Steak Salad

This steak salad was delicious. It has a few steps, but I think I only used one pan, one pot, and the grill. The polenta croutons are so good. Make more than you think you should!!!

Steak Salad

1 Porterhouse or NY Strip

Lettuce - I used half red leaf and half romaine

1 red pepper

1/2 onion, sliced thin

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

Prepared polenta, see recipe here

Prepared blue cheese dressing

In a hot cast iron pan add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat until mushrooms are cooked through and starting to brown. Remove from pan, add a little more olive oil and sliced onions and seasonings. Cook until tender. Remove from pan. Wipe pan out and add enough oil to coat bottom of pan.

Cut polenta in 1-inch squares lightly toss in flour and fry in olive oil until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towel.

While cooking above, heat grill. Coat red pepper with a little oil and place directly on hot grill. Cook until blackened on all sides. Place in a paper bag for 5 minutes. Remove from bag and peel skin off. Slice into strips. Place seasoned steak on grill and cook until desired doneness.

Assemble all on plate and enjoy!

This would also be delicious with a fresh buttermilk blue cheese dressing and a little extra blue cheese on top.

Appetizing Dinner

The other night I felt like grazing...no heavy meal needed. We had gone out to lunch, so I wanted something light and easy for dinner. I made shrimp scampi for my some, a variety plate for my daughter with all her favorites, and crostini and a ratatouille-type dish for my husband and myself. It was different and fun. Everyone was happy and it wasn't much work.

Ratatouille with a Baked Egg
I only made two small portions, but this could easily be doubled or tripled.

Large dice:
1/2 zucchini
1/2 red onion
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1 large tomato
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper
1 tsp chopped rosemary
2 eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread all vegetables out on tray. Drizzle with olive oil and seaaon with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Roast for 25 minutes. Place half of the vegetables in each greased ramekin. Make a depression in the middle of each ramekin. Crack one egg in each dish. Bake for an additional 12 minutes or until egg is set. Serve with toasted baguette.

Polenta "Pizza"

My pictures don't do this pizza justice. I love polenta, but topping it and baking it make it even better!! We liked the idea so much that we have made three or four versions of this pizza. The original was our favorite but the others were very tasty. I think I would like almost anything on this polenta!

I made an Italian sausage, sauteed onion, and Fontina cheese version as well as a sausage, marinara, and Fontina cheese style pizza. We preferred the first, but they were both mighty yummy. I liked these enough that I made a second batch of the sausage and onion pizza a few days later, but I used a different recipe for the polenta crust. I love this version from Barefoot Contessa. The rosemary in the polenta added another dimension of flavor to the pizza and made it really tasty.

Polenta "Pizza"

1 recipe polenta - see above

1/4 lb sweet italian sausage, browned

2 large onions, thinly sliced and cooked in a bit of oil until tender and caramelized

1-2 cups fontina cheese, freshly grated

Distribute toppings evenly on polenta.  Cook in a 400 degree oven until cheese is melted and pizza is heated through.  Remove and cut into squares.

Birthday Cakes(s)

Gabe had been talking about his birthday party 6 months ahead of time. He knew he wanted all of his friends to come over. He knew he wanted it to be at our house. He knew he wanted to have "lots of things to eat" and he knew exactly what he wanted his cake to look like.

Somehow he came up with the idea of having "5 circle cakes with cherries all around the top." I don't know where he came up with this idea, even though I asked him a hundred times. I tested him every few weeks to see if he had changed his mind. I suggested dinosaurs, polka dots, multiple layers, etc...but he was firm. He wanted what he wanted and I aim to please on his birthday. So, I set out to make 5 circle cakes.
He didn't want big cakes and he didn't want cupcakes, so when he saw me pull out the 6-inch cake pan he said "that is the right one, Mommy." Aha! The only bad part was that I only own 1 6-inch cake pan and he wanted 5 of them! Ugh. I didn't want to spend money on another cake pan so I baked each of the five cakes separately. I figured I had to make an adult cake to serve as well, so at least I was baking two cakes at a time. It still took 3 hours to bake, cool, wash, repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat.

The biggest challenge was finding a way to display and serve all 5 cakes. I thought about going to the home store and purchasing a long piece of wood, but decided on using things I already had. I found a big box leftover from some purchase and cut it into a 9''x36'' rectangle. Then I found two yardsticks which I taped to the bottom. Then I covered the entire thing with foil. It ended up being perfect. It was the right size and it was sturdy enough to move all the cakes at one time. Frosting them was pretty easy with the help of some wax paper underneath the edges of each cake.

