Roast Beef with potatoes and carrots, Green Beans, and Mac and Cheese
Friday, November 28, 2008
Parent "Thank You" Meal
My mom and dad drove up last weekend to bring us their Christmas tree and to help us get the house together for the holidays. They both worked really hard helping us declutter the house and get the tree up and decorated. So as a "thank you" to them, I cooked a hearty comfort food meal for them. Ironically, this was also the first meal they've had of mine since we've been married and in the new house. They normally are only here on the weekend for one full day, so until now, I've only been able to prepare breakfast for them. So I was sooooo excited to finally be able to "feed" them for real while they were visiting. I think they were very pleased and enjoyed the gesture. =)
Unsuccessful "Quick" Recipe #2
Over this past weekend, I decided to give another Rachael Ray recipe a try. Well sadly, it was another flop for me. This is the second 30 Minute Meal recipe that I've tried and unfortunately, neither one of them have turned out as expected. This was a recipe for her Grape Tomato Basil Pasta. The recipe called for it to be served on arugula, but I didn't want to do that and decided to serve it with grilled chicken instead. The chicken tasted great, but the pasta left a lot to be desired in the way of flavor/seasoning. Here's a look at how it turned out...
It looks somewhat appetizing in the presentation, but it just didn't pack any punch with it's flavor and taste. Oh well, maybe my third try will be a charm. :-\
It looks somewhat appetizing in the presentation, but it just didn't pack any punch with it's flavor and taste. Oh well, maybe my third try will be a charm. :-\
Monday, November 17, 2008
Seafood Surprise
I was an adult before I had my first experience with Tuna Casserole. Ken was the first to introduce it to me. He makes a very good version of it that he learned from his mom. It's been a while since we've had any, so I decided to try my hand at it. I'm quite pleased with the results! Here's how it turned out.
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
3 cups cooked egg noodles
1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sweet peas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups French fried onions
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the noodles, tuna, sweet peas, and soup. Mix well, and then top with cheese.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with fried onions, and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients
3 cups cooked egg noodles
1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sweet peas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups French fried onions
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the noodles, tuna, sweet peas, and soup. Mix well, and then top with cheese.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with fried onions, and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Broadening My Horizons
I decided to step outside of my comfort zone a little bit for dinner yesterday. I'm all for trying new things and experiencing new flavors. So while walking through the produce section at the grocery store the other day, I decided to buy some asparagus and incorporate it into a meal. So when I decided to prepare some roasted pork tenderloin (thanks to being inspired by the Food Network over the weekend) and mashed potatoes, I knew that the asparagus would be a perfect compliment! So, here's how it turned out. =)
I'm not a huge fan of pork roast, so I've never thought about cooking roasted pork. But thanks to watching the Food Network most of the day on Saturday, I was inspired by this quick and easy approach to roasting pork tenderloin.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin (with Apple Cider Reduction)
Ingredients
1 lb. pork tenderloin (cut in half crosswise)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F and arrange rack in the upper third.
2. Pat pork tenderloins dry with paper towels, brush with oil, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add 2 pieces of pork tenderloin and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes.
5. Place pork on baking sheet and place in oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle of the tenderloin registers 145 to 150 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place pan over high heat, add cider and vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until mixture is reduced by 2/3, about 8 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to medium, stir in maple syrup and remove from heat until pork is cooked.
8. When pork is ready, remove to a cutting board to rest about 5 minutes.
9. Warm sauce over medium-high heat, add pork and any accumulated juices and spoon sauce over meat to completely coat. When pork is warm, return pork to cutting board and slice thinly. Serve with pan sauce spooned over.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus spears
1 tbsp. EVOO
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F and arrange rack in the upper third.
2. Trim the bottom 2 inches of the asparagus spears and arrange on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the spears with your hand to fully coat them with the EVOO and salt and pepper.
5. Cook asparagus until tender, but not overly cooked (about 10-12 minutes).
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus
I'm not a huge fan of pork roast, so I've never thought about cooking roasted pork. But thanks to watching the Food Network most of the day on Saturday, I was inspired by this quick and easy approach to roasting pork tenderloin.
