Monday, December 30, 2013

Skirt Steak Sandwiches

Sometimes, nothing's better than a steak sandwich.  My husband recently bought skirt steak, and we had just enough for each of us to have a mouth-watering sandwich with a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries.  We were so impressed at the delicious flavor, and it was so easy to prepare!  Treat yourself to this delicious meal tonight!

Skirt Steak Sandwiches
(makes 2)

Ingredients:
8oz skirt steak
1/2 onion, sliced
2oz cheddar cheese, sliced
1 tbsp mustard
4 slices whole wheat bread (get the recipe)




Method:
Spray a frying pan with Butter Flavor Pam.  Add onions. Cook until caramelized.

Meanwhile, spray another frying pan with Butter Flavor Pam.  Heat to medium-high, enough so that the meat is immediately seared.  Sprinkle the steak with TexJoy on one side.  Put the steak in the pan seasoned-side down.  Then season the other side with TexJoy.

Cook about 3-minutes on each side for medium.  Adjust cooking time depending on whether you like your steak rare or well done.

Before Cooking
Finished Cooking



















Remove from pan and put on a cutting board.  Let the steak rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast your bread and spread half of the mustard on one side of two pieces of bread (one for each sandwich).

Put the bread mustard-side up on two plates.  Top each piece of bread with 1 oz cheddar and half of the onions.

Cut the steak diagonally in about 8 slices.  Put about 4 slices on each sandwich and top with the remaining toast.  Flip the sandwiches over so that the cheese and onions are on top, and cut in half.

Happy eating!

Spinach Dip

Need an easy appetizer for your New Year's Eve party?  You can't go wrong with spinach dip!  It's so delicious with tortilla chips, but you could be healthier and cut up veggies instead or serve multi-grain crackers with it.  Whatever you choose to dip in it, this is a sure winner for any party. 

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 8oz package low fat cream cheese
1/4 c buttermilk (plus a couple tbsp extra depending on desired consistency)
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Frank's Red Hot (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled



Method:
In a medium sauce pan, melt margarine over medium heat.


Add onion and garlic.  Stir occasionally, and cook until the onion is tender. 

Add cream cheese and buttermilk.  Cook and stir until smooth.


Add spinach, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce,  and Frank's Red Hot.  Cook until heated throughout.

Add additional buttermilk one tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.


Add the bacon and stir to mix it throughout.


Now, you're ready to transfer the mixture to your favorite serving bowl, or to make it extra festive, buy a ball-shaped loaf of sourdough bread, cut out the center and use the bread as your serving bowl.

Happy eating!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Sugar Cookies


When I was in elementary school, my parents gave me a set of My Little Pony cookie cutters one year for Christmas.  It came with a sugar cookie recipe, and every year since, I've made sugar cookies with that recipe on Christmas Eve.  Of course, the first few years, they were pony-shaped cookies covered in multi-colored frosting that I'd leave out for Santa.  Now, I make traditional holiday shapes, and I don't always use frosting.  Just a sprinkling of sugar or sprinkles makes them just as delicious and perfectly festive.  Sometimes I sprinkle them with a little cinnamon in addition to the sugar to make them taste more like snickerdoodles.  Yum!

I haven't made these cookies yet this year, but next week on Christmas Eve, my kitchen will be cookie making central.  Start your own holiday tradition with this easy and delicious recipe.  They're perfect for Santa or (my favorite) a breakfast treat on Christmas morning!





Sugar Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen (depending on the size of your cookie cutters)

Ingredients:
3/4 c butter, softened (room temp)
1 c sugar (+ extra for sprinkling on top of the cookies)
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt


Method: 
Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl. 

Sift the last three ingredients in a separate bowl.

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

Put the bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  (You can do these steps a day ahead and make the cookies the next day.)

Preheat oven to 400.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Slightly flour the counter or another smooth/clean surface.

Remove about a quarter of the dough from the bowl and refrigerate the remaining dough.

Roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick.

Use cookie cutters to cut out your favorite shapes.

Transfer cookies to baking sheets and bake until slightly golden around the edges.  This could be anywhere from 4-8 minutes depending on your oven.  Mine only takes 4 minutes.

Repeat until all dough has been turned into cookies!

If you want to frost the cookies, wait until they're completely cooled.  If you want perfectly pretty cookies without the frosting, check out my craft blog, www.prettycreativestuff.com, for a simple alternative.


Happy eating!





Monday, December 16, 2013

Crustless Cranberry Pie

My husband loves cherry pie, but I hate making pie crust.  Since it's the holidays, I'm more in the mood for cranberries than cherries, so I thought I'd look up a recipe for a cranberry pie.  Boy was I pleased when I found several recipes for Crustless Cranberry Pie.  I tried one from allrecipes.com last night, and we both loved it!  Instead of having a true crust, it's like the crust is throughout the pie.  So yummy and easy to make!  It tastes great right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and leftovers were also delicious for breakfast this morning.  It almost tastes more like a gooey muffin than a pie.  You could probably make it in muffin cups if you wanted to make individual servings for a party or potluck.  I just might have to make this again for Christmas!

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crustless-Cranberry-Pie/Detail.aspx?crlt.pid=camp.5VtGO6rdOOCR

I made a few modifications to make it a tad healthier.  Below is how I made the recipe:



ready to bake
just out of the oven
Crustless Cranberry Pie
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c Splenda
1/4 tsp salt
2 c cranberries
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour, Splenda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the cranberries and walnuts.  Add the butter, eggs and extract.

Spray a pie pan with Pam Butter Flavor Spray.  Spread the batter evenly in the pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Happy eating!

Monday, December 9, 2013

Fajita Stuffing



















My family always has turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I like to mix it up a little bit with the type of stuffing we use.  Tonight, my husband and I did a trial run with a rice-based stuffing.  It's way easier to make than using bread crumbs, and there's nothing better than the combination of rice and turkey broth.  In honor of Christmas, we used red and green bell peppers.  If you were making this for Thanksgiving, I'd suggest using yellow and orange bell peppers.  Enjoy!

Fajita Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 c dry brown rice
2.5 c water
3 tsp low sodium chicken boullion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 large white onion, chopped
1/2 c frozen corn kernals

Method:
Put the rice, water and boullion in a pot.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover the pot.  Let simmer for about 45 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, saute the bell pepper, onion and corn in a frying pan until the onion is caramelized.

Mix the rice with the veggies, and you're done...unless (like me) you're using this mixture to stuff a turkey!  Fill the turkey cavity with as much stuffing as will fit and cook using the directions for the turkey.

I use a Butterball turkey and a Butterball turkey-size baking bag.  To make the skin extra crisp, separate the skin from the meat with your hang and shove a few pieces of butter under the skin.  Yum!

Follow the directions on the baking bag to cook the turkey, and dinner is served!

Happy eating!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Maraca's

Last night, my husband and I had dinner at Maraca's Mexican Cantina & Grill in Palm Springs.  It was really cold out, almost freezing (low 40s), when we arrived, so we chose to sit inside.  It looked like most of their seating was outside, and some people were actually eating out there huddled by heat lamps.  No thanks!

We were seated at a booth towards the back of the restaurant, and chips and salsa quickly arrived at our table.  The chips were warm and salty, but not too salty or too greasy.  The salsa was good.  It had a lot of onion chopped up in it, which I liked.  I don't like it when salsa is all tomato and hardly any other flavor.  It had kind of a smoky flavor with a little heat to it too, but not too much.

We looked over the menu.  I decided to order the Sizzling Fajitas, which is described on the menu as "Your choice of meat or vegetables charbroiled with red and green bell peppers and sweet onion served on a sizzling platter.  Served with guacamole, pico de gallo, refried beans and flour tortillas."  I chose Steak for the meat, and the platter was indeed sizzling!















I was impressed with the amount of food.  However, I was not impressed with the meat.  It tasted chewy and flavorless.  I thought it was probably just over or under cooked, but my husband said it was probably an inexpensive piece of meat, and he agreed that it wasn't very good.  I loved the flavor of the peppers and onions though.  There's really nothing much more delicious than a caramelized onion.  I ended up picking around the meat and just eating the veggies.  My husband was really hungry, so he ate the meat for me.  The beans and rice were okay.  I liked that the beans had a little cheese on them and that the rice had some tomatoes and corn kernels mixed in.  The tortillas were okay, but nothing special.  I'd never order steak fajitas here again.  Maybe the chicken's better.


My husband ordered the same 3-item combo he ordered a  couple nights ago at Las Casuelas Terraza: a shredded beef taco, a cheese enchilada and a carnitas tamale which came with sides of rice, beans and a sweet corn cake.  He said that the sweet corn cake is better at Chevy's, and the combo at Las Casuelas Terraza overall just tasted better.  It meal was good though; just not amazing.  I tasted a bite of the enchilada and tamale, and I thought it just tasted bland.

In the end, when looking for a Mexican restaurant to eat at in Palm Springs, I'd choose Las Casuelas Terraza, but the chips and salsa definitely win at Maraca's.

Happy eating!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Las Casuelas Terraza

My husband and I are in Palm Springs for a few days, and our first night here, we decided to try a Mexican restaurant near our hotel called Las Casuelas Terraza.  It sounded authentic, and we're always in the mood for Mexican food.

The restaurant seems huge!  We walked through multiple rooms to get to a room where we were finally seated.  Tip for the ladies, you may want to stay away from wearing heels that don't have a lot of traction.  I almost fell twice in my high heel boots.  The heel just couldn't find anything to grip on the slippery floor.  I would say I'm just klutzy or something, but I had no problem walking down the sidewalk.  On the way out of the restaurant, I walked on the ball of my foot to avoid sliding.

