boursin-topped filet

This is less of a recipe, more of a "try this the next time you grill a steak" type of instruction. The idea to top a steak with Boursin cheese came from our last two dinners at Andiamo. I can't even describe how amazing this was! And so simple. You must try this.

Ingredients: Steak, Dale's Seasoning, Boursin cheese (1 rounded teaspoon per serving).

Instructions: Marinate steaks in Dale's for about 30 minutes (a little goes a long way). Grill as desired. Top with cheese. Swoon.

stuffed cabernet flank steak

Sorry, Bobby Flay, I shortened the name.  So I made this a couple of weeks ago but never updated. And now it's been so long that I don't remember the snazzy story that should accompnay this post. I apologize (though I bet you're cheering on the inside). I'm sure it had something to do with "I saw this on tv and/or foodnetwork.com and just had to make it," but that's about all I've got.

It was pretty delicious - especially if you're looking to kick up a budget cut of beef such as a flank steak. I wouldn't bother with the reduction. We did and it was really more work than flavor. Enjoy!

Source: Bobby Flay via foodnetwork.com

Cabernet Flank Steak Filled with Prosciutto, Fontina + Basil
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet
1/8 cup olive oil
1 pounds flank steak, butterfiled
Salt and pepper
1/8-pound thinly sliced prosciutto
1/8-pound thinly sliced fontina cheese
7 fresh basil leaves
Olive oil

Instructions
Whisk together shallots, wine and olive oil in a large baking dish. Add the steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat grill to high.

Remove the steak from the marinade and blot with paper towels. Lay on a flat surface, cut side up, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the surface with the prosciutto slices, then top with the cheese and a layer of basil leaves. Fold back together and keep closed with tooth picks, if needed.

Brush the outside of the steak with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steak over high heat 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices.

crock pot beef stroganoff

I need to make it to the grocery store... bad. Luckily I had most of these ingredients on hand yesterday, so I threw it all into the crock pot before leaving for school. It was fantastic! Way better than the Hamburger Helper version that I grew up eating....even though it doesn't look so pretty in the picture. Hey, it's hard to make brown food look good sometimes!

I ended up using a whole can of broth because I wanted to make sure there was enough liquid in my overly large crock pot. This resulted in a sauce that wasn't quite as thick as I would have liked. It did thicken upon standing, but we didn't wait that long! If you do end up doubling the broth, double the sour cream in the end and you should be fine! From recipezaar.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
Serves four

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs beef round steak
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (I omitted)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, sliced, drained or 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used fresh)
1/2 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed beef broth (I used one can of au jus because it was all we had)
1/8 cup dry white wine or water (I used water)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/8 cup flour

Instructions
Trim all excess fat from steak and cut meat into 3" strips about 1/2" wide. Combine 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and dry mustard; toss with the steak strips to coat thoroughly. Place coated strips in crock pot; stir in onion rings and mushrooms. Add beef broth and the wine or water; stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.

Before serving, combine sour cream with 1/4 cup flour; stir into crock pot. Serve over hot buttered noodles or fluffy rice.

cheese steaks!

This was the first recipe to jump out at me when we got our new Cuisine at Home magazine. It was super yummy! Though we like to keep it authentic around here, I forgot to pick up the Cheez Whiz and had to settle for provolone. You get the pre-melted shot because we were hungry and I snapped the photo quicklike.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup Cheez Whiz cheese dip (I omitted)
2 tablespoons milk (I omitted)
1 baguette (24-inch)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 lb boneless beef rib-eye steak, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick strips (cut across the grain. oops!)
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400˚. Warm cheese dip with milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Set aside to keep warm.

Slice baguette into 4 hoagies, and cut V-shaped wedges lengthwise from top of each. Butter inside of bread. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until bread is lightly toasted, about 10 minutes.

Sweat onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes to soften. Season with salt. Remove from pan and set aside.

Sear steak in remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pan over high heat 1 minute per side (flip meat with tongs to promote browning). Cook meat in two or three batches to avoid overcrowding. Season with salt and pepper. Divide steak among buns.

Top with onions and Whiz (or layer with provolone in my case).

grown up hamburger helper

I stole it from Shelly. I am a fan of Hamburger Helper, since it was one of the first things I learned how to cook, so I had to try this. I made it for lunch yesterday and it was inhaled by both parties. It will be a regular in our kitchen from now on. Thanks, Shelly!

Grown Up Hamburger Helper
Serves 3 (or 2.5, if you're hungry)

Ingredients
2 cups pasta (I used orecchiette)
1/2 pound ground beef
2 big tablespoons of grated onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup of half and half
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Garnish (optional)
chopped dill pickles
diced tomatoes or salsa


Instructions
Boil a pot of water and add the pasta, cook per the box. Don't drain until the rest is ready.

In a large skillet brown the meat. Add the onion and Worcestershire then some salt and pepper. When fully cooked, remove to a paper plate and get rid of the grease.