Roasted Pork Tenderloin (with Apple Cider Reduction)
Ingredients
1 lb. pork tenderloin (cut in half crosswise)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F and arrange rack in the upper third.
2. Pat pork tenderloins dry with paper towels, brush with oil, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add 2 pieces of pork tenderloin and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes.
5. Place pork on baking sheet and place in oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle of the tenderloin registers 145 to 150 degrees F, about 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place pan over high heat, add cider and vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until mixture is reduced by 2/3, about 8 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to medium, stir in maple syrup and remove from heat until pork is cooked.
8. When pork is ready, remove to a cutting board to rest about 5 minutes.
9. Warm sauce over medium-high heat, add pork and any accumulated juices and spoon sauce over meat to completely coat. When pork is warm, return pork to cutting board and slice thinly. Serve with pan sauce spooned over.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus spears
1 tbsp. EVOO
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F and arrange rack in the upper third.
2. Trim the bottom 2 inches of the asparagus spears and arrange on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the spears with your hand to fully coat them with the EVOO and salt and pepper.
5. Cook asparagus until tender, but not overly cooked (about 10-12 minutes).
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday Soul Food
It's been a while since we've had a good down home, Southern style meal. So, there's no better time to prepare such a meal than on a cozy, Sunday afternoon! Therefore the inspiration for today's meal, braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato yams, and fried chicken.
Everything was yummy and I was very impressed by the braised collards. I've never prepared them that way before, but it turned out to be very tasty and much less time consuming. Here's the recipe.
Braised Collard Greens
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds collard greens, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped
4 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup minced sweet onions
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. When water boils, add greens and cook until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
4. Add greens and turn to coat well.
5. Add broth - it should cover greens and let cook until broth is reduced and greens are very tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Everything was yummy and I was very impressed by the braised collards. I've never prepared them that way before, but it turned out to be very tasty and much less time consuming. Here's the recipe.
Braised Collard Greens
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds collard greens, washed, trimmed, and roughly chopped
4 ounces bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup minced sweet onions
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. When water boils, add greens and cook until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
4. Add greens and turn to coat well.
5. Add broth - it should cover greens and let cook until broth is reduced and greens are very tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Need for Speed!
Tonight's dinner was all about ease and speed! So, with that in mind, the menu was hamburger steak with onion gravy, buttered rice, and stemmed broccoli.
Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
salt, pepper, onion powder to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into 4 balls, and flatten into patties.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in the oil until patties are nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.
3. Saute the onions in the remaining oil until they reach a translucent color.
4. Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in flour with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom as you stir.
5. Gradually mix in the beef broth. Season with salt. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens.
6. Turn heat to low, return patties to the gravy, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
salt, pepper, onion powder to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into 4 balls, and flatten into patties.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in the oil until patties are nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.
3. Saute the onions in the remaining oil until they reach a translucent color.
4. Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in flour with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom as you stir.
5. Gradually mix in the beef broth. Season with salt. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens.
6. Turn heat to low, return patties to the gravy, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Long Time, No Update!
Wow, I have really neglected updating this blog! I feel so bad because there really is no excuse, but the fact of the matter is, I just haven't been doing as much cooking. =(
With it just being the two of us and with the hubby not having much of an appetite a lot of the time, I just don't have the motivation to cook for just me. Thus the reason for such a long break in updates.
So, this is just an update post on the last few dishes I've made. I'll have to update this post with the recipes a little later, so check back soon!
Pork Chops, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Sweet Potato Yams
Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Peas
Beef Tips and Gravy over Rice
With it just being the two of us and with the hubby not having much of an appetite a lot of the time, I just don't have the motivation to cook for just me. Thus the reason for such a long break in updates.
So, this is just an update post on the last few dishes I've made. I'll have to update this post with the recipes a little later, so check back soon!
Pork Chops, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Sweet Potato Yams
Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Peas
Beef Tips and Gravy over Rice
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