Beef...It's definitely what's for dinner!!

Hello everybody. Time once again for a new blog and this one was a winner. I've made it before but it was before I had the blog so time to add it in. On the menu was Lemon-Garlic Sirloin Tips over Rice, Red-White Beans, and Sauteed Spinach with Bacon.

First lets tackle the sirloin tips. Now I'll be the first to admit that the idea of lemon and sirloin seemed a little odd to me. Let's be honest, you don't usually see sirloin tips in the south. You usually see them with a thick brown gravy over them ( and don't get me wrong I LOVE them that way), but I don't think I'd ever seen sirloin or beef tips with lemon. I have to say the flavor combo on this is fantastic! The lemon adds an interesting tartness to the sirloin that really works well! So lets get into how you make it. First thing to do is let the meat sit out and come to room temperature. Now I usually buy the fresh groceries for these meals the on the way home from work before I cook it so between getting it and getting out of the grocery store and then getting home and getting everything ready to cook the meat is usually already at room temperature when I'm ready to get started. If you buy yours in advance just let it sit out for a few minutes. Now at Publix they didn't have sirloin tips so I found a sirloin I liked and had the butcher trim and chunk it for me. I have to say it made me feel like such a real cook by actually having meat cut by the butcher :). Once the meat is at room temperature, pat it dry and you are ready to go. Heat the EVOO over medium-high to high heat. Once it is hot add the sirloin tips and let them go! You want to get a really nice caramelization on the meat so don't mess with it for a little while. Once the first side is caramelized you can turn he meat and brown on all sides. Once the meat is caramelized, add the salt and pepper and then add the garlic and cook together for a couple minutes. Then you stir in the parsley and lemon zest and let it go for another minute or so. At this point, you are going to add the white vermouth  to deglaze the pan. Now, I didn't wanna buy the white vermouth because I don't particularly care for wine so the Vermouth wouldn't get used and would go bad, so instead I used a little chicken stock to deglaze the pan. If you have Vermouth by all means use that or just white wine would work as well. But if you don't have either and wanna save a couple bucks, you can totally use the chicken stock, it still tastes great! At this point you turn the heat off and squeeze in the lemon juice, then toss and coat the sirloin tips. Rachael Tip: Squeeze the lemons cut side up so that you keep the seeds in the lemon, not in the dish! For the rice you just make a cup of rice according to the package directions of your rice. I use chicken stock to cook my rice so that it has a little more flavor. Once the are ready, you just serve the sirloin tips over the rice!!

Next are the red-white beans. You start out by adding some EVOO to a skillet over medium heat. You then add in a medium to large onion with rosemary, salt and pepper and cook them until the onions are soft and sweet. At this point you stir in the tomato paste and let it cook out for a minute. This is what makes them "red"-white beans. I'd recommend getting some of the tomato paste in a tube. It's usually either next to all the can tomatoes or it'll be on the ethnic foods aisle. It's great for something like this cause you don't have to open a can of tomato paste and then try to figure out what to do with the leftover paste. It's also nice to have it in the fridge so that you have it on hand for future recipes. I've used it before in rice and made a rice that's similar to the rice you get when you go to a nice Mexican restaurant! So definitely pick some up and keep it on hand. Now that I'm done product plugging, once the tomato paste cooks for a minute and in the stock and beans and the reduce heat to low and let it simmer for a couple minutes so that the flavors combine. Pour into a serving bowl and you are ready to go!

The last side dish I did was not part of the original meal but I wanted to have some kind of green with this. I had seen Rachael use bacon with greens and so I decided to just try that with spinach. So first up you chop up 4 - 5 slices of thick cut bacon and crisp up over medium-high heat. Once it is crisp you are ready to add in the spinach. Now I only used one bag of spinach. I would suggest using 2 bags for 4 people as it does wilt down a lot and didn't really leave a lot! Once you start adding in the spinach, you will season with pepper and nutmeg. Now I made a goof-up and added salt as well. With the bacon you don't need salt added so mine came out a little extra salty. Now, my friends actually really liked it but next time I'll be sure not to add any salt and see if it's better, which I'm sure it will be.  Anyway, once the spinach wilts down nicely transfer it to a serving bowl or platter and it's ready to go!

