Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

Okay, I know it sounds weird. But that is really kind of what grabbed me and made me want to make this recipe! I am sure my family wasn't sharing my curiosity though. Their faces said it all...."ummmm you are making what?"...."What is in that?"......"Oh, OK" I am sure I heard some rumblings about sneaking out to McDonalds too. But hey, they know me and what I do. They might not have signed up for this but they were definantly drafted!

I love chicken chow mien and this kind of reminds me of that. The whole wheat noodles give it a nutty taste and the meatballs....well all I can say (as I channel my inner Rachael) is YUMMMMMO!! Once the meatballs started cooking and you could smell that wonderful smell coming from the oven, people started thinking twice about the whole McDonalds thing.

When they were actually able to taste it they all had a new appreciation for my curiosity and the good things it can bring. I am thinking now I should have made a double batch of the meatballs, they are THAT good. They went so fast and then we just had a pot of naked noodles leftover, so sad. Not to say the noodles weren't good because they were awesome too. The soy and sesame oil together made a terrific combo and the veggies were perfect, not to crisp but not too soft. Seth took some over to his friends house to share with her for dinner and I just got a comment from her on my Facebook page saying that she loved them. She also complimented my Turkey Sausage and Orzo Stuffed Peppers recipe that you can find at Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen.

I think this would actually make a good meal for a night when you are trying to find something to do with the leftover veggies in the fridge. You could use just about anything, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, onions, even thinly sliced carrots and celery could be used. So let your tummy be guided by my curiosity and give this one a try!

Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

Salt

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti

1 pound ground pork or chicken (I used chicken)

1 egg

2 cups puffed rice cereal

Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, 1/3 palm full

8 scallions, 2 finely chopped, 6 cut into 2-inch lengths

2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup tamari dark soy, divided

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle

1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced

2 inches ginger root, grated

4 cloves garlic, grated

1 pound triple washed spinach, leaves stripped of larger stems, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, available on Asian foods isle of market

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, available on Asian foods isle of market

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place a pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente. Heads up: reserve 1/2 cup cooking water just before draining.

Place pork (or chicken) in a mixing bowl. Add the egg to the bowl. Place rice cereal in food processor and pulse into a bread crumb like consistency. Add cereal crumbs to bowl.

Add salt, pepper, five-spice powder, 2 chopped scallions and two tablespoons soy sauce. Mix the meatballs thoroughly. Form 1 1/2 in balls and coat with 1 tablespoon oil, scatter onto a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes.

When meatballs are close to done and the pasta is in, heat a large skillet (or wok) over high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the skillet, a couple of tablespoons. Add the snow peas, red pepper, remaining scallions, ginegr and garlic, stir fry 2 minutes add spinach and wilt, 1 minute. Add the remaining soy sauce, about 1/3 cup, and the sesame oil then drain, add in pasta cooking water and toss to combine so pasta can soak up the sauce, about 1 minute. Garnish with the sesame seeds and top with lots of meatballs.

Serves 4

Crab Cake Mac N Cheese

I made this recipe in the past but never posted it. It got rave reviews from the family but, I of course failed to take a picture. So therefor no post DUH me huh?

This time was a little different in two ways, #1 I remembered to take a picture (Yay me!), #2 I kinda tweaked the recipe a bit to what I thought would taste even better. Not that I am bashing Rachael's recipe, I of all people would never do that. However, Rachael herself says take a recipe and make it your own, so I did.

Below is the original recipe as Rachael wrote it, and as I said everyone that tried it loved it. My version of this recipe will be posted at Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen. If you are feeling adventurous try both and let me know your opinion!

