Pot Roast

I know I didn't post a coupon rant yesterday... believe me, there's a good one in the works, whenever I get the chance to sit, type, and think all at the same time. See... I had a baby on Wednesday, so I'm a bit busy. :-)

I did, however, stubbornly cook dinner tonight. Just couldn't help myself. It wasn't exactly strenuous. I made pot roast, and it smells divine. Stuck some potatoes alongside for a nice slow bake and I'll probably end up delegating the grilling of a couple of cheese sandwiches for the kids, since they tend to think pot roast is TOO tender and therefore poisonous.

And sorry, no pic... the camera is full of baby pictures.

Our Christmas Eve Tradition

We really are ridiculously stubborn.

But... when you take a girl raised in Kansas and a boy raised in Kentucky and stick 'em in balmy South Carolina... they get Ideas. Like "wow it's shorts weather on Christmas Eve, let's GRILL!" And then they decide that was an awesome Idea the next year, too. And the year after that. And then they get moved back to arctic Kansas... and they rethink things (neither of us can remember what on earth we had for Christmas Eve Dinner that first, frozen year. We were in shock.) We may have grilled the year after that, as the house we were in had windbreaks on three sides of the grilling area...

Anyway. Point is... we've been in South Texas for three Christmas Eves now. December is often when we get really smug about living in South Texas. Because of days like yesterday, when it was sunny and 72. So, naturally, grilled steaks were back on the menu, we were back to our Christmas Eve Tradition (we've done it enough times now, it counts as a Tradition.)

But today was not sunny, nor was it 72.

Today was 40-something, with howling winds that threatened to teach our gazebo how to fly.

Not good grilling weather.

As I said... we're stubborn. The Little Guy shrieked into the wind and ran around the yard, playing football, while the Grill Geek... er... grilled. (That's why I call him that.) I was warm and cozy inside.

So the pic is the Grill Geek's plate... as my steak had already been commandeered by the now-very-hungry Little Guy, and wasn't photo-worthy.

I bow to The Big Easy

A good friend of mine tried her best to talk me into driving to New Orleans for Mardi Gras revelry this last weekend. I nobly resisted. I always cook my own Fat Tuesday feast, thank you very much... while listening to a mish mash of Zydeco and Cajun-inspired music. Sure, it's not as festive, and some year I hope to cross "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" off my Life List. But for now, I'll enjoy the fresh air and lack of half-naked crowds at home.

Well tonight's recipe was a flop. A failure. An epic fail. I recently stumbled across a new recipe website, I think on the recommendation of the magazine that sponsors it being one that encourages real food, not necessarily fast or easy food. I fell in love the moment I learned that a recent edition focused on either butter or bacon (I forget which). I've been visiting daily and printing off reams of delicious-sounding recipes. One of those recipes was for Grillades and Cremini Grits. I originally did not plan to serve this recipe for Mardi Gras. While not generally a creature of habit, I have spent the last 5 or 6 Mardi Gras making jambalaya or gumbo, either way involving a lot of sausage, shrimp, and/or chicken. Not grillades. And I know that grillades are generally a breakfast/brunch dish. Not dinner. As life happened, though, I didn't get to make them on their appointed night, so thought "well, hey, it'll work just fine for Mardi Gras."

No.

Do not listen to those sorts of voices. Do not break from tradition. The gods of Mardi Gras were not pleased.

My first clue (other than trying to plan something not based on shrimp) should have been how different this recipe is from every other stinking recipe for grillades.

No one else uses an entire bottle of wine.

And now I know why. That's a lot of wine. And I like wine. But when it concentrates down that much... if it is not a very fine bottle, if you somehow follow the rule to only cook with wines you would drink, but apparently aren't selective enough about drinking wines... you end up with a final dish that tastes like tart wine. With onions. No beef flavor to speak of. Just bite after bite of wine. Blech.

The grits part didn't work out, either. Apparently the milk in the recipe serves a higher function than liquid and flavor. Maybe it's a custard-type thing. I subbed half chicken broth and half fancy-shmancy mushroom broth ("oooh, ahhh...") and ended up with runny grits. Harrumph. I'm hoping the leftovers will be good.