This meal is one that is a good example of why I like Rachael so much! There were things in this meal that I hadn't tried before and I wasn't sure I'd like, but by making them easy and flavorful to make, Rachael is able to open up your mind and tastes to something different. My friends neither one like wilted greens. Dawn just doesn't eat spinach at all and Jamie pretty much only eats it in salads. They both ate it and enjoyed it! So thanks Rachael!! Hope you guys enjoy it. Pics are below and as always if you like what you see and wanna make it, the recipes follow. Until next time, Happy Cooking!!

"Lemon-Garlic Sirloin Tips over Rice"

2 Lbs. sirloin tips, trimmed and cubed
into bite-sized pieces
3 Tbs. EVOO
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ C. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley,
a couple handfuls
1 lemon, zested and juiced
½ C. white vermouth or dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring meat to room temperature and pat dry. Heat the EVOO in large, heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. When the oil smokes, add the meat and caramelize before turning. Once evenly browned all over, about 5 minutes, season liberally with salt and pepper, add the garlic and toss with the meat for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and a little lemon zest and cook for another minute. Add the white vermouth and deglaze the pan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately

*For rice prepare according to package directions. Cook in chicken stock for extra flavor!

"Red-White Beans"

2 Tbs. EVOO
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
¼ C. tomato paste
1 C. chicken stock
2 (15oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, rosemary, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8 - 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute. Add the stock, then stir in the beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve.

"Sauteed Spinach with Bacon"

2 Bags of triple washed spinach

4 - 5 Slices thick-cut bacon

2 Tbs. EVOO

1 Tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Chop the bacon and add into pan to crisp 4 - 5 minutes. Once the bacon is crisped up, start wilting in spinach. Once the spinach is wilted down season with pepper and nutmeg. 1 teaspoon would be about one turn of the pan freshly grating it. Toss with the spinach and transfer to a serving dish.

Apricots, butternut squash and chicken...does it get any better?!

Hi everyone!! As promised, two blogs in one day!! This one was made Monday night and I gotta say it was pretttttty awesome!! On the menu was Herb-Apricot Chicken, Butternut Squash Risotto and Roasted Broccolini and Green Beans! First up, the chicken!

This chicken was awesome!! The sweetness from the apricots along with the herbs and tanginess of the balsamic vinegar was great! First up, you cut the chicken into large bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pan and let it heat. Once it's hot add the chicken and brown it on both sides. When the chicken is browned you add the vinegar and let it cook for about 30 seconds. Rachael Tip: Back away as you add the balsamic vinegar. If not the steam from the balsamic will seriously open up your sinuses. You then add the stock, apricots and thyme sprigs and reduce the heat to medium-low to low. You put the lid on and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Once you take the lid off you add in the parsley, lemon zest chives and lemon juice and turn off the heat. After it stands a couple minutes remove the thyme sprigs and it is ready to serve! When I got to publix to buy the ingredients they were out of chives so i used scallions and just chopped them really fine. It tasted fine so if need be you could do that!

The broccolini and green beans are extremely easy. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. After you trim the ends off the broccolini and beans, arrange them on a cookie sheet. Coat them in oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them for 15-18 minutes and they are good to go! The veggies maintain a lot of their crunch and have a nice crispy, nutty taste. If you are looking for a healthy way to do veggies, this one is great!

