Rare

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cooking, delicious, food, happy, meat, steak, yum

This one’s for all you meat lovers out there.

I rarely buy or eat steak, but when I do, I do it right.

As in, mostly rare.

I have Chris and his family to thank for getting me to love eating steak like this. To me, there’s just no other way now.

Here’s how to do it:

Coat the steak on both sides with lemon pepper seasoning. Let them rest for 20 minutes to warm up to room temperature. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. (Test to see if it’s hot by splashing a drop of water into the pan — if it sizzles, you’re ready to go.) Place the steaks into the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, turning once, until there is no pink showing on the outside of the steaks. If you don’t want it so rare, lower the heat down to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the steak has reached your desired level of done-ness. Thicker cuts will take longer. Thin cuts won’t take long at all.

Happy Sunday

 

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Cranberries and Onions

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cooking, dinner, food, meat, pork, pork roast, recipe, recipes, slow cooker

I’ll be honest with all of you — this pork recipe is really the only pork recipe I’ve ever enjoyed. Pork chops and pork roasts always turn out tough and/or dry, no matter how much sauce you slather on it.

But when you introduce pork loin to a slow cooker, magic happens. Slow cooking any type of meat makes it incredibly tender and flavorful. The juices seep out and creates its own sauce, the flavors intensify, and the hours of sitting on a low and steady heat give meat the tenderness it deserves.

My mom discovered this pork roast recipe a few years ago, and has been making it ever since. She shares the same enthusiasm about pork as I do–not much love towards it. She gave up on pork chops and pork roasts a while ago, too, but this one is a winner in her book. And it will be a winner in yours too

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Cranberries and Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless pork loin roast (2-2 1/2 lbs)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/3 cup French’s French Fried Onions
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine allspice, salt, and pepper. Rub on the top of the roast.

2. Place the meat in the slow cooker.

3. Blend mustard and honey and pour over roast. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of French Fried Onions and cranberries.

4. Cover and cook on High for 3-4 hours, or Low for 6-8 hours.

5. Remove the roast from the cooker. Slice and serve topped with the sauce from the pan and top with the extra onions for an extra crisp.

My Two Cents: I didn’t alter this recipe from the original, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. My mom recommended cooking this roast on the suggested High time listed above (3-4 hours). Any shorter and it might be underdone–any longer, it would be overdone. So this is a great roast to put together on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

If you don’t have allspice like me, (and I am ashamed about this–and will fix that soon), you can substitute the allspice with nutmeg, which has a similar flavor. But allspice is better

I recommend serving this with roasted asparagus and your favorite starch.

Enjoy!

The Classic Meatloaf

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comfort food, cooking, food, homey food, meat, meatloaf, recipes

The always versatile meatloaf.

I always keep a frozen pound of ground turkey or lean ground beef in the freezer. Sometimes I buy a package even if I don’t know what I’m going to make with it. I did that last week. And what can you always do with a package of ground beef, some breadcrumbs, ketchup, and stray veggies? Why, make a meatloaf that is.

Like quiche, you can do a lot of things with meatloaf. My mom for example made a variety of meatloaves when we were growing up. To name a few: spinach stuffed meatloaf, meatloaf covered in mashed potatoes, meatloaf with chopped onions, and her most recent favorite, salsa meatloaf.

With endless possibilities in mind, I conjured up a pretty dandy meatloaf. Actually, I might go so far as to say this was the best meatloaf I’ve ever made.

The Classic Meatloaf (Loosely based on the Collucci Brothers’ Meatloaf in Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium), finely chopped
• 3-4 white button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 slice of bread
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• dash of Tabasco sauce
• a few shakes of dried parsley (or freshly chopped)
• a few shakes of Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• ketchup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Saute the celery, onion, and mushrooms until tender, about 7 minutes. Let cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, ground beef, egg, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Take your piece of bread (any variety you have on hand for sandwiches will do), and crumble it with your hands directly into the bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the mixture in a glass loaf pan or mold into a loaf on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spread a nice thick layer of ketchup on the top of the meatloaf. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

5. Let sit in pan for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with a side of potatoes (or sweet potatoes) and your favorite green veggies.

