Weekly Menus - Week of 2/27

Hey hey hey! I was cheated out of a real weekend. I was in DC, and weather delays didn't put me back in Chicago until around 11pm on Friday. Amelia was sick all day Saturday and Sunday and only now is starting to look better. All led to a pretty restless weekend. I demand a re-do!

Anyway, the bar is set pretty low this week for my kitchen. Will is traveling so between that and class, I'll wing it most nights. Below is what I have going on though:

Monday - Leftover Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower soup
Tuesday - Winging it. Probably Veggie Burgers
Wednesday - Chicken Sausage and Peppers Pasta Bake (an oldie, but a goodie)
Thursday - Winging it. Probably leftover pasta bake
Friday - Homemade Tilapia Fish sticks
Saturday - Date Night! Going to The Publican with Will. Can't wait!

Papi's Skillet Steak with Repochetas

Hi Everyone!

I have finally added the steak and repochetas dinner my dad taught me. Hopefully I can explain everything right!

*WARNING* Contents may contain high amounts of butter :)

Part I: Skillet Steak

First things first, you need to go to the supermarket/butcher and get some beef tenderloin. But you don't want just any beef tenderloin... you want a center cut beef tenderloin with the side muscle cut off. Be very specific because they will look at you and think they can "screw you" as my dad says. They did it to my mom apparently. Picture of what you're looking for below. (minus the string... you dont need string)

Get as many as you like -one that size will feed two easily-

Rest of the ingredients: (No measurements listed because dad doesn't speak in measurements)

- Salt and Pepper

- Butter (at least a quarter stick)

That's it!

Directions

1. Wash your hands (you use your hands a lot)

2. Get one of your sharpest knives and butterfly the steak. The way my dad showed me is like this: Lay the beef down, put your knife on the side where the steak was cut (not the round side), push the knife horizontally against the beef while you do slow cutting motions, the beef will "roll-out," it should be less than 1 inch think but not flimsy thin. (closest video of what it's like below- thanks Michelle! - disregard the fat cutting off part and the fact that it's pork.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggLP60GMXeQ

3. Pound down the steak with your fists to tenderize the meat.

4. The steak should fit in your standard skillet so if you have to cut yours in half (which I do every time) do it now.

5. Grab butter and pat it onto the steak (both sides) - use as much as you want but know that the secret to my dad's steak is a lot of butter

6. Pepper both sides of the steak. If you used a lot of butter, use a lot of pepper.

7. Place steak on skillet and cook on Medium heat. Flip to other side when needed.

8. Use whatever method you normally use to see if steak is ready. (thermometer, fingerrareness test, guesstimation, etc.) I'm pretty bad at this part and just hope it's done, slice the thickest part and if it's not ready I throw it back on the skillet.

9. Remove steak from skillet and set aside. Finish second steak half if you have it.

10. Salt steak sides. (Again, as much as you want)

11. **Your choice step** This is where my dad will use the leftover juices from the skillet, add a little more butter (of course), brown it, and then pour that over finished steaks. Because everything can use more butter... However, you don't need to do this. It tastes fine without it.

And you're done! (Finished product below)

Part II: Repochetas (aka Nicaraguan Quesadillas)

Ingredients

- Smoked provolone

- Corn tortillas

- Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Lay out 1 corn tortilla and over it place some smoked provolone, cover with another corn tortilla (literally, like you're making a quesadilla)

2. Place repocheta on a skillet that has a few dolops of vegetable oil (not a lot, we're not deep frying it..)

3. Once cheese has started to melt and the bottom tortilla has a golden brown rim and patches, flip to other side.

4. Once both sides look the same, remove from skillet and set aside.

Make as many as you want!

(Finished product below)

You can serve with rice and veggies and if you want a sauce for your steak- chimichurri and a spicy vinegar taste the best.

Enjoy!

Poblano and Mushroom Tacos

MMmmMMMMmMMmmMmm i just had such a good dinner! i'm trying to do more meat-free meals and it's NOT EASY. but so far today I've been meat free. breakfast was granola, blackberries, almond milk. Lunch was a toasty tortilla, hummus, and tabbouli. and here's dinner:


Poblano, Mushroom, Onion tacos
- 2 poblanos (seeded) sliced
- 3 oz mushrooms
- 1/2 onion
- 1 can fat free refried black beans (see here)
- 1 tsp cumin
- cilantro
- tortillas
Optional: (I opted out to be supa low fat)
crumbled cotija, avocado, sour cream, tomatoes

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano chile, red onion, and mushrooms; sauté mixture until brown, about 7 minutes. Mix in ground cumin. Season to taste with salt.
While this is cooking, heat the beans in a sauce pan.
Toast tortillas on burner. Spread beans on tortilla. Spoon mixture onto beans. Top w/ cilantro. ENJOY.

Weekly Menu 2

Yayyy LOUISEEEEEE'S BIRTHDAYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Happy, happy day :)

I really need to go get Hunger Games from Melissa's house. Everyone loves them!

