Category Archives: MAIN DISH RECIPES

BLACKENED SALMON CAESAR

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Yesterday as I was thinking about what to fix for dinner, my taste buds proceeded to full alert, and must have connected with my brain to inform me that they were in the mood for a big old salad. They were also hankering after seafood. So never being one to ignore my taste buds, I decided a Caesar salad with seafood would fill the bill. At about the same time, Mr. C. announced that he had to go into town.

Now going into town for us means leaving the island via a bridge, the one and only way off the island. Just over the bridge, whether you want to or not, you find yourself in the city of Stanwood. Stanwood is a pleasant little burg with a population of about 7,500 folks. It’s situated 50 miles north of Seattle at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River. And it contains 3 grocery stores. A QFC (Quality Food Center), a Haggen grocery store, and a Grocery Outlet.

Since Mr. C. had to go into Stanwood anyway, I asked him to pick up some salmon while he was out and about. I figured a blackened salmon Caesar salad would make a fine dinner for us. The only drawback to this plan, was that I had never prepared blackened salmon before. Blackened anything for that matter. But I had enjoyed blackened salmon at restaurants, so I figured I could do this type of preparation at home. What could possibly be difficult about throwing a few ingredients together, decorating the salmon fillets with the mixture, and throwing the whole mess in a stinkin’ hot pan? And as it turned out, there was absolutely no difficulty involved. I was absolutely right in my thinking. (I won’t say that was a first for me, but unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as often as I would like!)

So with a great recipe for blackened salmon in hand (thank you wellplated.com for this marvelous recipe) I proceeded to prep for our dinner. I cleaned the romaine, made the salad dressing, and cut and fried up some homemade bread for croutons while Mr. C. was at the store. Then I assembled the blackening ingredients and set them aside.

I often prep for dinner in the late afternoon. I do as much as I can ahead of time so that I can leisurely enjoy my before dinner libation. I got in the habit when I was first retired. It was just such a joy (and still is) to be able to unhurriedly prep for dinner after decades of coming through the back door after a long day at work, proceeding directly to the bedroom to change cloths, and then finding myself five minutes later in the kitchen frantically working at getting dinner on the table in a reasonable amount of time. (Sound all too familiar?) But I must confess. I always enjoyed my job. But being retired is ever so much nicer! But more about this recipe.

I have been making Caesar salads with homemade dressing for years now. And yes, homemade Caesar salads are just as good, if not better than you can find in restaurants. And not difficult either.

And after preparing the blackened salmon, which is also easy to prepare and even better than you will find in most restaurants since you have control of how long it stays on the heat (I hate when fish is overcooked and becomes dry), there is no reason not to fix this delicious salad yourself at home.

Well that’s enough about food for today. It’s supposed to be really warm in the Pacific NW for the next few days, and I believe it. The sky is clear, our mountain (Mt. Baker) is out in all its glory, the kitties are all napping, and Mr. C. is on the golf course. And I have nothing I need to accomplish which as luck would have it is in direct proportion to my decreased energy level today. So I’m going to leisurely build some bread (I love to make bread), then sit down in our courtyard and read. And while I’m at it, I’m also going to count my blessings and give thanks for my wonderful husband, for parents who taught me right from wrong, and for my immediate family, extended family, and close friends who have so graciously enriched my life and have helped me stay sane, grounded, encouraged, relatively calm (or as calm as I can be during these difficult times), happy, and content. Peace and love to all – be you family member, friend, or a reader discovering my blog for the first time.

romaine lettuce, cut, washed and spun dry  

Caesar dressing (see recipe below)

grated Parmesan cheese  

garlic croutons, opt. (see recipe below)  

blackened salmon fillet (see recipe below)

lemon wedges

Place the romaine lettuce in a large mixing bowl. Add just enough dressing to coat the leaves, but not so much that the salad appears and tastes “wet”.

Add Parmesan cheese. (I have found that using less Parmesan cheese than you think you need is probably just about right. Too much Parmesan overpowers the other flavors and makes the salad too rich.)

Stir in garlic croutons. (As few or as many as you like)

Plate individual salads. Top each with one of the blackened salmon fillets. Pass additional lemon wedges.

Caesar Dressing:

1 lg. garlic clove, finely minced

6 anchovy fillets or 1-2 tsp. anchovy paste

2 T. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 T. sour cream

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

Combine garlic and anchovy fillets or paste in a small bowl. Mush them together with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to blend thoroughly. Use immediately

Garlic Croutons:

1 T. butter or extra virgin olive oil (or a combination)

2-3 c. cubed crusty, chewy bread

granulated garlic

Melt butter or olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add bread cubes and slowly sauté until crunchy and browned. (This takes upward of 45 minutes, so plan to make croutons when you are working on other dishes and are close at hand.) Stir frequently. When the bread cubes are golden brown and crunchy, lightly sprinkle with granulated garlic. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Blackened Salmon:

1 T. paprika

1 tsp. brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp. granulated onion  

¾ tsp. granulated garlic  

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

3-4 salmon fillet portions, skin on*  

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

lemon wedges

In a small bowl, stir the paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, cayenne, oregano, and thyme together. (I use my finger tips to moosh all the ingredients together.)

Place the salmon on a large plate, flesh-side up, and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the salmon fillets with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the buttered fish. Lightly pat the spices to adhere as needed.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or similar heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. (Do not add oil). (If you have an outdoor kitchen, now is the time to use it!) If not, turn your exhaust fan on high and open a window or door or both if things start to get smoky.

