Recipe #111-114: Kebobs!

Nick wasn't overly thrilled when he was tasked with grilling 51 kebobs, of 4 different kinds, for dinner yesterday... but I think he forgot about being stuck outside in hot weather over a 600-700 degree grill once he was able to sit down and eat these.  Between four adults and one kid, we polished off 46 of these with no problem.  SUMMER IS HERE!!  These recipes all came from a book called Simple 1-2-3 Entertaining.

It looks like a lot of food, but we ate nearly all of it...

Recipe #111:  Skewered Beef Strips with Spicy Honey Glaze

Ingredients:

1 beef top sirloin steak (about 1lb)... I used very thin sliced "beef for braising"
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3 cup honey
Skewers

Directions:

Slice beef across the grain into 1/4 inch thick strips.  Thread strips onto wooden skewers and place into large glass baking dish.

Prepare grill for direct cooking.  Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and red pepper; pour over skewers and marinate 10 minutes, turning once.  (I prepped these hours earlier instead).  Drain marinade into a small sauce pan; stir in honey and bring to a boil.  Boil 2 minutes to reduce and use as baste while grilling the beef, 3-4 minutes.

Recipe #112:  Sizzling Shrimp

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup mushrooms, cut into halves
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2-1 onion cut into 1 inch pieces
1 jar lemon pepper marinade
Skewers

Directions:

Arrange shrimp, bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion on skewers.  Place into a glass dish and pour marinade over, reserving a little for basting later.  Let marinate for an hour or more.  Grill shrimp for about 3-4 minutes or as needed on each side, basting with reserved sauce.

Recipe #113:  Herbed Beef Kabobs

Ingredients:

0.5-1 bottle Garlic and Herb marinade
1-1.5 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into chunks (I used a london broil)
Mushrooms
2 bell peppers, cut into squares
1-2 onions, cut into chunks
Skewers

Directions:

Marinate beef chunks in the marinade for at least an hour.  Arrange beef chunks with peppers, mushrooms and onion on skewers.  Grill to desired degree of doneness, about 10-14 minutes.

Recipe #114:  BBQ Corn Wheels

Ingredients:

3-4 ears corn on the cob, husked, cleaned, and cut into 1 inch slices
3 bell peppers
3/4 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:

Arrange corn and peppers on skewers.  Combine bbq sauce, honey, and Worcestershire sauce.  Coat kabobs with vegetable cooking spray.  Grill on greased rack over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Baste with bbq mixture.  Turn and cook 5 more minutes, baste again, until corn is tender.

Recipe #110: Shrimp Cobb Salad

This is so easy to make, and full on flavor but not heavy!  And anything with shrimp and bacon and avocado has GOT to be awesome...  This is from my May issue of Cooking Light.  I varied the amounts quite a bit- more shrimp, more bacon, and I doubled the dressing for better coverage.  I'll post the recipe here as-is though- it's easy to vary the amounts according to your tastes.

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

• 1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; cut in half crosswise. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
• 2. While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat.
• 3. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado wedges, and 2 bacon pieces.

Recipe #109: Portobello Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

This is from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals: Veggie Meals.  The flavor was fantastic, but we made the mistake of using thin buns that soaked up too much of the spread- next time I'll use a heartier bun.  But these are fantastic and quick to make!  We halved the recipe for the two of us.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns of the bottle in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup (3 splashes) balsamic vinegar
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 large portobello mushroom caps
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (preferred brand: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning) or 1 teaspoon combined coarse salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound fresh smoked mozzarella, sliced, or slices of provolone

Roasted Pepper Paste:

• 1 (14-ounce) jar roasted peppers, drained
• A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
• A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 large clove garlic, cracked away from skin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 large crusty rolls, split

Suggested toppings:

• Whole baby spinach leaves or romaine lettuce
• Thinly sliced red onions

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients in the bottom of a large food storage bag. Add mushroom caps, seal bag and shake bag to coat caps, then let the mushrooms marinate for 15 minutes.

Grill mushrooms on indoor electric grill, starting with caps down, turning to caps up, about 6 minutes on each side. Pan-fry in large nonstick skillet for same amount of time. Season caps while they cook on each side with grill seasoning or a little salt and pepper. Melt the cheese over mushroom caps in the last minute of grill time.
To make the red pepper paste, combine the roasted red peppers, oil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in food processor and pulse grind into thick sauce.
To serve, place the grilled mushroom caps topped with melted cheese on the bun bottoms. Top with spinach and onion. Spread bun tops with roasted pepper paste.

 The red pepper spread- mmmmm!

