast evenly with half of the spice mixture and wrap it in plastic wrap. Transfer the beef cubes to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; add the remaining spice mixture to the bag, seal, and toss to coat the beef cubes. Refrigerate the tied roast and the beef cubes for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the tied roast on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Return the now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat until just smoking. Add the cubed beef and brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook, stirring constantly, until the beef is evenly coated, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the pan is dry, about 1 minute. Add the beef and chicken broths and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Uncover the skillet and place the browned roast on top of the cubed meat. Return the skillet to the oven and continue to cook, uncovered, until the cubed meat is fork tender and the roast registers about 150 degrees, about 1 hour longer. Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Using a potato masher, mash the cubed meat until it is shredded into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer the shredded and gravy to a separate dish to cool completely and use for another meal.

While the roast is resting, make the horseradish sauce. Whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, horseradish, Dijon mustard, garlic and pepper until it is smooth.

Remove the twine from the roast and slice thin. Serve the roast with the horseradish sauce.

There are a couple of things about this recipe. The cubed meat and gravy can be used for another recipe that I plan to make tomorrow that is included with this recipe in Cook’s Country. It is for roast beef po’boys and is simple to make. I did save 4 tablespoons of the drippings and also used that to make a side dish of Yorkshire pudding, the recipe I will post tomorrow. Even at rest at 150 degrees, the roast when sliced was still pink in the center and juicy and flavorful. While this is a little bit hotter temperature than usual for a medium-rare, with this cut of beef it does help to make the beef flavorful and not chewy. The twine does help to hold it together for slicing nice roast slices instead of it falling apart.It is a nice Sunday recipe to try with an inexpensive cut of beef to help save you some money and you do get extra meals out of it as well. I served this with a braised cauliflower, roasted potatoes and the Yorkshire pudding. I’ll be posting the recipes for the cauliflower and Yorkshire pudding tomorrow.

That’s all I have for today. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the roast after I took it out and sliced it, so I don’t have one of it to show. I apologize for that. Check back next time for the other recipes from this meal. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 6, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Sauce

Tags: Cook's Country, horseradish sauce, roasted chuck roast, slow-roasted chuck roast

Thanksgiving Lite – Roasted Turkey Breast with Creamy Gravy

04 Oct

Even though it is only just October, before you know it we will all be thinking about Thanksgiving dinner and the different dishes we are going to prepare. The great thing about this time of year is that turkey becomes not only more available, but more affordable. For the rest of the year, the price can seem quite high for a turkey. Right about now you will start to see the price creep down little by little and you may also see the availability of different turkey parts for sale as well. I came across this half a turkey breast in the store on Monday and couldn’t pass it up. It was 2 1/2 pounds, but it only cost $4.00 and we will get a dinner and lunches out of it, so it’s a great deal. I then went looking for a recipe and found this one from Rachel Ray. I did modify it somewhat, as in the recipe she makes a cranberry pomegranate sauce and had neither cranberries nor pomegranates, so I eliminated that end of it. She also makes the recipe with two split turkey breasts and since I only had one, I had to scale things down a bit. I am posting the entire recipe she uses here for you to try.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Creamy Gravy and Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

For the Turkey Breast:

1 full or 2 split boneless, skin-on turkey breasts

2 cloves garlic, grated or pasted

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, thyme, tarragon or rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and black pepper

For the Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce:

One 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

Pinch salt

1 cinnamon stick

1 strip orange rind

1 pomegranate

For the Creamy Gravy:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

For the roasted turkey breast: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the turkey breast on a baking rack over a baking sheet. Combine the garlic and softened butter with the herbs and lemon juice. Slather about 5 tablespoons of the garlic-herb butter over the turkey breast and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper., reserving the remaining garlic-herb butter for the gravy. Roast the turkey in the oven for 45 minutes.

For the cranberry pomegranate sauce: Place the cranberries in a medium saucepan with the sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, orange rind and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until all the berries pop and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Cool and remove the rind and the cinnamon stick. Peel the pomegranate in a bowl of water, separating the seeds, and drain. Add the pomegranate seeds into the sauce.

For the creamy gravy: Right before serving the turkey, melt the remaining garlic-herb butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour until blended, followed by the chicken stock, to thicken. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the heavy cream and the cheese (if using) and keep the gravy warm until you are ready to serve.

Slice the roasted turkey breast and serve with room temperature cranberry pomegranate sauce and the warm gravy.