One good thing did come out of the grillades recipe.

I used half sorghum and half generic-gluten-free-white-flour-blend to coat the round steak, and it worked really well. It browned nicely and thickened the sauce very well.

So next year you can bet your sweet bippy I will be making jambalaya or gumbo. With sausage, shrimp, and/or chicken. Branching out isn't worth the risk. And next time I make grillades (yeah, there might be a next time, I'll try anything twice) I will stick to a recipe from Nawlins itself. Fancy-shmancy gourmet magazines don't know what they're talking about!

Superfood

Since everyone does it, I did too.
Way too much food, all of which can be eaten with one's fingers, lots of grease, and plenty of spice.

Superbowl food.

First Half:
Steak Bites (I deglazed my pan with a glug of beer)
Guacamole and chips
Bacon-wrapped grilled leeks
Garlic-bacon potato skins

Second Half:
Italian Drumettes (I used the Ro-Tel tomatoes with chiles, to add a kick)
Veggies and dip

It was a little bit tricky timing it all so that I could actually watch the game (strange, football-loving woman that I am,) but it worked out pretty well. And with food for both halves, we were able to munch without stuffing ourselves.

Cauliflower and Meatballs

Roasted cauliflower, topped with a veggie-heavy marinara, with meatballs and pea-shoot salad. I'd been wanting to try roasting cauliflower for quite a while, so when a head of it showed up in my weekly local produce delivery, I was excited. I washed it, cut it in chunks, tossed them with olive oil and salt, and roasted at about 375. I had just baked the meatballs, so I just used the same oven temp.
I was also very excited to get more pea tendrils/shoots, so I could make another fabulous salad. This time I kept it simpler, with basically just the vinaigrette, lettuce, and pea shoots.

When the cauliflower was done roasting it smelled like roasted Brussels sprouts. Which makes sense, I suppose, since they're cousins. I love roasted Brussels sprouts... more than the cauliflower. It was good, and an interesting lower-carb option to pasta or polenta. But... I kinda doubt I'll do it again.

Havana Goulash?

Sounds strange, no?

Well... the whole thing got started with mint. I still get a weekly box of local vegetation from Greenling, and one of the things this last week was mint. The first thing I did was make minted simple syrup, in preparation for this weekend's Kentucky Derby. I need to be able to make easy Mint Juleps. But that only used half the mint. So... I decided to finally try the super-popular mojito. But the weather and menu were against me. Rain and clouds and pot roast (which was INCREDIBLE, sorry, I didn't even bother to take a picture) just don't go with mojitos.

Tonight was finally right. The sun was shining, the mojito was tasty, and I devised a way to throw a Cuban twist on dinner. I used some leftover roast (that I stuck in the fridge in all the leftover brothy goodness, which gelled... om nom nom) and basically made a quickie Ropa Vieja. Since we had rice last night, I decided to have pasta tonight (kids don't like food in their food, so goulash is right out, they'll stick with plain pasta, thanks.) I know it has a decidedly Rachel Ray flair... not very authentic... but it was plate-licking good.

And, no, I'm not kidding. I licked.

What created this fabulousity?

1/2 onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 tablespoon lard/bacon fat/whatever
However much leftover roast beast for two
about a cup of leftover roast juicy goodness
about a cup of pureed tomato
1 dried, smoky chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
salt, to taste
1/2 cup fresh peas

Cook onion and jalepeno in fat until soft, add meat, juicy goodness, and tomato puree. Stir. Plop the pepper in a brothy part of the pan, sprinkle on oregano and salt, and simmer until the pasta is done. When there's just a few minutes left, stir in the peas, slap a lid on it, and turn off the heat. Remove the chipotle (unless it's somehow soft enough to mash up and stir in, although taste first... it adds a LOT of flavor!) Put on pasta.

Don't forget to lick your plate!

Masterful

Last night's dinner... which the Grill Geek graciously prepared, despite it being the last hours of the Masters golf tournament.

