Recipes

Tuna Steaks

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

There were some pretty looking tuna steaks at the fish counter, so we bought two. I know it doesn’t sound crazy adventurous – buying tuna instead of say, squid. But I’d never prepared tuna steaks before. When it comes to fish, I usually stick with salmon or tilapia. I absolutely love grouper and mahi mahi, but I’ve never prepared my own.

Tuna SteaksI seasoned the fish with plenty of pepper, salt, and dried herbs and cooked them in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Spritzed with fresh lemon juice and provided pesto (I used my Nut-Free Basil Pesto) for dipping.

An Original Recipe

Tuna Steaks

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tuna steaks
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Steps

  1. Combine herbs, salt and pepper. Rub onto both sides of the fish.
  2. Sear fish over medium heat in olive oil. Cook to desired done-ness.

Tuna Steaks 1 Tuna Steaks 3Tuna Steaks 2

Sichuan Orange Beef

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Okay so this dish isn’t technically Sichuan Orange Beef. But if you actually had Sichuan peppercorns then yours could be! I simply substituted freshly ground peppercorns instead of using my typical black pepper. So I guess I ate Orange Beef?

I have no idea if Sichuan peppercorns have a little extra heat to them or not, (You can tell I’ve really done my research on this one) Stuart added Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to his plate.

Sichuan Orange Beef 1 Sichuan Orange Beef 2 Sichuan Orange Beef 3

Sichuan Orange Beef

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb brown rice pad thai noodles
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • zest and juice of one orange
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 lb steak
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 3 scallions, sliced diagonally, whites and greens separated

Steps

  1. Whisk together soy sauce, corn starch, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, orange, and pepper. Slice steak and marinade in soy sauce mixture.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles.
  3. Sear beef in vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add carrots and white parts of scallions. Pour in the marinade. Simmer for two minutes, stirring. Add in the green parts of the scallions and toss with the cooked noodles.

*This recipe is adapted from Kimberly at http://www.daringgourmet.com/2013/06/05/sichuan-orange-beef/*

Sichuan Orange Beef

Fresh Lemonade

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

My parents have lime trees. Dad and I would squeeze fresh lime juice in an assembly line fashion. I’d cut and score (cutting a shallow x across the cut surface) the limes while he twisted and squeezed the juice out of them. It almost became a race to see if I could wash and cut limes faster than he could juice them.

We would fill up a few large mason jars of fresh lime juice to put in the freezer and of course to make limeade. Mom always kept a smaller jar of fresh lime juice in the fridge too to splash into her waters.

August 20th is National Lemonade Day.

I love making fresh lemonade. Most people might find it to be tedious, but I actually enjoy the repetition. Wash, cut, score, twist, squeeze, repeat. Although they might not be limes, squeezing the juice out of any citrus makes me think of home.

Fresh Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 2 C sugar
  • 10 C water, divided
  • 4 lb lemons

Steps

  1. Make simple syrup: Combine sugar and 2 C water in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and chill.
  2. Juice lemons. 4 lb should yield you 2 C of juice. Strain lemon juice into a pitcher. Stir in remaining 8 C water and simple syrup.

*This recipe is adapted from Allie at http://www.cakeandallie.com/2011/02/lemonade/*

Fresh Lemonade 1 Fresh Lemonade 2 Fresh Lemonade 3 Fresh Lemonade 4 Fresh Lemonade 5

CIC: Avocado & Caramel

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

Last weekend we had a wonderful Korean-style supper at our good friends’ house. Tara is the host of Tara’s Multicultural Table and my blogging mentor. She told me about this new blogging-world challenge. It’s a challenge where you mix two ingredients that wouldn’t normally be paired together and create a recipe that encompasses both of them.  Almost like Chopped! This month’s challenge is Avocado and Caramel.

I was surprised at how quickly an idea came to me! I had just watched a Giada at Home episode where she stuffed peanut butter cupcakes with caramel. That fulfills requirement number 2. But what about requirement number 1? I’ve seen many vegan/vegetarian recipes that substitute avocado for eggs in baking, so here we have it! We stopped at Publix on the way home and the next morning I was making these!

