Sometimes, you really just want a nice simple steak house type of meal, without spending an arm and both legs. Maybe you are entertaining carnivores, or you just want to celebrate something special.
Pour some wine and start with Mushroom Stuffed Mushrooms; and a simple iceberg salad with some blue cheese dressing (just get the good stuff like Marie's!).
Sear off some really good Steak; and serve with classic but amped up Mashed Potato; Lighten up a bit with Wilted Greens ; instead of creamed spinach.
A Chocolate Gran Mariner Cake would make an awesome ending to this meal, or you could just break out the port. Or both, really, although then you really need to take away people's car keys.
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menu. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Pork Chops with Applesauce... Well, Not Really
I know I know I know, the classics are classics for a reason. Really I do. I understand that some flavors were just meant for each other. But... of course we know that I can never leave well enough alone. Here is my take on this particular comfort food classic.
Apple and Sage Stuffed Pork Loin with a Rice and Snap Pea Salad
1 2lb or so pork loin (or 2 smaller ones)
3 small tart apples like mcintosh, or 2 larger ones like granny smith
small handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/4th cup chicken stock
1 tbl butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4th cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbl spicy mustard
2-3 tbl honey
1/4th cup mayo
2 cups cooked brown rice (or some mix of whole grains)
about 3 large handfuls of raw sugar snap peas, cut up into thin slices
1/4th a head of red cabbage, shredded
salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme
Chop up one of your apples into bite sized bits. Toss it in a bowl with your cooked rice, cabbage, snap peas, and one of the shallots. Mix the mayo with 1/2 of the apple cider vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dress your salad with this and put in the fridge, this is even better if you make it in the morning and let it sit all day.
Mix the mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt, pepper, remaining apple cider vinegar, and thyme, and set aside. Chop up your remaining 2 apples and put them in a sautee pan over medium heat with the chicken stock and butter. Add in the remaining shallot, minced garlic, and sage once it starts to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Flatten out your pork loin(s) by cutting down the center and fanning them open. Salt and pepper both sides. Set your pork cut side up on the cutting board. If you are using 1 larger loin you will be wrapping it around the stuffing, if you are using 2 you will make a sort of pork/stuffing sandwich. Either way, you will want some kitchen twine or a few skewers or a lot of toothpicks to hold it together during cooking.
When your apples start to get mushy and you can smell the sage cooking, turn off the heat and drain most of the liquid out. Stuff your pork and tie/truss it up. Put it into a baking dish and cover it with your honey/mustard sauce.
You can put it straight into the oven at this point, but if you have time try to let it marinade at least 30 mins or so. Cook at 350 to your desired temperature, turning the heat up to 450 for about 10-15 mins at the end if you like to crisp up the outside. (Personally I like pork medium/medium well but I know some people only eat it well done so cooking time is up to you.)
Let it rest a bit and slice carefully so it looks pretty on your plate next to your salad. You can make a pan sauce by adding some white wine or chicken stock and a little butter to the drippings if you like. This isn't really light, but it is at least a bit healthier then the standard pork chop with apple sauce and fried potato pancakes, but still manages to work as comfort food.
Apple and Sage Stuffed Pork Loin with a Rice and Snap Pea Salad
1 2lb or so pork loin (or 2 smaller ones)
3 small tart apples like mcintosh, or 2 larger ones like granny smith
small handful fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1/4th cup chicken stock
1 tbl butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4th cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbl spicy mustard
2-3 tbl honey
1/4th cup mayo
2 cups cooked brown rice (or some mix of whole grains)
about 3 large handfuls of raw sugar snap peas, cut up into thin slices
1/4th a head of red cabbage, shredded
salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme
Chop up one of your apples into bite sized bits. Toss it in a bowl with your cooked rice, cabbage, snap peas, and one of the shallots. Mix the mayo with 1/2 of the apple cider vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dress your salad with this and put in the fridge, this is even better if you make it in the morning and let it sit all day.