Grilled strip steak... Sidedish (with red bell peppers for a delicious twist), and Bacon-Wrapped Leek. One leek. It was ginormous. I had to bend it around double to fit half of it on my plate. I love the char on that potato on top of my Sidedish. Mmm, mmm, good. And, in case you were wondering, that is not iced tea in the glass. That is bourbon. It was delicious, much-needed, and the reason I didn't get around to posting this last night.

A close-up of the bacon-wrapped leek. The Grill Geek wrapped it in foil, to prevent burning and huge bacon-fat-fueled flare ups. It took longer than we expected to get "done." But... I am left speechless by the delicious divinity of this dish. I made noises while eating. Again.

Fajita Salad, Again

I know... we eat a LOT of fajita-type stuff around here. What can I say? I live in South Texas... I am inspired. When the sun is shining, the tunes are playing, I'm feeling fried (literally, not "stressed") from playing in the backyard so much, and the soft, thick air is settling down after a day of blowing... I see on my menu that I planned to do "something" with a big slab of cheap steak, and I think "fajitas." And it's a winner, every time.

Tonight it was fajita salad. Fresh, local (Bibb, I think??) lettuce, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, topped with shredded green (local, once again) cabbage that was dressed with white vinegar, agave, and salt, then some sliced avocado with lime juice, the grilled steak, and then grilled onions, red bell pepper, and some sort of hot green pepper. Those were tossed with bacon fat after slicing and prior to grilling.

It was, of COURSE, delicious. Oh... and that's a grilled zucchini at the bottom there. It was good, too.

Last night I forgot to post... we had stir-fry... it was yummy, but not all that special.

It was leftover grilled steak, from Naughty Friday, with onions, a mix of lemongrass (one stalk, finely-minced), ginger (small bit grated with a micro-plane) and 2 cloves minced garlic, tamari, fish sauce, and chicken stock. I tossed in some spinach at the very end, to wilt. And we served it over rice.
If anyone wants an actual recipe... just ask. I think I'll remember what I loosely based it upon.

Naughty Friday

Oops. I forgot to take a picture. This is what was left from our Naughty Friday decadence.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, we are not a religious family. So we... well... tend to taunt on holy days. What can I say? We're pirates. On Good Friday, which I understand is commonly a day of fasting and flagellation, we feasted on gigantic steaks, bacon-wrapped grilled potatoes, and dressed cucumbers, with full glasses of wine. That's the kind of people we are.

I did manage to flagellate myself a little bit, while walking through part of the neighbor's yard... they have stickers (prickers, whatever you call them) and I got an entire foot-full. Whee. I'll have more wine and forget about it.

Chili

Since today is Selection Sunday for March Madness, and my husband's blood runs blue for UK, and since he was raised on basketball (and football... and hockey... and baseball...) I wanted an easy dinner that we could eat while watching all the drawn-out drama on TV. Because it can't ever be so simple as just posting a big chart showing which teams get seeded where in the tourney. Noooo...

Today is also a rather chilly day, so I thought chili would be nice. Even though this is my own recipe, I never manage to follow it. This time I added an Anaheim chile, didn't use all those tomatoes (just one big can of diced and a smallish box of crushed), and I left out the cinnamon stick. Because I don't have any. I'll include an "after" photo once it's actually served.

Crock Pot Chili

Sauté:

2 lbs ground chuck
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
large handful sliced fresh mushrooms

Pour into crock pot:

2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes (mild or regular)
1 can petite-diced tomatoes
1 can plain tomato sauce (full size)
1 can frijoles negro
Sautéed ingredients

Add spices:

2 T chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cilantro
4 dashes cayenne (or 1/4 tsp spicy smoked paprika, if you have it)
1 T cocoa powder
1 cinnamon stick

Start in the morning, ready by dinner. Start after lunch, might need to put it on "high." It's flexible.

There it is. Chili. With tortilla chips, to make it pretty. The Little Guy's hand is in the background, adding chips to the guacamole. He then inhaled the guacamole and demanded more. Like his mama, he's Mexican at heart.

Iron Chef- Mystery Meat

The mysteries keep coming. We bought a quarter of a cow last fall, and are using up the last little bits now. One package was apparently folded before it got frozen, and the part of the label telling what was inside was tucked into the fold. Mystery meat. Looked like it could be a roast or a really thick steak... nope. Short ribs. And time was short as well. Not the best situation for short ribs. Whoops.