In the same skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the half and half and the chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and cook for a few minutes until it thickens up. Stir in the dijon. Add the cheese and keep stirring until all melted into gooey goodness. More salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce skillet along with the meat. Serve with the dill pickles and tomatoes/salsa if you wish.

pauline's bodacious quick chili

Pauline is my wonderful dance instructor. We got into a discussion about chili a couple of weeks ago and I left class with her recipe in hand. I made it about a week later (halved her recipe and threw it all into the crock pot) and... bodacious it was for sure! We loved it so much that we barely had any left to save for the next day. As I've been told, this is always better the next day. We used what was left over for chili cheese nachos. Yum!

At any rate, allow me to introduce the super easy, super bodacious chili courtesy of Pauline.

Pauline's Bodacious Quick Chili

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, diced
Minced garlic to taste
1 15-oz jar Pace's Medium or Hot Chunky Salsa
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
2 15-oz cans Brooks Hot Chili Beans
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper

Instructions
Saute onions in oil and add hamburger and garlic. Add tomato sauce, seasonings and salsa. Heat through and add beans. Heat through and refrigerate.

Always better the next day!

beef stew

I also made beef stew on Wednesday. This recipe is from my mom. It was always a favorite of ours growing up. I joke that its such an unexpected "American" recipe coming from my Lebanese mother - that she probably found it in some sort of family magazine. I guess I was right. I made this on the stove, but its generally better if you throw all of the ingredients into the crock pot for 7-8 hours. SO yummy. And even better as leftovers! You can also easily alter this recipe for more or less servings. Just use about 8 oz of beef, 1 potato, and a carrot or so per person.

Beef Stew
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lb beef stew meat, cubed
(roast, sirloin, stew.. whatever you want to use is fine here, really)
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4(ish) carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces (or a handful or two of baby carrots)
1 packet onion soup mix (Mrs. Grass, preferred)
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons flour
Pepper

Monica's Extra Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon Tobasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon Open Pit BBQ Sauce

Instructions
A. Throw all of the ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on auto for 7-8 hours.

-OR-

B. Brown meat in a large pot for 6-8 minutes (in about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil) with 1/2 of the sliced onion. Mix together onion soup mix, water, ketchup, flour, tobasco sauce, and BBQ sauce and pour into the pot. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

Add potatoes, carrots, and the rest of the onion. Simmer on low until potatoes are tender and the beef is literally falling apart (another hour or so).

rouladen

I knew that Freddy's birth-toberfest feast had to include either sauerbraten or rouladen (beef rolls). I chose rouladen because Molly had a recipe. Unfortunately, I don't have an electric skillet like Molly and I was afraid of the meat drying out on the stove top. So I combined her recipe with parts of the one in a book that my mom has: The Complete Round The World Meat Cookbook.

They don't look super pretty in the pictures, but they tasted phenomenal! When buying beef, you may want to call the meat counter a day early so they can freeze the meat - it makes it easier to slice (thanks for the tip, Molly). I asked that the meat be cut 1/4" thick or less. And then I pounded it even thinner.

Rouladen
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb top sirloin, sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 lb bacon, cut into small pieces
Dijon or German grainy mustard
1 spear zesty dill pickle, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tomato
1 quartered onion
Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Trim the fat from the meat. Season with pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet; saute the onions and the bacon until the bacon is half cooked. Spread mustard on each piece of meat and spoon over onion/bacon mixture. Top with diced pickles. Roll meat and tie with thread or fasten with skewers. Roll in the flour.

Melt remaining butter in the skillet and brown the rolls on all sides. Add beef stock, tomato, and quartered onion and cook over low heat 1 1/2 hours, or until tender.

steak with parmesan butter + balsamic glaze

...over baby romaine. I found this recipe on epicurious.com with the description: Simple and sophisticated. Just how I like it! I made this a few weeks ago, but soon became swamped with school work (thus, the lack of posting in general). We thought it was tasty and perfect for lunch!

The original recipe calls for arugula which neither of us are too fond of. I used baby romaine instead, which I found to be slightly peppery as well. It was a great substitute in my opinion. Next time we will probably marinate the meat (a soy-based marinade might be a good contrast to the sweet balsamic glaze) - and I'll let Freddy do the grilling!


Steak with Parmesan Butter + Balsamic Glaze over Baby Romaine
Serves two

Ingredients
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus Parmesan cheese shavings
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 12-ounce rib-eye steak (I used flat iron steak this time around)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon (packed) dark brown sugar
4 cups (lightly packed) baby romaine
2 large lemon wedges

Instructions
Mix grated cheese and butter in small bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside. Sprinkle steak generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate. Add vinegar, shallots, and sugar to skillet; boil until reduced to glaze, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Divide baby romaine and Parmesan shavings between 2 plates (or all of it on a platter). Squeeze lemon over. Slice steak; place atop romaine. Top steak with Parmesan butter. Drizzle lightly with glaze.

the perfect steak

NY strip steak was also on sale yesterday, so I changed my chicken piccata plans and we grilled steak for dinner, served with sugared asparagus (one of our favorites) and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

We learned the sugared asparagus trick about a year ago on the Next Food Network Star (we still think Rory should have won)! They're a perfect pair for steak, we think.