I know my blog isn’t exactly vegan friendly, but here’s a recipe you could (dissect and) serve to your meat-free guests! I substituted cow’s milk, but you could switch it back to soy milk! However, Stuffing these chocolate beauties with caramel and topping them with frosting voids the vegan requirements…

Stuart was not excited about this avocado cupcake idea. But I had him taste the batter (that’s the best part about vegetarian/vegan cupcakes! No eggs means you can lick that spoon clean without any guilt), and he conceded to the avocado cupcake. He was even disappointed that this recipe only made 12 cupcakes!

Avocado is changing the baking world one cupcake at a time. A coworker even told me that this was the best cupcake he’s ever had, and I had a request from another for the recipe because his daughter is allergic to eggs.

Caramel Filling 1 Caramel Filling 2 Caramel Filling 3 Wet Ingredients: Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes Dry Ingredients: Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes Chocolate Avocado Cupcake Batter Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 1 Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 2 Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 3

Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

  • 25 caramel squares
  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 C pure maple syrup
  • 3/4 C milk
  • 1/3 C canola oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for Frosting:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • 1/8 C + 1 tsp milk
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 1-2 tbsp caramel

Steps

  1. In a saucepan over low heat melt caramel into the heavy cream. Stir occasionally.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. In a food processor, puree avocado, syrup, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry.
  5. Assemble cupcakes: put a spoonful of batter, a spoonful of caramel, and another spoonful of batter into paper lined cupcake tins. Bake for 25 minutes.
  6. Make the frosting: In a stand mixer beat together sugar, butter, and milk. When combined fully add in the peanut butter. Using a spoon, swirl in the caramel. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes and drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.

*The cupcake recipe was adapted from http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/glazed-chocolate-avocado-cupcakes/. The frosting and filling were adapted from Giada deLaurentiis at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/stuffed-peanut-butter-cupcakes-with-swirled-peanut-butter-frosting-recipe/index.html*

Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado CupcakeI have to admit, I was disappointed when I cut into a cupcake and wasn’t met with lava flowing caramel. The photo of Food Network’s page is very misleading; however, my results mimicked those aired on the “Stuff It” episode. (The last photo is a “cheat” 😉 )Stuart’s advice: If you think you put enough caramel in the cupcake, add a little bit more.

Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 3

Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 1 Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 4 Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 2

Caramel Filled Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting 5Here are the other blogs that participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge.

Risotto Paella

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Mexican Monday took a back seat this week for a Spanish cousin to shine through.

Of course, I could pretend I just made this dish some other day of the week and find a decent photo of a past Mexican Monday, but then I’d be out of a personal back story to the dish!

I was not about to have a repeat of last week where we ate out way too much, so I “forced” Stuart to help me create our weekly “Everson Menu”.

“What do you want for Mexican Monday?”

“Paella”

“That’s not Mexican….”

Stuart’s favorite Food Network star is Bobby Flay and we record Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction. There was an episode last year in which Bobby had a grill the size of a breakfast table and a paella pan to cover it up. He made the largest (and most expensive) paella I’d ever seen. So for a year Stuart’s been wanting to try Paella.

Most traditional Spanish Paellas involve Mussels or other shellfish, which I am allergic to. I don’t know why it took me a year to realize that I can put whatever I want into the recipe, it’s my kitchen! So I finally gave in to his craving. I read a few recipes and articles about paella and created my own rendition.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find authentic Spanish paella rice, but the cooking method reminded me of risotto, so I compromised and used risotto rice. (Sorry!) I also couldn’t find authentic Spanish chorizo, so I kept the casing on Mexican chorizo, sliced it into rings and cooked it. I also opted to use salmon as my seafood choice.

An Original Recipe

Risotto Paella

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 C Arborio rice
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp tumeric
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 C white wine (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 – 1 1/2 qt chicken stock
  • 2 links chorizo, sliced into rings
  • 6 oz salmon, cubed

Steps

  1. In a large pot bring stock to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer.
  2. In a large, non-stick skillet, saute onion and pepper in olive oil. Season with salt. When the onion is translucent add the garlic, rice, and seasonings. Stir with a wooden spoon. When rice is slightly toasted and everything is yellow add in the chopped tomato.
  3. Deglaze the pan with white wine, if using, or a ladle of stock.
  4. While waiting for the wine to evaporate, start cooking the chorizo in a separate skillet. Remove from pan and cook the salmon in the same skillet.
  5. Add 1-2 ladle-fulls of stock at a time to the rice, stirring constantly. When the liquid is absorbed, repeat the process until the rice is cooked through. This will take approximately 15 minutes.