Salmon frying in a cast iron pan on one of the burners of my outdoor kitchen. And yes that is an empty martini glass you see on the white cutting board.

 Once the pan is completely hot (a droplet of water should dance on its surface), gently place the fillets seasoned side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes without disturbing the fillets, until the surface is blackened (peek as little as possible so that the salmon gets a nice dark color), then carefully turn each piece of salmon over.  

2nd side cooking

Continue cooking over medium heat until the skin becomes crispy, and the fish is fully cooked through, about 5 to 6 additional minutes depending upon the thickness of your fillets. (The fish should reach 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer at the thickest part.)

Squeeze lemon over the salmon. Carefully lift the salmon, minus the skin if possible, either directly onto salads or to a plate until you are ready to serve.

*If your salmon fillets come skinned on both sides, simply brush the top of the fish with melted butter while the first side (the one with the blackening seasoning) is cooking. Then flip and cook as directed above.

The moon over Port Susan Bay last evening. And yes it really was that color.

PORK TENDERLOIN IN CREOLE GRAVY OVER EASY CHEEZY GRITS

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And yes that’s a bowl of Slow Simmered Smoked Pork Shank/Hock with Mixed Greens you see on that plate. Yum is all I have to say!

I am such a lover of Cajun and Creole food. If it were possible, I would hop on a plane today and drift down to New Orleans for the fabulous food. And of course the great jazz and also to be able to spend time with our dear family friends John and Carol. But alas, there is no getting on a plane or eating in restaurants for us until the coronavirus is contained. So, the next best thing is to cook up some of my favorite dishes up here in the beautiful NW and listen to my very own resident jazz pianist. (Not a bad life dear readers. Not a bad life at all!)

But the ambiance is just not the same. For all intents and purposes, it appears to a visitor that New Orleans never sleeps. (I’m sure it’s because everyone, residents and vacationers alike, simply can’t stop eating the wonderful food and listening to fabulous jazz.)

Plus there’s just something exciting about being in a city that on average is six feet below sea level. FYI: The site of the city was originally very low in relation to sea level, but human interference has caused the city to sink even lower. When New Orleans was being constructed they ran out of good land. To make more room, engineers drained swamplands around the area so they could continue expansion. This drainage led to subsidence. Subsidence is sinking or settling to a lower level, in this case it was the earth’s surface sinking lower in relation to sea level. This sinking effect has led to present day New Orleans.

When we were in New Orleans several years ago, we watched as large ships navigated along the Mississippi river where the level of the diked water was actually higher than we were! After that exhilarating experience, we simply had to retire to Café Du Monde for beignets. (The beignets were wonderful. The chicory coffee, not so much!) We would have hit one of the local bars for a restorative, but it was only 10:30 in the morning. Just a bit too early for us to start imbibing alcohol. Even in New Orleans!

But enough about New Orleans. And back to Camano Island and our kitchen which is somewhere between 250 and 300 feet above sea level. Not nearly as dramatic as looking up at water, but a heck of a lot more relaxing. Pretty sure we aren’t at risk of being flooded out. Unless of course we are hit with the “really big one”. (A seismic catastrophe.) In that case, all bets are off! But back to this recipe.

My first experience making a Cajun pork stew was back in 2015 – Grillades (Cajun Meat Stew) and Cheese Grits. It too is a really tasty stew served over grits and quite similar in many ways to this recipe. The main difference is that this recipe has a stronger tomato component and uses roasted peppers (red and yellow) rather than a green pepper. Both recipes are delicious, but just enough different to make life interesting.

So if you get a hankering for some Creole Food, build this recipe. And if you want to go full in Louisiana, add a bowl of Slow Simmered Smoked Pork Shank/Hock with Mixed Greens or Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Hock. And don’t forget the corn bread. BTW – there are several great cornbread recipes on this site too.

As always, stay safe, stay diligent about protecting ethnic diversity that brings us wonderful dishes like this, and keep defending every person’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

None of us had a choice as to what ethnicity we would prefer, what nation we wanted to call home, who our parents would be, what level of intellect we would be given, how tall we would be, etc. The only thing we have ever had any control over, is the kind of person we would become and steadfastly remain. And how we would use the gifts we were given in a positive way to help everyone live a better and more productive life. 

So anyone who feels superior for being born a white person (for example), or intelligent, or physically attractive, or talented, or born into a wealthy family, or any of the other attributes that can lead a person to become conceited, is disgraceful in my opinion. A person should be proud of themselves and their accomplishments. That’s physiologically healthy, recommended, and applauded. But to feel superior because of one’s color, or monetary position, or societal status, or really for any reason, I find that behavior reprehensible. And yes, I am scared beyond belief at what might be the outcome of the upcoming November election. Our country has taken a terrible hit these last almost four years. I only hope and pray that a change for the better will come to pass.

Peace and Love to all.  

Pork Tenderloin in Creole Gravy:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 pork tenderloins, silver skin and excess fat removed, cut into bite sized pieces

½ lg. yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced 

1 T. paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

3-4 tsp. creole seasoning, or more to taste

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

1½ c. roasted peppers, diced or 1 jar (12 oz.) Cento brand Red & Yellow Roasted Peppers)

2 T. tomato paste

½ c. beef or vegetable broth

1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. unsalted butter

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven or heavy pan. Add the meat and fry until nicely browned. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, and celery; cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the paprika, cayenne, creole seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.   

Add the diced tomatoes, roasted peppers, tomato paste, broth, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and butter.