Recipe #108: Rosemary and Lemon Leg of Lamb

A recent issue of Cooking Light featured various cuts of lamb and how to cook them, which is what inspired my previous post about lamb chops (see Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction)  I knew I had to try a leg of lamb roast at some point, but considering the cost (about $40 for one), I knew I had to save it for a special occasion.  I knew it was the right choice when I invited Nick's parents over for a Mother's Day dinner, and with a couple modifications, this recipe was PERFECT.  Two hours after eating dinner, I'm STILL so excited about this and can't wait to make it again!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com (do you see a pattern?) and tweaked it a little based on other recipes (in red).  My times here were dead on for a perfectly tender, slightly pink-at-the-bone roast.  If you like prime rib, you will LOVE this, I promise!

Ingredients

• 1 (6 pound) leg of lamb, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 6 cloves garlic, halved
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed  (I used 12 ounces!!)
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion and mushroom soup mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Spread butter generously over the lamb, and distribute garlic clove halves over the meat. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Place the lamb on a rack inside a roasting pan. (Instead, I sprinkled garlic powder over the lamb, along with the pepper and fresh rosemary, sprayed it with olive oil, and put pats of butter on top.)
3. Roast the lamb in the preheated oven for 1 hour.  Flip the roast over and cook another 45 minutes.
4. Mix the lemonade concentrate and dry soup mix together in a bowl, pour over the lamb, and roast an additional 30 minutes. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the lamb should read 120 degrees F/58 degrees C for medium-rare or 145 degrees F/68 degrees C for medium-well. Allow the roast to stand for about 20 minutes before slicing. 

 

Prepped for roasting

 

All done!

 

Nick cutting the bone out

 

Victory!

 

With two of my favorite sides:  Sweet potatoes and asparagus

Recipe #107: Lasagna

I've posted various lasagna recipes previously (specifically, enchilada lasagna and healthy lasagna- which is turkey-based), but never a traditional recipe.. until now. This recipe is rated five stars by more than 5,000 people on allrecipes.com, so I knew I had to try it, and it was definitely fantastic!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

It's been awhile

Between setting up the new house, emptying out and cleaning the apartment, and work (including travel!), I've been way too busy to work on new recipes.... hopefully that will change soon, and I'll be trying new techniques as well- my mom gave me a pressure cooker for my birthday that I can't wait to try!  I want to try more seafood, roasting a leg of lamb, and using my bamboo steamer more.  Stay tuned...

Recipe #106: Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction

Two new recipes in one day!  I'm on a roll, getting comfortable in my new kitchen.  My latest copy of Cooking Light magazine had a feature on all cuts of lamb and how to cook them, and I realized I've never made lamb.  Actually, I wasn't even sure if I've had it before.  I'm so glad I tried, because these were so good!  Kind of like steak, but a little different flavor.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com (of course!) and it had such great ratings, I had to try.  Nick said it was a "high-class" dinner.  It was quite easy to make, too!  So herbal and fresh, and you feel kinda fancy eating it...

I love taking pictures in natural daylight again!

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
3. Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve. 

Note:  I served these over a bed of spring leafage!  Side of mashed sweet potatoes.  These chops are small, bone-in, so I recommend two per person.

Recipe #105: Field Grade Spaghetti Sauce

I didn't have much time to plan a meal for six people, but I knew that pasta would be the best solution, and I've always wanted to try a good hearty meaty sauce.  I did a little hunting on allrecipes.com and found this awesome one, which features cinnamon.  I love it, and I think everyone else enjoyed it too, judging by the clean plates.  This fed me, Nick, my sister, one of my best friends, my uncle and my grandma!

The pictures aren't that great because I forgot to take pictures before we started eating, but you get the idea.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers!

Half-eaten...

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can canned mushrooms, drained  (I used 2 cans)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground allspice  (I didn't have this)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown the meat with the garlic over medium heat. Stir in the wine; simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
2. Mix in dry onion soup mix, mushrooms, basil, salt and pepper, cinnamon, allspice, parsley, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Cover pan almost completely, allowing space for steam to escape, and simmer 1 hour. Add additional water if needed to prevent sticking.

What recipe number am I on again? Ahh, #104: Easy Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Here, this one's easy.  Fry up bite-sized cut up chicken, breaded in Panko bread crumbs in butter until fully cooked.  Pour some buffalo or mild wing sauce over them, heat through, and serve in a burrito-sized tortilla/wrap of your choice with ranch or similar dressing, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, whatever your heart desires.  Easy and good imitation of bar food!

The Kitchen

Well, it's been a couple weeks since we received the keys to our house, and immediately the kitchen was the focus.  We saw the potential in this when we saw the house for the first time, and it turned out just how we liked it!  It has a cut out to the family room, and to the back is the dining room.  The door next to the pantry goes to the basement.  Nick just has to fix a tiny leak that's evident by the rag under the dishwasher, and we're done!