Lastly is the risotto. I will admit I was actually scared to make this. There is a process to it and if you mess that up the dish can go very wrong. Fortunately, it is an easy process and it turned out great!!! First up, add one quart of chicken stock with one cup of water to a pot. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce it to low heat. Add some oil to the skillet and then saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Then you add the rice and toast it for 2 - 3 minutes. Once toasted, add a cup of dry white wine, stirring it occasionally. As I stated in the last blog I use chardonnay, but you can use any dry white wine that you prefer! Once the wine cooks completely you are ready to begin ladling in the stock. You start by adding about 2 ladles of stock. Each time you add stock you stir the rice for a little bit. This is what gives the risotto the creamy finish because by stirring you are developing the starches in the rice. Thanks for that info Rachael :). Allow the stock to evaporate out and add 2 ladles of stock. Repeat this process until all the stock has been added. The risotto will take 18 minutes from the first addition of stock until it is finished. At this point, pop the squash into the microwave and defrost. Stir the squash into the risotto the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper and then in the last minute of cooking stir in the butter in small pieces, sage and cheese and then it's ready to serve. Again, this is a lot easier than it looks and sounds. As long as you stir the rice each time you add stock and don't let the rice burn in between ladles, this will turn out great!!

This one is definitely one of my favs that I have made. The suggestion from Rachael is to use this as a small Christmas dinner. It will serve 6 rather than 4 like most of her recipes. But by all means do what  did and serve it any da of the year! Picture below and recipe to follow! Until next time, Happy Cooking!!!

"Herb-Apricot Chicken with Roasted Broccolini and Green Beans"

3 Tbs. EVOO
3 Lbs. chicken breasts and boneless thighs, cut into large chunks
¼ C. aged balsamic vinegar
2 C. chicken stock
20 - 24 Dried apricots, chopped
5 - 6 sprigs thyme
A generous handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
3 Tbs. chopped chives
1 Lemon, zest and juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roast Broccolini & Beans:
2 Bundles broccolini, trim off ends
1 Lb. string beans, trimmed
3 Tbs. EVOO
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet with high sides, heat the oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper liberally. When oil ripples, add chicken and brown it on both sides, 7 - 8 minutes total. Add balsamic vinegar and stir 30 seconds, add stock, apricots and thyme and reduce heat to medium-low to low. Place a lid on the pan and simmer 10 minutes. Take lid off, stir in the parsley, chives, lemon zest and juice and turn off heat. Let stand a couple of minutes, remove the thyme sprigs and serve.

For the broccolini and beans, heat the oven to 425°.

Arrange broccolini and beans on a cookie sheet. Coat the vegetables in oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 - 18 minutes, until nutty and crispy at edges.

"Butternut Squash Risotto"

1 Qt. chicken stock
1 C. water
2 Tbs. EVOO
1 Small onion, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, grated or chopped
2 C. Arborio rice
1 C. dry white wine
1 (10oz.) Box cooked frozen butternut squash
Nutmet, grated, to taste
2 Tbs. butter
7 or 8 Leaves fresh sage, slivered
1 C. grated parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring 1 quart stock plus 1 cup water to a simmer in a sauce pot then reduce heat to low.

Heat a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat with EVOO. When oil ripples, add onions and garlic and soften 2 - 3 minutes. Add rice and toast 2 - 3 minutes more. Add wine and cook it out completely, stirring occasionaly, 2 - 3 minutes. Ladle in stock in intervals, a couple ladles at a time. Allow liquids to evaporate each time. Risotto will cook 18 minutes, total, from the first addition of liquid. Defrost the squash in the microwave in a dish to collect any liquids. Stir the squash into the rice the last 3 minutes of cook time. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. In the last minute of cooking time, stir in the butter in small pieces, sage and cheese, serve.

Coq au Van in under half the time

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long. But not to worry, I have 2 blogs today!!! The first one is from last weekend. My mom came up and I made this for her. I had made it once before for Dawn and Jamie but it was before I had the blog so here it is.

This meal is called "Quick Chick-in-Wine with Brie-Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes". This is really a quick cook version of the French dish Coq au Van. I've heard people say coq au van before but honestly i thought they were saying it cocoa van. So I thought it had something to do with chocolate lol. But as I learned it means chicken in wine. The traditional meal is made with red wine and takes a lot longer to make. This one is made with white wine and obviously, takes much less tine. 

