#87 :: London Broil

We still had half of our top round left after the Chicken Fried Steak, so Jamie wanted to try cooking a traditional London Broil. I left him in charge of dinner and stayed out of the kitchen. After we ate I said "That was good, where'd you get the recipe?" and he rambled about some little restaurant in South Carolina. I said, "So did you find the recipe online?" and he said, "No, I ate at the restaurant." So, I have no recipe to share really....just Jamie's scattered notes from memory.



Ingredients

* 1 lb. top round
* Juice of 2 oranges
* 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tsp black pepper


Directions

Combine ingredients in a plastic bag and marinate the top round overnight. Remove from the marinade and broil on high for 6 minutes on each side. Let it rest for 10 minutes, slice thinly and serve.


Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (only because it was cold by the time I got to eat it!)

#86 :: Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

Most of the food on our blog lately has been very health conscious. I needed a break from that! I just mentioned to Jamie a few weeks ago how I missed Texas Chicken Fried Steak (not the "Country" Fried Steak they have here in Ohio). Then I caught an Alton Brown show on Food Network about Chicken Fried Steak and how it's different from Country Fried Steak. That made me want some even more...so we went for it! Comfort food at its best! We did (at least) include some roasted broccoli, so it wasn't 100% bad.....

We don't have a mallet, so we pounded them flat with the bottom of a sauce pot. It was kind of fun getting out some aggression! The only way we strayed from the recipe was the buttermilk. We didn't have buttermilk, which makes the crust a little crispier than regular milk. It still turned out delicious though. I was pleased that I didn't totally ruin it my first time trying...

Ingredients

-- Steak --

• 6 (6-ounce) beef top-round steaks*, tenderized and at room temperature
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Meat Tenderizer seasoning
  
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups buttermilk at room temperature
• 4 to 5 cups peanut or canola oil

-- Cream Gravy --

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup leftover seasoned flour
• 4 cups milk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or your favorite pepper sauce), or to taste

Directions

*Note: If you prefer, you may substitute thin sliced rib-eye steaks, sirloin steaks, or chopped steaks for the tougher top-round steak.

Prepare the Meat Seasoning by combining all ingredients together and mixing until well blended. Place mixture in a tightly sealed glass or plastic container, and store in a dark place for future use. Shake before each use to remix ingredients. Makes about 1 1/3 cups seasoning.

For the Steaks: Have your butcher twice-tenderize the steak if possible. Cut the steak into equal portions and, if needed, lightly pound steaks with a meat mallet until they are about 1/4- to 1/3-inch thick, set aside to come to room temperature.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and place the sheet on the oven rack; heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels. Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep 11- to 12-inch diameter cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, to 375 degrees F (oil should pop loudly when a drop of egg mixture is dropped in).

Combine flour and meat seasoning in a large shallow dish. In a second large shallow dish, beat the eggs, baking powder, and baking soda; stir in the buttermilk (the mixture will bubble and foam).

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle each side with meat seasoning to taste. Working with three steaks at a time, dip each steak into the egg mixture then dredge in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour, and dip again in the egg mixture. Using a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs, very gently place the wet steaks into the hot oil (be extremely careful...there will be regular "explosions" of very hot oil as steaks cook). Fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until breading is set and deep golden brown. Gently turn steaks and fry for another 3 minutes (oil temperature will drop to around 335 degrees). Transfer the steaks to the paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then transfer them to the wire rack in the oven. Bring the oil back to 375 degrees and repeat the breading, cooking and draining process (use fresh paper towels) with the three remaining steaks.

For the Pan Drippings Cream Gravy: After the chicken fried steaks are removed from the pan, pour off the oil through a strainer. Leave about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pan drippings in the bottom of the skillet along with as many of the browned bits and cracklings (from the seasoned coating) as possible. Return any browned cracklings from the strainer to the skillet before starting the gravy.

Heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Sprinkle with enough leftover seasoned flour to absorb most of the oil, approximately 1/4 cup. Blend with a wooden spoon or whisk, scraping loose browned bits from the bottom and sides of skillet, until mixture becomes bubbly, smooth and golden brown. Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring constantly and mashing out any lumps, until the gravy begins to boil. Lower heat and whisk mixture continuously until it is smooth and reaches desired consistency (gravy should have a loose consistency--it will thicken as it cools). Check seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Add the Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, whisking until smooth.