A couple of things about this recipe. I left the cheese out of the gravy since I don’t really care for cheese that much and I just didn’t think it went well with the dish. I think the gravy turned out fine without it, but if you want the added creaminess from the cheese, go for it. This recipe makes a lot of turkey, which is one of the reasons I cut it in half. The one split turkey breast was more than enough for the three of us and we had plenty of leftovers as well. I liked the flavor you get from the garlic-herb butter on the turkey and in the gravy and it did help to crisp up what little skin there was on the turkey. I served this with smashed potatoes (they weren’t mashed too much; I just used a potato masher for a bit on them) and some pan roasted asparagus. It was a nice meal that you can do in under an hour and satisfy that early season turkey craving.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I still have my Oktoberfest sausage to make tonight, a roast beef recipe for this weekend, and some other things to try like a new soup recipe and a new one for banana bread. Keep checking back to see what comes up next. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on October 4, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Gravy, Poultry, Sauce, Turkey

Tags: cranberry pomegranate sauce, creamy gravy, food network, Rachel Ray, roasted turkey breast, roasted turkey breast with creamy gravy and cranberry pomegranate sauce, turkey breast

31 Awesome Dips for Football Noshing – Bon Appétit

28 Sep

31 Awesome Dips for Football Noshing – Bon Appétit.

If you are going to have chips while you watch the game, or are having a party or just one a great snack, then you need to make sure you have a good dip on hand. Sure, you can buy stuff from the store and go with that, by what not get much better flavor and control the content yourself and put some time in to make your own. Most of these dips from Bon Appetit are really easy to make and you can find yourself making your own dip all the time with little effort. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on September 28, 2013 in Appetizers, Cooking, Picnic Fare, Sauce, Snacks

Tags: 31 awesome dip recipes, 31awesome dips, bon appetit, dip recipes

A Ballpark Treat at Home – Homemade Soft Pretzels

22 Sep

Sean has been asking me to try to make my own pretzels for a while now. I had seen a bunch of recipes and I was always a little reluctant to try it. A lot of them seemed pretty time-consuming and called for a lot of space for rolling out dough, which I do not have. I finally came across one recipe that seemed easy enough to try. This one is from Chuck Hughes on the Cooking Channel and also includes a recipe for a cheese sauce. I personally didn’t make the cheese sauce, but I’ll include it here if you want something to go along with the pretzels.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons dry active yeast

3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons melted butter

Vegetable oil

2/3 cup baking soda

2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Coarse salt

Cheese Sauce:

1 bottle beer

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup cream cheese, diced and softened

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 jalapeno, minced

Salt and pepper

Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the dry yeast on the top. Let the mixture sit until it begins to foam, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and butter. Using the dough hook attachment for the mixer, mix on low-speed until everything is well combined. Change the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil the bowl with the vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, toss the dough so it gets oiled, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit in a warm location until the dough has doubled in size, approximately one hour.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lightly brush the parchment with vegetable oil. Set the tray aside.

When the dough is ready, lightly flour your working surface and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U shape with the rope and, holding the two ends, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place the pretzels on the baking tray and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour. This helps to dry out the surface of the pretzels and makes them easier to handle.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In an 8-quart saucepan, bring 10 cups of water to a boil. Lower the heat and slowly begin to add the baking soda to prevent overflowing. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pretzels, one at a time, to the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the pretzels from the water using a large flat spatula or a spider and put them back on the tray. Repeat the process with the remaining pretzels. The boiling will help to create a shiny, brown crunchy pretzel shell.

Beat the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the top of each pretzel. Sprinkle he pretzels with coarse salt. Bake the pretzels until they are a dark, golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the pretzels to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

For the cheese sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the beer to a simmer. In a separate bowl, mix the Cheddar cheese and the cream cheese with the flour. Add the cheese mixture to the beer with the remaining ingredients. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the texture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Keep the sauce warm until you are serving.

I have to say the pretzels took a little bit of extra work, but they were worth it. The first batch I tried I had the water too warm, killed the yeast, and had to start over. The second batch I ended up having to add more flour to, about 2/3 of a cup, to get a dough that held together well. Once I did that, everything else went along according to the recipe. The pretzels came out great with a really good flavor that we all enjoyed. The recipe only makes 8 pretzels, so if you were planning for a party, you might have to double the recipe. As for the cheese sauce, I didn’t make it myself but it would seem to me that it would be a good sauce to use not just for pretzels, but for vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, for tacos, nachos or any other time you want a cheese sauce. You could also use other things instead of salt to cover the pretzels, like a cinnamon sugar, or some Parmesan cheese if you desire.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I’ll be trying out some new slow cooker recipes this week, so keep an eye out for those. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 22, 2013 in Cooking, Sauce, Snacks

Tags: cheese sauce, Chuck Hughes, Cooking Channel, homemade pretzels, soft pretzels recipe

Start of the Week With Some Quick Chicken Chimichangas

16 Sep

I had actually intended to make enchiladas this weekend, but Michelle thought she might like to have chimichangas instead. In reality, I was going to take as many shortcuts as possible whatever I was cooking because I had bought a rotisserie chicken to use for something, even if it was just rotisserie chicken for dinner. I got this recipe from Food Network, though I did alter it slightly to fit our family wants from the meal. Since I don’t eat cheese, I eliminated the cheese from the ones I made for myself. Also, Michelle and Sean would not go for the green chile sauce in the recipe, so though I included it in this recipe, I didn’t actually make it myself.