Bake covered in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for about 2 hours. Check after an hour and add additional liquid if necessary. (You want a thick sauce, but you don’t want it to burn.) (You also want the meat to be fork tender.)

Remove from oven, adjust seasoning, and serve over Easy Cheezy Grits.

Easy Cheesy Grits:

1½ c. whole milk

1½ c. water

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¾ c. quick-cooking grits

2 tsp. dried chopped chives, opt.

1 T. butter

1 c. sharp cheddar, grated

Bring the milk, water, salt, and pepper to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Gradually whisk in grits and chives. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Adjust seasoning. If you like thinner grits, add a little more milk before adding the butter and cheese.

PAN FRIED FISH WITH LEMON AIOLI

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About once a week I get a craving for seafood. But I’m not picky. I like seafood baked, poached, grilled, sauced, pan fried, sautéed with other ingredients – you name it. My mouth just wants to chomp on something that once either swam in or inhabited a river, lake, sea, or ocean. And the other evening was no exception. So when Mr. C. declared that he planned to do a bit of grocery shopping, I jumped at the chance to ask him to include some fresh fish in with the other purchases. And when that man exceeds, he does so in style. He brought home the most beautiful piece of ling cod I had seen in a very long time. Thick, firm fleshed, no fishy smell, and with a modicum of pin bones. Every cooks dream piece of meat. And yes, I consider fish meat. And I know, some would argue, but in my book, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck! And no, fish is not a duck – but it is the flesh of an animal used for food. Anyway, with this beautiful piece of meat in hand, I felt obliged to do something marvelous with it.

Now, we absolutely love pan fried fish. And there are several recipes for fried fish already on this site. (Isn’t it fun to have choices?) But I was in the mood to play recipe developer, so after donning the appropriate cap, I proceeded to my kitchen.  

Now something I’ve told you before, but need to reiterate, is that sometimes I make miracles. Other times I make something that could be described as edible, but definitely doesn’t need to be repeated or recorded for posterity. But the other evening I produced a really excellent pan fried fish. The fish was perfectly cooked, had a crunchy and tasty coating, and was absolutely delicious served with this simple, lemony aioli. What could be better? OK, world peace would be better, but so far I haven’t found the right recipe to make that happen.  

But I now think I have tasty fried fish just about covered on this blog. So I can check that off my list. (This should allow me more time to work on world peace. Now, if I could only remember where I left my crystal ball!)

So stay cool, stay constant (no one feels comfortable or sometimes even safe with someone whose mood shifts faster than an Mk4 Toyota Supra), and stay informed. Always better to know what’s happening around you than to bury your head under a pillow. Even if what’s going on isn’t pleasant. Knowledge is power. And we all need to feel that we have at least some power over our own destiny and the destiny of our loved ones. Especially our children. Or at the very least, knowledge allows us to be semi-prepared to deal with circumstances over which we have absolutely no control.  

As always, peace and love to all.

Lemon Aioli:

¼ c. mayonnaise

¼ c. sour cream

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

scant ¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Pan Fried Fish:

1 egg

⅓ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ c. plain dry bread crumbs

½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

1-1½ lb. fish with a firm, almost dense texture – the thicker the fillet the better, cut into serving sized pieces (I used ling cod the other evening, but halibut, catfish, tilapia, or red snapper would have been wonderful too.)

vegetable oil

1 T. unsalted butter

Whisk the egg in a small shallow container. (I use an 8-inch round cake pan.) Whisk the flour, bread crumbs, Old Bay Seasoning, seasoned salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in another shallow pan. (And yes, I use another cake pan for this purpose.)

Place the fish in the beaten egg, and turn until every bit of the fish is coated with egg. Move the pieces to the flour mixture and let the pieces sit for a minute or two on the first side. Then turn the pieces over and make certain all sides are all well coated with the seasoned bread crumbs. Let the pieces sit again in the seasoned bread crumbs for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil. Use a pan that will accommodate all the fish (not touching of course), but not larger than required. Add the butter and heat until the butter is sizzling.

Place the coated fish carefully in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until the first side is nicely browned. Then carefully turn the fish and cook the second side for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature should reach 145 degrees.

Remove from pan and place on a paper towel. Serve immediately. Pass the Lemon Aioli.

FYI – The 10-Minute Rule for Cooking Fish from Orca Bay Foods:

“Measure the fish at its thickest point. If the fish is stuffed or rolled, measure it after stuffing or rolling.

Cook fish about 10 minutes per inch, turning it halfway through the cooking time. For example, a 1-inch fish steak should be cooked 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10 minutes. Pieces less than ½-inch thick do not have to be turned over. Test for doneness. Flake with a fork. Fish should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Add 5 minutes to the total cooking time for fish cooked in foil or in sauce. Double the cooking time for frozen fish that has not been defrosted.”

     

FAST AND EASY ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

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Now this is what I call an easy recipe. Hardly any prep work, and a resulting product that smacks of hours of simmering, when in reality, very little time is actually involved. And the results – absolutely divine.

I think sometimes we cooks over think and over ingredient dishes that should be left simple and basic. Good Italian sausage already has a lot of flavor. But I am as guilty as the next cook of not allowing just a few simple ingredients to speak for themselves. I’m always trying to over achieve, when almost any dish I prepare would probably be better served (literally and figuratively), if basically left simple. And this pasta sauce is a prime example. Simple ingredients, not a lot of time involved, and a taste that is pure Italian.