Transfer the chicken-fried steaks to individual plates. Spoon a generous amount of gravy over each steak. Serve immediately, placing any remaining gravy in a small bowl. Accompany with mashed potatoes, greens, black-eye peas, and cornbread, or biscuits.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe from BigOven.com

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

#85 :: Artichokes

While we were walking around the Westside Market, we came across some artichokes for $1.50 each. Since we're trying new things and I've never cooked an artichoke before, I grabbed a couple to try them out. I cooked them tonight and wasn't that impressed. Yeah, they tasted pretty good...but it seemed like an awful lot of work for a little bit of goodness. They did, however, smell wonderful! I guess I expected them to smell bad, like asparagus, but they smelled almost floral.



I found several ways to cook them...broiling, boiling and steaming. Since I don't have a basket for steaming, I chose to boil them. I had to create a contraption to hold them upside down so they would stay put in the pot and cook correctly. After a few tries, I came up with this....a strainer and a lid.



I think I'll stick to the bag of frozen artichoke hearts. But at least now I can say I know how to cook an artichoke!



Recipe/Instructions from Good Eats on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (taste)
2 out of 4 stars (prep)

#84 :: Lemony Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Seafood and pasta is a favorite of ours, and this one was another great combo! The recipe called for shrimp, but we used a combo -- shrimp, scallops and calamari. The extra bonus was that the leftovers tasted even better than the original dinner.





Ingredients

* 6 garlic cloves, pressed or grated
* 2 lemons, zested and juiced
* 5 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3/4 pound medium shrimp (21 to 25), peeled, de-veined and butterflied (reserve shells)
(we used a mix of seafood - shrimp, scallops & calamari)
* 1/4 onion
* 3/4 pound thin linguini (we used angel hair)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 small bunch parsley, leaves chopped


Directions

In a bowl, combine the garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste, and the shrimp. Set aside.

Meanwhile make a quick shrimp stock: In a small pot, over medium heat, add the shrimp shells and onion. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a bowl and discard the shells and the onion.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a generous amount of salt. Add the linguini and cook until just tender, 2 minutes less than instructed on the package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and start to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and add the remaining marinade. Let cook a few minutes then add about 1 cup of shrimp stock and about 1/2 cup pasta water. Continue to cook until sauce reduces by half. Add the zest and juice of the remaining lemon, the butter and the parsley and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Add in the shrimp and pasta and toss to combine with the sauce. Turn out into a serving bowl and serve immediately.



Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#82-#83 On the Grill :: Steak & Salmon + Stuffed Mushrooms

We've still been cooking at home a lot lately, but we haven't really been following recipes. The weather's been quite nice, so we've been grilling a lot (recently, steaks and salmon). Roasting vegetables has become a favorite as well, so we usually choose a couple to go with our main course.

I drizzled the salmon (both sides) with some olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, and gave it a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Then I dropped them on the grill for a few minutes on each side. To go with it I roasted some broccoli, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt & pepper, at 400 for 20 minutes. Then I removed it, sprinkled some Parmesan cheese over the top, and returned them to the oven for another 10 minutes. Same process with the mushrooms -- drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, and roasted at 400 for 20 minutes. Then I removed them, filled them with bacon crumbles, topped them with monterey jack cheese, and returned them to the oven for another 10 minutes.




These steaks were bacon wrapped and broiled for 6-10 minutes on each side (depending on if you want rare to well done). The squash spears and asparagus spears were drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, and roasted at 400 for 30-40 minutes (the squash takes longer than the asparagus does, so keep an eye on them). I also made some blue cheese butter, which we've made before and we try to keep on hand all the time now. It goes with so many things so well! All you do is mix it up in the food processor -- a stick of softened butter, 1/2 c blue cheese crumbles, a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything well, then transfer it to a piece of saran wrap. Use the saran wrap to roll it into a log (think the shape of a regular stick of butter), twist the ends closed and refrigerate until firm. Store extra in the refrigerator.

Food Weekend in Baltimore

Over the weekend we went to Baltimore, so we took a few days off from cooking. But while we were there we ate some great food that has to be shared on our food blog (even though no cooking was required).