The Grill Geek volunteered for an impromptu Iron Chef Grill.


Basting with an Asian-inspired sauce. He has no idea how to recreate the deliciousness... he didn't write down how much he used of anything. Worcestershire, tamari... vermouth instead of sake... probably some other stuff.


Gratuitous gazebo shot. No point here. Just showing off. This is the good life... sunny day, light breeze, a margarita on the outdoor bar, big chunks of beefiness on the grill... yeah.


The result: short ribs on rice, a salad with lemon vinaigrette, and grilled Brussels sprouts (with onions and garlic, done in a foil pack). The Grill Geek wasn't very pleased with the result- too tough and chewy. It was a lot of work to eat, but it was delicious. Even our finicky Fairy Child gobbled some up. I think we'll stick to low and slow for short ribs in the future, though.

Jamie Oliver

Tonight I finally tried a recipe from my new cookbook, Cook with Jamie. (I know that should be underlined, but can't figure out how to do that here.) I love this cookbook. I love Jamie Oliver's passion for good food, his wit and charm, and his recipes. Granted, this is the first one I've actually made, but... they all sound so good! This particular recipe is called "Grilled fillet steak with creamiest white beans and leeks." I won't post the recipe, as I'm fairly sure it's illegal. Mine didn't look like his, but it was very yummy. I'd still like to know exactly what a fillet steak is. I know the filet mignon kind... but that's not what it looks like he used. So... we did our best.

Enchiladas, almost

I had decided to finally make real enchiladas, thanks to the fresh corn tortillas I've been getting. No shortcuts. Homemade sauce. I'd do it right.

Naturally, life got in the way of that. The recipe I stubbornly stuck with didn't name a chile to use. So, we got the best we could find. So, the way our luck goes, that meant Hot Dried Molten Lava in Innocent Little Pods.

According to the recipe, real enchilada sauce doesn't include tomatoes. (Yeah, I was surprised, too!) But, thanks to the level of heat, I added a can of tomato sauce and then a big can of diced tomatoes (that I blendered up first). That was all the tomato products left in the house. It was still pretty spicy, but I just didn't use much. Now I have a ton of sauce in my freezer.

After all that, and realizing I'd have to make something else for the kids, and my borracho beans not being cooked despite an entire day in the slow-cooker... yeah, I wasn't going to roll individual enchiladas. So, a casserole was born. Along with a tangy salad and some guacamole, it was very good.

Iron Chef Grill!

It was finally time for my husband, the Grill Geek, to join the ranks of the Iron Chefs. Cooks of culinary genius, specially-selected for their skills... or something like that. Yeah, he wanted in on the fun. I admit to delaying his debut because I was positively stumped as to what sort of Secret Ingredient I should get. But, finally, I put it on the weekly menu, I was forced into it. I had to think of something!

I got smart. I did a little research. I decided on my top three ideas and headed off the store.

Nada.

And shopping with a caffeinated, balloon-wielding three-year-old means mama don't go to Other Stores. That level of shopping is reserved for People Without Children. That's why I generally send the Grill Geek out for the shopping... the kids don't demand to go along with him.

Anyway, so I was stuck in a disappointing meat section (because of course the first Secret Ingredient will be meat!) and finally settled on the cliche of grilling... skirt steak. Ho-hum.

Well, that was the last time any "ho-hum" touched that meat.

I actually moaned with pleasure during dinner.

Several times.

Luckily the children didn't notice. They had wolfed down their boring ol' hot dogs and run off.

The Rules of Iron Chef Grill:
- 1 hour of active cooking time (like Iron Chef Mom, this first episode allowed 90, next he'll get 80, and so on.) This means there's time for marinating and unattended smoking.
- must provide something for the kids, but it needn't be the Secret Ingredient
- must be fairly original recipes (although I realize meat + fire has been done before)
- at least the main course plus 1 side dish must be entirely grilled

Now for pic goodness:

Chopping half a red bell pepper, for the Fajita Salad. He also chopped an onion, and threw that in a foil packet with the bell pepper. The poblano half went directly on the grill. Mmmm...