So if you are also one of those cooks like me that is always trying to make dishes more complex than necessary, give this recipe a try. You too might learn a valuable lesson. Of course with me, being older than dirt, the lesson might not stick. But if you are younger, and have a more flexible mind, you might be able to learn restraint. (It really is too late for me.) But I have confidence that those of you who are still learning might take advantage of what I am just now realizing at my advanced age. It’s the old do as I say, not as I do “thing”.

One thing I can promise you however, that regardless of your age or culinary experience, you are going to love this pasta dish. It’s clean tasting, simple, and reminiscent of late afternoon dinners in sunny Italian courtyards filled with happy diners, drinking young red wine, and dunking crusty, chewy, freshly baked bread in seasoned olive oil. (Oh how I love Italy.) So to all – keep striving for excellence.

I’ve been thinking lately of Corinthians 13:11, which has always been a part of scripture I truly felt was pertinent to everyday life. Now more than ever. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child: When I became a man (woman), I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

It’s not easy being an adult. It’s a whole lot of hard work, often unrecognized or properly appreciated. It’s simply a whole lot easier to act like a child, than to think, react, and comport oneself as an adult. But especially now, all of us have a huge challenge. Especially parents of young children. How you manage your self during this difficult time is the lesson your children will be learning and taking with them into adulthood. So be kind, be loving, and be sensitive to the needs of those around you. I salute each and every one of you. And I pray for a better tomorrow for all of us. Peace and Love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

¾ c. finely diced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ c. dry white wine

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4-6 oz. penne pasta (or pasta of choice) cooked al dente

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the Italian sausage until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the white wine and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the canned tomatoes, including liquid, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasoning.

Add the al dente pasta, and about a fourth cup of Parmesan cheese. Pass extra Parmesan at table.

 

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SWISS CHEESE AND SPINACH

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So whatever possessed me to ask Mr. C. to pick up some Swiss cheese and a big old container of spinach last time he made a grocery run was both prescient and fortuitous. Because twice this week already, I have wanted to use both ingredients. And there they were. Just waiting to be discovered in my refrigerator.

I used the Swiss cheese in my Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Swiss Chard Quiche. And last night I used it in this dish. I sautéed the spinach a couple nights ago as a side veggie, and used it again last evening in this glommed together chicken casserole. So it truly does pay to be well prepared. Even if, as in this case, my having both of these wonderful ingredients on hand can only be attributed to old fashioned blind luck.

But whatever the reason, it was great fun yesterday piecing this dish together. I read a few chicken casserole recipes before starting, but most of them either contained ingredients like cream of chicken soup or stuffing mix that I didn’t have on hand. Or didn’t include ingredients I did have on hand like various kinds of cheese and fresh spinach. So I stopped researching recipes and decided to wing it. And I’m so glad I did. It forced me to invent my own version of a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, and it allowed me to use some more of the fresh spinach and most of my remaining Swiss cheese. And the result? Magnifique!

So if you too would enjoy owning a recipe that features chicken, Swiss cheese, and spinach – I highly recommend this one. It’s quite easy to prepare. And yes, if you must, you can substitute a can of condensed cream of chicken soup and a bit of dry white wine for the first 9 ingredients in this recipe.  

Since the first 9 ingredients are basically the equivalent of undiluted cream of chicken soup, I replicated the recipe at the bottom of this post in case you would like to print it as a stand-alone recipe. It is really tasty and would be a fine substitute in any recipe calling for a can of C of C soup. I also posted my Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup recipe, just in case you might want to make your own C C of M soup rather than opening a can.

Since I am being magnanimous today, I am going to spare you my thoughts concerning our current government leaders, racist idiots, bigots, gun freaks, maskless morons, and other groups of people who absolutely do not meet my non-prejudicial, accurate, and reasonable assessment of their value in today’s society. In other words – it’s your lucky day!

As always, peace and love to all.

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, plus a pinch more for topping

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

2 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, then sliced in half again lengthwise (you want all the chicken to be about the same thickness)  

2 c. roughly chopped fresh spinach

generous 1/8-inch thick slices Swiss cheese (enough to cover the chicken pieces)

1 c. Panko bread crumbs

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken broth, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)  

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or 8×10-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in pan in a single layer, top with the raw spinach, and then the Swiss cheese slices. Smooth the sauce evenly over all. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.

To make the Panko topping, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Remove from heat. Add the Panko bread crumbs and a pinch of seasoned salt; stir to combine.    

After the 45 minutes of baking time, remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the Panko topping over the casserole. (I turn on my ovens convection option at this time to help brown the Panko topping.)

Bake another 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I served the chicken last evening with seasoned brown rice (see recipe below) and steamed fresh green beans. Made for a lovely meal.

SEASONED BROWN RICE (made in a rice cooker)

1 c. brown rice

1¾ c. water

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Throw everything in your rice cooker. Set the rice cooker on GO. Takes about an hour.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken stock, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)

CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

3 T. unsalted butter

½ c. chopped button mushrooms, or mushrooms of choice

3 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch granulated onion  

pinch granulated garlic

¼ – ½ tsp. dried mushroom powder*, opt., but really makes a difference

1½ c. whole milk

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté slowly until the mushroom start to brown.  

Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. (If it feels like a little more butter would be nice, add a bit.) Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the dried mushroom powder. (You can always add more mushroom powder when you taste and adjust seasonings later in the recipe if you would like a stronger mushroom flavor.)

Slowly whisk in the milk and vegetable base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning as required. Use in any recipe calling for an a can of cream of mushroom soup.

* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.