Crab Cake Mac N Cheese

Salt

1 pound cavatappi or elbow pasta with lines or conchiglie (small fat tubes/shell shaped pasta with lines)

2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons butter
3 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely copped
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
About 2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves, several sprigs
About 1 tablespoons grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked for shells and flaked
1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
3 tablespoons all-purpous flour
2 1/2 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 pound, about 1 rounded cup grated sharp white Cheddar
1/3 pound, about 1 rounded cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
A gernerous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat, then salt the water. Add the pasta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, (it will be undercooked). Cool, drain well and add to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, onion, red pepper, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Cook to tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the crab meat to the vegetables and season liberally with seafood seasoning. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.

IN a medium sauce pot, over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and bring to a bubble. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste, and cook for a few minutes, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add the mustard and the cheese and stir in a figure 8 motion. Add the vegetables and crab, sauce to the bowl with the pasta and transfer the mixture to individual baking crocks or a large casserole dish. This can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To complete the dish, melt a couple of tablespoons butter in a small skillet over low heat and add 3 tablespoons hot sauce. Warm through, then add the panko crumbs and toss evenly to coat the crumbs in the sauce mixture. Cool the crumbs, then toss in the parsley and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Top the mac n cheese with the spicy crumb mixture. Arrange individual crocks on a baking sheet or put the casserole on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Back until brown and heated through, about 10 minutes. If cooking from cold, the mac n cheese will take 40 to 45 minutes, but add the crumbs the last 10 minutes of baking.

Super Mashers with Steak and Pepper Hash

I really liked the sound of this recipe. I mean it has peppers in it and I LOVE peppers! Any heat in a recipe is just a huge plus for me, actually for most in this house not just me. If you add mashed potatoes to the mix you will please the whole family. My Dad has been know to, on numerous occasions, make a meal out of just mashed potatoes! 


I know it seems that I am obsessed with peppers, but for some reason later in my life I have developed a love for them. Maybe part of it is that I read the spicier the food, the more calories your body burns. So bring on the heat as far as I am concerned! This week was a hot one since I made this recipe along with one of my own for my personal recipe blog, Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen. You can check that one out if you like spicy chicken tacos. A great Cinco De Mayo meal!


I was a little nervous because, as I have mentioned before, Kevin is VERY picky when it comes to red meat. If it isn't rib eye he doesn't want it...PERIOD! But I have been breaking him in slowly with the main reason being that who can afford to cook rib eye for every steak meal you make? This one calls for thinly sliced sirloin. When I was at the grocery store I saw a package of thinly sliced beef and it said "great for stir fry" on it. I asked the butcher if it was comparable to the sliced sirloin my recipe called for and she told me yes. So I grabbed three packages (the recipe calls for 1 1/3 pounds but I just grabbed a little over 1 1/2 pounds). I grabbed all my yummy peppers and away I went.


Now I get ready to cook and as I am reading down the recipe I realize that, once again, my ADD obviously kicked in and I somehow overlooked 2 items on the ingredient list! ARG!! I am going to have to and read the ingredient lists three times each just to make sure I don't do this anymore. So I am sorry that the recipe isn't just as it was supposed to be.


To be honest I was worried about the meat being tough. While you are cooking the recipe instructs you to slide the beef off to one side of the pan and cook the veggies on the other side. I stole a bit of the meat to take a taste and it was really chewy. I was so bummed. I knew that would get a less than favorable review. But I went back to the business of cooking the whole meal  before I passed judgement.


After the veggies cook a bit it calls for you to mix the meat and veggies and cook for a few more minutes "like a stir fry". Evidently the amount of cooking that took place between sliding the meat to the side and stir frying was the perfect amount. The meat was just right! I was so happy, and relieved.


I missed the scallions and the lime on the recipe so I used a little bit of lemon juice to add some citrus flavor and just had to do without the scallions. I will say the potatoes were good and I think the scallions would have made them even better. I couldn't taste the lemon juice, but again I agree it would have been better with the lime. All that aside, this really was a good meal. The mix of peppers gave it a sweet/spicy thing going on, and eating it with potatoes in the same bite really just set everything off. I of course reserved my opinion until I heard from the other diners. Kevin immediately said he really liked it. Color me shocked!! My response to that was "Really?". I was just completely prepared for him to hate it he really caught me off guard. Ok, not I am waiting for Miss Picky to weigh in. She of course didn't eat the peppers, but the steak still had the pepper flavor, and there is a bit of Franks Red Hot in it to boot. She said SHE loved it. WOW what I pleasant surprise. It went from a recipe, in my mind, that no one would want a repeat of, to one that can get marked down as a keeper. Nice!!