Mix the mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt, pepper, remaining apple cider vinegar, and thyme, and set aside. Chop up your remaining 2 apples and put them in a sautee pan over medium heat with the chicken stock and butter. Add in the remaining shallot, minced garlic, and sage once it starts to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Flatten out your pork loin(s) by cutting down the center and fanning them open. Salt and pepper both sides. Set your pork cut side up on the cutting board. If you are using 1 larger loin you will be wrapping it around the stuffing, if you are using 2 you will make a sort of pork/stuffing sandwich. Either way, you will want some kitchen twine or a few skewers or a lot of toothpicks to hold it together during cooking.
When your apples start to get mushy and you can smell the sage cooking, turn off the heat and drain most of the liquid out. Stuff your pork and tie/truss it up. Put it into a baking dish and cover it with your honey/mustard sauce.
You can put it straight into the oven at this point, but if you have time try to let it marinade at least 30 mins or so. Cook at 350 to your desired temperature, turning the heat up to 450 for about 10-15 mins at the end if you like to crisp up the outside. (Personally I like pork medium/medium well but I know some people only eat it well done so cooking time is up to you.)
Let it rest a bit and slice carefully so it looks pretty on your plate next to your salad. You can make a pan sauce by adding some white wine or chicken stock and a little butter to the drippings if you like. This isn't really light, but it is at least a bit healthier then the standard pork chop with apple sauce and fried potato pancakes, but still manages to work as comfort food.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Summer BBQ Gone Sideways
This is a relatively easy meal to put together for a summer bbq, with new versions of the old standbys just to keep people on their toes. It is a great menu to host with because 90% of the work is done ahead of time so you can enjoy your guests. Make all your salads and dipping sauces and start your meat marinading that morning (or even the day before) and all you have to do while you have company is cook your ribs and maybe grill some pineapple along side it (the glaze for the ribs would be lovely on that as well).
Start out with some Simple White Sangria Spritzers made with mango, peach, and blueberries, or Watermelon Mojitos - you can make the mojitos as watermelon smoothies/spritzers instead for kids or designated drivers, just leave out the booze and add extra soda. If you've got paper umbrellas lying around they would look at home in either of these drinks.
Serve up Garlic Herb Country Ribs with Summer Slaw or Spicy Thai Cucumber Salad. Add some Rosemary Garlic Potato Salad because what is a bbq without potato salad? A Herbaceous Fruit Salad or Awesome Avocado Salad or Watermellon Feta Salad instead of your basic tossed salad would be a refreshing addition.
Tell one of your guests to bring some desert or just serve ice cream with some grilled fruit and you've got a party that even you get to enjoy.
Start out with some Simple White Sangria Spritzers made with mango, peach, and blueberries, or Watermelon Mojitos - you can make the mojitos as watermelon smoothies/spritzers instead for kids or designated drivers, just leave out the booze and add extra soda. If you've got paper umbrellas lying around they would look at home in either of these drinks.
Serve up Garlic Herb Country Ribs with Summer Slaw or Spicy Thai Cucumber Salad. Add some Rosemary Garlic Potato Salad because what is a bbq without potato salad? A Herbaceous Fruit Salad or Awesome Avocado Salad or Watermellon Feta Salad instead of your basic tossed salad would be a refreshing addition.
Tell one of your guests to bring some desert or just serve ice cream with some grilled fruit and you've got a party that even you get to enjoy.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Bacon, It's What's For Dinner!
Well, sort of. There is very little actual bacon in this dinner, but bacon is the flavor behind it all.
Ingredients:
Leftover bacon grease from this morning's breakfast
Bone in/skin on split chicken breasts
Baking potatoes
Spinach
The few pieces of bacon that were somehow overlooked at breakfast time
Salt
Pepper
Sage leaves
Rosemary
Garlic and garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 450. Rub chicken breasts with bacon fat and put into a baking dish, sprinkle liberally with pepper, garlic powder, and ripped up sage leaves. Season carefully with salt. Set a timer for 30 mins. Chop up your potatoes into quarters (smaller if they are very big) and toss them in the fat as well. Season with pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, and once again be careful with the salt. Put them aside until your timer dings, at which point toss them into the oven with the chicken and reset the timer for 15 mins. Check on your chicken and shake the potatoes around a bit so they brown evenly, and let them both cook for up to another 15 mins. Saute your spinach in a tiny bit of the bacon fat with a lot of garlic (cook garlic a bit first, you are just tossing spinach into the pan to wilt it up), season with pepper, and crumble up the last bit of bacon and toss it with the spinach. Enjoy sparing for the sake of your arteries.
