Best Beef Teriyaki

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com with the name Korean Beef. I adjusted it, and while I've never had "Korean" beef before, I think this tastes like a better version of the beef teriyaki sticks you get from a Chinese restaurant. Addie and Bill loved it. The sauce was great drizzled over white rice and steamed broccoli too. Enjoy!

Best Beef Teriyaki

• 1 ½ - 2 lbs steak
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½  tsp ground ginger
• 5 tablespoons Mirin

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the meat. Add the meat, and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
2. Remove the meat from the marinade and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Turn the heat on high and bring to a light boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
3. While the sauce is boiling, preheat your broiler or grill. Cook your steaks 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness and how you want them cooked. Remember they will cook 1 whole level while they rest (from rare to medium-rare). 
4. Let the meat rest under foil for 5-10 minutes before you cut into it. Serve with sauce on the side for dipping, or drizzled over the steak

Sauteed Spinach

When I first met my husband he hated spinach. He refused to eat it, which is big, because he'll try anything. I grew up eating spinach almost every day, so it was hard for me to understand why he didn't like it. I finally convinced him to try my recipe, and while he doesn't love it like Addie and I do, he will eat it if it's on the menu. This is how I won him over to the spinach side:

Sauteed Spinach
1 12oz bag of fresh spinach
1 tsp butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp lemon juice
sprinkle of salt

Steam the spinach using a steamer basket (don't boil, all the nutrients will be washed away). Drain in a colander very well (I usually press it with fork to make sure that all of the water is squeezed out). In a small saute pan, melt the butter and add the garlic, lemon juice and salt. Chop the spinach and add to the pan. Saute for 1 minute and serve.

Addie's Fish Nuggets

I came up with this recipe tonight for Addie's dinner. I knew I wanted to do some type of tasty, crunchy bites for her with the fish fillet I had. This recipe was awarded the highest honor, Addie's two-thumbs-up and a big exlicmation that it is "the best fish ever!" :) Lucky mom!

Addie's Fish Nuggets
1/4 lb white fish, like Haddock, cut into 1/2 inch nuggets
1/4 c panko
1/4 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder (more or less to taste)
sprinkle of salt
1 egg
2 tbsps olive oil

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. In one bowl whisk the egg. In another bowl mix the panko, cheese, garlic and salt. Dip the fish in the egg first, then in the panko mixture. Add to the pan and fry until brown on both sides.

** You can also skip cutting the fish into nuggets and serve it as a filet. Also, this can easily be baked instead of pan fried.

Beth's Sweet and Sour Chicken

Similar to the chicken from an Chinese resturant, this dish is both sweet and sour. I picked up the main idea from allrecipes.com, but then made some big adjustments to the sauce and chicken coating. The first time I made it, pre-adjustments, the sauce smelled like hotdogs. Luckily I used my awesome culinary powers (ha ha; kidding) and devised a tasty version. Here it is! (ps my family hates cooked pineapple apparently, so you can just skip it if you'd prefer). I served this over rice with garlicky broccoli. If you like a lot of sauce, then double the sauce, because it's not a very saucy dish (see the picture). I'm going to double it next time.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 1b  boneless chicken breast, butterflied (or chicken cutlets)

1 egg, whisked

Salt/pepper

½ - ¾ cup cornstarch

½ tbsp veg oil

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp prepared mustard

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 cup pineapple juice

pineapple rings

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl whisk the egg. Using the assembly line method, coat the chicken first in the egg then in the cornstarch mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; brown the chicken well, to the point where it is almost fully cooked. Layer chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to broil. In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion, and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, simmer until slightly thickened, and pour over chicken. Top with pineapples. Broil until pineapples caramelize and sauce bubbles.

The picture was after Bill and Addie attacked it :)

Linguini with Clam Sauce

This is Addie's favorite dish. She awarded me two stickers for being the "bestest cooker ever" after enjoying two bowls of this tonight! :) I guess that equals two thumbs up?

 Beth's Clam Sauce
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
4 cans Snow's minced clams, with broth reserved from 2 cans
1/2 cup water
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
1 lb cooked linguini
grated Parmesan cheese

In a saute pan with sides, heat the butter and oil on medium. Add the garlic and saute briefly. Add the wine (or broth) and clam juice (only the juice!) and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix the water and cornstarch in a cup to make a slurry. Slowly add half of the slurry to the simmering pan and stir well. If it's not thick enough for your liking, add more slurry, otherwise, discard the rest of the slurry. Add the clams and mix well. Remove the pan from heat and toss with the hot pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Oven Barbecue Chicken

We don't have a grill at the moment, so anything I want barbequed or charred I do up using my broiler. This recipe for chicken can easily be made in the winter months when you don't feel like venturing out into the snow, but you're craving some crisp sweet and spicy chicken.