Chicken Chimichangas

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, diced (you can take the seeds out if you want less heat)

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt

1 tomato, chopped, plus more for topping

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1/4 cup sour cream

1 15-ounce can refried beans

4 10-inch flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for topping

Shredded lettuce, for topping

Mexican rice, for serving

Green chile sauce, for topping (see recipe)

Green Chile Sauce:

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Pinch chili powder

Pinch cumin

Pinch granulated sugar

Pinch Kosher salt

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a skillet; transfer the butter mixture to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.; toast the spices for about 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook until slightly dry, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rotisserie chicken and sour cream and warm through. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the reserved butter-oil mixture. Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the center of each flour tortilla, leaving a 2-inch border on both ends. Top the beans with 1 cup of the chicken mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese. Fold in the ends and roll up the tortilla.

Put the chimichangas seam-side down on the baking sheet; brush the chimichangas with the butter-oil mixture. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes per side, brushing the chimichangas again after you flip them. Top with the green sauce, more cheese, lettuce and tomato. Serve with the Mexican rice and any leftover refried beans.

For the Green Chile Sauce: Saute the onions and chopped garlic cloves in a skillet with the vegetable oil. Add a pinch of chili powder, cumin, sugar and kosher salt; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the two cans of drained, rinsed and chopped green chiles; cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the sauce thickens, then puree the sauce in a blender or with a stick blender. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve over the chimichangas.

Not only was this recipe very easy to make at the very last minute (made easier by the rotisserie chicken), it tasted great. The blend of spices with the chicken really was very nice. Personally, I think it would have been even better with the green chile sauce and plan to make it next time around. Of course, you could easily make your own chicken by simply sauteing a couple of boneless chicken breasts or baking them in the oven and use the chicken meat that way.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I made a couple of homemade snacks yesterday that I will post recipes for and am planning on a nice vegetable chowder for dinner tonight that I will post this week as well. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 16, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Rice, Sauce

Tags: chicken chimichangas, chimichangas, chimichangas recipe, food network, green chile sauce, mexican rice

Twisting a Classic: Spaghetti (Squash) and Meatballs

12 Sep

As sacrilegious as it may sound, I don’t like pasta. I have never eaten it, even when I was a little kid. I don’t know if it’s the taste, flavor, texture or what, but I just don’t like it. Don’t get me wrong; if I am at someone’s home and that’s what they serve, I am eating it without a fuss. Do I go out of my way to make it at home? No, not for me. I do make it for Michelle and Sean, who both love pasta, but I make something else for myself. So when I decided I was making meatballs this week, I wanted to try something different. It was lucky that I had come across this recipe from Food Network recently to give me the inspiration.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 large eggs

1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 28-ounce cans tomato puree

2 large sprigs basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle the cut sides with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and then brush both sides with olive oil. Put the squash, cut side up, in a baking dish and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 20 minutes, then uncover the squash and continue roasting until the squash is tender, about 35 more minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Pulse the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and parsley in a food processor to make a paste. Transfer half of the vegetable paste to a bowl; add the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix with your hands until it is just combined. Form the mixture into about 24 two-inch meatballs; transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheet. Bake the meatballs until they are firm but not cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining vegetable paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it looks dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree; rinse each can with 1 cup of water and add it to the pot. Stir in the basil, oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then add the meatballs and simmer until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the basil.

Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash flesh into strands; transfer the squash to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt to taste. Divide the squash among plates or bowls and top each with some meatballs, sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

A couple of notes about this recipe. This particularly recipe makes a lot of sauce and meatballs, so you will have leftovers to store or freeze if you like. You can store the sauce and meatballs for up to a month in the freezer. You can always skip making the sauce and just use your favorite jarred sauce if you choose to go that route. I have tried multiple meatball recipes and posted several of them on here. This one is one of the more flavorful I have tried, so it’s worth a shot. Everyone really liked the spaghetti squash as an alternative. I thought Sean would resist, but he really liked it too. There is a great flavor from the squash and it goes well with the meatballs.