Oh, a small side note, I went ahead and mixed the cheese in with the mashed potatoes rather than sprinkling it on top. Just a personal preference for me. Also, the recipe calls for 10 ounces of shredded cheddar. Well, it come in 8 ounce bags so I only used the 8 ounces and it tasted just fine.

Super Masher with Steak and Pepper Hash

Ingredients

4 large starchy potatoes, such as Idaho

coarse salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tables spoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1 1/3 pound 1 inch thick beef sirloin, trimmed and thinly sliced

coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

2 Anaheim or poblano chilies (Anaheim are a bit hotter), seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

several drops of hot sauce, such as Franks Red Hot, to taste (I add a couple of tablespoons!)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk depending on how soft you like your mashers.

10 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Peel the taters and cut them into small chunks. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Uncover, add salt to season, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

In a small pot over medium low heat, add about 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the garlic. Saute the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the scallions and remove the pan from the heat. Reserve.

Heat a large non stick skillet over high heat. Season the sliced steak with salt and pepper, then heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. The oil will smoke--don't freak out, just add the meat and start searing it up. Brown the strip on all sides, hit with some Worcestershire sauce, then push it off to one side of the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the peppers, chilies, and onions, season with salt and pepper, then toss them around, searing all the edges, for another minute or two before combining all the meat and veggies together. Add the thyme and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, keeping everything moving around like a stir-fry. Turn off the heat and drizzle some hot sauce and the lime juice over the steak and veggies. Adjust the seasoning.

Drain the potatoes, then return them to the hot pot to evaporate some of the water content. Add the reserved garlic and scallion mixture to the potatoes along with the sour cream and start smashing away with a masher. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk if needed. Season the super mashers with salt and pepper.

Pile up one fourth of the potatoes on each plate. Top with a generous handful of cheddar cheese. Pile up meat and veggies on top of the super mashers and serve. The heat of the meat and veggies will melt the cheese.

Serves 4

Mashed Potatoes



Pepper Sirloin Steak

Switching Things Up In A Curry

Hello my fellow foodies! Hope this afternoon is treating you well. If you can tell I am in a wonderful mood! The sun is shining here in my little corner of Washington, and there isn't a rain cloud in sight. Oh happy day!!


OK, back on track, last night's recipe. Well last night was supposed to be recipe #57 Turkey Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella. Sounds yummy no? Well, we still don't know since Miss Forgetful over here forgot one of the ingredients for the recipe. Well actually I drank it. It called for white wine and I, not realizing I needed it for last nights recipe, drank the last glass of it a few nights ago. I guess that will teach me to pay attention right?


So here I am, in a bit of a panic, it is time to start cooking and I have no idea what I am going to make. My son Seth was here and his answer of course was to order pizza, ummm no. It was hard to explain to him that I am cooking every night so I can share the experience and information here on my blog. He just thinks I am crazy.


Now I grab my calendar and see what the next recipe is. OK, recipe #147 Italian Style Garlic Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Thin Spaghetti. Sounds awesome......dang it....the shrimp are frozen....UGH....NEXT? Saturdays recipe, #40 Mostly Green Curry Chicken over Coconut Jasmine Rice. Do I have everything I need for it? BINGO gang we have a winner!! 


This was a wonderful finish to a crazy chaotic start. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one. I have only cooked with coconut milk once before, a parchment wrapped chicken with veggies in coconut milk, and it just didn't do anything for me. But I jumped in feet first to get this one done, determined it was going to be good. WOW was I right! Not only was it good, it was fantastic! Kevin ate all of his bowl and finished mine, and Seth had quite a bit as well. I sent some home with him for Melissa because we both said it was one she would love.