   

       

SHRIMP, SAUTÉED ONION, AND SWISS CHARD QUICHE

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I love quiche. I also love shrimp. So yesterday, as I was planning what to cook for dinner, remembering that I had a tiny bit of Swiss chard that needed to be used, and some Swiss cheese that kept yelling at me from the deli drawer of our refrigerator, I put my thinking cap squarely on the top of my head! (But before I go on, don’t you just hate it when ingredients yell at you? And if you respond in kind, your spouse looks at you as if your mind has slipped yet another cog. That of course may be true in my case, but no one likes to be reminded of their incipient mental infirmity.) Anyway, the Swiss cheese won. So what to do with the lovely combination of Swiss chard and Swiss cheese. Of course the solution was evident. Make a French dish. Duh!

Actually there’s a bit more to it than quiche being a French invention. This bit of quiche history from the finedininglovers.com site, is most interesting and enlightening. I’ve edited the original article a bit, but not in any significant way.

“At its most basic, quiche is dough. There are numerable variations, but the most famous is quiche Lorraine. This was the first quiche that Americans learned of, thanks to Julia Child, and so it is the one most likely to come to mind. This specialty comes from the Lorraine region of France.

Alsace and Lorraine hug the border between France and Germany, so that Alsace and Lorraine are both French and German and are also their own unique place. The most ubiquitous dish from Lorraine is quiche. And the specialty quiche from Lorraine features Gruyère cheese, onion, fatty bacon (French lardons), and nutmeg as its primary flavors.

The history of quiche, a dish we think of as quintessentially French, is actually a liminal one, in that the dish is of German origin. The word ‘quiche’ comes from the German word kuchen, meaning cake. Thus quiche is a savory cake, and Lorraine is a rather new name for a region that, under Germanic rule, was called the Kingdom of Lothringen. There are 13th century recipes for egg and cream baked in a dough crust in Italy, so it is difficult to say exactly where such a simple and ubiquitous approach to baking first began. In the 14th century English recipe collection, The Forme of Cury, there is a recipe like this with the unappetizing name – Crustardes of flesh.” But back to this recipe, which I must say is appetizing!

But why a shrimp quiche you might ask?

Well, if you are following my posts, you know that our beloved upright, non-frost-free freezer is coming to the end of its very long and useful life. And because everyone and their cousin are apparently just discovering the joys of storing more than one day’s supply of food in their home since the pandemic, there isn’t an upright freezer to be begged, borrowed, or even stolen in our area. So using up our frozen food ASAP (especially seafood) has been the driving force behind many of the main dishes I have been currently preparing. (I really can make a short story long. Sorry about that!)

Anyway, I glommed this recipe together yesterday, and we were both very pleased with the result. The quiche was very tasty, and it hadn’t been that difficult to prepare. And I had used up some of the ingredients that were either quietly going bad or noisily reminding me of their presence.

So next time you get hungry for quiche, give this recipe a try. But remember, the nice thing about quiche is that it allows you to use almost any ingredient you have on hand. Love mushrooms, add them. Don’t care for shrimp, replace them with small chunks of Black Forrest ham. Matters not. As long as your egg batter is properly proportioned, and your choice of additives are not terribly wet, you’re good to go.

As always, have fun in your kitchen, don’t let your ingredients give you any guff, and keep an open mind. People with open minds (and ears) let new ideas in. They aren’t afraid that their long cherished beliefs just might be misguided. Open minded people welcome facts over feelings, science over skepticism, and experience over egotism.

Peace and love to all.

No-Roll Pie Crust

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour   

heaping ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

scant ¼ tsp. baking powder

7 T. vegetable or canola oil

5 T. cold water  

Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together. Whisk the oil and water together. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened. Pat the dough across the bottom of a fairly deep pie pan, then up and over the rim. Crimp or mold the pie crust around the edge to make it pretty.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until you are ready to assemble the quiche. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Spinach Filling

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

½ med. yellow onion, diced

2 c. finely chopped Swiss chard or spinach, not packed

1 lb. raw shrimp, cut into small pieces

5 lg. eggs

¾ c. whole milk

¼ c. sour cream

¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for shrimp

freshly ground black pepper, plus more for shrimp

pinch ground nutmeg, plus a bit more for sprinkling

tiny pinch cayenne pepper

¾ c. grated mozzarella cheese

¾ c. grated Swiss, Gruyère, or Emmental cheese  

Heat oil in a fry pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Don’t fry at too high a heat or the onions will start to burn. You do not want that to happen! Onions are bitter when they are burnt.)

Add the Swiss chard and sauté for a couple of minutes, just enough to wilt the chard a bit. Add the shrimp, season with a tiny bit of salt and pepper, and cook just until shrimp are barely done. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper together. Set aside.

Spread the onion, chard, and shrimp mixture on the crust. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the shrimp mixture. Pour the egg mixture on top. Sprinkle with nutmeg. 

Bake the quiche until puffed and firm when touched in the center, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into 6-8 pieces.

BROCCOLI CHICKEN WITH GREEN ONIONS AND CASHEW NUTS

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I like life to be easy, because I’m basically a simple person at heart. I don’t like conflict, I don’t like snarky people, and some days I don’t like spending hours in my kitchen. And yesterday was one of those days when I was not in the mood to spend hours preparing our evening repast. Plus Mr. C. had a 6:00 pm zoom meeting with the rest of the board members of our HOA (Home Owners Association). Never fun to begin with, but with Covid-19 to consider, and the annual meeting less than 2 months away, there was a long agenda with many important decisions to be made by these valiant members of our community. And since we enjoy a late and leisurely dinner, we decided to postpone dining until after the meeting. So I knew that whatever I was going to serve had to be prepped ahead of time so that it could be cooked and served right after the meeting was over. So what to fix?