That’s all I have for today. Check back tomorrow for another recipe. I did make the lemon icebox pie, so you’ll want to check back for that one. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 12, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Sauce, Vegetables

Tags: food network, meatballs recipe, spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash and meatballs

A Couple of Not Quites – Not Quite Shake N’ Bake Pork Chops and Banana-Blueberry “Ice Cream”

10 Sep

I always like to look for ways to make things that you can either find at some of these chain restaurants when you go out and try to duplicate it and make it taste a little better. I do the same thing with some of the classic ideas that have been used for years with dinners and try to make them taste better without all of the preservatives or other additives that might be in the products you buy. This is was the case with two recipes I tried recently. First up is a very simple version of the classic Shake N’ Bake pork chops. More than likely, you have all tried the coating at one point in your lives. You probably had it when you were younger and maybe even made it yourself when you have been cooking. This recipe brings back that nostalgic feel by updating it a bit and making it taste even better, along with a simple peaches spiked with mustard to replace the applesauce.

Not Quite Shake N’ Bake Pork Chops with Peaches and Mustard

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

4 eggs

2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 boneless thin-cut loin pork chops, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

2 cups vegetable oil

2 ripe peaches or any stone fruit, such as nectarines, plums or apricots, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees. In a shallow dish, stir together the flour, salt and pepper. in a separate dish, beat the eggs. in a third dish, spread the panko bread crumbs.

Working with 1 pork chop at a time, dredge the chop in the seasoned flour, then dip it in the egg (shaking off any excess egg), then dip the chop in the panko bread crumbs, pressing firmly so the crumbs adhere well. Repeat the process until all of pork chops have been breaded.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over high heat until it registers 375 degrees. Carefully lower to chops into the oil and fry for 2 minutes, until just golden brown. Flip and fry the chops for 2 minutes more until the other side is golden. Remove the pork from the oil and transfer the chops to a clean dish and place on a rack in the oven to keep warm until the remaining chops have been cooked. Repeat the process with the remaining pork chops.

For the compote, toss together the peaches, mustard, salt and parsley until blended. Serve with the pork chops.

Using the panko really does give the crisp coating that you would get with Shake N’ Bake. Pounding the chops thin make them cook even faster, so this meal can be made very quickly for you in a matter of minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal. Serve it with some rice and the peach compote (or homemade applesauce if you prefer)and you have a great meal. I actually served this with the polenta and roasted vegetables recipe I posted last week.

With a little planning, you can have the next recipe for a very healthy dessert. I came across this recipe on Bon Appetit’s website. It is so simple it was impossible to pass up and try just to see how it would come out. It is for banana-blueberry “ice cream.” It’s not quite ice cream since there is no dairy at all in it, but you do get the creamy texture and great flavor in just 3 ingredients.

Banana-Blueberry “Ice Cream”

4 firm, ripe bananas, cut into chunks and frozen overnight

1 cup blueberries

Pinch of kosher salt

Puree the bananas, blueberries and salt in a food processor, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth and creamy.

The ice cream can be 5 days ahead. Simply cover and freeze it. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. It is very creamy, has great fruit flavor without fat or cholesterol and is only 120 calories a serving. It’s a fantastic fruit snack. Michelle and I both really liked it and Sean liked it too, though he thought it needed some sugar, which we were trying to avoid by making this in the first place.

That’s all I have for today. Check back again to see what recipes come up this week. I do have some plans for a new version of spaghetti and meatballs, some honey roasted ribs and we still have the lemon icebox pie to come, so keep checking back to see what shows up. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on September 10, 2013 in Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Pork, Sauce

Tags: banana-blueberry "ice cream", bon appetit, homemade shake n bake pork chops, pork chops with peaches and mustard, shake n bake pork chops

Having an Easy London Broil Meal

31 Aug

London broil is one of those cuts of meat that cries out for seasoning and marinade. When you cook it and season it right it can be a great meal at a very reasonable price. Leave it plain and overcook it and you might as well just eat a sneaker. I had picked up a London broil on sale recently and decided to make it for dinner last night using this recipe I picked up from Food Network. All that’s really required is the time to let the meat sit in the marinade; the cooking time itself is only about 15 minutes.

London Broil with Herb Butter

3/4 cup beef broth

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 top round London broil steak (about 2 pounds)

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Prepare the steak: Pour the beef broth into a medium bowl and whisk in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Place the steak in a large resealable plastic bag, pour in the marinade and seal, squeezing out the air. Refrigerate the steak for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare the herb butter: Mix the butter with the chives, parsley, tarragon, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the lemon juice in a bowl.