My Two Cents: I usually make my meatloaf with ground turkey, but that usually results in less flavor–so this meatloaf was a real treat. It was juicy and full of moisture and flavor. But it wasn’t greasy or slimy. The dry breadcrumbs and the slice of bread gave it a good body, and the celery and onion add a distinct texture to the meatloaf. This certainly does not compare to the rubbery mound of mystery meat you may have eaten in your school cafeteria.

And play around with it! I think peppers would work well in this–any vegetable you can chop up finely to add texture. Garlic would probably be extra yummy.

This recipe is also easily doubled. The recipe I based this on actually called for 2 lbs of ground beef and double the rest of the ingredients. Good for a crowd!

Enjoy

Shepherd’s Pie

Tags

casseroles, comfort food, cooking, food, ground turkey, homey food, meat, recipes, shepherd's pie

This recipe is an old family favorite! It’s also my go-to comfort meal.

How can you go wrong with mashed potatoes, sweet corn, onions and ground meat? That’s right. I didn’t think you could

This meal is also quick, cheap, and easy to make–but it makes a lot, so either be prepared to eat a ton of leftovers (which I don’t mind), or make it for a crowd.

Shepherd’s Pie (From my mom)

Ingredients:

• 2.5-3 lb potatoes (Idaho or Yukon gold)
• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 (15 oz) can creamed style corn
• 8 oz frozen peas (optional)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• butter, cream cheese, milk for mashed potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• cheddar or Gouda cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and place in  a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water and boil for 10-15 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. Meanwhile, brown the beef and the onion in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the meat, then drain off the fat.

3. Mash the potatoes and dress to your liking. I use a few tablespoons of milk, butter, and cream cheese or sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, spread a thin layer of potatoes at the bottom. Spread the ground meat on top of the potatoes, then top with corn and peas (if using). Finish by spreading the rest of the mashed potatoes on the top. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.

5. Bake uncoverd for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle with cheddar or Gouda cheese.

My Two Cents: YUM! You can vary up this recipe all you want. Traditionally it’s only made with the potatoes, onion, corn, and beef. But I always use ground turkey because it’s a lot lower in fat. I also added peas, because I love them. Feel free to add a different vegetable like carrots or green beans–I’m sure those would taste great, too. Another variation is to use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. That’s also a healthier option–I’ve made it, too! Check out my Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Enjoy!

Basic Beef Stew

Tags

beef, beef stew, cooking, food, meat, pioneer woman, recipes

Yesterday was a perfect day–partly because it was Saturday, partly because I went to the library and got out more cookbooks, partly because I got to watch a lot of Star Trek, and partly because this beef stew was simmering on the stove for hours.

Beef stew was a staple in my house growing up. My mom used to get up on a Sunday morning and stick all the ingredients in a crock pot and let it simmer all day. By 6 pm everyone was hovering around the crock pot, waiting to dig in.

Although this beef stew recipe isn’t my mother’s, it runs a pretty close second. Chris and I were hovering around the stove, waiting to dig into it as it neared its last 10 minutes of cooking time…

Basic Beef Stew (From The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 lb stew meat
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garliic, minced
• 1 (12 oz) can beer
• 2 cans low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 4 whole carrots, chopped (or 3 cups baby carrots)
• 6-8 baby Yukon gold potatoes, quartered (or 4 red potatoes cut up into chunks)
• minced parsley for garnishing

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Brown the meat in two batches (adding 1 tbsp oil OR cooking spray to the second batch to prevent sticking), and set aside on a plate when they are brown. Cut any large pieces into smaller pieces.

2. Add onion to the pot and stir frequently for 2-3 minutes until they are soft. Add garlic and cook and stir for 1 additional minute. Pour in the beer and beef stock; add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine. Add the beef back to the pot and stir everything together. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally (but mainly when you want to stick your face in the beautiful aroma that is pouring out of the pot.)

3. After 2 hours of cooking time, add the carrots and potatoes to the pot; stir to combine. Cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender and the carrots are soft. Spoon into bowls. Garnish with parsley and some extra salt and pepper. Devour alongside a nice glass of red wine.