We had dinner on Friday night at Phillips Seafood in the Inner Harbor. I had lobster bisque and salt & pepper calamari. Jamie ordered the Fried Seafood Platter, which had a Maryland crab cake, fried shrimp and fried flounder. I wasn't impressed with the crab cake, but the rest was great!





Saturday morning I attended a brunch where there was a buffet of wonderful foods; tea sandwiches, eggs, sausage & bacon, southern biscuits & gravy, eggs Benedict, a grits station and an English cheese display. I tasted a little bit of everything! To cap it off, we all tasted 4 kinds of cake -- chocolate, almond, butter, and blueberry...and a few slices to take home!







Saturday we ate dinner at Brick Oven Pizza (BOP) in another area called Fells Point. I didn't take a picture of the pizzas...I don't know why. Probably because I was so hungry that taking pictures was the last thing on my mind. We had one with mushroom & Canadian bacon, and one plain cheese. The plain cheese was free from a coupon we got on the water taxi! This pizza joint was featured on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on the Food Network, so that was cool, and the pizza was definitely great -- we ate every piece.



Sunday morning we ate breakfast at Tug's, the restaurant in our hotel. We both had Chesapeake Benedict, which is Eggs Benedict with lump crab meat instead of ham. It was super delicious.

#81 :: Grilled Potatoes

I've always loved these! They were definitely a favorite when I was a kid. I just can't seem to get them exactly the same way my mom used to.....but I continue to try!

Ingredients

• Usually 1 or 1/2 potatoes per person (you can make your own decision as to how large you want your portions to be)
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

Slice your potatoes fairly thin (I like to use russet or Yukon gold) and pile them up on a large square of aluminum foil. Gather the sides up around the potatoes, making a bowl. Add 2-3 pats of butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and close them up. Grill them on a rack, not directly on the grill or directly over the coals - the bottoms will burn that way. Grill them over med-high heat for 30-45 mins. Cooking time will vary depending on your grill heat. You can open the top of the foil to check the potatoes...when a fork is inserted easily and the edges are beginning to brown, they are done.

#80 :: Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken

LISA, if you're reading, this one's for you! :) I know you don't have time for complicated dinner recipes.....and I know you like Shake & Bake......so here's a "gourmet grown up" Shake & Bake for you! As a matter of fact, while Jamie and I were in the kitchen cooking I told him all about our tiny apartment on Audelia.... and how you would make Shake & Bake and spaghetti for dinner all the time. Good times!

Ingredients

• 12 chicken legs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 4 cups panko bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.

Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat. Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper.

Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another dish add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Take the chicken legs and 1 at a time, dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs. (Cook's Note: you could also bread the legs by putting the bread crumbs in a large plastic bag and shaking the legs in the crumbs inside the bag.) Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work. Refrigerate the legs for about 15 to 20 minutes for the breading to set.

Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly (the chicken will sizzle when added to the hot oil). Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, about 35 to 40 minutes Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter. Season with salt and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Recipe from Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

#79 :: Grilled Chicken & Roasted Zucchini

With our Sweet Potato Fries came the healthy portion of the meal -- grilled lemon pepper chicken and roasted zucchini. Honestly, I think I could eat any vegetable if it was roasted. Something about roasting them makes them taste sooo good! Much better than out of a can, and it doesn't take any more work than a can would!

Ingredients

3 zucchini, sliced into quarters
4 chicken breasts
Lemon Pepper marinade

Directions

We marinated the chicken breasts in a store bought lemon pepper marinade. I should have made my own, and now I wish that I would have, but sometimes you just have to take a short cut! After it sits in the marinade for at least an hour, grill it on med-high heat on each side for 8-10 minutes.

For the zucchini, trim off the ends, slice them into quarters and lay them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, add salt & pepper to taste, and bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.





No "recipe" used

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

#78 :: Sweet Potato Fries

Recently I bought a bag of sweet potatoes. We're eating a lot of vegetables lately (potatoes included) and I just wanted to try something a little different. We've done Sweet Potato Chips, which turned out half and half - half came out perfect, the other half burned beyond recognition! Now we're trying Sweet Potato Fries. I still have a few sweet potatoes left too....maybe next time mashed?

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch batons
• Salt, to taste
• Essence, to taste, recipe follows

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in a very large, deep pot or heat an electric fryer to 360 degrees F. Fry the sweet potatoes, in batches, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and Essence, to taste, and serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings

Recipe from Emeril Live on Food Network

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars