Teriyaki Burgers

I am back! I know, I said that before. But I am really feeling into my groove now.
I was inspired by my sister, who stopped blogging to spend time with her family. I am not going to stop blogging, but I am going to stop living/cooking for my blog. I am going to make what I want to make, and when it seems blog worthy - you will get a post. I just didn't like the fact that I "couldn't" make a favorite dish because I had already posted the recipe. I still love to experiment and new foods - so there will always be something new - just maybe not as often as before.

Okay, now to the food. These burgers! Oh! These burgers are delicious, and they couldn't be easier!
Thanks to Marta's delicious salad recipe, I had some leftover Soy Vay. Hannah told me to just use it in burgers. They were moist, flavorful, and easy! Really. You don't need a recipe, but I'll give it to you anyway. They were so delicious I didn't need any ketchup, mustard or other sauce -- and that's saying a lot from a ketchup lover!

Teriyaki Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

1 lb lean ground beef
3-4 Tbsp Soy Vay, or other prepared teriyaki sauce

Combine ingredients and divide into four patties, shaping them so the center is a little thinner than the edges. (I learned this from Rachael Ray - this makes them cook evenly and so when they bulge, you have a flat rather than ball-shaped patty). Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, flipping once, or until desired done-ness.

We topped them with grilled pineapple, tomato, and lettuce. That's actually kind of a lie because we don't have a grill - I faux-grilled them. I sprinkled each pineapple ring with some brown sugar and then put them under the broiler until the sugar was dissolved and started to caramelize, maybe 3-5 minutes.

Beef Goulash with Polenta

I saw a goulash dish being made on the food network, and for the first time in the past 13 weeks, I have really wanted to make meat. My lucky husband. Now, my grocery store was out of caraway seeds so I just left them out. I don't know if that is allowed in goulash, but don't be mad.

Beef Goulash

2 pounds beef, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (the better the cut, the more tender your final product)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, deviened and chopped finely
3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp whole caraway seeds, toasted and ground
2 Tbsp paprika (if you have sweet and hot in your house, do a little of each!)
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
2 tsp ground marjoram
1 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cups chicken stock, low-sodium
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Season the beef with the salt and pepper, to taste. In a large oven safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until just smoking. Add the beef in batches, being careful not to crowd and be sure to brown the meat on all sides. (Make sure you have your fan going... or else your fire alarm might go off and scare your 20 month old). Remove the meat from the pan to a baking sheet, or something that can catch the juices.
Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, the moisture from the onions will loosen the bits at the bottom, so stir often. Add the peppers and the garlic and cook until caramelized and all of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 1 minute. Add in the caraway, sweet and hot paprika, the red chili flakes, the marjoram, and thyme.
Deglaze with the balsamic and let reduce for 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, then add the beef and any juices collected from the meat. Add the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir gently to combine.
Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley (no, we were out, so I used cilantro - and it was just as tasty). Serve with creamy or polenta if desired.

**Yes, I know there is red pepper flakes and a jalapeno, but I promise it just gives a little spice - not really "heat." Don't be nervous.

Taco Seasoning

I usually don't buy spice mixes mostly because I like to control my flavors. Typically taco seasonings are a little too much for me - I feel like I taste the taco seasoning more than the meat. This is my mix that I have made in large batches and then use as much as I need.

Taco Seasoning

3 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Pepper

Mix and store in an air-tight container.

Tips:

I use about 3-4 Tbsp of this mix on each pound of meat. Adjust for your tastes.

Meatloaf

Okay, don't go to the next blog post just because this one says meatloaf. I am not the biggest meatloaf person, but really this was delicious. Not as bland as most are. My husband told me after this came out of the oven that he usually dosen't like meatloaf (I didn't know this!) but he really liked this one. Another bonus - I used half ground turkey so it's less fat than those 80/20 loafs out there. I did a little olive oil but that's a much better fat for you.
This was a perfect Sunday dinner for us. I served mine with green beans, mashed pototoes and a green salad. Serve on a silver platter and the everyday looks gourmet!

Meatloaf

5 oz bag of garlic croutons (thanks to Alton Brown for this idea)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 onion, cut in 6 pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
2 garlic cloves
2 celery sticks, cut in half
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg ground turkey (mine was 19 oz)
1 Tbsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Glaze

1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Add to crouton mixture. Add in meats and salt. Mix in egg. Combine well by folding and stirring, don't "squish" it.
Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Bake for about 10 minutes. While baking make your glaze.
Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. After the meatloaf has been cooking for 10 minutes, brush the glaze on. Cook for about 40 more minutes or until internal temperature has reached 155 degrees.

Our Valentine's Day

I know it's a little late, but I wanted to share what AC and I had for dinner on Valentine's Day. It is much more fun for us to stay in. (Added bonuses - not worrying about finding a sitter, cheaper, and turned out - this was tastier!)