I stayed close to the recipe on this one. I switched a yellow bell pepper for the green one, but hey the recipe said "mostly" green right? I used a large jalapeño pepper and finely chopped it. I am not sure if it was a typo or the step was just omitted for some reason, but it only says to cut it in half and seed it. Possibly I was supposed to use it in the cooking and then remove it before serving, but it didn't say that either so I made a judgement call. You know most of us here like things spicy so I was more than happy to have that jalapeño in there. 


I also added 1/2 cup cilantro instead of the 1/4 cup it called for. That was just because, well, I love, love, love cilantro so I couldn't help myself. With the scallions, I sliced about 5 or 6 because I used the green tops in place of the chives for the Aussie Meat Pie recipe. I like onions, so it worked well.


Last but certainly not least, the hot sauce. To me curry needs to have a bit of a bite. I don't mean it needs to bite your head of, but a little nibble at least is needed. The recipe says to use Tabasco to taste but, like I said in Aussie Meat Pie posting, I use Franks Red Hot or Sriracha. I used the Franks this time and a good amount. Probably about 10 to 12 shakes of the bottle. I made sure and salted well too. 


End result......total YUMMINESS!!! Kevin said this is definitely a keeper and I 100% agree. The picture isn't the prettiest but trust me the taste is GREAT!

Oh oops I also doubled the rice part of the recipe, we like starch in this family! I think it was a good idea and you will still have enough coconut milk.

Mostly Green Curry Chicken over Coconut Jasmine Rice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 13 1/2 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 4 6 to 8 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces.
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small jalapeño, cut in half and seeded
•  3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• zest and juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves (a handful), chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (a couple of handfuls), chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• hot sauce, such as (I say Franks Red Hot) Tobasco, to taste

 Directions
In a sauce pot combine 1 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, and the jasmine rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep the rice covered until ready to serve.


While coconut jasmine rice is cooking, preheat a large non-stick skillet over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them evenly across the the pan, and brown chicken on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the last tablespoon of the vegetable oil to the pan. Add the green bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, and broccoli florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies start to wilt. To the skillet add the remaining coconut milk and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the skillet, and return it to a simmer for about 2 more minutes. add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, parsley, and frozen peas. Stir to thoroughly combine. Simmer a minute more to heat the peas, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add some hot sauce if you like heat. Serve over coconut jasmine rice.


Serves 4

Curry Chicken

It's Salsa Stoup Time

The last time we talked dear readers I was catching peoples mouths on fire. But, it was a good fire. Is that like the people in Arizona that say "but it's a dry heat"? Anyway, last nights supper was recipe #24 for those that are following along. For those that are not, it was Salsa Stoup with Double Decker Baked Quesadillas. Kevin, Seth, Melissa and I all ate. All of us agreed it could have been spicier but after the fiery hot ribeye escapade I was trying to tone it down a bit so I followed the recipe, well for the most part I did. Just to let you know, I didn't color inside the lines when I was a kid and I did run with scissors! Oops, back on track, I did use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes after I added them, and I probably added twice the amount of chicken stock that it called for. I know I am bad but I just can't help it, it just seemed reallllly thick to me and I wanted it more "stoupier".


I sent the left overs home with Melissa and Seth and told her that I think if she added some hot sausage to the "stoup" and then poured it over noodles it would be really good. I am always trying to help them find ways to make dinner that doesn't cost them an arm and a leg. Well, aren't we all right? But I know how hard it can be to make recipes for just two people, so if I can help out I do.


The quesadillas were good. I liked the green onions in them for crunch, but again I was looking for some heat. For those of you that are not big pepper or spice lovers please make this meal. The soup was a nice twist on regular tomato soup and the quesadillas are cheesy and yummy. For us wild ones, kick up the heat. Add Serrano peppers instead of jalapenos and maybe do three instead of 2. Live life dangerously! Seriously this is a great quick meal for someone that doesn't want the traditional grilled cheese sammy and tomato soup.