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the meat from the bag and discard the marinade. Dry the steak well with paper towels and bring it to room temperature. Heat a large skillet over high heat, about 2 minutes. Rub the steak with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt over the surface of the pan; add the meat and set a heavy skillet on top to weigh it down. Sear the steak for about 7 minutes; turn the steak, replace the weight over the steak and cook until a thermometer inserted into the side of the steak registers 110 degrees for medium-rare, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board, brush with some of the herb butter, tent with aluminum foil and allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes. Thinly slice the steak against the grain and top with more of the herb butter.

The herb butter adds a really nice flavor to the steak and the marinade is tasty but not overpowering at all. You want to make sure that you don’t overcook this cut of meat. It gets very chewy pretty quickly, even if you marinade to help break the meat down some before cooking. I actually added 1 tablespoon of Montreal steak seasoning and rubbed it into both sides of the steak before cooking just to get some extra flavor and it was great. I served this steak with mashed potatoes, some mixed vegetables and I whipped up some caramelized onions right in the pan I had cooked the steak in.

Caramelized Onions

1 onion, sliced

1/4 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon butter

Add the sliced the onions to the pan you cooked the steak in along with the beef broth. Turn the heat to high and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir, allowing to cook down, about 1 minute. Add the butter to the pan and swirl to melt and coat the onions.

It’s a quick little side dish that makes up some great onions. You can try it anytime you cook any type of beef or change things up and use chicken broth when you make some chicken.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time to see what recipe comes along. I am starting to plan some things out for next week so check and see what I decide to make. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on August 31, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Sauce, Vegetables

Tags: caramelized onions, herb butter, london broil steak, London broil with herb butter, London broil.Food Network

Bring Your Lunch to Work – NYTimes.com

28 Aug

Bring Your Lunch to Work – NYTimes.com.

There’s a great article in the New York Times Dining section today about bringing your lunch to work. So many people opt for buying lunch, spending a lot of extra money that you can save simply by making a couple of things early in the week or on Sunday while watching TV that can give you great tasting lunches for the rest of the week. Check out this article and see some of the ideas it has for you.

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Posted by MikeG on August 28, 2013 in Cooking Tips, Cooking Websites, Leftovers, Lunch, Sauce

Tags: bring your lunch to work, bringing your lunch, easy lunch ideas, lunch tips, making lunch at home, new york times, NY Times

Back Home For Some Pork Chops and Applesauce

26 Aug

As fun as vacation was. it is always nice to be back home. It also means it’s back to the kitchen for some cooking, which I did for the first time in a week last night. Anyone who is my age remembers the Brady Bunch episode where Peter talked about pork chops and applesauce. They seem like a perfect pairing and since I had picked up some early season apples and some pork chops yesterday when shopping, it made for the perfect dinner last night.

Sautéed Pork Chops with Brandy-Apricot Sauce

4 bone-in rib pork chops

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup bourbon

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped medium

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels then season them well with salt and pepper. Heat the 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the pork chops on the first side, about 3 minutes.

Flip the chops over and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook the chops until the center of the chops away from the bone registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the chops to a clean plate and tent with foil, allowing the pork chops to rest until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees before serving, about 5 to 10 minutes.

While the pork chops rest, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and return the skillet to medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the shallot and cook until it is softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and the apricots, scraping up any browned bits still in the pan. Add the chicken broth and the thyme and simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in any accumulated pork juices from the plate the pork has been resting on and the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops before serving.

The pork was cooked perfectly and this pan sauce was great. I really like the flavor you get from the apricots and bourbon and the vinegar gives it just that hint of bite and acid. it’s a very simple meal that you can make on a weekend or a weeknight with little effort at all.

Now for the applesauce. Everyone has their own version of the applesauce thhey make, often passed down through families. Applesauce itself is pretty basic to make and all I did was follow America’s Test Kitchen recipe for a very simple sauce.

Old-Fashioned Applesauce

4 pounds apples (about 8 to 12 apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup water, plus extra if needed

1/4 cup sugar, plus extra if needed

Pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the apples, water, sugar and salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to break down, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Mash the cooked apples with a potato masher or against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon. Season with extra sugar or add more water to adjust the consistency to your own liking. Add the cinnamon to the sauce and mix well. Serve warm or cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

You can make the applesauce as chunky or smooth as you like it or even run it through a food mill instead of mashing it if you have a food mill. We all like the cinnamon in the applesauce, but you could just as easily leave it out if you prefer just the great apple flavor on its own.I also made some plain white rice and xorn on the cob to round out the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for more recipes. I do have some things planned for this week that I didn’t get to before I left on vacation, such as the lemon icebox pie, the ciabatta bread and a few other recipes. Keep checking back to see what is next. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!