Grilled Flank Steak with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce

I'm still cooking my way through Giada de Laurentiis's 'Weeknights with Giada'.
I'm a big fan of flavorful and spicy sauces, so I thought that the Smoky Arrabiata would work well with a flank steak, since we didn't have any rib-eye steaks in the house. I bought this gorgeous flank steak at Dick Howard's Meats-a local butcher shop- a week ago, and froze it.

Howard's carries 'Prather Ranch' beef, which is 100% free range, grass fed beef from Coburg, Oregon. You can really taste the difference! I buy most of my meat at either Howard's or Diamond S Meats, the other nearby butcher shop. One funny note about Diamond S Meats- today is a 'cash mob' event at Diamond S. These are 'word of mouth' advertised events where as many people as possible go to a pre-arranged local shop and spend money there. It brings much needed business to local places and is usually a lot of fun! I'm heading over later today to get a couple of heart shaped steaks for Valentine's Day...more on that later.
The recipe for the Arrabiata sauce couldn't be easier...toss everything into a blender, and cook it down for 25 minutes or so. It was just long enough to put the flank steak on the grill.
Here's the original recipe... Rib-eye Steaks with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce
And here's the sauce, bubbling away...

Of course, I used roma tomatoes from my garden that I canned back in September.
I also made warm farro salad for me and farro with butter and parmesan for Kevin. He's not a big fan of grain-type salads, so it was easy to just portion it out. I dressed my salad while I added the butter and fresh grated parmesan to the piping hot farro for Kevin. If you don't know what farro is, it is a delicious, easy-to-cook ancient grain. It's similar in texture to barley. It's very versatile to use. I've used it in soup, as a side dish and as a cold or warm salad. It has a tender texture with a tiny bit of bite, and does not turn 'mushy' like some grains if you forget it while it's cooking. I bought this pack from Trader Joe's when we were in Eugene, Oregon a couple of weeks ago, but you can find it in most grocery stores.
I tossed my portion with 1 freshly squeezed Meyer lemon (from my tree!) and a couple of glugs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I added some fresh cracked Applewood Smoked Peppercorns (thanks, Gene and Carla!) and a little of my homemade Basil salt. Yum.
A handful of steamed haricot verts rounded out dinner.

Oh, and a lovely glass of M. Cosentino Ol' Red. (Napa)

Super Bowl 2013 Menu

Kevin and I have hosted a lot of Super Bowl parties over the years...but since Kevin worked the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast at Church today and I had Religious Education classes- that wasn't happening this year!
Kevin got home at about 1PM and I didn't walk in until almost 2PM...and the game started at 3PM-ish. Thankfully, I had planned our menu earlier in the week and shopped on Friday!

This is the initial feast...
a fruit tray with strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries and black berries; a veggie tray with sungold cherry tomatoes, celery, cornichons (Trader Joe's) , cucumbers, radishes and marinated mushrooms(Trader Joe's) with a smoky ranch dip; and a walking Caesar. We have some jarred stuff from Trader Joe's stockpiled from last weekend:)
The walking Caesar is an idea I got at a reception for the Catholic Daughters by my friend, Deb Brunold. Thanks, Deb! I love this so much that I stole the idea....basically, wash, and spin dry some romaine lettuce leaves. Spread a small amount of Caesar dressing down the middle of the leaf and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Brilliant. Finger salad!
I made homemade mayo from this amazing blog to make this absolutely delicious Caesar Dressing with a freshly laid egg from my hen, Moa
So I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe!

By the way, that's Kevin's Sunday Blurry Mary. It's Mrs. T's Spicy and Bold Bloody Mary Mix with a dash of homemade kosher pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce and locally made Tulelake horseradish sauce, mixed with Bakon Vodka and a celery stick. Usually, it's a homemade pickle instead of celery, or a homemade pickled green bean, or a homemade pickled jalapeno...except, I only have pickle slices left out of all the jars I canned and we ate all the jalapenos....so today we went with boring celery.
I was drinking a Southern Delight ...you can't see it but it's the best Sunday drink ever! My sister in law, Carla, introduced me to this drink on a ski trip...2 shots of Southern Comfort with 8 ounces of Sunny Delight. Original Tangy, of course. Yum.  Perfect for Super Bowl.
I also made the most amazing, delicious Guy Fieri's Korean Crispy Chicken Wings

This picture does not do justice to how incredibly flavorful, spicy and meat-a -licious finger-lickin' good they are to eat!
I followed the recipe exactly. I bought fresh chicken wings, chopped them and got rid of the wing tips, patted them dry, tossed with a little kosher salt, some applewood smoked peppercorns, freshly cracked, and a little oilve oil.
The sauce is fantastic! And since I always have sambal olek in my house (chili garlic sauce) by the way, NOT Sriracha sauce- as well as local honey, about 12 kinds of vinegar, and frozen or fresh or pickled ginger-this was easily tossed together.

I also made some fresh guacamole and salsa, but we didn't break that out until the game was over. There's lots of fruit left for a smoothie tomorrow...and more snacks for the next hockey game we will watch...oh, wait- there's one on now!
Hope you try these recipes!

