Cashew Chicken (Cook's Country)

Cashew chicken is likely one of the top 3 favorites for Chinese food. That said, I'm super picky about how it gets made. Too often they put bell peppers in it and too often they don't make it with enough cashews. I did not have that problem today. 

I misread the amount of cashews to put in. I read 1 cup and the recipe is for 1/2 c.  I certainly won't complain that I had more cashews than chicken. 

This recipe was good, but I didn't like the soaking the chicken in a slury of cornstarch. When it hit the hot pan it kinda jelly-ed up. It was gross. When I make this again, I won't put in the cornstarch in the beginning. 

Also DEFINITELY use low sodium soy sauce. 5 tablespoons total is a lot of soy sauce. It was still relatively salty with the low sodium, so do not salt your chicken or anything else. 

Cashew Chicken
Recipe from Cook's Country June/July 2020

Photo from Cook's Country

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 5 T low sodium soy sauce, divided
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 T dry sherry
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/3 c hoisin sauce
• 1/3 c water
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 c raw cashews
• 2 celery ribs, sliced on bias
• 6 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine chicken, 2 T soy sauce, cornstarch, sherry, and sesame oil in a bowl. 

Combine hoisin, water, vinegar, and remaining 3 T soy sauce in separate bowl. 

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cashews and cook, stirring constantly until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spook, transfer cashews to small bowl. 

Heat oil left in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook stirring frequently until beginning to brown. Add celery, scallion whites, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and cook until celery is just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. 

Add hoisin mixture, bring to a boil, and cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened. Off heat, stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve.

Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Rice

 Its cold here in the Pacific Northwest. Perfect day for some comfort food. So out comes the slow cooker. I've had this recipe on my list a couple of times and for whatever reason never made it. 

So easy to put together. I made some small modifications. Shocking! I didn't use beef bouillon cubes. I had the Better Than Bouillon Beef flavor in my fridge so I used that. I added a touch of salt too since it's less salty than bouillons. And I COMPLETELY forgot the onion, so there's that. 

Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Rice
Sixsistersstuff.com

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  Photo from Sixsistersstuff.com

  2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
• 1 1/4 c water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 (.87 ounce) packages brown gravy mix
• 3 c cooked rice

Spray slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. Turn onto Low setting.

Place stew meat in the bottom of the slow cooker.

In a microwave safe bowl add the water and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil in the microwave and then stir until cubes are dissolved.

Then add in the soup, chopped onion, and gravy mix packets.

Stir until combined and pour over the beef in the slow cooker.

Gently stir until all the meat is covered.

Cover with lid and cook on low setting for 6 hours.

If you like the gravy a little thicker at the end of the cooking time, add in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch.

Serve over cooked rice.

Garlic Mushroom Chicken Bites

More garlic this week. There will be no kissing vampires for me.  Blueberry came over for dinner and shared this with me. She approved and I approved. It's a keeper for sure.

Garlic Mushroom Chicken Bites
Recipe from Cafedelites.com

• 2 t oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch
  
• 1/2 tsp salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 8 oz sliced brown mushrooms
• 3 T butter
• 1 brown shallot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T fresh chopped parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Mix well and sear chicken all over until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate; set aside and keep warm.

Heat remaining oil in the same pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook, while stirring, until just beginning to brown and soften, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the remaining butter to the pan. Let melt and sauté shallots and bell peppers until just soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the chicken back into the pan along with any juices released while resting. Mix through all of the ingredients to evenly coat in the pan juices. Continue cooking until all vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes.

Taste test and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm.

Lemon Garlic Butter Flank Steak with Mushrooms

The Pantry Goat came by for dinner tonight. Thankfully I had something on the menu that would not only be delicious, but would allow for leftovers for her!

This recipe was absolutely a 5 star - must repeat again - recipe.

Lemon Garlic Butter Flank Steak with Mushrooms
Recipe from Therecipecritic.com

Marinade: 

• 
  1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of red pepper

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 ounce sliced mushrooms
• 3 T butter
• ¼ c chicken broth
• juice of one lemon
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• fresh chopped herbs for garnish

Mix together ingredients of the marinade (soy sauce through red pepper flakes).

Add the flank steak and the steak marinade to a zip lock bag and seal and let marinade for 30 minutes. Remove the steak from the marinade and discard marinade. Slice the steak into strips against the grain.

Add the olive oil to a medium skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the steak strips and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the steak is cooked to desired liking. Remove the steak and set aside on a plate.

Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Remove and set on the plate with the steak.