Freddy learned the perfect way to grill steak from another Food Network star, Bobby Flay.

Perfectly Grilled Steak

Ingredients:
2 NY strip steaks (ours were about 10 oz a piece)
Dale's Seasoning or your choice of marinade

Freddy's Instructions:
Let your steak reach room temperature before grilling. Some people might tell you that this isn't necessary, however based on the number of articles I have read, I feel that this helps grill your steak more evenly and faster. Season. You can use your marinade of choice. I sometimes use Dale's or put together a do it yourself marinade. A light brushing of olive oil and maybe some fresh cracked pepper is also a simple choice. The Seasoning and marinade is entirely up to you.

Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill.

Place the steaks on the grill and only flip once based on the time outlined below. Take the time and divide in half for each side. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will let the juices flow out from the center so the whole steak is nice and juicy.

I use the following scale below for grilling times by thickness. These times are total cooking times. Times are approximate and will vary depending on the type of grill:

Sugared Asparagus
Ingredients:
1/2 lb asparagus, woody ends removed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the asparagus in olive oil and then sprinkle with sugar to thoroughly coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 red skinned potatoes
2 cloves of garlic, roasted in the oven (while still in paper) with olive oil until "squishy"
1-2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Parsley (to garnish)

Instructions:
Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain water. Smash with a potato masher. Add garlic (removed from paper). Mash more. Add 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon butter. Mash more and add the rest of the sour cream/butter if needed. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chopped parsley.

Serves two.

ooooh (steak) fajitas!

Having had chicken for dinner for the last three days, we decided it was about time for some good 'ol red meat. Fajitas always sound good, so here they are (or, there they were). We used part of this recipe from recipezaar.com. It was amazing! We'll definitely make it again.

Southwestern Flat Iron Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:
16 ounces flat iron steak
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced lengthwise
1/2 red and/or green bell pepper, seeded and sliced lengthwise
6 (6 inch) flour tortillas
shredded cheese
1/2 large tomato, diced (or one medium tomato)
sour cream

Flat Iron Steak Fajita Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice

Directions:
Put marinade ingredients and steak in a large zip-lock bag or container with lid and marinate in refrigerator overnight. We did a quick marinade by putting everything into a Food Saver bag and vacuuming the air out.

To prepare the fajitas, preheat grill or broiler on high. If you have a cast iron fajita skillet, heat it in the oven for 20 minutes. Place steaks on grill or on broiler pan in oven. Grill or broil for 8 minutes. Flip and continue grilling for 6 minutes for a medium rare steak. Let the steak rest for 5 minutes and slice across the grain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add onions to pan and cook 1 minute, stir constantly. Add peppers to pan and sauté for 1 minute, stir constantly. Add the chipotle. Remove pan from heat.

Place vegetables on the heated cast iron fajita platter (but who really has one of these?) or on a serving plate. Place sliced flat iron steaks on top of the vegetables. Serve with tortillas, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, other desired condiments, and cerveza. Assemble and enjoy.

stir-fry

According to Freddy, this is the dish that won me over. He learned the correct way to make stir-fry from his college roommate, Rithy. So, I guess we owe a lot to Rithy!

Stir-fry remains a staple in our house and we love making different variations of this “recipe” throwing in whatever vegetables that we have on hand. Cattleman’s BBQ sauce also works well instead of the teriyaki/soy – you’ll have to trust me on this one! The important things to keep in mind: cut the vegetables small and similar in size so that they cook at relatively the same speed; and if you have vegetables that take longer to cook, throw them in the wok earlier than the rest, and so on and so forth.

1 lb beef, sliced thin
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium white onion
1 small clove garlic (mashed to a paste with salt)
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
5-10 asparagus spears (depending on thickness), ends removed, cut in half
½ red pepper sliced thin
½ green pepper sliced thin
1 can (drained and rinsed) baby corn sliced in half
¼ cup teriyaki sauce (House of Tsang Korean Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (we always use Kikkoman)

Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper
Toasted sesame seeds

2 cups (dry) jasmine rice, follow package directions. We used our rice cooker, so it’s a little bit different.

Heat oil in a large wok over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and sweat until onions are translucent. Start adding the vegetables that take the longest to cook, in this case broccoli. Cook broccoli for about 2 minutes. Add the beef. We like to drain a little bit of the oil off at this point. Add the asparagus (these were thin, otherwise I’d add with the broccoli), red and green pepper, and the baby corn. Cook until the beef is browned with no traces of pink. Add teriyaki sauce and soy cause. Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serve over rice + eat with chopsticks (okay, that last part is just my two cents)!