First of all I knew that my rice cooker, with its helpful warming function, would keep perfectly cooked rice warm until we were ready to eat. So then, what to go with brown rice?

Since there is rarely a time when I‘m not in the mood for Chinese American food, I decided to fix a chicken and broccoli dish. I desperately needed to use the head of broccoli that had been in our last farm box. Plus I wanted to use some of the chicken thighs that are currently residing in our slowly dying freezer, the demise of which is imminent! So I went online and found the bones of this recipe on the errenskitchen.com site. We enjoyed this dish very much. And it was perfect for this occasion. I had been able to prep everything ahead of time, so that when Mr. C. opened the pocket doors to our den, announcing that the zoom meeting had been adjourned, dinner was on the table within about 10 minutes.

So if you too would benefit from having a recipe for a delightful and easy to prepare chicken and broccoli dish that can be prepped well in advance, you now have a way to make that happen. (The means are up to you.)  

As always, keep smiling, stay positive, and keep cooking delicious and healthy food for yourself and your family. Peace and love to all.

1 lg. head of broccoli, peeled stems and florets cut into bite sized pieces

2 T. vegetable oil, or more if required

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 green onions, sliced  

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

3 T. Tamari or soy sauce, or more to taste  

2 T. hoisin sauce

6 T. chicken stock

2 T. honey, or more to taste

1 T. water

1 T. cornstarch

⅓ c. roughly chopped cashews

sesame seeds, opt. 

Steam the broccoli until crisp tender. Set aside.

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook lightly on all sides. (The chicken doesn’t need to be totally cooked at this point.) Remove chicken to a container and set aside. 

Add the sesame oil and additional vegetable oil if necessary to sauté the garlic, green onions, and ginger for 30 seconds.

Add the crushed red pepper flakes, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken stock, and honey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and add the partially cooked chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by about half.

Whisk the cornstarch and water together and add to the sauce. Add the broccoli and simmer until the broccoli is heated through and the cornstarch has thickened the sauce.  

Stir in the cashews, remove from heat, and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Perfect with steamed brown rice.

    

LEFTOVER POT ROAST CHILI

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OK, have I got an exciting new way to cook dried beans for you to try! And BTW, this chili ain’t bad either. (But more about the chili later!) But the beans. OMG! No soaking overnight or boiling for 10 minutes and letting them sit for 2 hours, then draining, starting with fresh water, and boiling them until they’re done. While of course checking them constantly. None of that. Just plop the suckers in a covered pan and add water and salt. Bake (you read that right) BAKE for 2 hours. Voila. Perfectly cooked, creamy delicious beans. No instant pot (although an instant pot does a good job too) required. But Instant Pots cost money. This doesn’t. Assuming of course that you have a pot with a cover and an oven.

Anyway, this is the easiest way I have ever cooked dry beans. And because I am lazy (I admit it and have no problems doing so), this is such a wonderful new addition to my list of easy preparations that I am experiencing heart palpitations just keeping my excitement under control as I share this information with all of you. But for the life of me, what I can’t quite get a handle on, is why I didn’t think of this first?!?! Heck, I’ve been making baked beans for decades. And I never soak the beans overnight. I just add all kinds of wonderful ingredients (bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, onion, molasses, mustard, herbs, various liquids, etc. etc.) and plop the whole mess in the oven for several hours. So why did it never occur to me that I could do the same thing with any dry beans and get the same amazing results? (Some would say it’s because I’m obviously not very bright. And of course, they would be making a good point. But frankly, it just never entered my mind.) But now that I have been made aware of this secret to perfectly cooked beans, I plan to use this method for preparing all kinds of different dried bean varieties using a wide array of flavoring additives. Which got me to thinking, maybe some of you never thought of cooking beans this way either.    

So that’s what got me so excited about sharing this revelation with all of you. But enough about beans. On to the real subject of this post. Chili. And how it all came about.

Our freezer is dying. It’s a slow demise, but never-the-less, our 17-18 year old upright freezer is on its last legs. But I still have several cuts of beef from our last two organic beef purchases. The meat is wonderful. It’s not too fatty and the flavor is marvelous. But we are not eating as much meat as we did when we were younger. And, like I said, our freezer is in a slow decline. So, in order to use up the beef ASAP, I made pot roast out of a hunkin’ big boneless chuck roast a few nights ago. It was wonderful. Full of flavor and we enjoyed it two nights in a row. But there comes a point when left-overs become a redundancy. So the leftover meat and gravy sat in our refrigerator for a day or two before I said that’s it. This has to be eaten or thrown away. But I was just not up for throwing perfectly good meat and gravy away. And I didn’t want to put it in our dying freezer either. So what to do with leftover lean meat and about a cup of fabulous pot roast gravy.

So yesterday morning, as if hit by a bolt of lightning (we do live on Lightning Way after all), I thought about using the cooked meat and gravy in one of our favorite dishes – chili. So that’s just what I did.

Now this is not a new and exciting recipe for an old standard. It’s basically just the way I usually prepare chili. Except of course for substituting already cooked beef for hamburger and gravy for beef stock. And of course including perfectly cooked kidney beans using my new cooking method.

So I hope you enjoy the recipe. And do try cooking dried beans using your oven rather than your cook top. You will absolutely love how easy it is to produce perfectly cooked beans.