*This recipe was inspired by http://foudefoodmtl.com/eatsathome/shrimp-and-chorizo-paella and http://mongoliankitchen.com/salmon-paella/*

Risotto Paella 1 Risotto Paella 2 Risotto Paella 3

Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I love baby back ribs. There, I said it. But I also hate baby back ribs. What?? There is one place back home (Rib City) that has the best, hands down, ribs ever. I’ve tried ribs in the South, and they’re awful. Okay, they’re clearly not awful because everyone else seems to love them. So here’s what I’ve learned about my bi-polar opinion. If the ribs aren’t cooked in sauce, then I’m not going to like them. I used to think it was smoking – I don’t like the Liquid Smoke that is really popular in the South and find my taste buds to be very sensitive to it.  I think if the ribs are coated in sauce while being baked/grilled, then it softens the harsh smoke flavor. Disclaimer: I’m no BBQ Pit Master, the above statements are my personal opinion.

The first time I made ribs at home I did them in a slow cooker. The meat was cooked perfectly, but the recipe I followed seriously messed with my head. I tried Asian ribs. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t right! Every time I took I bite I was expecting the sweet, tang of barbecue sauce.

I promised myself that the next time I made baby back ribs, I’d do it right. I made a very simple dry rub and used the Neely’s recipe for barbecue sauce.Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs 1

These babies looked like restaurant quality when I pulled them out of the slow cooker – I actually didn’t want to cover them up in sauce! (But I did eat them that way!)

Stuart said this meal was his second favorite, almost edging out Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas.

Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb baby back ribs
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 2 1/2 C BBQ sauce, plus extra for serving

Steps

  1. Make dry rub with paprika, salt, and pepper.
  2. Cut rack of ribs into mini-slabs of 3 ribs each. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Rub all sides of ribs with the dry rub from Step 1.
  3. Place ribs in slow cooker so the the meaty side is facing the sides of the slow cooker, but not touching them. Pour barbecue sauce around the ribs. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Flip the ribs halfway through the cooking time.

Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs 2

This blog post also comes with a bonus recipe for my Smokey Sweet Potato Fries.

Ingredients:

  • 2 small sweet potatoes, cut into fries
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 C panko bread crumbs
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until it looks like soapy dish water.
  3. Combine panko, paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  4. Dredge potatoes in egg white and then the panko mixture.
  5. Bake potatoes for 25-30 minutes.

Update July 2016: These ribs are definitely one of my favorite meals and whenever they’re on sale at the grocery store I stock up! Every time I made them I said I needed to take a new picture, but I’d get so excited and completely forget about the camera, the blog, and the internet, and before I knew it I’d have a plate of empty bones and a little bit of barbecue sauce. But not this time! This time I snapped some pictures. I’m not sure how happy I am with the results, but they are better than those originals up there. I guess I’ll have to continue making these ribs and trying to photograph them again. Darn.

Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Lemon Meringue Pie

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When life gives you lemons….. make a pie! August 15th is National Lemon Meringue Pie day. I don’t know who makes this stuff up, but it’s an excuse to try something new. I’ve never made a lemon meringue pie before, and actually I’ve never eaten a lemon meringue pie before!

My blog post about Blueberry Bars received the most likes. And I realized that the correlation between like and sugar was probably pretty accurate.  And when my Goat Cheese Cheesecake became my top post, I knew I’d have to venture into the baking world some more.

Stuart was my sous chef in this endeavor. And we had a great time together in the kitchen. Our song (Then, by Brad Paisley) even came on Pandora! Stuart started the lemon filling on the stove while I separated the eggs and made the meringue.