Two More Giada Dinners

I've discovered that it's not easy to create fast, fresh and delicious meals from just one cookbook.
We usually have at least a 3 (usually a 4) course meal for dinner. I make a main dish (meat, fish, or veggie) a starch of some sort, and at least one vegetable as a side dish...and usually a salad. Plus, a glass of wine with dinner. Rarely, a dessert.
While the meals from the 'Weeknights with Giada' cookbook are fantastic, they are somewhat limited. So, I am supplimenting the menu with some additions of my own to round out the meals.
On Friday night, I adapted a version of Giada's Antipasto Calzone.
Well, it was remotely related!
I made homemade whole wheat pizza dough from this incredibly simple and fast recipe Williams-Sonoma Thin Crust Pizza Dough

and cooked up some sausage, chopped, drained and jarred roasted red bell peppers, homemade tomato sauce (using home grown and canned San Marzano tomatoes) and freshly grated parmesano-reggiano and mozzarella cheese. I also added some frozen artichoke hearts that I cooked quickly and chopped.  I stuffed the calzone and brushed it with a beaten egg from my cute little chickens (they are still laying everyday!) and baked it on a pizza stone for 20 minutes at 425.

It was HUGE!
Kevin and I split it! I also had a small container of more of the tomato sauce for dipping. You can't see the salad, but we had salad, too.

You might notice we switched the china for February- we used the wedding china from 1980 (Viceroy by Noritake) for the month of January, and now we are using the Ashbourne by Royal Daulton for the next couple of months. It's just beautiful! It has beautiful pink peonies on it. Kevin's mother, Lee, gave it to me about 10 years ago before she showed symptoms of Alzheimers. I am so glad I have it now- she loved it, but she gave it to me!! She is in heaven, now, but every time we use it, I think of her, and smile.
Tonight, I had to work at the Church for the 5:30PMN Mass, because we held the Rite of the Presentation of the Creed (the set of beliefs handed down from the Apostles) and the Lord's Prayer (the Prayer Jesus taught the Apostles in Sacred Scripture). It's a short ceremony, but rich in meaning.
I had defrosted some beautiful 'breakfast' pork chops that are super thin this morning in anticipation of a 'quick' dinner when I got home.
I decided on Giada's Spiced Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze
Of course, I changed it a bit.
I added one half sliced onion and 1 seeded and sliced Anaheim pepper to the garlic saute.

Everything was going great; until I burnt the balsamic vinegar & honey mixture. It was horrible.
I dumped it out and started over.

Once it was made and I drizzled it over the cooked chops, it was fantastic!
I also made some tater tots. Yah, I know, cheater starch, but did you know that TOTS are the 'item of the year' for most hip restaurants? I'm telling you...you have to google 'tots'.
Here's the dinner, complete with a perfectly cooked glaze, veggies and...tots.

You will love this recipe!

King Estate Winery

Last weekend, our friends, Brian and Patty, invited us to go to an amazing annual event in Eugene, Oregon, at a wonderful winery- King Estate Winery. It was my 54th birthday so they decided to treat us!!

They specialize in Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Each year, they hold an "All You Can Eat Crabfest and All You Can Drink Pinot Gris" event in January. We also went wine tasting before the dinner and, of course, bought some pinot noirs in addition to pinot gris...

 

The food was fabulous! We actually did try the fantastic side dishes (in very small amounts! ha ha) but the Crab was king.
Roasted Kale and Garlic

Spicy udon noodle salad with shrimp

cole slaw and potato salad

incredible crab chowder and some flavored aoili and butter...I loved the Saffron Aioli and Kevin loved the roasted  garlic infused butter

As much freshly steamed crab as we wanted....

and dessert 'bites' that were absolutely delicious!

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All desserts (like all the food!) is local, sustainable and made in their kitchens...lemon tarts, meringues, homemade marshmallows, brownie bites, jello cups, dark chocolate cups. gingersnap cookies, chocolate chip cookies, raspberry bars, and more...

Here we are...almost too stuffed to walk out...thankfully, we arranged for a Designated Driver! Thanks, Pammy!!! You are awesome!!

Smashed Potatoes with Lemon

I am working my way through some Christmas gifts from my lovely Daughter in law, Melissa. We share a love of cooking and some of the Food Network Celebrity Chefs!!
One of the chefs we both love is Giada de Laurentiis....one of the several cookbooks Melissa gave me for Christmas is, "Weeknights with Giada",  and I am trying to get through as many of the recipes as possible!

Tonight, with some thin cut quick pan-fried rib eye steaks, I made "Smashed Potatoes with Lemon". Amazing!!!
Smashed Potatoes with Lemon

First, I picked up some beautiful tiny locally grown yukon gold potatoes. I washed them, and boiled them for about 20 minutes. I drained them, dried them over the remaining heat on the stove, and then, gently smashed them.
I chopped some garlic and flavored the oil in the fry pan with it for a good 1 minute. I removed the garlic (and I added it to the lemon and herb mix) and dumped the potatoes in to fry on one side.

