In search of: Spanish rice recipe!

So most of you know I teach kids how to cook in our After-School Program.  Next week we will be making something that makes my daughter VERY happy: Double Decker Tacos.

Now, while my recipe doesn't have that distinctive flavor of Taco Bell, it's a whole lot fresher and better for you.  We'll use lean ground beef and a homemade Mexican seasoning.  We *could* make homemade tortillas, but we need them to hold together and I've never made them before, so we'll use store-bought this time.  Maybe after I've tried making the homemade tortillas will we try it on a double-decker. 

The problem is we have to use 1 to 1 1/2 hours of time.  And double decker tacos are quick.  So we have to make something else! 

The good news is I have a very good friend who is Mexican.  So I've put a phone call in to her to see if she might have a good recipe.  Hopefully she does.  But in the mean time, if it's gonna be something short and quick, that's what we'll have to do. 

However, if any of my readers have a good, kid-friendly (read: not too spicy) Spanish rice recipe, please feel free to share it with me!

Sunday dinner: beef teriyaki

This was probably one of the best made-from-scratch Chinese recipes I've ever had.  It was a bit too sweet, so I might alter the sauce ingredients a bit to use less rice wine vinegar.  Or find something less sweet but still has the same general flavor.  I'll work on that part.  If you try this recipe and alter the sauce, let me know what you did!

Also, we use a flank steak and sliced it thin against the grain. Then we just cooked it in the pan instead of grilling it or cooking it in a pan.  It all turned out quite tasty and we WILL be making it again!  I'm sure could use frozen broccoli and canned mushrooms, even frozen carrot coins, just to save some money.  But I wouldn't cook them as long since they're already par-boiled to begin with.

Oh and double the sauce.  DEFINITELY.

BEEF TERIYAKI
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
2 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 small Golden Delicious apple, grated (about 1/4 cup)
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias (about 1 1/4 cup)
1 bunch broccoli, cut into medium florets (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (I used bottled minced ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced (used bottled again)
2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin
4 oz. shiitake or button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt
2 lbs. beef skirt steak cut into 4 steaks (we used flank steak, sliced thin)
Accommpaniment: steamed short grain white rice

In small saucepan over medium heat, stir together soy sauce, mirin, sake, 2 tbsp sugar and grated apple.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Keep warm.

In medium saucepan of boiling water, cook carrots until just slightly tender, about 2 minutes.  Add broccoli and continue boiling until all vegetables are tender, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.  Using slotted spoon, remove vegeatbles.  Set aside.  NOTE:  If cooking veggies ahead of time, shock them in an ice bath after boiling to keep from cooking.

In large wok or saute pan over moderately high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking.  Add ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds.  Add carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, salt, and remaining sugar and stir fry unitl veggies are tender and heated through, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to serving platter.  Add steaks ot pan and sear until browned, 1-2 minutes per side.  Add reserved sauce, reduce heat to moderate, and simmer steaks, turning once, until sauce is reduced to syrupy consistency and steaks are cooked to medium doneness, about 2 minutes longer. 

Transfer steaks to cutting board and thinly slice on bias.  Transfer to serving platter and top with sauce.  Serve with steamed rice. 

The World's Greatest Restaurant: Simon and Seaforts

I love Simon and Seafort's in Anchorage.  You can come in wearing a tux or shorts, they don't care.  Their views of Cook Inlet are spectacular, especially at sunset.  The wait staff is always top-notch.  But the food?  Oohhhhhh the food.  A slab of prime rib and two fabulous Alaskan King Crab legs for $30.  Heaven on earth.

One of my favorite dishes at Simon's is their Baked Chicken Dijon.  Big, fat chicken breasts dredged in a mix of dijon, butter, and garlic, then in a mix of parsley, parmesan, and Panko.  Then bake it in the oven.

I was lucky enough on a visit a long time ago to get their recipe for this succulent dish.  Of course, they don't reveal *all* their secrets (and what decent chef does??), and one of the things they keep you guessing on is the cook time.

Wayyyyy back when I was a novice cook, I made this dish and threw it in the 350 oven for the 15 minutes it recommended.  No, that's not a typo.  What chicken breast cooks in a 350 oven in 15 minutes??  So I've adjusted it to 30 and we're all good now. 

At Simon's they usually serve with a choice of baked potato or rice pilaf.  I usually go for the pilaf and a side salad.  But don't forget the loaves of fresh sourdough bread they give you.  And a full selection of wines and Alaskan beers.  This is the one restaurant I will recommend to ANY visitor to my home state.  And usually they come back and say "Thanks for the recommendation, it was perfect!"  I couldn't agree more.

BAKED CHICKEN DIJON

5 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cube butter
1 clove garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Melt butter in saute pan over low heat.  Add garlic, simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. 
Blend in mustard, stirring well with a whisk.  Remove from heat and let cool enough to touch, but not solidified.  Whip vigorously until mixture thickens.

Mix parsley, cheese, and bread crumbs together, blending well.  Dip chicken breasts in butter mixture, coating all surfaces, then in bread mixture, packing crumbs onto chicken to coat well.  Place chicken in a single layer in a low pan.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours to set breading.

Place chicken breasts on sheet pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 miutes.  Serve with rice pilaf and steamed broccoli. 

Well, now, this was disappointing.

It's such a shame when you buy a 4-pound cut of meat, bake it for twice as long as the recipe states because it isn't done, then slice it up and your family decides it sucks.  You decide it sucks too.  And yet it sounded SO good!

This is what happened to us last night.  Nearly 4 pounds of beautiful pork loin rubbed down with salt and pepper, then glazed with a puree of apricots, rum, honey and thyme.  You'd think the rum itself would make it taste better.  But in the end it would being a complete waste of money, both on the loin and the electricity used to run my oven.

Blah.


Roasted Loin of Pork with Apricot-Rum Glaze

This easy apricot glaze will keep up to a week if refrigerated. Try pairing it with chicken, as well.

1 cup dried apricots

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup dark rum

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

Cooking spray

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 4 minutes.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apricot mixture; cook 10 minutes or until apricots are soft. Stir in honey and thyme. Place mixture in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides. Reserve 1/2 cup apricot mixture to serve with pork.

Place pork on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Brush 1/2 cup apricot mixture over pork. Bake at 400º for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350º (do not remove pork from oven). Bake 1 hour or until thermometer registers 155º, brushing with 1/2 cup apricot mixture after 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved 1/2 cup apricot mixture.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and about 2 teaspoons sauce)
CALORIES 235 (37% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 3.3g,mono 4.5g,poly 1g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 73mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.1g; SODIUM 261mg; PROTEIN 22.2g; FIBER 0.2g
Cooking Light, APRIL 2004

What's the scoop with corn bread???

It seems like every time I make a new version of corn bread, it never comes out right.  I picked out a recipe from Epicurious that got great reveiws, yet when I tasted it, it was dry and crumbly.  And little to no corn bread flavor.  I don't get it.  And this recipe was a pain to boot...beating yolks till they're pale, whites till they form stiff peaks, preheating the cast iron skillet then adding bacon grease...UGHRRR!

I'm frustrated beyond belief.  The only *decent* corn bread I've ever had is Trader Joes.  But we don't have one in Alaska.  So I have to ask my mom to mail me some all the time.  It's more work than it's worth.

The only decent recipe we've tried is one Rob found on Allrecipes.com.  But it calls for so much butter my arteries cringe at the sight of it in the oven.  I just can't do that to myself on a regular basis. 

So after the disappointing corn bread (the first dish I made in my new cast-iron skillet too!) I made a Thin French Apple Tart from myrecipes.com.  This was a much more acceptable dish.  Quite yummy, don't know that Lauren will like it but I beleive Alex well.  I think it would be good topped with a little creme fraiche or lightly whipped heavy cream with a little sugar.  I encourage you to seek this one out and try it.  The kiddos can help with it too...older kids can help slice the apples and younger ones can help assemble it.  We might even make it soon in my friday baking class at the school!

Weekly menu planning made easy

I don't know of a single person who isn't on a budget these days.  The only thing I really try to do when I'm planning my menu for the week is to try to find recipes whose main ingredients are already in the house.  Things you never need to use much of but you always have to buy a big bottle of.  Like Worcestershire sauce.  And Balsamic vinegar.  Peanut butter, honey, ketchup, oil.  Veggies, of course, will always go bad if you don't use them in time, but if you actually plan a menu for a week, it's easy to use them all up anyway.  Don't buy more than you can use in the produce section.  That's a sure waste of money.

At our local commissaries we have a wonderful "discount bin" full of meats.  Another for dry goods and sundries, and a third for dairy and lunch meats.  I can almost always find yogurt within weeks of expiration that are still good.  Milk, buttermilk, pudding, cream cheese, lunch meat, and pork and beef...spare ribs, beef tenderloin, strip steaks, ground beef or pork, you name it.  And it's always at a fraction of the cost of the fresher ones.

But here's what we have planned this week:
Tonight is roasted loin of pork with apricot-rum glaze.  YUMMMM!

For the rest of the week:
Beef Teriyaki
Champoin Chicken Parmesan (had this before and it is ALWAYS good!)
Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with almonds (use a good vinegar for this one)
Baked Chicken Dijon (Simon and Seafort's recipe, wooo hoooo!)
Grilled chicken with oregano, cinnamon, and paprika
At some point we'll have tacos this week, too.

Rob is starting to take some college courses this week so it'll be just me and the kids 2 nights a week, so tacos will be a likely dinner on one of those nights.  With me working till 6 those two nights it's gonna be a crazy semester!

Wilderness Place Lodge Cookies

I originally came across this recipe when my family and I went to Wilderness Place Lodge, a fly-out fishing lodge on the banks of Lake Creek, Alaska.  It's a creek, not a lake, and it's name is Lake Creek.  The owners at the time were absolutely wonderful people (well, they still are...), and MAN did they have some chefs!!  Let me spend a day in their kitchen and I'd be a happy, happy woman!

So they gave us the recipe for these cookies, and let me tell you, they are sustenance!  Oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, coconut AND walnuts!  One cookie and you're done.  But watch them, because they can be thin sometimes if one little thing isn't right about this recipe.  The eggs need to be at room temperature.  The butter needs to be soft.  And don't dip your spoon in water so the cookie dough slides off easily.  They are a persnickety cookie but they are soooooooo worth it!!

Much thanks to Ed and Judy Sharpe for this creation, as well as their hospitality and love. 

Wilderness Place Lodge Cookies

Ingredients



2 cups butter


2 cups white sugar


2 cups packed brown sugar


4 eggs


2 teaspoons vanilla extract


3 cups all-purpose flour


2 teaspoons salt


2 teaspoons baking soda


6 cups quick cooking oats


2 cups chocolate chips


2 cups chopped and toasted walnuts


1 cup coconut


1 cup raisins


Directions


1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.


2.In a very large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture until well incorporated. Mix in oats, then stir in the chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and raisins. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.


3.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.


FOOTNOTE


Make sure to soften the butter and get the eggs to room temperature before starting! For plumper raisins, boil in water for a few minutes and cool before adding to batter. If you want to play around with different flavors of chips, feel free. I've found I like milk chocolate morsels better.
 
Now, at step 2 where it says "in a very large bowl"...you need to break out the biggest, baddest bowl you have.  Use your roasting pan.  Use a 5-gallon bucket (sanitized, of course...).  Use your hands, for heaven sakes.  Those 6 cups of oats are going to throw your shoulder out if you're not fully prepared.  This makes a LOT of VERY big cookies.  But they freeze well, and keep forever on the counter...that is, if they stick around that long.  You can freeze the dough in logs too, then cut into thick slices and bake.
 
Of course, add your own twist to these cookies.  Play with the goodies, using almonds or pecans, golden raisins, carob chips, you name it.  And you could, if you really, really, wanted to, make this a healthier recipe by using whole wheat flour and all those other healthy changes, but WHY??  Good Lord, that 1/2 cup of oats per cookie is enough fiber to bind you for a month!!

My first Blog: Valentine's Day dinner

So it's ten till 6 and Rob asks me when we're going to start dinner.  We're not all that hungry thanks to a late-afternoon snack, but MAN that Sweetheart steak in my fridge is calling my name!!

Sweetheart steak is a ribeye steak.  It's about a 2" thick cut of meat (drooling yet??) that the butcher butterflies and packs up as a "Sweetheart" cut.  It's got enough marbling inside and fat outside to give Jillian Michaels a heart attack.  But as a once-in-a-while meal, it's okay!  Use a regular ribeye steak in place of the Sweetheart cut any time you like.

I opted for a wonderful spice rub for the steak.  It's from Epicurious.com (an awesome web site!!) and it's called Barbecued Cowboy Steak, with our twist as we have a gas grill and don't use instant-light wood chips.

Barbecued Cowboy Steaks
Bon Appetit, July 2003
Serves 4-8

1 T coarse kosher salt
1 t hungarian sweet paprika (in a red, square can in the spice aisle)
1 t garlic powder
1 t coarsely ground black pepper (buy peppercorns and crush inside a plastic baggie if you don't have a peppergrinder)
1 t dried ground thyme (I used thyme leaves)
1 t finely ground coffee beans
4 1 1/4-1 1/2" thick bone-in beef rib steaks (each weighing 12-16 ounces)

1 cup mesquite or hickory wood smoke chips, soaked in cold water at least 30 minutes

Mix first 6 ingredients in small bowl.  Sprinkle spice rub over both sides of steaks, pressing to adhere.  Let steaks stand at room temperature 1 hour.  (If you're refrigerating these steaks to marinate longer, let them sit out after refrigerating to come up to room temperature.)

Now, this is where I am glad I have a husband who knows how to cook.  The original recipe is more complex, and since we live in North Pole, Alaska, we have to improvise when grilling in the winter.  Meaning if it's about 20 above or colder (and it gets a helluva lot colder!!) we have to be careful about grilling.  It's hard to maintain the grill temp when cooking a brisket or beer can chicken.  But grilling a steak is easy.  Preheat, slap it on the grill, and you're done. 

So, according to my husband, we're going to preheat the grill to high heat and throw the meat on the grill for 3 minutes a side.  Take it off the grill and LET IT REST, PEOPLE!  I can't state that loud enough!  Let it sit on a warmed plate for about 10 minutes, covered with foil.  Then serve on warmed platters...away you go!

We'll be having a famous Mac-Britt potato dish as a side.  I originally came up with the concept but Rob perfected it (hence the Mac-Britt.)  Man he's good at that.  Sometimes I love it and other times I wish I could be that inventive.  But either way, it's a concoction of diced red potatoes, boiled for about 8-10 minutes in seasoned water (sorry, it's a secret!), then thrown in a grill basket with a few more secret ingredients over medium heat until cooked through. 

Yes, I know I could have given you the ingredients to the potatoes, but there are a few select recipes that we just do not divulge.  Brisket, pulled pork, and pasta sauce are just a few.

As for a veggie...well, chances are it'll be one of those lovely, convenient, frozen "steamer" veggies.  It was going to be asparagus but it didn't look all that great at the store yesterday.  That's what I get for shopping at the commissary. 

Well, my potatoes are happily boiling and my timer says it's time to check them, so I must go.  But please try the Cowboy Steaks.  Truly phenomenal, they are.  And fool-proof as long as you don't over-cook them!