I highly recommend Layer Cake wine to accompany your stew

My Two Cents: The liquid in this stew was not the same consistency as my mom’s usual beef stew. The original recipe said it was supposed to reduce down to a thicker state, but mine never did. Maybe it was a fluke, but a lot of people complained about this on the Pioneer Woman’s website. Now, in my opinion, having a soupier stew isn’t a problem for me. It was DELICIOUS stew. But next time I will add cornstarch or flour to thicken it up–starting with 1 tsp at a time and see how that goes. If by chance your liquid does reduce down and gets too thick–add 1 cup of water to the mixture to loosen things up.

The can of beer added a huge depth of flavor to this stew. It doesn’t matter what kind of beer you use, either. The Pioneer Woman used Budweiser–I used Bud Light. But I think any 12 oz can/bottle of your favorite beer will do just fine.

The paprika was also pretty fabulous.

As for how many potatoes to use? The original recipe calls for 4 whole red potatoes. I used 7 baby Yukon gold potatoes. It all depends on their size. If you don’t have whole carrots in the house, or don’t feel like cutting them up, baby carrots will work perfectly, too.

If you don’t want to use all of that oil in the recipe, simply reduce it (but keep the butter–it’s only 1 tbsp afterall…) But beware that the beef will stick to the dutch oven if it’s not greased well. Be sure to use cooking spray for browning your second batch of meat. I assume it would be less of a problem if you’re using a large nonstick pot.

Overall, this stew was fabulous. I think it tastes even better after you’ve been drooling over it for several hours It’s also perfect for the brutally cold weather we’re having this weekend! Bundle up…it’s cold out there.

Happy cooking

Pan Fried Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce

Tags

meat, steak

Chris requested steak for his birthday, so I went on a hunt to find the best steak recipe.

And I think I may have hit the jackpot.

Like I said last week, I took out Ree Drummond’s cookbook from the library, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I took it out for two reasons. a) I have a weird crush on Ree Drummond. And b) Her recipes are so delicious looking, I knew I had to have some cheaters on hand once in a while. As I was flipping through it, I came across this recipe, and knew it was the great contender for the big bday celebration.

“Hey buddy, what do you think of a recipe for steak with whiskey cream sauce?” I asked.

“Done. Let’s do it,” Chris responded–almost instantly with no hesitation.

So I went out and bought the ingredients so we could feast on such decadence. And I must warn you, this is not for the light of heart, or light of stomach. This recipe is incredibly rich, but also incredibly delicious. Save it for a special occasion, when you won’t feel guilty for packing on a few extra butter and cream (and steak) pounds.

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp diced onion (I just used half a med. onion here)
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 2 rib eye steaks (or whatever cut you prefer and is cheapest)

Directions:

1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and cook until they are a light brown, about 4 minutes.

2. When the onion is brown, turn off the burner temporarily and pour in the whiskey. Let it evaporate, and when it’s done sizzling, turn the burner back on medium and pour in the beef broth. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper.

3. Whisk in another tablespoon of butter. (I know, right? This is getting butter crazy, but I stuck to the recipe and it was well worth it.)

4. Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds and then reduce the heat to low. Pour in the light cream and whisk together. If the mixture looks too soupy, add a little more cream. Let the sauce simmer on low while you cook the steak–stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

5. For the steak–salt and pepper them on both sides. Now, you can fry them however you desire. But good ol’ Ree said to melt the last 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and quickly sear the steaks on both sides. If you want a nice pink color in the center (which both Chris and I prefer), cook them on 2 minutes for each side if you have a thin cut steak–a little longer for thicker steak.

6. Once the steaks are all fried up, spoon the sauce over them. Devour.

My observations: Like I said, this is extremely rich. The sauce is butter and cream with a hint of whiskey (which, by the way, adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the dish). If you want to reduce the fat content, I would skip the butter when frying up the steak and just use cooking spray. For the sauce, I actually wouldn’t change much because I think it needs the fat in order to stay together–but if you find a good way to cut down on the fat, be my guest.

Also, any cut of steak you like works for this recipe. She called for rib-eye steak, but that’s way too expensive for me.

My recommendation? Make this for a truly special occasion, and enjoy it, fat and all.