As always, stay safe, stay sane, and keep looking forward. It’s a brave new world we are heading into. Might as well just lay back and not get too stressed by the ride. Nothing any of us can do about most of it anyway. Oh wait, there is one thing we can all do that might help towards a better future. We can all VOTE. Peace and love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. diced onion, plus more to serve with the chili

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green pepper, diced

1 (28-oz. can) diced/chopped tomatoes (preferably Italian tomatoes)

2 T. tomato paste, or more to taste

1 c. leftover pot roast gravy (or as much as you have) or 1 cup of beef stock

½ c. water, or more as needed

1-2 c. cooked kidney, pinto, or black beans (or beans of choice) (see recipe below for No Soak 2 hour “Baked” Dried Beans)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2-3 T. chili powder

1 T. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1-2 c. cubed leftover pot roast

Mexican sour cream, garnish, opt.

grated sharp cheddar cheese, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for about a minute or until you can smell the garlic. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, leftover gravy, water, cooked beans, salt, pepper, chili powder, parsley, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for about 30 minutes to blend flavors. Add the cubed leftover pot roast and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Stir often during the cooking time. Adjust seasoning along the way. Serve dolloped with sour cream and a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese.

No Soak – 2 Hour “Baked” Dried Beans  

1 c. dried beans, sorted and rinsed

½ tsp. kosher salt

water

Place beans in a heavy covered pot. Add salt and whatever other vegetative matter, herbs, or spices you might wish to add. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Place cover on pot.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 2 hours. After an hour, check beans to make sure they have enough liquid. Add a bit more liquid if necessary.

If the beans aren’t fully softened to your liking after two hours, add enough water to cover the bean surface, put the lid back on, and return pot to the oven. Bake in 15-30 minute increments until desired tenderness is reached.

Additions I added to the pot when I cooked the kidney beans for this chili:

1 T. dehydrated onion flakes

1 tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Please note: When I cooked my old (I have no idea how many years they have been in my pantry) large dark maroon kidney beans, they were perfectly cooked after 2 hours. There was very little liquid left in the pot, so I threw the whole mess in with the other chili ingredients, and called it good. In fact I called it absolutely wonderful.

I plan to use this recipe from now on every single time I need to cook dried beans. Why the heck not? It’s easy and the result is perfect. Frankly, I will be cooking a lot more beans now that I have this way to ensure perfect beans every time. Thank you to thekitchengirl.com site for this incredible new method.  

SOUTHERN FRIED OYSTERS WITH LOUISIANA STYLE RÉMOULADE SAUCE

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Fried oysters

Whenever I think of my favorite food, oysters are invariably right up there in the top 10. And I used to be content with just dipping the raw oysters in beaten egg, then into salt and pepper seasoned cornmeal, and quickly fried in a modicum of vegetable oil. And to dip them in? Plain old mayonnaise.

Well the modicum of vegetable oil is still part of the equation, but the batter and dipping components have radically changed over the years. Mainly because as I’ve gotten older, my palate has become more sophisticated. Which in turn has resulted in my becoming a very picky eater. And no, not in the way “picky eater” is usually defined – unwillingness to try new dishes or even any dish that includes a small amount of food a person doesn’t like, as well as showing a strong preference for only a certain type of food. That definitely is not me!

So when I categorize myself as a picky eater, it means that every last morsel of food that hits my mouth better be pretty damned delicious! And why I have continued to search for a recipe that would provide me with oysters fried to delicious and crispy perfection. I mean really, why should I settle for anything less?!?! Well, for one reason and one reason alone. I COULDN’T PRODUCE OR FIND A RECIPE THAT TRULY WORKED FOR ME EVEN THOUGH I TRIED DOZENS OF TIMES!  Plus I wanted a magnificent sauce, like the ones we experienced in New Orleans several years ago. (Didn’t realize at the time that the sauce was a rémoulade, because, well, I was born and raised in the state of Washington. What the heck did I know about fine Creole or Cajun cuisine? Well at least until we visited the fair city of New Orleans for Mardi Gras, that is!)

So bottom line, it has literally taken me decades to come up with this perfect combination. And because I would not settle for anything less than the best for you as well, I’ve refrained from posting any recipes for fried oysters or rémoulade sauce until today.

But the other night, using the fried oyster recipe from the butter-n-thyme.com site (Chef Steven), and the simplyrecipes.com site recipe for rémoulade sauce (Elise), I found the winning combination. And I am so excited to share these two marvelous recipes with you.

Of course, I changed things a bit on both recipes, but nothing of any real significance. So my sincere thanks go out to Steven and Elise. Because of you my search is over. Now I can just sit back (so to speak), pull out this recipe every time I get a hankering for fried oysters, and produce an oyster dinner fit for a king. (Or Mr. C. in this case!)  

So if you too love fried oysters dipped in rémoulade sauce, give these recipes a try. Or if you are not a rémoulade fan, dip the oysters in your favorite tartar sauce or aioli. Or if you are not an oyster fan, serve the rémoulade sauce with something else. But if you are reading this post, I just have to assume you are interested in at least part of this winning combination. Of course you could just be reading this post to keep track of what that crazy Patti Carr is up to now. That’s OK too. (Hi Rebecca. G&G send our love to you and that Brady boy.)