Doesn't it look yummy? 

Salsa Stoup and Double-Decker Quesadillas


Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (twice around the pan), plus some for brushing the tortillas
2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes (may need to chop these to make them easier to eat)
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6- 6 to 8 inch flour tortillas
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
Sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for 5 minutes. Add all the tomatoes and stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.

Paint one side of 2 tortillas with oil and place them, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly. Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack Cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes to set. Cut each into 6 wedges.

Serve each bowl of stoup with 3 wedges of quesadilla along side and sour cream for topping either.





Salsa Soup

Mega Meatball hhmmmmmmmm

OK, I knew it was going to happen, but hoped it really wouldn't, I didn't like this recipe. It is so sad to me that I found one this quick. It wasn't a total bust. The kids liked it, Melissa and Seth. But Kevin and I were left feeling kind of like "Eh, that's it?". 


Both of us commented on the fact that there was a ton of meat with no real sauce to counter balance it. The meat was kind of bland. I think if it had been a mix of sausage and sirloin it would have been better? I am not sure. 


I used fresh sliced mozzarella cheese instead of the shredded kind. That might have been a mistake as well because the cheese as well was just kind of "there" no real flavor. It just seemed like nothing came together in this recipe to really make it happen. So sad.


At least it looked good. Maybe it was me, so if you try it let me know how it comes out!

Mega Meatball Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizza shop
• A palm full all-purpose flour or cornmeal
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons – 2 turns of the pan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves, a couple of sprigs
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella or brick mozzarella, your choice, sliced or grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a round pizza stone or pan or on a rectangular baking sheet, using flour or cornmeal to dust the dough, spread out the dough to form your crust. If you are using a baking sheet, drizzle pan with extra-virgin olive oil then set crust in place. Poke the pizza dough in several areas with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with finely chopped rosemary and a little salt. Place in oven 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste using the back of a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the cheese, parsley and oregano.

Remove pizza crust from oven and top with meat. Arrange cheese over the pizza, working to edges. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

Pizza Meatballs

It's Gettin' Hot In Here!!!

Well I can tell you honestly right now that Rachael was not lying when she named this recipe Fiery Hot! From the meat to the sauteed peppers and the chipotle smashed potatoes there was no room for anymore heat. But it was sooooooo good!


Let me take you on a little journey... Ok I think I mentioned that even though the recipe was for Fiery Hot "T-Bones" I was making Ribeyes. I know, I know, I said I would try to stick close to the recipes but in this case I had to twist it up a bit because Kevin only like Ribeyes, something I am going to remedy him of, but that it why none the less. 


So with that said, I started out on my quest to find the most AWESOME Ribeye steaks I could find in my tiny little town and BINGO I hit the jackpot!!

Are those babies gorgeous or what?!?!? I was so excited to find them that my nerves about cooking them didn't kick in until I was unwrapping them on the prep board so they could warm up while I got working on the rub and prepping the veg. All of a sudden I looked at them and my mind yelled, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" I hate it when I yell at myself! But seriously folks, I have NEVER cook a piece of meat, aside from a roast, that thick so I was a bit nervous. Rachaels recipe calls for 1 1/2" thick steaks not almost 3" ones! But once I took a step back I realized that I could draw on my memories of endless hours of Food Network shows, Man Vs Food, Hells Kitchen, etc, I was able to calm myself.

With my new found confidence I started the rub. Since the steaks were bigger I decided I would make more of the rub and it was a good call. I did have extra but I would rather have too much than not enough. I just double the recipe but looking back I guess I could have just made 50% more. 

I let the steaks rest with their nice warm coating and got the potatoes chopped and in the water. I knew I had to adjust the time a bit to allow for the extra cooking time for the steaks so I opted to get all of my prep done at once instead of doing things along the way like Rachael. So the potatoes are in the pot covered with water and my veggies are prepped. See I even have my garbage bowl ready to go.