Add the butter, chicken broth, juice of one lemon and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Allow to simmer and add the steak and mushrooms back to the skillet. Toss to warm up and garnish with fresh herbs.

Creamy Lemon Chicken with Garlic

 This will be new recipe #84. I think hitting my 100 will be no problem this year. I guess that's ONE good thing about COVID.

This was a super easy, low carb dinner. I served it with broccoli too...gotta get my greens in. I chopped the chicken up into bite size pieces. That's just how I roll. I don't think that makes too much of a difference.

Creamy Lemon Chicken with Garlic
Recipe from Thatlowcarblife.com

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  Photo from ThatLowCarbLife
  

  1 pound thin sliced chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 T lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T butter
• ¼ c heavy cream
• 1 T dill

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering.

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on each side and cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the chicken stock, to the pan and whisk to deglaze the pan. Add the lemon juice and garlic to the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Allow chicken stock to reduce by half, about 10 minutes.

Whisk the butter and cream into the chicken stock until butter has melted and mixture is smooth and creamy.

Return chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with fresh dill. Cook for 1 minute to rewarm the chicken.

Serve immediately.

Baked Chili Lime Chicken Tenders

This is a flavorful, flavorful recipe. It has some kick to it, so be careful. I know Chili Garlic Sauce is hot, so I only used 1/4 c instead of 1/2 c...that was a perfect adjustment for me. 

I served this with sautéed mushrooms and rice. Super easy, super yummy. Make this recipe.

Update: I just realized I used chili garlic sauce, NOT chili sauce. The two are very different with very different flavor profiles. I may make this again with chili sauce.

Photo from SixSistersStuff

Baked Chili Lime Chicken Tenders
Recipe from Sixsistersstuff.com

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders
1/2 c chili sauce
2 T orange marmalade
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T lime juice
1 T dried minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
4 green onions (sliced)
1 tsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange chicken tenders in single layer in pan.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together chili sauce, orange marmalade, soy sauce, lime juice, dried onion, garlic, and salt and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover pan with plastic wrap and let marinate in fridge for about an hour (I let mine marinate for about 3 hours), turning chicken once, about half way through marinating time.

Remove chicken from fridge, discard plastic wrap, and bake chicken for about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven, turn chicken pieces over and return to oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear).

Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Chunky Beef, Cabbage and Tomato Soup

Its been a couple of weeks since I've cooked something new. Finally feeling settled in the new place and cooking will make me feel even more settled. 

It's a blustery, rainy, coldish day here in Seattle. The perfect day for soup. And I found just the soup! I've made a couple of cabbage and beef soups in the past. All of them delicious. This one, equally as delicious. Super easy and enough leftovers for everyone. 

Make this soup. SkinnyTaste never disappoints and this one doesn't either. 

Photo from SkinnyTaste

Chunky Beef, Cabbage and Tomato Soup
Recipe from SkinnyTaste

• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
• 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 c diced onion
• 1/2 c diced celery
• 1/2 c diced carrot
• 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 5 c chopped green cabbage
• 4 c beef stock
• 2 bay leaves

Brown ground beef and cook until browned breaking the meat up into small pieces as it cooks, 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt / pepper to taste

When browned, add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cabbage, beef stock and bay leaves, cook 40 minutes on low. 

Remove bay leaves and serve. Makes 11 cups.

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

I'm a big fan of tacos and Mexican food in general. This recipe was on Instagram and I saw it as I was unpacking the pantry. Turned out I had everything to make this recipe, and then some. 

I only made two small changes to this recipe:

1. I'm not a fan of taco seasoning. I grew up with my mom using chili powder and that was it on our taco meat. So I only used chili powder and didn't use taco seasoning.

2. I had a small can of diced green chilis, so I tossed them in. So delicious!

Photo from AllRecipes

Tater Tot Taco Casserole
Recipe from AllRecipes

Serves 8

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen Mexican-style corn
• 1 (12 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (12 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, taco seasoning mix, frozen Mexican-style corn, and black beans to the ground beef; cook and stir another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Combine the ground beef mixture in a large bowl with about 3/4 of the Mexican cheese blend and the tater tots; stir to combine.

Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish; lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tot layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese over the casserole and return to oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes more.

One Pan Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken Mushroom and Asparagus Skillet

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this recipe. It looks like there are a lot of steps, but they are all necessary, trust me. I didn't change a thing with it. 