Beth's Oven BBQ Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into parts, or 1 pkg of your favorite chicken parts
1-2 tbsp coarse seasoned salt (like Tastefully Simple's; amount depends on how much chicken you have)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your chicken skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle a fine layer of seasoned salt over each piece of chicken and rub in lightly. For 6 thighs I bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place the chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with oil, skin side down. Preheat the broiler to High. Baste the cut side well with BBQ sauce. Broil on High for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and liberally coat the skin side with BBQ sauce. Broil for another 5 minutes (warning: the broiler might smoke up at this point, so be careful when removing the pan). Let the chicken rest for 10-12 minutes before serving. It'll be perfectly juicy and crisp! :)

RIbs!

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time! With grilling in full swing for the summer, I thought I'd post one of my few grilling recipes. I don't have a grill, so I broil these and they come out great anyway.It's a recipe from Tyler Florence, so I can't take credit here. Enjoy!

Tyler’s Ribs

2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)

Seasoned Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

BBQ Sauce

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with the salt and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven, and let the ribs bake, low and slow for 1 1/2 hours.

Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.

When ready to eat, preheat the broiler (or the grill on medium) for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce. They should become crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side.

Popovers!

In the Cocke N' Kettle vein, I thought I'd post a recipe for Popovers. For those who have never had the joy of trying one, they're eggy, bread-muffins that are airy and rich. These have cheese in them, although I think the C-N'-K version did not.

Popovers

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped provolone

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tbsp butter, salt, and pepper until smooth, then stir in cheeses. Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third.

Butter a regular sized cupcake pan with remaining tbsp butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes. Gently stir batter, then divide among cupcake tin (they will be about two-thirds full). Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Bean Dip like Cocke N' Kettle

Those from the area, do you remember Cocke N' Kettle? The most fantastic restaurant ever to exist that closed for no apparent reason? Hmm..??? Ya, I still haven't gotten over it :) My mom (again!) created this replica of the slightly spicy bean dip they used to put on all the tables.

Bean Dip

1 can kidney beans

2 tbsps red onion chopped fine

1 clove finely minced garlic

½  tbsp horseradish

1 tbsp mayo

1 tsp relish

A sprinkle of olive oil

A little sprinkle of red wine vinegar

dash of salt

Mix and chill until very cold. Serve with crackers or small crusty slices of bread.

Stuffed Mushrooms; 2 ways!

Stuffed mushrooms are awesome. They're delicious, and a perfect finger food. I make them with a cracker filling and with a cheese filling. The crab filling is my mom's recipe (are you seeing a theme here?), and the cheese filling I found somewhere, so I can't take credit for it. Enjoy!

Buttery Stuffed Mushrooms

1 can crab meat

1 roll ritz crackers, crushed

4 packages white or baby bella, whole mushrooms

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsps melted butter

2 tbsp mayo

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In rinse and remove the stems of all the mushrooms, BUT reserve the stems of only two packages. You can toss the stems from the other two. Finely chop the saved mushroom stems. Add all ingredients, except the mushroom caps, to the chopped stems and mix well. If the mixture is dry, add a little water. Stuff the mushroom caps and place on a cookie-sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.

 

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

3 pkgs white or baby bella, whole mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 can crab meat, drained

2 tbsps butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems from all the mushrooms, reserving the stems from 2 packages and discarding the rest.

Mince the garlic and mushroom stems. Stir in cream cheese, crab meat, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet. Top with a sprinkle of parm cheese.

Bake for 30-45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Crabbies

With summer bbq's and the Fourth of July coming up I thought I'd post a few party recipes. Here's the first, Crabbies. My Grandma Dalpe starting making these a long time ago, then my mom took over, and now it's become my tradition! They are so garlicky and cheesy, and the crab adds a subtle sweetness without being fishy. Everyone loves these...

Crabbies

1 pkg English muffins

1 small jar Old English (spreadable sharp cheddar cheese), room temperature

1 stick butter, softened

1 tsp garlic powder

1 can crab meat

1 tbsp mayo

Except for the muffins, mix all the ingredients together until well blended. Split the English muffins, and spread about 1 ½ tbsp of the crab mixture onto each muffin half. Broil until brown and bubbly.