Here's my menu for the week:

Sunday: Pecan/jalapeno stuffed chicken with salad
Monday: Work happy hour at my house. I'm making crunchy chicken bites (panko and pecan crust) and bruschetta. The bruschetta is grilled bread, then a pancetta/white bean spread that I made yesterday, then tomatoes/basil with smoked salt sprinkled on top. YUM. Other people will bring apps too. No real dinner.
Tuesday: Greek night! Greek chicken (or possibly baked falafel), Greek salad, tabbouli, hummus, pita, tzatziki
Wednesday: Going to Dock n Roll for lobster rolls
Thursday: Tom Kha-Gai soup (I will use chicken instead of tofu)
Friday: Out for dinner before a bday partayyy

Greek night might get scrapped for Family Dinner with taylor and melissa b/c taylor leaves soon to go back and record in Nashville. We've done whole fish on the grill a lot w/ them and I looove that. So fun/easy/fresh.

Weekly Menus!

First things first - Happy Birthday Lou!! Hope your day is filled with love and packing for Africa :)

Second, best news ever. My sisters are reading Hunger Games and are loving it. I love sharing books and hearing that people like them. Reading makes me happy, so it feels like passing on some happiness.

Finally, I took a sewing class that was so much fun and informative. I can't wait to keep practicing. Here's the finished product. It's just a 16x16 pillow, so pretty basic. But there's a hidden zipper, and I hope to keep practicing so I don't lose my skills. In a few months if I'm still going at it, perhaps I'll treat myself to a sewing machine.

And so without further ado, here's my menu for this week. I've learned that I really only cook 4 times. The rest of the week, we either eat leftovers or we eat out/order in. I think a good strategy is to plan on 4, but I keep things in the freezer (eg- meats that were on sale or *gasp* frozen pizzas) that I can whip up if we're staying in and cooking. So here are my meals for the week:

Monday - Zuppa Toscana
Tuesday - Buttermilk Roasted Chicken with steamed carrots with ginger butter
Wednesday - Shepherd's Pie (it's been a while!)
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - White fish special
Saturday - Out
Sunday - Steak and Sage-butter sweet potatoes

Side note- We're having brunch on Saturday with a couple that we met at Bubbles! So excited the classes introduced us to people!

Spicy Stewed Beef Review

 

Picture from PWs Recipe - link at the bottom

How could you not want to devour this immediately?? It was just as good as the picture too. A few things:

- I used short ribs because they were on sale. We essentially had 4 strips of boneless short ribs, and it perfectly fed the two of us.

- Cooking time ended up being approx 4 hours. I think this is a case of the longer the better. Just make sure heat is very low. It was one of the easiest recipes, though!

- The chipotle peppers are SPICY! I added about 2 tbsp of sugar towards the end of the cooking time to tone down the heat a bit. Eating it with the cheddar grits also made it a perfect spicy/creamy balance.

- Apart from the oil used to sear the meat at the very beginning, this dish is pretty fat free. Granted, the cheddar grits are not fat free (cheese, I added some butter, half and half) but I felt ok with indulging in the grits.

- Speaking of the grits, it was my first time making them. They didn't look as voluminous as they do in PWs picture. Mine were more liquidy. I'll have to give them another shot because there were delicious!

Full recipe over at our friend PWs: Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

Weekly Menu. Off to a bad start.

Hellooooo! Hope everyone had good weekends! This week is already off to an unproductive start. No gym, no cooking, no leaving the apartment except to get bagels. I think I need a juice cleanse. Anyway, provided the rest of the week makes a turn for the better... this is my food plan! I like posting because during weeks that I'm in a rut I can look back at these menus for inspiration.

Monday: Delivery from the Chicken Hut. Ridiculously good and fast rotisserie chicken. Will and I sit at the table and don't speak for 10 minutes while we devour an entire bird.
Tuesday: Valenduck! Dinner out for our annual Peking duck feast at Sun Wah BBQ
Wednesday: Salmon and Brussel Sprouts. I'm trying to eat more salmon. I've heard it's good for your skin, but I'm starting to feel boring.
Thursday: Spicy Stewed Beef with Cheddar Grits. I never made this this weekend, so I gotta do it. Looks so good and I don't want the ingredients to go bad. Nothing overcooks my grits more than letting food go to waste. (See what I did there?)
Friday: Dinner out with my friend Julie! Can't wait.
Saturday: Zuppa Toscana
Sunday: Spaghetti and Meatballs. The frozen kind from Costco.

Your turn! xo

Cauliflower Soup version 2.0

I've been making this cauliflower soup for years and years. Generally it's great, sometimes it's not as awesome, yet I still always come back to this recipe because it's just so easy. And really, you can substitute any vegetable and still get a great soup. But I think I just hit this recipe's sweet spot.

I took a page from the white sauce recipe Eli posted last year. I added just a splash of sherry and some white pepper and it has made ALL the difference. It's so delicious. The recipe is now:

Cauliflower Soup
* Shallot or small onion, diced
* Garlic clove, finely diced
* One head of cauliflower, chopped
* Approximately 6 cups of chicken broth
* Splash of sherry
* Generous amounts of white pepper (might want to start off not so generously, and adjust on taste)
* Salt to taste

- Saute onions in a bit of olive oil until soft, but not browned
- Add garlic and stir until fragrant, do not let brown
- Add cauliflower and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is super tender
- Puree as if your life depended on it. Gets rid of the gritty feeling.
(*If you're feeling naughty, which I often am, I add a pat of butter before pureeing. Just a pat is all you need to make this feel decadent. Plus I rationalize it because this is virtually a fat-free recipe anyways. A pat of butter never hurt anyone. Don't judge me.)
- Stir in the splash of sherry and white pepper
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Weekly Menus. Let's do it!

Oh heyyyy. Heyyyy! I feel totally confident that I'm back in the weekly menu planning. I dropped the ball for the last 9 months-ish. But we're back! I'll post, and then you guys post. I'm circling around the same go-to dishes these days, so I need yalls inspiration. Here is what I've got going on this week:


Sun: Will made the Ranch Chili . It was bomb.
Mon: Out for a work event.
Tues: Roasted Salmon with goat cheese and balsamic reduction.
Wed: Coconut Basil Chicken Curry
Thurs: Roasted Chicken and potatoes
Fri: Leftovers or out
Sat: Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits. PW. Love her.

What are you guys doing??

Austin Monthly

Thai Peanut Sauce

This sauce was a great discovery for me. I made chicken peanut sauce with snap peas the other night. I served it over coconut rice (just substitute the water for coconut milk when making the rice). It was a big hit! I can't wait to make it again.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of water (may need more depending on consistency)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced and crushed)
  
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat. If you are make the sauce in conjunction with chicken or veggies, let them cook almost entirely before adding the sauce. Tada!

Basil Spaghetti with Broiled Tomatoes

This is a great new recipe that i made the other night. It was very simple, easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
12 ounces of spaghetti noodles
3 large beefsteak tomatoes (cut into 4 think slices)
3 table spoons of olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella (grated)
1/4 cup of grated parmesan, plus more for serving
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
3/4 cup torn basil leaves, plus more for serving
salt and pepper

• Heat broiler.
  
• Cook past according to package directions; drain and return to pot.
  
• Meanwhile, arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan evenly on the tomato slices. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, usually about 3 to 5 minutes.
  
• Add garlic, oil, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to pasta. Toss to combine. Serve with the tomatoes, additional basil and shaved parmesan.
• Enjoy!
  

Muffin Pan Tacos

MUFFIN PAN TACOS

I am so excited to make this fun recipe tonight... I can make half the tacos healthy (no cheese) and half I can make spicier and cheesier for Ryan!


Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced
3/4 cup water
taco seasoning mix (see her site for a recipe!)
12 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese
black beans
Shredded lettuce, avocado, fat free sour cream and diced tomatoes for topping.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350f. Cook the ground hamburger thoroughly, drain and return to a clean skillet.

2. In a separate skillet, saute the diced onion and jalapeno and add it to the hamburger.

3. Blend in the seasoning and toss to coat.

4. Heat the mixture on high and add water; reduce and let simmer on med/low for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. Cut 4-inch diameter circles out of the flour tortillas. A standard margarita glass is about the right size for measuring and a pizza cutter gets the job done quickly. (Bake the leftovers for extra chips.)

6. Wrap tortilla circles - 3-4 at a time - in a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.

7. Mold the circles into a lightly greased muffin tin.

8. Add a layer of shredded cheese in the bottom, add about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture, then top with beans and cheese.

9. Bake for 20 minutes. When they're done, just pop them out and add your favorite toppings!

In Honor of Harry Potter...

1) Everyone needs to go see the movie. It's pretty amazing.

2) Take this fun quiz!:
http://www.timidity.org/tests/sortinghat.html

I got GRYFFINDORRRR!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken w/ Dijon Pan Gravy

1) You guys are slackers on this blog.

2) I made this last night with beets and baked potatoes. It was really good!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken:
(recipe for 2 — double for 4)
1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (a pinch dried)
2 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely grind nuts in processor. Add panko and pulse until combined. (Alternatively, you can put the nuts in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin). Transfer to shallow baking dish. Mix mustard and thyme leaves in a medium bowl. Spread mustard mixture over both sides of each chicken breast. Dip chicken breasts into nut mixture, coating completely. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. By the time you are done, you will be wearing mustard and pistachio mittens. This is completely okay — you needed to wash your hands after the raw chicken anyway.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to baking sheet. Or if you are using a pan that is oven-safe, just pop the whole thing in the oven.

Bake chicken until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes (chicken should be about 165 degrees). Store gently on a plate and cover with foil.

For gravy:
Return chicken pan to heat and add shallots. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and with a wooden spoon, work any drippings/pistachio crumbs up from the bottom of the pan. Mix in mustard and thyme and cook for about 1-2 minutes and add butter.

Transfer a chicken breast to its own plate and cover with sauce.