Once it was charry and delicious, it was diced, and tossed onto fresh Texan baby greens.




Now this... I can't tell you marvelously delicious a butter-rubbed, bacon-wrapped grilled potato is.

But I made noises.

I mean... the salty, crispy bacon and potato skin... I could happily eat one every day forever.

Hard to blog with visions of bacon-potatoes dancing through my head.

He sliced the skirt steak into almost-bite-size pieces (my one complaint...) and tossed it on the salad. The dressing, which also provided the marinade, was put on the grill to melt and meld and steal some smoky goodness.

The dressing/marinade:

½ cup olive oil, couple spoons bacon fat
¼ cup tamari
2 spoons chopped garlic
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 c. soy sauce
2 decent globs dijon
juice of 1 ½ limes
a little salt
1/8 teaspoon spicy paprika
teaspoon cumin

Om a-nom, nom, nom.

And then... dessert! Grilled Bananas In Orange Sauce.

2 Bananas
½ Orange, juiced
½ cup orange curaco/ Grand Marnier
1 tbsp butter
sugar
ground cinnamon

Cut bananas lengthwise. lightly stir all other ingredients together. Grill bananas for a couple minutes per side, chop into inch-long chunks, then place into mix. Let Pyrex cook up on grill for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.

Food of the Gods

My dinner wasn't as photogenic as the cooks I took the recipes from, but... it was certainly delicious.

I had been wanting to try the recipe for Beef and Potatoes au Chocolat for quite some time. I had the perfect steak in my freezer... I had the good cocoa powder... and I finally had an occasion. Valentine's Day. No other day could be more-perfect for an off-label use of cocoa. But then time got away from me, and I couldn't have slow-cooked it sufficiently. So, it had to wait a day. I'm sure St. Valentine won't mind.

I paired mine with her recommendation for Pumpkin Corn Muffins and roasted Brussels sprouts. It was so good! The muffins, when used to soak up the juicy goodness, somehow worked miracles at bringing out the chocolate flavor. I realized too-late that I had no stone-ground corn meal, and thought perhaps the finer stuff I had (Quaker) would be too dense. So, halfway following her suggestions for corn-free muffins, I used a combination of 1/2 cup corn meal, 1/4 cup quinoa flakes (that I bought for hot breakfast cereal but... didn't really like) and 1/4 cup cream of buckwheat cereal (which is better than quinoa, but I never think to make it.) I can't possibly describe how much I love these muffins. They are fabulous.

Grills and Kales

The Grill-Geek got a new toy! A bigger, shinier grill. So, he made dinner, to break it in. I win!

Grilled burgers, portabellas, and asparagus. I was in heaven. I had a big ol' margarita, to pretend I was having "cheeseburgers in paradise" a la Jimmy Buffet.


I also made a new, addictive, surprisingly-wonderful snacky-treat... crispy kale. I don't remember who referred me to the Monkey See site, but... I am so grateful! 400 degrees, 14 minutes, and an absolutely delicious snack. I added a few squirts of white vinegar halfway through, when I was turning the kale over. My 9-year-old incredibly-picky veggie-phobic daughter declared "I love kale!" when she gobbled up some. Unbelievable!

I wasn't able to get a picture of the overflowing bowl of kale, because I just kept eating it... and it really does taste more like chips than you'd expect. I used quite a bit of salt, but... it was Celtic sea salt, so I consider it a health supplement.

Brussels Sprouts?

I never thought I'd like Brussels sprouts.

But, I got a bag of them in my local produce delivery box... and they looked innocent enough... and I just happened to find a recipe for them on Simply Recipes (one of my favorite food blogs.) So, I gave 'em a try. And I like them! Heck, I think even Mikey would like these.
I followed the recipe closely, except I used bacon fat and refined coconut oil (doesn't smell/taste coconutty) instead of butter. Since I can't have butter. And I'm still really bitter about that. But, bacony goodness almost made up for it. Oh, and she mentions Meyer lemons... if you ever have the chance, grab as many as you can. They are awesome! I got one of those in my local box, too, and it tastes exactly like lemon meringue... so sweet and lovely.