Well that’s about all for now. Except to tell you that I’ve provided 2 recipes for Creole Seasoning and 1 recipe for Cajun Seasoning below. All 3 are great recipes. If you are going to build your own seasoning, which I would highly recommend, read the list of ingredients in each recipe and make your choice depending on which herbs and spices you own and already know you like. Whichever recipe you choose, these fried oysters and rémoulade sauce are going to be delicious. (You can probably even buy Creole or Cajun seasoning at your local grocery store. Imagine that! Perfectly acceptable alternative.)

As always, stay safe, stay positive, and keep cooking great food. Peace and love to all.

½ c. buttermilk

1 T. hot sauce (I use Frank’s RedHot) 

20 oz. oysters, washed and drained (I use 2 – 10-oz. jars of oysters for the two of us)  

½ c. cake flour (see recipe for homemade cake flour below)

½ c. cornmeal

2 tsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning (see recipes below)

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. granulated onion

1/8 tsp. dried oregano, crushed in the palm of your hand to release the natural oils

1/8 tsp. dried thyme, crushed in the palm of your hand to release the natural oils

vegetable oil

lemon wedges

Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce together. Add the drained oysters, cover, and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  

Mix the cake flour, cornmeal, creole seasoning, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, oregano, and thyme together in a shallow pan. Taste the mixture and add more of whatever you think is missing.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan. (I use just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.)

Remove the oysters from the buttermilk, shake a bit to remove some of the buttermilk, then place in the flour mixture. Coat both sides. Place so they are not touching each other in the hot oil. (Oil temperature should be about 360 degrees.)

Fry the first side to golden brown, then gently flip to the other side. Remove from pan and onto a paper towel lined serving plate when the second side is also nicely browned. Serve with rémoulade sauce (see recipe below), tartar sauce, or aioli. Pass lemon wedges.

LOUISIANA STYLE RÉMOULADE SAUCE

 

¾ c. mayonnaise

1 T. yellow mustard

1 tsp. paprika (not smoked)                                            

1 tsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning

1 tsp. prepared horseradish

1 tsp. dill pickle juice  

2 squirts hot sauce, or more to taste (I use Frank’s RedHot)

1/8 tsp. granulated garlic

Mix it up. Refrigerate until ready to use.

EMERIL’S ESSENCE CREOLE SEASONING

2½ T. paprika

2 T. salt

2 T. garlic powder or granulated garlic

1 T. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. granulated onion or onion powder

1 T. cayenne

1 T. dried oregano

1 T. dried thyme

Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container.

CREOLE SEASONING MIX (my recipe) 

1½ tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. dried thyme

½-1½ tsp. cayenne (depends on how much heat you like or can tolerate)

½ tsp. gumbo file

Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container.

CAJUN SEASONING (I have no idea whose recipe this is or where I found it)

2 T. paprika

1 T. granulated onion or onion powder

1 T. granulated garlic

1 T. dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred) (If the dried oregano leaves are large, break them down a bit in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)

1 T. dried thyme

1 T. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. kosher salt

1 tsp. cayenne

Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Cake Flour:

½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour (fluffed and leveled off)

1 T. cornstarch

Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour and place it back in your flour container. Add the cornstarch and whisk it all together. (This aerates the mixture so the consistency is similar to “real” cake flour.)

Use in any of your recipes that call for cake flour. And yes you can double or triple, etc. this recipe.

MARINATED GRILLED FLANK STEAK

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OK, sometimes I don’t even have the strength to mess with someone else’s recipe. And you know what, in this case it was absolutely the right thing to do. OK, I did halve the marinade ingredients, because I often find that some cooks are much more liberal with ingredients than I am. And it makes me feel that I am being wasteful if I use more of an ingredient than I think is necessary. Even though the cost might not be that great, I just can’t make myself do it. (And yes, I am over 70!) Some might even go so far as to call me stubborn, but pig headed works just as well. Anyway, I made this recipe a couple of days ago, marinated the meat for about 7 hours, and Mr. C. grilled it to perfection that evening. Absolutely delicious, tender, and just right served with oven roasted new potatoes and steamed fresh green beans.

So I actually don’t have much more to say today. I’m feeling terribly lazy, and with temperatures in the 80s, I’m being drawn outside. The Cascade Mountains including Mt. Baker are out in all their glory, the birds are having a raucous time flitting from tree to bush to fountain. And the water (Port Susan Bay) is calm and absolutely replete with boaters. (Two boats – that’s a lot for Port Susan Bay.) Plus the protagonist in the book I’m reading is in desperate trouble. I feel it only right to get back to him and offer any help this benign observer can offer. (Like I can change the plot line and help him defeat the bad guy! But I’m there beside him none-the-less!) So, I’m going to keep this post short and sweet. (Well as sweet as it’s possible for me to be!)

BTW- this recipe is courtesy of Sara at dinneratthezoo.com. (Visit her site. She cooks good stuff.)

As always, from our sunny home to yours – peace and love to all.

6 T. low sodium soy sauce

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. brown sugar, packed

1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar

1½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

freshly ground black pepper

2 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced

1½-2 lb. flank steak, trimmed of silver skin and as much fat as possible

Combine the soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper in a re-sealable bag; seal and shake to combine. If you prefer, marinate the steak in a shallow pan. Works either way.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for later use. Stir the garlic into the marinade. Add the steak and marinate for several hours.

Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 3-6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your meat and your desired level of doneness. For medium rare, the internal temperature should read about 130-135 degrees.

Remove the meat from grill and tent with foil. Let stand for 5-10 minutes and then slice diagonally against the grain into thin pieces with a very sharp knife. Drizzle with reserved marinade, then serve.