Anyway, the decor makes you feel like you're in Mexico.  The wooden chairs are very hard and uncomfortable, so we asked to move to a booth.  the padded seat and back was much better.

They brought out chips and salsa right away.  I prefer the salsa at Chevy's, but this had a nice spicy kick to it that kept me going back for more.  Otherwise, I would've said it was too tomatoey.

I ordered the Terraza Mexican Chopped Salad, which is described on the menu as "Romaine lettuce with grilled chicken, bacon, tomato, avocado, olives, red onion, bell pepper, jicama, cilantro and Monterey Jack cheese, topped with tortilla strips.  Served with crushed red pepper vinaigrette or your choice of dressing."  They had me as "crushed red pepper vinaigrette."  I asked for the dressing on the side, just to make sure it wasn't too soggy (see my review for Lala's), and the waiter said that it comes on the side.  Perfect.  I was surprised at the size of the salad.  I expected something about twice as big.  The flavor was amazing.  The chicken had a great char-grilled flavor, and combined with the bacon and the dressing, the salad was really delicious.  I guess it could've used more lettuce though.  There was one huge romaine lettuce leaf on the bottom of the small plate, which I ended up cutting up and eating with the rest of the salad.  I'm used to Cheesecake Factory-size entree salads at restaurants, so even though the flavor was great, I didn't feel like I got the value I expected for the price of the entree.


My husband ordered a 3-item combination plate.  He chose to get a shredded beef taco, a cheese enchilada and a carnitas tamale.  It was served with rice and choice of beans.  He chose something similar to refried, but they called them something else.  It wasn't the best Mexican food he'd ever had, but it was good.  The ingredients seemed like quality ingredients, but there just wasn't anything special about it.

If it were the only restaurant in town, we might go back, but since there are many more options, next time we'd try to find something a little more amazing.

Happy eating!

Palms Thai

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I met some friends at a play in Hollywood.  Afterwards, we all walked over to Palms Thai for dinner.  We had never eaten there before.  It was late and a Saturday night, but there was plenty of seating.  I'm a cat person, so I noticed all the cat decor.

My husband and I had been been wanting to go to a Thai restaurant for awhile, so we were excited to order.  To drink, I just got water, but my husband got a Thai Iced Tea which I tasted.  It was really good!  It tasted a lot like a cold chai tea latte.

For meals, I ordered the Combination Fried Rice which was described on the menu as "Fried Rice with a combination of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, egg, tomato, onion, and green onion."  I'm usually not a rice person, but it sounded good, and it sounded like something my husband and I could share.  He loves rice.

My husband ordered the Chicken Yellow Curry which was described on the menu as "Sweet yellow coconut cream curry with chicken and sliced potato."  The waitress asked him how spicy he wanted it, and he said "spicy."

We're used to Indian curry, so we didn't recognize our order when it was brought to the table.  It looked like soup.  Their were 7 of us at the table, and the server just set the bowl on the table and didn't know who it belonged to.  Eventually we figured out that it was the curry.  The potatoes were in huge chunks, not exactly sliced.  It had some heat to it, which was nice.

My husband and I shared both meals.  We put the fried rice on our plate and spooned the curry over it.  The flavors went really well together.

Everyone else at the table seemed to enjoy their order as well.  One couple ordered a side of rice for 50 cents, and they brought out a huge dish of white rice; it was definitely a good value!

Overall, it was a fun time with friends, but I think we'd try a different Thai restaurant next time.  I'm not sure if all Thai curry is supposed to be soupy, but I'd have to try it somewhere else to know.  It had been years since I'd had Thai food last, but I always thought of it as similar to Chinese food but with peanut sauce.  I only saw one or two things on the huge menu that had peanut sauce, which was disappointing.

If you're in Hollywood and want a reasonably priced meal, this isn't a bad place to check out.  It has a huge menu, plenty of seating and prompt service.

Happy eating!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata

'Tis the season to eat turkey and more turkey.  You've probably already seen my blog post "12 Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers," but I have one more recipe to add to the mix.

I've had a couple turkey sandwiches by now, and we had some eggs we needed to use up, so tonight, we made a Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata with a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries and the Everyday Salad.  Lots of veggies.  Lots of festive Fall flavors.  Very cheesy.  Definitely delicious.  Only 200 calories per piece.  Enjoy!

Ready to Broil
Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata
Serves: 4 (8 pieces, 2 pieces each)

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1/4 c chives, chopped
8 eggs
1/2 c water
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
7 oz turkey, chopped
1 tsp chipotle Tabasco (if desired)
TexJoy or salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
Put the peppers, onions and chives in a cast iron skillet and cook over medium heat until caramelized.
Ready to Eat

Mix eggs, water and Tabasco.  Add turkey and cheese.  Pour over veggies.  Sprinkle generously with TexJoy or salt & pepper.

Cover the skillet and let the frittata cook until almost set.

Put the skillet under the broiler, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until completely set.

To serve, you can invert onto a serving plate or cut and serve directly from the pan.

Happy eating!