Blogger CLUE: Apple Chips

~ lk529 ~ 31 Comments

blogger CLUE

This month my Blogger CLUE friends and I are going on a picnic! We were tasked with searching our assigned blogs for picnic food. With the beautiful weather, the season is just begging us to bring a blanket and sit outside for hours.

I was assigned the blog A Mama, Baby, & Shar-pei in the Kitchen written by Alice. Alice is a mother to two active girls and one funnily named puppy. She gives a story about her dog’s name (Patella Starscream) and it made me think very much of my husband, too, who would also have loved to name our child after a Transformer.

In searching through Alice’s blog I discovered that we share a love for Harry Potter. She created her own Felix Felicis! (For those of you non-HP nerds, Felix Felicis is a potion that provides the drinker luck for a day. Alice’s version is a cold remedy and I’ll definitely have to try it when cold season comes back around.) I also stumbled up a post about creating Ciabatta in which she likened herself to Hermione Granger. Seriously, Alice and I need to meet but as she lives in England I don’t see that happening.

On my hunt of picnic foods I narrowed it down to Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Pasta Salad, and Apple Chips. As you can tell, I settled on Apple Chips. Apple chips are incredibly easy to make and yet I’ve kept crossing them off my to-do list. For Christmas TWO years ago I’d asked for a mandolin with the intention of making apple chips. Finally the moment has come, thank you Alice and Blogger CLUE for the push! Alice used Granny Smith apples for her chips and while I do prefer that variety I wanted to try and recreate those bagged apple chips I enjoyed as a kid so I grabbed Red Delicious. (I NEVER buy Red Delicious apples, the texture of them is not my favorite and I don’t feel they have that apple crunch and quality that apples should have. But, for apple chips – perfect.)

When I started typing up this post I realized I forgot a step in making the apple chips. How sad is that?! There are only three steps! (Four if you count preheating the oven.) I forgot to spray the chips with cooking spray before seasoning and putting them in the oven so they didn’t hold their crisp. I have another apple though and I’m going to give this snack another try.

Apple Chips

Ingredients:

  • 1 apple (I used Red Delicious)
  • pumpkin pie spice (or other spice/spice blend)
  • cooking spray

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and arrange racks in top third and bottom third of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Using a mandolin (or very sharp knife) carefully cut apples to 1/8″ thickness. Remove any seeds.
  3. Place apples in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheets. Spray gently with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.
  4. Bake 2 hours, or until crisp. Gently peel the apples up from the parchment paper and allow to cool on the cookie sheets. Store in an air tight container.

*This recipe is adapted from Alice at http://www.acookingmizer.com/2011/10/20/make-your-own-apple-chips/*

apple chips | sew you think you can cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

#HotSummerEats: Asian Sesame Pasta Salad

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

HotSummerEatsEven though grilling is quintessential to summer eating, I find that pasta salads are equally synonymous with summer gatherings. Whether it’s a barbecue, a picnic, or a potluck, there’s always a pasta salad handy to round out your plate. A lot of people try to avoid mayonnaise based pasta salads when the weather is warm and turn instead to lighter versions using vinaigrettes and salad dressings.

b8882-tlishT.Lish provided participating bloggers with their three flavors of vinaigrettes: Asian Sesame, Chipotle, and Sweet Garlic. As you can tell from the blog post title, I used the first flavor for a pasta salad. The Chipotle was a fan favorite when we had friends over for wings (and I served up some Garlic Hot Wings along with a couple other flavors). The Sweet Garlic is my personal favorite and have tossed it on haricot vert for a simple side dish.

There are many veggie add-ins that would work with the Asian Sesame vinaigrette. I was really hoping to add baby corn to my salad but my grocery store didn’t have any. Broccoli, snap peas, cucumber, and carrot would also work. You could even turn this pasta salad into an entree by adding some cocktail shrimp!

An Original Recipe

Asian Sesame Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 C uncooked rotini pasta
  • 3/4 C frozen shelled edamame, thawed
  • 1/3 C diced red bell pepper
  • segments from 1 1/2 – 2 mandarin oranges
  • 1/2 C Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
  • juice 1/2 – 1 mandarin orange

Steps:

  1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
  2. In a bowl, toss together veggies, mandarins, and cooked pasta.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette and mandarin orange juice. Season to taste with S+P. Add to pasta salad and toss to combine. Keep cold until ready to serve.