Photo from SweetCDesigns

One Pan Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken Mushroom and Asparagus Skillet

Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com
Serves 6

• 4 T butter, divided
• PINCH of salt, very small amount 
• 4 chicken thighs, bones removed 
• 6-10 cloves garlic, sliced in half or finely diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed and wiped clean
• 1 bunch asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed off and discarded (optional- cut into 2-3" bits)
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 c heavy whipping cream or half and half
• 1 pinch to 1 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on your desired spicy level
• ½ c diced cilantro, optional
• 2 T lemon juice
• ¼ c parmesan cheese

Heat a heavy pan on medium high until very hot. Add butter, swirl around pan, and let melt. When butter is foamy and melted, add chicken thighs.

Very lightly salt chicken thighs (ONE pinch for all things - don't overdo it!) Cook chicken thighs 5 minutes on each side, until lovely golden brown. When chicken thighs are well browned, remove from pan.

Add garlic to pan, stir well. Add mushrooms and asparagus to pan, stirring occasionally to keep mushrooms and garlic from burning.

When vegetables are browned, remove from pan and set aside. Drain excess fat from pan, but don't clean out.

Return heat to high and add stock and lemon juice to pan (watch out for steam), and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan.

Turn heat to medium high. Add second half of butter to pan, let melt. Turn heat off, and slowly add cream and parmesan cheese, whisking vigorously as you add it.

Return heat to medium high. Add chicken thighs back to pan, let sauce reduce another 5-8 minutes, flipping chicken occasionally, until thick and chicken thighs are 165 internal temp.

Before chicken is all the way to 165, add vegetables back into pan and mix well to ensure it is evenly coated with sauce. Top with red pepper flakes and fresh diced parsley if desired.

Remove from pan and serve immediately!

Tator Tot Casserole a la 1970's

 Oh the 70's! What a great decade to have my childhood. The food was simple and, in some cases, odd combinations. 

One of my favorite childhood recipes was Tator Tot Casserole. Shockingly simple and so very delicious. Makes great left overs.

Tator Tot Casserole
Recipe from Mom
Serves 4 - if you have side dishes

• 1 lb ground beef (season with salt and pepper)
• ½ onion chopped
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
• ½ package Tator tots

Brown ground beef and onions together. Drain. Add the can of cream of mushroom soup and mix
together thoroughly. 

Transfer to an 8X8 baking dish.

Top with tator tots, covering the beef. I line mine all up.

Bake for the amount of time your tator tots packaging say. I usually bake for about 30 minutes

Sprinkle with season salt

Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. The flavor combination hits all the happy spots for my taste buds. This recipe is simple and delicious. The air fryer adds a nice touch of crispy to the outside of the chicken. Or maybe it's just my chicken because I cook it too long. 

Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Recipe from Every Day Easy Airfryer Cookbook
Serves 4

• 1 lb chicken tenders, halved crosswise
• 1/4 c plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro

In a large glass bowl, toss together chicken, yogurt, ginger, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne, turmeric, garam masala and paprika to coat. Marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

Place chicken in single layer in air fryer basket. Spray chicken with oil. Set air fryer to 350F for 15 minutes. Halfway through, spray chicken with more oil spray and toss to gently coat. Cook for 5 minutes more. 

Transfer the chicken to serving platter. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

 I decided I needed at least one salad this week. So this one sounded delicious. The only problem with this recipe isn't the recipe, but the user. I neglected to make sure my lettuce wasn't wilted and gross. DOH!

The chicken marinade is delicious and so very tasty. I have used it all the time for regular chicken.

Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Beautiful photo from 
Cafedelites.com

Recipe from Cafedelites.com
Serves 4

Marinade/Dressing:

2 T olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
2 T water
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
cracked pepper, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or chicken breasts)

Salad
4 c Romaine (or Cos) lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 large cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
⅓ c pitted Kalamata olives (or black olives), sliced (optional)
Lemon wedges, to serve

Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.

Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.

Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.

Chicken Shawarma

 When I hear chicken shawarma I'm immediately thrown back to Saudi days when my first shawarma had cold french fries in it and a dill pickle. You'd think that would turn me off, but it didn't. 

Since those days I can't even count how many pounds of chicken shawarma I've had over the years. Some better than other. This recipe seemed like a good one to try. First, I love my air fryer and why not marry that with my love for chicken shawarma.

I chose to not make or by tziki sauce or go with a pita. I put it along side a rice pilaf and tomato salad. 

Chicken Shawarma
Recipe from Every Day Air Fryer Cookbook
Serves 4

2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb chicken thighs, cut into large bite size chunks
2 T vegetable oil
Tzatziki
Pita bread

Combine the spices.

In a large bowl, toss the chicken, vegetable oil and shawarma spices to coat. Marinate at room temp for 30 min or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. 

Place chicken in the air fryer basket. Set air fryer to 350F for 15 minutes or until chicken reaches 165F.