First thing to do is to soak the chicken. You'll want to put it in a bowl that will hold it and the wine in it. Place the chicken in the bowl and cover with wine. It should use about half the bottle of wine. This recipe calls for a dry white wine. Since I am not really a fan of wine I didn't know which one would be good to use. Luckily I know a chef and so I asked him. He suggested Chardonnay so that is what I used. If you drink wine and have one you like better than Chardonnay by all means use that. So anyway after you soak the chicken, heat the oil in the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the bacon, crisp it up and then remove it to a plate. While the bacon is crisping, put the chicken on a meat board and cut into large bite-size pieces. The recipe calls for boneless skinless thighs and breasts. I am not a fan of the thighs so I only use breasts, but if you like both use both or if you like the thighs better, just use those. Anyway, after they are cut up and seasoned, you dredge them in flour and brown them in the bacon drippings. While they brown you chop up the veggies. Remove the chicken to a plate, add some more oil and then drop the veggies, bay leaf and thyme. You put a lid on and let the veggies sweat for about 5 minutes. Once they are tender you add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute. Then you add in the wine that was used to soak the chicken. Add the chicken back in and let the sauce thicken and the chicken cook through. You really can't mess this up. It's really simple to do. Some of you may thing that the wine is not safe to add due to the raw chicken soaking in it. But letting it simmer together brings it up hot enough to kill anything that could be there. I've eaten this meal twice and never had a problem.

The side dish for this meal is "Brie-Yukon Gold mashed Potatoes". When I watched Rachael make this, I was very skeptical because you add a golden delicious apple and brie cheese. But I have to say that they were the favorite part of the meal when Jamie and Dawn ate it and when my mom ate it! They are really simple to make. Now, I can never find the baby yukon gold potatoes in the recipe. The ones I find at publix are called baby yellow Dutch and they work great! First thing is to quarter the potatoes and cover in cold water. Put the water on to boil. When it boils, add salt to them and cook them until tender. Core and chop the apple, put it in a pot and cover with heavy cream. Simmer the apple and cream together for 15 minutes. Once it is done, you add it and the brie cheese to a food processor and blend until smooth. When the potatoes are done, take them out, drain and then put back into the hot pot. This is another Rachael tip but if you put them back the heat from the pot will evaporate any water left on them. Mash the potaotes with the apple/brie/cream mixture to your desired consistency. I know that these sound like they would be really gross but they are awesome!!! They are really creamy with just a hint of sweetness. Even if you think you won't like them, give it a shot!!

Hope you guys enjoy! If you like the pic as always, the recipe is below. Until the next blog, which is in like another minute, Happy Cooking!!

"Quick Chick-in-Wine with Brie-Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes"

2½ Lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts
½ Bottle dry white wine
2 Lbs. baby Yukon gold potatoes
½ C. cream
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 Tbs. EVOO, plus a drizzle
4 Slices deli-cut bacon or thick cut pancetta, chopped
Flour, for dredging plus 2 Tbs.
1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
2 Ribs celery, chopped
2 Carrots, chopped or 1 C. shredded carrot
1 Bay leaf
A few sprigs thyme, stripped and leaves chopped
⅓ Lb. wedge brie, cut into pieces
Crusty, warm bread
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, add the chicken, cover with wine, and set aside.
 
Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skin-on. Place in a large pot, cover with water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place in a medium bowl. Mash the potatoes, season with salt and set aside.
 
In a small pot, combine apple and cream and redue over medium heat 15 minutes.
 
Drizzle olive oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat , add the bacon and crisp 3 - 4 minutes. Remove to plate.
 
While bacon crisps, remove the chicken to a work surface, reserving the wine. Cut chicken into large bite-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour then brown in bacon drippings. While chicken browns chop vegetables. Remove the chicken to a plate, then add 2 tablespoons EVOO to the skillet, season the vegetables with salt and pepper and add bay leaf and thyme. Cover pan to sweat vegetables 5 minutes then remove lid, stir in 2 tablespoons flour, cook 1 minute then stir in wine, add chicken back to pan and simmer together to thicken and the chicken is cooked through, a couple of minutes more.
 
To a food processor, add the apple-cream and brie, process until smooth and season with salt. Combine apple-brie mixture with the mashed potatoes.
 
Serve the chicken with wine over brie mashed potatoes.