Lemon Meringue Pie Filling Lemon Meringue Pie Filling

Meringue Meringue Meringue

Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

  • 9 in pie crust, baked and cooled
  • 1 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 1 1/2 C water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • juice of 1 1/2 lemons
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Steps

  1. In a saucepan whisk together flour, water, salt, and 1 1/4 C sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, cook for one more minute – still stirring constantly – or until the mixture becomes gelatinous. Remove from heat.
  2. Temper the egg yolks by whisking in 3-4 tbsp of the mixture. Pour egg yolks into the saucepan, return to the heat, and cook one more minute – stirring constantly.
  3. Stir in butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into the baked pie crust.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Use an electric hand mixer to make the meringue by beating the egg whites with vanilla, cream of tartar, and 6 tbsp sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed.
  6. Top pie with meringue. Make sure to “seal” the meringue to the crust.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the meringue is golden.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/lemon-meringue-pie.htm*

Lemon Meringue Pie 1

Lemon Meringue Pie 2

Copy Cat: Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

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Applebee’s is one of my favorite American chain restauarants. In high school my friend and I would share the appetizer platter, and I have ever sense been addicted to their Spinach and Artichoke Dip. There was an Applebee’s in Auburn and we would frequent the place. My entire day could be ruined by four little words, “I’m sorry, we’re out [of spinach dip].” I think I’m going to have to find another Applebee’s Copy Cat recipe for that soon… thinking about it is starting a craving… and the nearest Applebee’s to me is 20 miles away.

Copy Cat: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad 1

When Applebee’s introduced the 2 for $20 menu, I discovered the most delicious restaurant salad — their Oriental Chicken Salad. This blog post, despite the first paragraph, is to divulge a Copy Cat recipe. I baked the chicken in the oven, so it’s not a perfect replica, but it will do in a pinch!

Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 1 1/2 hearts Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 C broccoli slaw
  • 1/4 C sliced almonds
  • 1/2 C Chow Mein noodles
  • 1 large chicken breast (seriously, ours are giant)
  • 1/2 C flour
  • 1-2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 C panko
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/8 tsp sesame oil

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Slice chicken into strips, season with S+P. Dredge chicken in flour, coat in egg, and roll in panko. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through.
  3. Whisk together honey, vinegar, mayo, mustard, and sesame oil. Refrigerate until serving.
  4. Assemble salad, top with cooked chicken, toss with dressing.

*This recipe is modified from Amy at http://veryculinary.com/2013/06/19/applebees-asian-chicken-salad/*

Copy Cat: Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad 2

Chorizo Carbonara

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I didn’t plan my weekly menu over the weekend so therefore didn’t have a grocery list to go shopping either. My freezer was devoid of protein (one chicken breast and a pound of bacon) so we made a quick pit stop at the local Winn-Dixie with the intention of only buying some meat – whatever was BOGO that week. Even though chorizo was not on sale, Stuart wanted it (if you want to save money, leave your husband at home).

Because I didn’t want to rush back to the grocery store, I had to find a chorizo recipe where I had all of the ingredients on hand. I stumbled upon this Chorizo Carbonara. Chorizo Carbonara 1

This recipe might be the simplest Mexican Monday dinner yet! It only takes 4 ingredients and 10 minutes. It’s a pasta dish, so you know I’m one happy girl!

Chorizo Carbonara

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb fettuccini pasta
  • 3 links Mexican chorizo, casing removed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 C heavy cream

Steps

  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.
  2. Brown chorizo in a small, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain any excess fat.
  3. Whisk together egg yolks and heavy cream.
  4. Drain pasta. Using two forks, toss with cream mixture – make sure to do this quickly so as not to scramble the yolk and coat the pasta. Add in the chorizo.

*This recipe is adapted from Caroline at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/04/chorizo-carbonara-recipe.html*

Chorizo Carbonara 2

Chorizo Gravy

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Once upon a time, in our first year of marriage, Stuart was craving a Southern classic: White Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. But I didn’t have any traditional sausage. I did the best I could with what I had – chorizo. It wasn’t technically a white gravy anymore, but it was pretty awesome!

Last week’s Mexican Monday (tomorrow’s post) involved chorizo so I had some leftover and decided to remake this gravy.

The seasonings in the chorizo give the gravy a light orange color and adds tons of extra flavor. Most sausage gravies have a lot of pepper in them, but I don’t add any additional seasonings – the pork takes care of that for me.

Chorizo Gravy

Ingredients:

  • 3 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 C 2% milk

Steps

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, brown chorizo, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Once cooked through, use a slotted spoon to remove the chorizo and put on a paper towel lined plate.
  2. Using the fat in the pot, make a rue with 2 tbsp flour. Whisk.
  3. Whisk in milk. Continue to stir over medium-low heat until milk thickens into a gravy – about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in cooked chorizo and serve atop biscuits.

Chroizo Gravy 3

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