Gabe was thrilled with the cakes and the kids attending all seemed delighted with so many cakes! I was just plain relieved that they turned out!!

Once again I turned to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for help. She knows how to make a cake!! If she only knew what a presence she had at this birthday party!!

I used this recipe for the chocolate cake...I liked it even better the second day when it wasn't quite soooo moist!

I used this recipe for the frosting...sooo yummy!! The only drawback was that I had to wait until the morning of the party to frost and decorate...but it was delicious!

The adult cake was a simple 1-2-3-4 cake. Worked like a charm! I made it three tiers and used a raspberry filling for a big "wow" factor when serving.

Steak Sandwiches with Mac and Cheese

My oldest turned four last weekend. How time flies! He was sure he wanted a big birthday bash with all of his friends and lots of cake and decorations...so I set to work! I had an easy time deciding on decorations and entertainment, it was the food that I spent the most time worrying about. I wanted something pleasing to the kids as well as the adults, but nothing too simple or boring. After a few trial runs and much flip-flopping I decided on steak sandwiches (since we had lots of dads attending!) and mac and cheese for the kids and vegetarians attending.

I did a lot of researching for the mac and cheese and settled on this version from Smitten Kitchen who originally got it from the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook. I'm going to repost it here mainly so that I do not ever, ever lose this recipe. It is that good. It was so cheesy and delicious and reheated like a dream...just like she said it would. I got so many wonderful comments and requests for the recipe that I couldn't be happier with the results.

Best Ever Mac-and-Cheese

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com who adapted it from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics

I left out the cubed bread topping and just sprinkled the remaining cheese on top. This worked for me, but go ahead and add bread or breadcrumbs if you like. If you are making this for 4 or less people I would advise you to only make half the recipe. It more than filled one big casserole dish.

6 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter or spray a 3-quart casserole dish.
2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.
5. Cook the macaroni in salted water until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano). Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

The second time I made this I did a small batch and reserved extra cheese sauce to use the second day when reheating the noodles and it was really good. It was still creamy and did not have the separated oil or curdled look that other mac and cheese dishes had in the past.

The steak sandwiches were really simple...it was just a bit of work at the last minute to slice and assemble the sandwiches before serving. I bought 4 dozen pumpernickel rolls from the bakery, sliced them, added a slice of beef, and allowed guests to finish them with horseradish sauce, red onions, baby spinach , and mayo.

A Guide for Beef Sandwiches

The beef was pretty easy. I night before I trimmed the beef 5 pound beef tenderloins and cut them into 10 inch sections. The morning of the party I liberally seasoned them with salt and pepper. I browned each side in a large pan with a little olive oil. I put all 3 sections onto a large sheet pan and baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes. The best way to check if they are done is to insert a meat thermometer. It should read about 150-160 degrees for medium, about what you want for a large group.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These make a great appetizer...or light entree. I made these along with another appetizer for the four of us and it was a perfect dinner with enough leftover for lunch the following day. Again the recipe is just a guide...I did it by feel...don't be afraid to try a bit of this or a bit of that.

Asian Chicken Wraps
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 small onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 large carrot, julienned
1/2 green pepper, julienned
vegetable oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/4 c teriyaki sauce
1-2 T honey or corn syrup - this is to taste...adjust according to your palette

Cover bottom of skillet with a thin layer of oil. Over medium, slowly cook onions and chicken until onions are softened and chicken is white on the outside. Add carrots and green pepper, you may want to add a splash of water if the pan seems dry. Once vegetables are soft add remaining ingredients and let simmer for a few minutes. Serve with boston lettuce cups.

Best Cookies Ever...Really

I must confess that I'm really skeptical when I try new chocolate chip cookie recipes. They all claim to be the best and often they are not. They don't live up to expectations...so we were thrilled when we took our first bites of these tasty cookies. They were big and beautiful. They looked like bakery cookies. They tasted better than bakery cookies. Between bites I heard "Best cookies ever." You should run into the kitchen and make these right now. Seriously!!!