I also squeezed and zested a beautiful Meyer's Lemon from my lemon tree in the breakfast nook window.
 I added some chopped flat leaf Italian parsley and lemon thyme from the herb pots in the window, finely chopped, with a little kosher salt and some DELICIOUS freshly ground applewood smoked peppercorns (Thanks, Gene and Carla!!) Mixed it all together in anticipation of the crispy, fried potatoes.

I fried the potatoes in the garlic flavored oil for about 6 minutes on each side, then tossed them in the lemony dressing.

This was incredibly delicious!
You should make these! I made a LOT less than Giada's recipe because, well, it's just me and Kevin and the dogs are not fond of lemon....neither are the chickens...but it's OK, I seriously licked the plate. No one was looking!!! Yes, I did put the dishes in the dishwasher...I'm not that low class :)

My Latest Food Obsession...

Have you heard of Dukkah? Well, me,neither, until Christmas. My son and daughter in law gave me an amazing cookbook from America's Test Kitchen called "DIY- Can It, Cure It, Churn It, Brew It". As I was going through all the great recipes for things I need to make fresh at home instead of buying pre-prepared (think- ketchup, worstershire sauce, bacon jam, ricotta cheese, oreos, and more!) I found one recipe for an interesting mix called, "Dukkah". It is a seed, nut and spice blend from North Africa that is served as a crunchy topping or crust for meat or fish, blended into hummus or yogurt, or stirred into olive oil as a dip for bread. It's primarily made from pistachios, almonds, sesame seeds, cumin and coriander, but there are many versions.
This past weekend, we went on a wonderful weekend getaway to the beautiful King Estates Winery in Eugene, Oregon for their annual 'All you can eat Crabfest and All you can drink Pinot Gris" Event. That whole story is for another post :)
On the way home, we decided to take the 1-5 to Medford to the 140 to the 97, instead of taking the 58 to the 97--which was a good call, since the 58 was loaded with snow and a winter weather advisory. We only encountered about 10 miles of heavy snow on the 58 and the roads were clear. Anyhow, in Medford, I begged our friends to stop at Trader Joe's- since it recently (December 2012) opened and I haven't had a TJ run since October 2012.
While wandering up and down the aisles, I encountered a container of "Dukkah" in the spice aisle. Since I'd never actually tasted it, I picked up a jar. It's delicious!
Last night, we weren't very hungry, so I baked up a small spaghetti squash and tossed it with my 'fake alfredo' sauce- some half and half and chicken stock blended with a package of Boursin cheese. Yes, I know, it's cheating, but it's soooo good!
Tonight, we wanted something a little more substantial, so I made some garlic lemon sauce with shrimp and peas and added a couple of dollops of the 'fake alfredo' from last night. I tossed it with some eggs noodles and topped it with chives and parsley from my herb pot, and sprinkled some Trader Joe's Dukkah on top.
OMG.
Here's the finished product...

 It was so delicious!
Enjoy!

The Holiday Season

I've been neglecting my blog for a while with the whirlwind of activities that have been encompassing my life over the past couple of months! 
One of my 'resolutions' for 2013 is to be a little more consistent with my blog, so here's the first installment (on the 12th of January, of course!).
This past Christmas season saw us in Baltimore MD for our oldest son's graduation from college (University of Maryland Baltimore County- an Honors University)  with his bachelor's degree in computer science. We figured it was so close to Christmas that we just...stayed. The flights to Baltimore were quite an adventure all in themselves (two of my flights out of Klamath Falls were cancelled due to stupid airline stuff by United Airlines) so 3000 extra miles later as compensation, I finally arrived. The rest of the family arrived a day or two ahead of me...including our younger son and my husband!!
We immediately donned our t-shirts (it's a family thing) and everyone headed out to Fells Point for a 'Pub Crawl'. Yes, we hit every single bar on our t-shirt plus a couple of extra bars. Only one on our list was closed on a Wednesday night. And, yes, we had a shot and a cocktail at every bar. Yes, we took a cab both ways...duh!!! 

Graduation on FRIDAY (yes, we had a day between!) was awesome! We are so proud of our oldest! Now, both of our sons are college graduates...as is our daughter in law! (well, she has her Master's Degree...but she is ahead of the curve ) ha ha! 
Since we had several days to kill before Christmas, we decided to go to Gettysburg. I didn't realize how close it was to Maryland- it was a little less than an hour's drive. 

It's one of the things on my 'bucket list'. I know quite a bit about Gettysburg (our little stand of aspens-Gettysburg- in the backyard are named after the 'little clump of trees' from the battle) and I have always wanted to be there...to commune with the ghosts of the valiant Americans on both sides who bravely gave so much of themselves. Oh, it was better than I dreamed. I'm not so much into the markers and statues, but the guide that Chris hired to take us through Gettysburg was the best storyteller and took us to the places we needed to see. It was incredibly moving and I still am trying to process this whole experience. It was the the best place I've ever been to in my life. I've been to a lot of amazing places, but I think Gettysburg is right on top.
If you are an American History buff, you MUST GO. 
So, more for the next blog...I am a little emotional after thinking about this place. Even though he was wrong about how little the world would note what happened here...I think Abraham Lincoln said it best:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."