The rest of dinner was tasty, as well. A salad with sliced white radishes (local) and baby turnips (local and surprisingly delicious) and meatloaf. Once again, I followed her recipe pretty closely. Except I put salsa in it, instead of ketchup. But, trusting her judgment, I went ahead and put ketchup on top... and reconfirmed my absolute hatred of the condiment. Blech. I really don't like ketchup.

Iron Chef Grill... preliminaries

Tonight was a practice night of sorts for the Grill Geek. He wants to get in on the Iron Chef fun, so I suggested he plan and make the entire meal once. He grills a lot, but I generally make a side dish or two, and help out with fiddly details. Tonight was all him. And he did well. He has passed the test. Hee hee... and once we hash out the details (does he have to make the entire meal on the grill? How can he smoke meat with just a one hour time limit? And so on...) I will proudly share his endeavors here.

Tonight was lovely slabs of grassfed "rib steak" (I'm pretty sure they were ribeyes), our usual Sidedish, and some salted sliced cucumbers (kids dig 'em.) Delish!

Beef and Broccoli

It's easy. Apparently, almost-nobody makes it for themselves. Break out of the box, folks!!! Soy sauce + garlic + beef = stir-fry! It's simple! You can make it more complicated, if you're in the mood, but you don't have to. My marinade/sauce ("oooh, cross-contamination from raw beef!" Shut up, it's grass-fed which means it harbors almost no E-coli whatsoever) consisted of tamari (wheat-free soy sauce), Worcestershire, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, Rapadura (sugar), and then cornstarch to thicken. No biggie. No real measuring, either.

Marinate bite-size beef for, um... a while.
Drain, but save sauce.
Fry up beef in coconut oil, remove from pan.
Add more coconut oil... about a tablespoon. Fry up some sliced onion... until getting soft.
Fry up the cut broccoli (fresh is way better for this, cut into bite-size pieces)
Once that's bright green, add a spoonful of minced garlic (from a jar this time.) Then add the marinade back in. Or some fresh-made sauce, if you're scared.
Let that simmer for a while.
Add about a tablespoon of cornstarch, mixed with water, and stir it in quickly.
Add the beef back in, stir to coat everything with the thickened sauce. Serve with rice.

Tacos

Dinner tonight was supposed to be simple. But, I ended up with a LOT of "help" from the Little Guy. It's really hard to keep an almost-three-year-old safe around hot pans. Especially when he's very enthusiastic about helping. With everything.

So, I guess dinner was simple. It just wasn't easy. I usually make some guacamole, or at least dice an avocado, to substitute for cheese and sour cream. (Neither of which is authentic for tacos, but I grew up eating them that way.) Tonight I only managed beef + lettuce.

Basic Bekki Tacos

1-2 tablespoons bacon fat or other oil/fat
1 smallish onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds grassfed ground beef (I like to make and freeze extra)

Cook the onion in the bacon fat, over medium heat, until beginning to soften. Toss in the garlic and cook just a minute, stirring constantly, so you don't burn it. Add the ground beef and break it up with your spoon. I like mine broken up into really little bits, but that doesn't work as well with lean beef like the grassfed. Do the best you can. Heck, maybe you don't care.

When most of the beef is browned, it's time to spice it up. My approximate spice blend (never the same twice):
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tblspns chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
generous pinch Spanish paprika (it's smoked... mmmmm)

Stir that in well, then add 1/4- 1/2 cup chicken stock. All those powdered spices are dry, see, and that means extra liquid is needed. Also add in a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste, and stir it in well. Let it simmer for a while, until most of the liquid is gone.

While it's simmering, slice some Romaine heart thinly, dice up an avocado (or shred some cheese), and toast your taco shells. I'm serious, folks. You are not supposed to just open the box and plop your stuff into the stale, rubbery shells. That's disgusting. Stop doing it. No one could chew through those things. Toast them briefly, about half a "toast" cycle in a toaster oven, or 2-4 minutes at 350 in a regular oven. (You're right, it is ridiculous to heat the whole oven up just for taco shells. Get a toaster oven.) They should be sizzling audibly, but not browned.

Top your tacos with salsa, salsa verde, and/or sour cream. Muy delicioso.