Make sure you follow the directions as printed...it is really important.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Source: Baking Illustrated, page 434) as posted by brown eyed baker
Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Raspberry Tart

The three little raspberry "roots" that we planted two years ago exploded this summer. Now we have a deck surrounded by brambles...but we love it. We don't love the amount of bees that like to hang around the deck now, but I guess we'll deal with them if it means we get raspberries like this. It has been wonderful this year. The kids love, I mean love, to pick the berries. It is hard to save any to cook with since they just eat them hand over fist.

We have had enough to to make a few smoothies, a few to top pancakes or waffles, and some to dip in nutella. Yum. That got me thinking and I swiped a few berries while the kids were sleeping to make this beauty. Delicious! Super easy...bake an empty pie crust...I just pricked it lightly with a fork. Spread nutella all over the bottom of the cooled crust. Decorate with berries and drizzle with raspberry sauce or warmed jam/jelly. Eat it with ice cream and you'll be super happy!

Raspberry Tart
1 prebaked pie crust
nutella
raspberries
raspberry jam/jelly

Spread nutella on the bottom of a pre baked pie shell.  Arrange raspberries on top of nutella.  Drizzle or burst on warm raspberry jam or jelly on top of tart.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Chicken Gyros

These chicken gyros really hit the spot the other night. They were full of flavor and all the components work together really well. Warm, cool, soft, crisp. Yum! We liked them so much that I actually served them for a get together I hosted this week. This recipe has a few steps, but everything can be done ahead and assembled just before serving. I actually had everything on platters and everyone just helped themselves which made the meal easy and I didn't have to miss out on chatting since the prep work was all done.

Chicken Gyros

For the chicken:

2 lbs chicken tenders or boneless chicken thighs cut into long strips

2 lemons

salt

pepper

2 T thyme

2 cloves minced garlic

Juice lemons into a ziploc bag and then add in everything else. Zip the bag closed, turn the bag over a few times to thoroughly mix, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Grill chicken tenders until center is white.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 1/2 cups greek style yogurt

2 cucumbers

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped dill

salt

pepper

2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste

2 T olive oil

Peel, seed, and chop cucumbers in small chunks. Place cucumbers in a strainer set over a bowl. Add a few pinches of salt and stir cucumbers together. Let water drain for 30 to 45 minutes. Once drained, add everything to a large bowl and stir together. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Assemble Gyros:

6-8 flatbreads

sliced red onion

sliced tomato

crumbled feta cheese

lettuce

Grill flatbread until warm and toasty. Add grilled chicken and top with tzatziki sauce, and any toppings you like. Wrap in foil for easy handling and enjoy!

Grace's First Birthday - Fondant

We celebrated my daughter's first birthday this week.  We did a festive luau theme including leis, tropical flowers, and more.

I did a small smash cake for my daughter to enjoy.  She was a little timid and didn't get into it until later in the day after the party was winding down.

I used a marshmallow fondant recipe to make the decorations for the smash cake and the larger cake for guests.  It was really tasty and easy to mold and work with.  I definitely recommend this recipe!

Marshmallow Fondant

16 oz bag small plain marshmallows 
2 Tbsp water
vegetable shortening
1 tsp flavoring
2 lb confectioner's sugar
pinch of salt

Grease a microwave safe bowl, a spoon, the dough hook, and the bowl of your stand mixer with vegetable shortening or spray with non stick cooking spray. Dump the marshmallows into the bowl and microwave for 60 seconds. Stir marshmallows with the greased spoon. If all the marshmallows have not melted, microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir in flavoring.  Place confectioner's sugar and salt in the stand mixer bowl, reserving 1 cup, and make a well in the center. Pour in the marshmallow mix and turn the mixer on to the lowest setting. When it sounds strained, increase the mixer speed up one setting. Turn off the mixer once all sugar has been incorporated. If the fondant is sticky, add the reserved confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup at a time.  Transfer the fondant onto plastic wrap. Rub a bit of shortening on the outside of the ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, place in a ziploc bag, and let rest for at least 2-3 hours. Keep unused portions covered when not using. If the fondant becomes stiff, place in microwave for 20 seconds at a time until pliable.   Roll out on a greased surface or parchment paper to the desired thickness.
To color: Add paste food coloring to a portion of the fondant and knead it until the entire ball turns the desired color.    
Once you have made desired shapes and decorations you can adhere them to the cake by adding a bit of regular frosting to the shape and sticking it to the cake.