Ingredients:
Leftover bacon grease from this morning's breakfast
Bone in/skin on split chicken breasts
Baking potatoes
Spinach
The few pieces of bacon that were somehow overlooked at breakfast time
Salt
Pepper
Sage leaves
Rosemary
Garlic and garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 450. Rub chicken breasts with bacon fat and put into a baking dish, sprinkle liberally with pepper, garlic powder, and ripped up sage leaves. Season carefully with salt. Set a timer for 30 mins. Chop up your potatoes into quarters (smaller if they are very big) and toss them in the fat as well. Season with pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, and once again be careful with the salt. Put them aside until your timer dings, at which point toss them into the oven with the chicken and reset the timer for 15 mins. Check on your chicken and shake the potatoes around a bit so they brown evenly, and let them both cook for up to another 15 mins. Saute your spinach in a tiny bit of the bacon fat with a lot of garlic (cook garlic a bit first, you are just tossing spinach into the pan to wilt it up), season with pepper, and crumble up the last bit of bacon and toss it with the spinach. Enjoy sparing for the sake of your arteries.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lemon Herb Chicken and Celery Root Puree with Garlicky Mushrooms (ie, another 30 min dinner party)
Start by putting a few cups of water with a few cups of milk on the stove over medium heat. Peel a celery root and chop it up into chunks that are roughly 2in by 2in (the size of the chunks is not overly important, them being all the same size as each other is more so) and toss them into the pot. Chop up one potato and one yellow onion into the same size chunks and throw them in there as well. Season with a few cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper and throw a lid on it.
Once you have that simmering away, turn your oven on to 350 and get out a big oven safe pan, splash a bit of olive oil into it, and get it heating up on the stove. Get out 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast per serving and butterfly them so that they will cook faster. Season up one side of the breasts with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic powder and place them seasoned side down in your hot pan. While they cook, season the other side with salt/pepper and zest one lemon over them all. After you have zested the lemon, squeeze its juice in on the chicken as well (being careful bc the oil may spit). Once the chicken has browned up on one side, flip it over and toss the whole pan into the oven.
Put a smaller sauce pan onto your vacated burner and add about 1/2 a stick of butter. Cut up a pound of mushrooms into slices and toss them in the pan, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Also cut up about 4 cloves of garlic and toss them in there as well. Keep the pan moving as the mushrooms cook down a bit.
Check on your celery root and potato, as it should be ready by now. When the pieces are fork tender, remove them from the heat and drain. Mash the whole mess up with a potato masher. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed, then add a splash of milk, a bit of nutmeg, and some grated parmesean and stir.
Check that your mushrooms are not burning and remove from heat if they are done. If you want another veggie with your meal, now would be a good time to cook some frozen/canned peas because those would go really well with this meal. Otherwise just make a salad or something. By the time you sort out your veggies, your chicken should be cooked. Make yourself a plate first (to be sure you have not poisoned everyone, really, that's why!) and let people know that dinner exists.
Once you have that simmering away, turn your oven on to 350 and get out a big oven safe pan, splash a bit of olive oil into it, and get it heating up on the stove. Get out 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast per serving and butterfly them so that they will cook faster. Season up one side of the breasts with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic powder and place them seasoned side down in your hot pan. While they cook, season the other side with salt/pepper and zest one lemon over them all. After you have zested the lemon, squeeze its juice in on the chicken as well (being careful bc the oil may spit). Once the chicken has browned up on one side, flip it over and toss the whole pan into the oven.