           

                      

I decided I would try the whole "restaurant style" of cooking these steaks, so I got my cast iron pan screamin' hot with some oil, and once it started to smoke I put my steaks on. Thank goodness I only bought two because they took up whole whole pan.

I seared them for 6 mins on high heat and then turned them.............

.......and the smell in my kitchen was AMAZING!!! Although my smoke detector was less than happy about the situation and let me know this over and over again...LOUDLY, I could barely contain my excitement. No one was home so I was sad that I didn't have anyone to share this with. It was almost like Christmas! I know I am weird but hey, food does it for me.

I let them sear on the other side for the same (5 to 6 mins per side on high heat) and then popped them into an oven that I had preheated to 350. As soon as I got them in I dropped the temp to 300 and left them in for 15 minutes. Now I started the potatoes and went with the recipe from there. I rendered the bacon and added the onions and chipotle powder and MAN as soon as that all started working together the smell was well, just awesome. 

Kevin was home now and the fist thing he said was, "Where is this bacon going?" and when I told him it was going in the smashed potatoes he got a big smile on his face. I will say though, it may have been the chipotle powder I got, but I think a full tablespoon of it in the smashed poatatoes was borderline too much. Although it was the kind of heat that takes you just to the edge without pushing you over, it was too much for Jessi and Melissa.

Now I pulled the steaks out of the oven and got them on the plate to rest while I did the veg. Everyone's, and I mean EVERYONE'S jaws dropped when they saw the steaks come out. I just prayed they were as good as they looked and smelled.

Those would make a carnivore out of just about anyone! After I gathered myself back together I sauteed the peppers, and I did them a bit longer than the 5 minutes the recipe called for. I used a lid to sweat them a bit and let them get some nice color on them (probably doubled the time). 

Now Jessi wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that she, the girl that doesn't like anything spicy, could not stop eating the steak. I am serious it was a jaw dropper to me guys. She doesn't like too much black pepper on things! But this girl was eating bite after bite. I made a plate for Kevin and he beelined it out of the kitchen, while the rest of us, Seth, Melissa, Jessi, and I, attacked the other steak like a bunch a rabid hyenas!! I am amazed we all came out of it with 10 fingers!

So I guess my opinion all in all. If you don't like it hot I would cut the chipotle in half and try it. If you like a thicker steak, my method made perfect medium rare steaks, but I say, as well as the rest of my gang, TRY THIS ONE!! It was HOT!! 

Until tomorrow, keep your taste buds happy!!

Fiery Hot Texas T-Bones with Chipotle Smashed Potatoes and Hot and Sweet Pepper Saute

Ingredients

• 3 whole jalapenos
• 3 bell peppers, choose 3 different colors
• 2 1/2 pounds small potatoes, such as baby Yukon gold or small red skin potatoes, coarsely chopped
• Salt
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chipotle powder, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon dark chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
• 2 large T-Bone steaks 1 1/2 inches thick, 2 1/2 pounds total
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, divided
• 1/4 cup bourbon, eyeball it

Directions

Seed and slice the hot and sweet fresh peppers and reserve.

Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to boiling water. Cook potatoes until tender, 10-12 minutes. Chop and brown bacon in a small skillet and add a tablespoon of chipotle powder and onions. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are tender. When potatoes are tender, drain and return to hot pot. Add bacon mixture and sour cream to the potatoes. Smash potatoes and season with salt, to taste.

While potatoes are working, combine dry spice rub: chili powder, remaining chipotle powder, cumin and grill seasoning. Rub steaks liberally on both sides with the mixture. Heat a 12 to14-inch skillet screaming hot. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. It will smoke. Add steaks and do not turn for 6 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 minutes for medium rare, up to 10 minutes for well done. Remove skillet from flame and add bourbon. Return steaks to stove and flame the pan. When the fire goes out, transfer the meat to a large serving platter and pour pan juices over the top. Let meat rest for juices to redistribute. Return pan to heat and add remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet. Add hot and sweet peppers to the pan and saute them for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pile peppers alongside steaks.