Transfer chicken to serving platter. Serve with tzatziki and pita bread.

Braised Cubed Steak with Peppers and Olives

Am I the only one who walks down memory lane when cube steak is in a recipe? We used to have cube steak ALL the time growing up. Mom used to use it all the time when making her famous Chicken Fried Steak. 

This recipe was super easy and super flavorful. It certainly fills you up. I used cauliflower rice and it was delicious!

Braised Cubed Steak with Peppers and Olives Recipe

Beautiful photo from SkinnyTaste

Recipe from SkinnyTaste
If you want slow cooker or instant pot versions of this recipe, go here. 
Serves: 8

8 pieces cubed steak, 28 oz
1 3/4 tsp adobo seasoning or garlic salt
black pepper, to taste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c water
1 small red bell pepper, sliced 1/4-inch thin strips
1/2 medium onion, sliced into 1/4-inch thin strips
1/3 c green pitted olives plus 2 tablespoons of brine

Season beef with adobo or garlic salt, and black pepper to taste. 

Place skillet with a lid, top with onions and peppers, pour tomato sauce and 1c water over everything and add the olives along with some of the brine (liquid from the jar).

Cook 1 hour, covered on low heat making sure there is enough liquid to cover. Add more water when it gets low.

Slow Cooker Directions: Cook 8 hours on low.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak is one of my favorite comfort foods. I've made a couple of variations of it and they always have that same rich, beef/mushroom flavor to it.

The great thing about this recipe is the slow cooker element. I love turning it on and leaving it! I halved this recipe since it was just me. It was rich with flavor and the patties turned out so moist and delicious. I can't say enough good things about it.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
Recipe from Spendwithpennies.com
Serves 6
6 oz sliced mushrooms

Beautiful photo from Spendwithpennies.com

1/2 onion , sliced
1 1/2 c beef broth (low sodium)
1 oz package brown gravy mix (dry)
2 T ketchup
1 tsp dijon
2 T fresh parsley
2 T corn starch
4 T water
BEEF PATTIES
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 egg yolk
1/4 c minced onion
1/3 c Panko bread crumbs
3 T milk
1 clove garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Place mushrooms & onions in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Combine beef patty ingredients and form 6 patties. Brown over medium high heat (about 3 minutes per side).

Layer beef patties over mushrooms. Combine remaining ingredients except water and cornstarch. Pour over beef and cook on low 5 hours.

Once cooked, remove patties and set aside.

Turn slow cooker onto high. Combine cold water and cornstarch. Stir into the broth and let cook a few minutes until thickened. Add beef back into the sauce to coat.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

 I can almost remember the first time I tried a Caprese Salad. It was in Italy, of course, and I believe it was like one of the first trips to Italy in high school. I fell in love immediately. 

This time of year, this type of salad is on my mind a lot. With fresh tomatoes becoming available, it's a go to salad for me. 

This one I switched up a little. I'm not a fan of arugula so I used spinach instead. Really good swap in my opinion. 

Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata

Photo from EatingWell

Recipe from EatingWell.com
Serves 6

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 c baby arugula
4 c sliced heirloom tomatoes
4 ounces burrata, sliced
½ c basil chiffonade (see Tip)
¼ tsp flaky sea salt

Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss arugula with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette in a small bowl.

Place the dressed arugula on a platter. Decoratively arrange sliced tomatoes and burrata over the arugula. Sprinkle with basil and flaky salt.

Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread

 Starbucks banana bread is the bomb to me. In a pinch when I don't have fresh banana bread - which is most of the time - Starbuck's bread does just fine. 

I stumbled onto this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. 

I didn't have any nuts, so it's nut free. And I gotta say...it's delicious and very good!

Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread
Recipe from Butteryourbiscuit.com

2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/8 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 T buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 extra ripe bananas
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spray a 8x5 loaf pan with non stick spray and line it with parchment paper if desired.

In a medium bowl add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk just until combined.

In another medium bowl add egg, sugar and oil and whisk until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, the mixture will be thick and dry.

Add in the buttermilk, vanilla and smashed bananas and mix until combined.

Pour into a loaf pan, sprinkle walnuts over the top.

Bake on the center oven rack for 60-75 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Hoisin Skirt Steak with Cauliflower

The hoisin glaze for the steak is delicious. It was super flavorful with a little spicy finish! 

I didn't follow the recipe for the cauliflower. Well, not completely. I cut the cauliflower into steaks (meaning cutting an inch  thick slice). I put olive oil on them and salt and pepper and put them on the grill.  