Asian Sesame Pasta Salad for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Today is the last day to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

#HotSummerEats: Herby Chicken Burgers

~ lk529 ~ 8 Comments

HotSummerEats#HotSummerEats hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla continues through the weekend! While it’s technically still spring, the weather is warm (or well, it’s supposed to be – Ohio needs to get its act together!) and the pull to get grilling is strong. I couldn’t go through this entire event without heading outside and throwing some burgers on the grill.

I decided to use the blank canvas of chicken to form my patties so I could fill them with lots of flavor thanks to #HotSummerEats sponsor Gourmet Garden. 07f54-gourmet2bgardensI love using their stir-in-pastes and am also falling in love with their lightly dried herb selection. Gourmet Garden herbs are a perfect way to add fresh herbs to dishes – I don’t have an herb garden as I have a thumb as black as it gets and I don’t like spending the money on fresh herbs unless I know I’ll go through the whole bunch because otherwise it ends up being a waste and weeks later I find green mush hiding in my fridge.

Next time you have people over for burgers and dogs offer up this moist and flavorful chicken burger.

An Original Recipe

Herby Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

Steps:

  1. In a bowl mix chicken, panko, milk, Italian herbs paste, parsley paste, garlic paste, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. When burger mixture is combined divide into four equal sized patties.
  2. Grill over medium heat 7 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.

Herby Chicken Burgers for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

#HotSummerEats: Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

HotSummerEatsWe’ve just crossed the halfway point of #HotSummerEats hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. My menu continues with my husband’s favorite recipe of not only the week but of any that I’ve created to date.

I was happy to see that Not Ketchup was sponsoring this event. 64b31-not2bketchupThey generously provided bottles of their dipping sauce during last year’s #10DaysofTailgate during which I made Maize and Blue Chicken Salad. This time I requested a bottle of their Cherry Chipotle dipping sauce with the plan to make baked beans.

I had so much fun creating my Whiskey Bacon Baked Beans that I knew I wanted to try making more flavors. During that first batch of beans I realized just how much 1 lb of beans really is so I decreased the amount but feel free to double my recipe if you’re feeding a crowd. I actually made these beans twice – each time bringing them to a small potluck, and each time getting compliments. I kept this recipe vegetarian for some of my guests but feel free to substitute chicken stock or even add bacon!

An Original Recipe

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

Ingredients:

  • 1 C dry great northern beans (soaked and drained according to package directions)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Vidalia onion, diced
  • 1/4 C Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • pinch cayenne (optional and to taste)
  • 1 1/2 C vegetable broth

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir. Cook on LOW 6 – 7 hours until beans are tender and sauce thickened.

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

 Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

#HotSummerEats: Frozen Cherry Lemonade

~ lk529 ~ 9 Comments

Every summer I make lemonade. I enjoy juicing the lemons as it always reminds me of juicing limes with my dad from the tree in the backyard. HotSummerEatsLet me tell you, I would love to have citrus trees when we finally settle in somewhere – limes are expensive!

But this post isn’t about limes. It’s about lemons! And cherries. And #HotSummerEats – the awesome blogging event going on right now headed up by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

While one of our sponsors, Casabella, offered a citrus reamer to participating bloggers, I opted for their cherry pitter as I already have a reamer in my cabinet. It’s not as awesome as theirs though – I love how the juice flows into a see-through canister with measurements on it! The cherry pitter is equally useful. pitting cherriesI was never sure if they were a helpful kitchen gadget or a gimmick. The answer: helpful! My least favorite part about cherries is the pits and that’s part of why I simply never eat them. Now, I can pit some cherries and have an easy to grab snack. It also makes quick work when cherries are needed for a recipe. I did learn two tricks as I worked with this product for the first time: (1) place the cherry in the pitter so it is on it’s short side and (2) don’t be gentle.

I’ve had my cherry pitter in my drawer for months semi-patiently waiting for cherries to be in season. I don’t think I’d ever been so happy to see cherries in the grocery store before! It’s definitely that time of year to start making homemade lemonade and this frozen cherry version is a beautifully, tart way to start your summer off right.

Before I get to the recipe I have a couple of notes: separation is normal and it is recommended to blend the lemonade right before serving. If you don’t use all of the lemonade immediately keep the leftovers in the fridge and re-blend before enjoying. Even after the ice has melted this lemonade is refreshing, you could always add a little more ice if you wanted.

making cherry lemonade

Frozen Cherry Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 C water
  • 36 cherries, pitted
  • 7 lemons, juice (approx 1 C of juice)
  • 5 C ice

Steps:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat dissolve sugar in water. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. In a blender combine cherries, lemon juice, simple syrup from step 1, and ice.

*This recipe is adapted from Tina at http://www.justputzing.com/2014/06/thirsty-thursdays-frozen-cherry-lemonade.html*

Frozen Cherry Lemonade for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

#HotSummerEats: Garlicky Hot Wings

~ lk529 ~ 13 Comments

HotSummerEatsWelcome to day two of #HotSummerEats hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Today’s recipe is the “hottest” one on my menu. I am highlighting the Garlic Goodness hot sauce created by the Intensity Academy. Intensity AcademyThere is so much flavor in this hot sauce – if you like garlic and you like a bit of heat do yourself a favor and order a bottle of this garlicky goodness. And then use it to make some wings!

I’d never made wings at home before and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to try yet was always too intimidated to do. Having to break up the wings made me nervous. When we were living in Florida, Stuart’s amazing friend, coworker, and adventurer teammate made the best buffalo wings. And now that we’re in Ohio I’m out of luck and need to make the wings myself! I’d watched David break down the wings enough times to feel confident that I could give it a shot. (That didn’t stop me from asking the butcher at Kroger if he could break them up for me. Apparently it’s against the law for them to process the packaged chicken any further. Boo.)

David does it right – he fries the wings then tosses them in buffalo sauce. I opted to bake my wings. I could pretend it’s so they’re healthier but really, it’s because I’m lazy and don’t want to deal with a pot of hot oil. To tell you the truth, these baked wings can’t compare to the fried version but I would definitely do them again! What I liked about the method I found for baking wings was that these wings get tossed in the sauce before they make their way under the boiler then brushed with extra hot sauce when they’re hot out of the oven. This method of baking the wings ensures that they’re full of flavor and still have that sauciness you associate with fried wings. (If you want extra sauciness, divide the sauce in half, toss the wings in one half of the sauce before baking and then toss the wings in the other half when they’re fully cooked. To do this with the Garlic Goodness you’ll need to buy two bottles or make half of the wings.) Feel free to fry the wings if you wish and toss them in this garlicky goodness.

Garlicky Hot Wings

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken wings, tips removed and wings split to give 12 pieces
  • 1/2 C garlic hot sauce
  • 6 tbsp butter

Steps:

  1. Remove wings from the refrigerator and place in a bowl or resealable plastic bag.
  2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the hot sauce and a pinch of kosher salt.
  3. Pour sauce over wings and toss to coat completely. Allow wings to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  4. Preheat broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  5. Place wings on baking sheet, shake off some of the marinade, and broil 12 minutes. Flip and broil another 12 minutes.
  6. Melt 1/2 tbsp butter and mix with 1 tbsp hot sauce. Brush cooked wings. Serve hot.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-buffalo-wings-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-211577*

Garlicky Hot Wings for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own

#HotSummerEats: Mexican Corn Salad

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

HotSummerEatsToday is the first day of #HotSummerEats, a blogging event headed up by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. To kick off the week I went in a Mexican direction – it is Mexican Monday after all!