Remove meat from the T bones and cut into 4 portions. Top with some peppers and pile some chipotle smashers along side. Spoon drippings and juices over meat and serve.

**side note - this WILL I mean I GUARANTEE it will cause a lot of smoke. Open windows and turn off the smoke detector it you can!!

Rib Eye Steak

A few stumbles but all ended well

Yes, yes, yes, oh sorry for the rant but I love love LOVE how this recipe came out last night. I made the Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie that I talked about in yesterday's blog. The one that the Beef Goulash recipe was based on. All I can say is yummmmm. I can't take all of the credit, of course it mostly goes to Rachael Ray for her recipe (DUH), but my fabulously wonderful sous chef, AKA my boyfriend Kevin, helped by chopping most of the veggies for me. And believe me there are a LOT of veggies! But that is one of the things I love about this recipe. The veggies cook in the bacon and turkey for a long time. Then the smoked paprika joins the party and WOOHOOO look out, yummy in the tummy folks!


Now of course a recipe couldn't be cooked by me without a few missteps and tweaks. I promise you I do try to keep the recipes by the book, but sometimes after tasting you just...well I will get to that in a minute. Ok so back on track here. Today's lesson is, make SURE you have everything for the recipe. Hmm didn't I have that problem with the first recipe? Well obviously I don't learn from my own mistakes, but maybe YOU can.


It calls for three large Idaho potatoes, these are a VERY important part of the recipe. I casually look in my pantry and see I have a bag of russets so I am happy with that and check that off of my list of things to buy at the market. However, when I get down and dirty and ready to roll with this recipe, OOPS, the potatoes are not that good. They are small and most of them weren't in any shape to be used for anything but a trash can filler. ARG!! 


I salvaged what I could, but it was no where near the amount I should have had, and grumbled at myself under my breath. I began stressing as soon as I saw that I had a problem with the very first ingredient in the recipe. This is about the time Kevin donned his Super Hero cape and swooped in to rescue me. Have I mentioned how much I love this man? Anyway, we got to work and as I pulled everything out and got it lined up in order, he began chopping. I got the bacon done and added the turkey (side note, I would leave quite a bit of the bacon fat in the pan if you want it to really flavor your veggies). Then we added the spices and dropped all those gorgeous veggies in the pot. Oh, it called for a small red bell pepper but we used a pretty good sized one.


From that point on it is just a matter of mashing your potatoes, (heads up don't forget to save a ladle of the cooking liquid to temper your egg, I did, but I heated up some chicken stock in it's place. Gotta work on the fly in my kitchen!), finishing up the pot with the flour, stock, and sour cream, and simmering away. Since I had used fewer potatoes than it called for, and didn't think to reduce the liquid going in, I needed to cook my mashed potatoes over low heat for awhile to try to thicken them up. But that is ok because the more you simmer, the better this stuff gets! My tweak, I added two palmfuls total (aprox 2 tablespoons) of smoked paprika, we like it extra smoky. Just taste it as it is simmering and as you adjust your pepper and salt you can figure out your level of smokiness.


So the reviews, well, Kevin LOVED it and not only had two or three helpings but laid claim to the leftovers as well. My Dad said he enjoyed it, and I was quite happily full with a smile on my face. All in all a very successful night. 

Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie



Ingredients

• 3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - extra-virgin olive oil - 2 turns of the pan
• 1/4 pound smoky bacon or turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
• (You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined)
• Coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 10 to 12 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, to the skillet. Add bacon and brown it up, then add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. When turkey browns up, add: onions, carrots, celery. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine.Simmer mixture over low heat.

Preheat your broiler to high.

When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg.Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.

Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

4 servings