Put a smaller sauce pan onto your vacated burner and add about 1/2 a stick of butter. Cut up a pound of mushrooms into slices and toss them in the pan, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Also cut up about 4 cloves of garlic and toss them in there as well. Keep the pan moving as the mushrooms cook down a bit.
Check on your celery root and potato, as it should be ready by now. When the pieces are fork tender, remove them from the heat and drain. Mash the whole mess up with a potato masher. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed, then add a splash of milk, a bit of nutmeg, and some grated parmesean and stir.
Check that your mushrooms are not burning and remove from heat if they are done. If you want another veggie with your meal, now would be a good time to cook some frozen/canned peas because those would go really well with this meal. Otherwise just make a salad or something. By the time you sort out your veggies, your chicken should be cooked. Make yourself a plate first (to be sure you have not poisoned everyone, really, that's why!) and let people know that dinner exists.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Lambchop Dinner in a Hurry
1. Come home from work and find houseguests. Pour wine for self.
2. Put a big pot of water and salt on the stove, and add about 4 cloves of smashed garlic and 5-6 chopped up potatoes.
3. Put another pan on the stove, this one a wide bottomed one, with some olive oil. Crank up the heat and put in some rosemary (preferably fresh) and several more cloves of garlic.
4. Get out lambchops (I like the loin ones) and season them on one side with salt and pepper.
5. Pull rosemary and garlic out of oil before it starts to burn. Put chops in seasoned side down and set a timer for 3-4 mins. Do NOT poke them. Season the top side while they are cooking.
6. Check potatoes. Pull them off and drain them when they are fork tender.
7. Chop up about a half pound of cremeni (baby bella) mushrooms.
8. Flip chops when timer says so. Drink wine. If potatoes are done, add some pepper, butter, and parmesean cheese. Grate over a tiny bit of nutmeg as well.
9. Let chops cook another 3-4 mins on the other side.
10. Pull chops and put them on the cutting board. Put some frozen peas in the microwave for about 5 mins or w/e the package says.
11. Pour off some of the oil from the pan. Put mushrooms, some garlic powder, some rosemary, some pepper, and a beef bullion cube in the pan.
12. Cook for about 2 mins then add some flour.
13. Cook flour for about 2 more mins then add a splash of water and about 1/2 of a pint of heavy whipping cream. Turn down heat and stir.
14. Smash the potatoes and add the rest of the container of cream to them.
15. When microwave beeps for the peas, the chops are rested enough and the gravy should be ready. Serve yourself and pour another glass of wine before telling your guests that dinner is ready.
2. Put a big pot of water and salt on the stove, and add about 4 cloves of smashed garlic and 5-6 chopped up potatoes.
3. Put another pan on the stove, this one a wide bottomed one, with some olive oil. Crank up the heat and put in some rosemary (preferably fresh) and several more cloves of garlic.
4. Get out lambchops (I like the loin ones) and season them on one side with salt and pepper.
5. Pull rosemary and garlic out of oil before it starts to burn. Put chops in seasoned side down and set a timer for 3-4 mins. Do NOT poke them. Season the top side while they are cooking.
6. Check potatoes. Pull them off and drain them when they are fork tender.
7. Chop up about a half pound of cremeni (baby bella) mushrooms.
8. Flip chops when timer says so. Drink wine. If potatoes are done, add some pepper, butter, and parmesean cheese. Grate over a tiny bit of nutmeg as well.
9. Let chops cook another 3-4 mins on the other side.
10. Pull chops and put them on the cutting board. Put some frozen peas in the microwave for about 5 mins or w/e the package says.
11. Pour off some of the oil from the pan. Put mushrooms, some garlic powder, some rosemary, some pepper, and a beef bullion cube in the pan.
12. Cook for about 2 mins then add some flour.
13. Cook flour for about 2 more mins then add a splash of water and about 1/2 of a pint of heavy whipping cream. Turn down heat and stir.
14. Smash the potatoes and add the rest of the container of cream to them.
15. When microwave beeps for the peas, the chops are rested enough and the gravy should be ready. Serve yourself and pour another glass of wine before telling your guests that dinner is ready.
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