My favorite thing about summer produce is the fresh corn on the cob. I pretty much only make it one way but have always been intrigued by the Mexican Corn on the Cob you see from street vendors. But I imagine it to be super messy. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of plays on this favorite snack by taking the corn off the cob and turning it into a side dish. I jumped on the bandwagon and I’m so glad I did! We loved this corn salad and used in on tostadas and in tacos.

caribeque logoTo add a little punch of flavor to the salad I used the spice blend Island Thyme from Caribeque. To say we like this blend would be a big understatement. Twice now I have sprinkled it on pork chops for a quick weeknight dinner, even serving it to guests who enjoyed it as much as we did. I’ve even used it compensate for taco seasoning when I’d used up the last of my supply and needed a couple tablespoons more. My little man liked the corn salad (he picked out the corn and wouldn’t touch the Feta) and he’s gobbled up the pork seasoned with Island Thyme, too!

Mexican Corn Salad

Ingredients:

Steps:

  1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thawed corn and allow corn to char about 5 minutes – don’t stir too often but don’t let the corn burn.
  2. In a bowl whisk together the mayo, cilantro paste, garlic paste, lime juice, and Island Thyme seasoning.
  3. Add the corn, onion, and jalapeno. Mix until combined. Gently fold in the Feta.

*This recipe is modified from Danielle at http://www.mostlyfoodandcrafts.com/2015/05/mexican-street-corn-salad.html* (Wow, I just realized Danielle is one of the #HotSummerEats bloggers! Too funny.)

Mexican Corn Salad for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

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#HotSummerEats: The Giveaway

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments
HotSummerEats
Hot Summer Eats is here. Rallied by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, a talented group of 18 food bloggers will be posting recipes for a week. From June 1st through June 8th, we hope to inspire you for your summer grill dates and cookouts, provide you with ideas for your beach bonfires, and get you planning those ice cream socials and cocktail hours. Not only will you find over a hundred summer-y recipe posts, but you can enter to win our awesome giveaway, courtesy of some amazingly generous donations from sponsoring companies. See details below.
The Sponsors

The Prizes

BenBella Vegan will provide one winner with one print copy of each of their Spring 2015 releases: Love Fed, by Christina Ross (March 2015); PlantPure Nation Cookbook, by Kim Campbell (March 2015); Plant-Powered Families, by Dreena Burton (May 2015); Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living, by Lindsay S. Nixon (May 2015); and China Study Quick & Easy Cookbook, by Del Sroufe (May 2015).
Casabella will provide one winner with a trio of kitchen gadgets that are perfect for summer entertaining: a set of two large ice cube trays; a citrus juicer and reamer; and a cherry pitter.
Gourmet Garden will provide one winner with each of their stir-in pastes (basil, chili pepper, cilantro, dill, Italian herbs, garlic, chunky garlic, ginger, lemongrass, oregano, parsley, and Thai seasonings), each of their lightly dried herbs (basil, chili pepper, cilantro, ginger, and parsley), and two Gourmet Garden logo coolers.
Not Ketchup will provide one winner with a prize pack of four fruit ketchups – Blueberry White Pepper, Cherry Chipotle, Spiced Fig, and Smoky Date.
Quirk Books will send one winner a copy of their cookbook Summer Cocktails by Maria Del Mar Sacasa, photography by Tara Striano.
Spicely Organics will send one winner their Backyard Barbeque Gift Box.
T.Lish will provide one winner with each of the three current flavors: Sweet Garlic, Asian Sesame, and Chipotle.
Members of the Sauceology Group have donated a summery prize pack that includes six delicious products. You will receive either the Calypso Kick or Island Thyme Spice Rub from Caribeque, Garlic Goodness Hot Sauce and Chai Curry Chup from Intensity Academy, Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette from Out of the Weeds, Guava Girl Gourmet Grilling Sauce from Pirate Jonny’s, and Southern Gold Barbeque Gold Sauce from Voodoo Chef.
The #HotSummerEats Bloggers
The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: The #HotSummerEats giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up only. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #HotSummerEats Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

#SundaySupper: 5 Ingredients or Less

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

My favorite thing about the many blogging groups I’m in, besides the feeling of community and support, is that they give me direction. I like having a “homework assignment” to help inspire a new recipe or give me that push I needed to cross something off the culinary bucket list.

That being said, when I saw the theme for today’s Sunday Supper hosted by T.R. of Gluten Free Crumbley, I’d already had my recipe conveniently in the oven! Unfortunately, it wasn’t a success.