On our Valentine Menu: Surf and Turf (Ribeye Steak and Shrimp), Roasted Asparagus, Rosette Dinner Rolls, and a Spinach Salad (you can see it in the corner... there was nothing special about it). For dessert we had Lemon Bars. Don't be mad, we didn't have chocolate. But Lemon Bars are my husband's favorite. Stay tuned for all the recipes.
Here is the Surf and Turf for you though:

Steak and Shrimp

Turf:

2 Ribeye Steaks
3-4 Tbsp Butter
Seasoning Salt
Lemon Pepper

Surf:

12 shrimp
garlic powder
Lemon Pepper

In a large skillet or grill pan, melt butter. Apply a thin layer or seasoning salt and lemon pepper on the steak, give it a little massage and rub it in. Cook steaks until desired doneness. Let rest for 10 minutes before poking or cutting into it!
Okay, I know that's pretty broad, but it totally depends on how you like your steaks cooked and how thick they are. Here is what I did for a Medium steak: Heat was just between Medium and Medium High. My steaks were 1 inch (ish) thick. And I cooked them for about 5 minutes on both sides. Does that help.
5 minutes after your steak started resting, turn heat back on the skillet to Medium High (don't clean it out, that's good stuff in there!).  Once pan is hot, place shrimp in skillet, stirring for just a minute to pick up those yummy flavors left in the pan. (If it seems kind of dry, add 1 Tbsp of butter.) Flip the shrimp once down side looks white and slightly pink. Remove shrimp as soon as it is white all over.

Okay, more tips: remove your steak from the fridge and bring your steaks to room temperature before cooking - trust me.
Don't move your steak while cooking them except to flip. This gives you nice caramelization. Again, trust me.
If you are a newbie to steak (I am pretty new myself - this was my third steak and my first real success), and are worried about doneness - use a meat thermometer. yes, it is a little poke, but it's much better than cutting a big slice into it.

Barbecue Meatballs

This is a favorite recipe in our house. My husband would like me to make this every week (but I need more variety than that). I did a tutorial, for my friend Katy, who told me she likes to see how things are made.
This would also be a great thing to make for your superbowl party in a couple weeks. You can make the meatballs ahead, freeze them, and then put these together just before game time.

Barbecue Meatballs

Meatballs

3 pieces white bread, crusts removed
milk
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, diced fine
1 tsp fresh garlic, grated
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 egg

Sauce

1 (12 oz) jar chili sauce
1 (12 oz) jar grape jelly

1. Tear bread into a few pieces and cover with milk. (I smashed mine down after the picture so it was covered).
2. Gather ingredients. This is why I don't like saying "2 garlic cloves." Look at those! They are enormous, almost as big as my egg!
3. Grate garlic with this beauty
4. About that much... I ended up using 1 1/2 enormous garlic cloves.
5. Dice onions
6. Combine meat and egg.
7. Now that your bread is soaked...
8. Break into small pieces and combine with meat.
9. Add remaining ingredients
10. Mix with hands until just combined. But don't over work the meat!

11. Roll into desired size. (mine were about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
12. Bake at 400 degrees until almost done, for my size about 11-12 minutes.
13. This is the kind of chili sauce you must use. My mom says. If you don't have this brand (I don't even know what the brand is), then get the best kind you have. Combine this with jelly in your crockpot. (Might help to loosen the jelly in the microwave for a minute.)
14. Add meatballs to sauce. Let them marry flavors until warm, or until your party starts.
15. Serve over rice.

Tips:

• If you want to make these a little lower fat, do half ground turkey and half beef. It's still delicious.
• Use really light fluffy white bread, it makes it much more tender (like Wonderbread)
• For your Superbowl party, omit the rice and put a box of toothpicks next to your crockpot.
• If you don't have grape jelly, use whatever you have in the house
• If you want to make these meatballs ahead: once you have rolled out the balls put them in the freezer, once they are frozen, put in freezer safe bag until ready to bake. OR bake them, let them cool, then place in the freezer.
• Use these meatballs on your spaghetti too - just omit the sauce.

Cuban Braised Beef

Still recovering from Thanksgiving? Well, this recipe is no work! (well, very little.) Put this in before you leave for work, or after the kids leave for school and its ready in time for dinner! I didn't include step by step instructions because literally it is: dump, turn on, shred, done. It also has one of my favorite features - it's cheap!

Cuban Braised Beef

adapted from Real Simple
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used a red and a green)
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
Long grain rice, cooked
Avocado
fresh cilantro
Fresh lime wedges

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook covered until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Cook rice just before serving, according to package directions.
Using two fork, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the sliced avocado, cilantro, and a squirt of lime. 
* Sarah's note: This is very flavorful and is great as is. I added the lime (can you tell my non-professional word: squirt). If you wanted to add some heat, put 1 tsp of red pepper flakes in the tomato mixture.

Beef Vegetable Soup

I saw someone make beef soup and use butternut squash instead of potatoes. I thought it was a delicious, pretty, and fun alternative. This soup recipe is great to warm you up on those chilly fall evenings.

Beef Vegetable Soup

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1½-inch cubes
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp minced, fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 lb butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
¼ c chopped sun-dried tomatoes
5 to 6 c beef broth
2 c frozen peas
4 Tbsp fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large soup pot heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan, may need to do in batches. Remove from pan. Add more oil if needed. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are tender. Add 1 cup stock. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add beef back to pot. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until meat is tender and falling apart. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Add peas and cook until warmed. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.