Hoisin Skirt Steak with Cauliflower
Recipe from Food Network

Photo from FoodNetwork

Serves 4

1/4 c hoisin sauce
2 T ketchup
1 T rice vinegar
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp honey
2 tsp sambal oelek or other chili-garlic sauce
1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed and cut into small florets
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, caps halved
2 T plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
1 bunch scallions (1 thinly sliced, the rest cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)

Preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the hoisin sauce, ketchup, vinegar, ginger, honey and sambal oelek in a small bowl. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Brush about half of the hoisin sauce mixture all over the steak.

Put the cauliflower and 1 tablespoon water in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover and microwave until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Blot dry. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms with the vegetable oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt; spread out in a grill basket.

Oil the grill grates. Grill the steaks until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare, brushing with the remaining hoisin sauce mixture during the last minute of cooking. Transfer to a cutting board to rest. Meanwhile, grill the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until browned around the edges and crisp-tender, about 8 minutes, adding the larger scallion pieces to the grill basket during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Divide the vegetables among plates. Slice the steaks, add to the plates and sprinkle with the thinly sliced scallions.

Boozy Chocolate Poke Cake

Janet is turning 60 on Sept 3rd. We had a surprise party for her on the Saturday before! And every good party needs a good cake! So I made this Boozy Cake for Janet. 

It's involved and you do need to plan a little (like get your ice cream out to melt).

This cake was RIGHTEOUS! So good. I highly recommend making this for anyone you love...or you could make it for someone you hate and NOT give it to them. 

The other benefit is you have left over Guinness. I mean you have to buy a 6 pack and you only use like a cup...

Boozy Chocolate Poke Cake
Recipe from BuzzFeed
Serves 15

Photo from thefeed.com

2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c dark cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 & 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2  packed brown sugar
1  sour cream, divided
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 c Guinness Draught Stout
1/4 c Baileys Irish Cream
1 & 1/4 c melted vanilla ice cream
2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Whisk together flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on high for 2–3 minutes. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat in eggs.

Mix in half of the flour mixture. Mix in Guinness Draught Stout. Mix in the rest of the flour.

Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached.

Remove from oven and let cake cool. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake.

Whisk together Baileys Irish Cream and melted vanilla ice cream. Pour mixture over cake, being sure to fill the holes. Use a silicone spatula to spread liquid evenly.

Combine heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on high until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over cake.

Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Drizzle cake with melted chocolate.

Slice and serve!

Hot Cheesy Cuban Rollups

Part of my 100 New Recipe goal this year is that I'm purposely cooking things like cookies, treats, and appetizers. They're recipes in my list and I can't "wait" to try them when I have company...within reason anyhow. 

This recipe is clearly an appetizer type recipe. My plan was to cook it and have a salad with it. I ended up just having the salad. 

The problem I always have with these types of recipes is that the inside dough RARELY gets cooked and I hate sticky, guncky dough. The outside dough was brown and almost well-done, and the inside was barely cooked. I also COMPLETELY missed the step to cut the roll up first then back. I totally baked the entire roll up and I think that is where I went wrong. 

Ok...I change my mind. I'm going to keep this one and try it again later and correctly. 

Hot Cheesy Cuban Rollups

Recipe from Tasteandsee.com
Serves 12

2 store-bought puff pastry sheets
10 ounces diced pickles (Buy one 20-ounce jar of Claussen sandwich slices - after draining the liquid this will yield the quantity you need)
1/2 c yellow mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 pound thin-to-medium sliced deli ham (this should be more than enough to cover the two puff pastries)
9 ounces sliced Swiss cheese (about 18 slices - I used 9 slices for each puff pastry)
1 egg
1 T water

Thaw out two puff pastry sheets. Roll each one out just a bit onto two large pieces of plastic wrap. (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches)

Mix garlic powder, onion powder and mustard together in a small bowl. Spread this evenly across both puff pastry sheets, leaving a ¼-inch border all around the outside edges of the dough. Sprinkle 5 ounces (half) of the diced pickles on each pastry sheet, then layer on the cheese and the ham.

Roll up the dough, making sure that the ham and cheese don’t slide out while you’re rolling. Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the roll ups, place on a baking sheet seam-side down, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375F and set racks to the upper and lower thirds. Remove the plastic wrap from the roll up, and place it on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, gently cut (using a saw like motion) it into ¾-inch slices. You should have about 12 slices per roll up – 24 total.

Now lay each rollup on its side, on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them an inch or two apart. You may need to reshape them a little to round them out. In a small bowl whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush this egg wash on top of each pinwheel. Bake for 24-26 minutes total, rotating the baking sheets midway through.