I’d never worked with puff pastry before and while I let it thaw ahead of time the dough remained raw in the center around the salmon. I felt like a contestant on Chopped praying to my oven to cook. After multiple trips in the oven the puff pastry wasn’t getting any closer to being cooked and I didn’t want to compromise the salmon. We loved the salmon and cream cheese filling so much that I knew I’d be giving it another try.

I thought about trying the recipe using seamless crescent roll dough, but I didn’t know if the salmon would cook through in time so instead I turned to my Sunday Supper family for advice. Stacy of Food Lust People Love asked if  my fish was cold. The answer was yes. As was the cream cheese center. I made the recipe again the next week while the baby arugula was still good. I let the cream cheese come to room temperature, left the salmon out on the counter for 30 minutes, and more thinly rolled out the puff pastry. Success!

Salmon in Puff Pastry | Sew You Think You Can Cook (2)

Salmon in Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
  • 2 skinless 6-8 oz salmon filets
  • 1/3 C cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/3 C chopped baby arugula

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
  2. Roll puff pastry to 1/8″ thickness.
  3. Mix cream cheese and arugula, season to taste with S+P.
  4. Place one salmon filet in the center of the puff pastry and season with S+P. Spread the cream cheese mixture top of the salmon. Top with the other piece of salmon. Fold the puff pastry over the top of the fish, trimming any excess.
  5. Transfer the fish to the prepared baking sheet and spritz with cooking spray (optional).
  6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden and fish is cooked through.

*This recipe is adapted from The Illustrated Kitchen Bible*

Salmon in Puff Pastry | Sew You Think You Can Cook

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Recipe Substitution Tips by Sunday Supper

8387592742_f6164fd5a8_oJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak filled with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Basil

~ lk529 ~ 9 Comments

That’s quite the fancy recipe title, isn’t it?! There aren’t very many fancy recipes on Sew You Think You Can Cook because we’re just not that fancy of people. And fancy usually takes way more time and effort than I have patience for.

So why am I sharing such a fancy dish with you today?

Because today is the 5th anniversary of my marriage to a man who makes me laugh (don’t tell him I said that), makes me smile, and makes my dreams come true. photography by Cher Hanna

Photography by Cher Hanna

A little over 5 years ago we thought that today we’d be laying in a hot tub looking at the mountains and ocean in St. Lucia. It’s amazing how much happens in 5 short years! Instead of taking that anniversary trip we are expecting our second child and at a point in my husband’s career where taking a long vacation just isn’t possible. So get ready St. Lucia, we’re coming for you in 5 years! (Grandparents, clear your calendars.)

We aren’t doing anything tonight either. Similarly to last year, Stuart signed up for a race this weekend. Although this one is only 12ish miles and not 30 hours in the woods. Also – family is coming into town to attend our son’s baptism on Sunday (finally!).

Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak
filled with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Basil

Ingredients:

  • 3 shallots, diced
  • 3/4 C Cabernet red wine
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lb flank steak, butterflied
  • 4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 4 oz thinly sliced fontina cheese
  • approximately 14 fresh basil leaves

Steps:

  1. Whisk together shallots, wine, and olive oil. Place in a large casserole dish (or a resealable plastic bag). Add the steak and marinate in the fridge a minimum of 4 hours.
  2. Remove steak from the marinade and dry with paper towels. Lay cut side up and season with S+P. Cover with prosciutto, fontina, and basil leaves. Roll the steak around the filling on the long side. Tie with kitchen string in 4-5 places.
  3. Brush the outside of the roulade with a little bit of olive oil and season with S+P.
  4. Grill the steak over medium-high heat on all sides for a total of 10 minutes. Move the steak away from direct heat and cook another 20 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 125 (or greater) is reached depending on your preference.
  5. Cover the roulade with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with Cabernet-Shallot Reduction (recipe below).

Cabernet-Shallot Reduction

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 shallots, diced
  • 1 2/3 C Cabernet red wine
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp honey

Steps:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat saute the shallots in olive oil until tender. Add the wine and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to 1/2 C. Strain. Stir in the honey and season to taste with salt.

*These recipes are adapted from Bobby Flay’s Grill It!*

Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak filled with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Basil | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.