Marinated Skirt Steak with Shallot Butter or Bleu Cheese

This was by far the most popular recipe ever at Now We're Cooking.  We put in on our menu the second month, and it stayed on our menu almost constantly for the next 32 months.  This recipe also works well with any tender cut of beef - rib eye or strip steak.  It can work with flank steak, but it's not acidic enough to tenderize the steak, so use a top grade of steak.

Marinated Skirt Steaks with Bleu Cheese or Caramelized Shallot Butter

½ cup hoisin sauce 

¼ cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon garlic

2 teaspoons ginger

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon Mae Ploy sweet chile sauce 

6 6-ounce skirt steaks  

½ cup bleu cheese crumbles 

3 Tablespoons shallot butter (recipe below)

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together well.  Pour over steaks.  Turn the steaks a few times so they're fully coated.  Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.  (You can also put them all in a plastic bag and freeze them. The steaks will marinate while they're defrosting in the refrigerator.)
   
2. Fire up the grill to high temperature.  Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade.  Grill steaks for 3-5 minutes per side to desired doneness.  Top with bleu cheese and melt for 1 minute.  Or, if using shallot butter, top steaks immediately before serving.  Alternatively, you can broil the steaks, about 6 inches away from the broiler element.
   

Someone posted a question about how to cut the skirt steaks.  Skirt steak is a long piece of beef that's covered in loose fat.  Lay out the steaks and trim the loose fat by running a chef's knife or boning knife away under the fat, and then angling the knife away from the beef while you run it down the length of the steaks.  Then cut across the narrow part of the steak (with the grain) to portion it into portions of equal weight.

When it's cooked, you want to cut against the grain.  Here's a short video from youtube showing how to do that.

Caramelized Shallot Butter

1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon tarragon, dried

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Finely chop shallots.  In a small pan, saute in olive oil, stirring frequently, until shallots have begun to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes.  Stir in soy sauce and cook until all liquid is evaporated.  Stir in tarragon and pepper.  Remove from heat, let cool.  Process in food processor until butter is smooth and creamy with bits of shallots.

Quick Linguine with Broccoli

Rudy and I have a hearty, healthy dinner that's our quick and easy, can't figure out what else to do dinner.  I like it because it has endless variations, can be made with whatever is in the fridge, and it's pretty tasty.

Linguine with Broccoli

2 cups broccoli florets

1 8-10 ounce package fresh linguine

1/4 cup Roasted garlic olive oil

1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

chopped fresh herbs, if you have them

Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Add the pasta and broccoli, let boil for 3-5 minutes, until pasta is cooked and broccoli is tender.  Drain well.  Toss the pasta mixture with the roasted garlic olive oil and balsamic vinegar, plus salt and pepper to taste.  If you have the fresh herbs, toss them in, too.  Top with the shredded Parmesan and serve.
2. My husband likes to add bits of roast chicken to his.  We usually have a roast chicken in the fridge - he makes quesadillas for midnight snacks.  He'll slice off a few pieces, warm them in the microwave, and toss them with the pasta.

What I like about this is it works with most any vegetable I have in the fridge.  The one-pot technique works with broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, or quartered Brussels sprouts.  I can also ramp up the flavor and sophistication by adding freshly toasted nuts:  pinenuts with the broccoli, slivered almonds with the Brussels sprouts, or pecans with the green beans.  If I have tomatoes, peppers, or spinach, I saute them separately with the roasted garlic olive oil and toss them with the pasta.  It's so easy, delicious, and can be on the table in just 15 minutes.  The keys to making it taste really good are to use fresh pasta and fresh Parmesan - the pre-shredded cheese is just not comparable.  

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf

This was one of the most popular items on the Now We're Cooking menu.  Jaime asked for it yesterday, so here it is!  Got more requests?  Just post them in the comments section, and I'll get the recipes up as fast as I can.  Please tell others about this blog if you're enjoying it!

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf

30 ounces ground meat (recommend combining 2/3 ground beef and 1/3 ground pork, but can also use any combination of beef, turkey, chicken or pork.)

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green onion

½ cup chopped water chestnuts

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

½ teaspoon wasabi powder (spicy - reduce for kids)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (use only half if using table salt) 

Glaze

½ cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup catsup

½ cup Mae Ploy sweet chile sauce

1.  Combine all of the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Place into a loaf pan (sprayed with cooking spray), smoothing out the top. 
   
2. Mix together the glaze ingredients.  Pour over the top of the meatloaf.
   
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour, until internal temperature is 165 degrees.  Drain grease from pan, remove meatloaf from pan.  Let cool a few minutes, slice, and serve.  Great with roasted carrots!
   

To make ahead for the freezer:  Make meatloaf.  Place in a loaf pan and double-wrap with saran wrap.  Mix glaze and pour into a small Ziploc bag.  Wrap it with the meatloaf.  To cook, thaw in your refrigerator for 2 days, then follow directions above.  Or, cook it from frozen:  Unwrap meatloaf.  Bake at 350 for about 90 minutes.  Put glaze on top of meatloaf for last hour of cooking.

Thai Curry Beef

This is a recipe from the Now We're Cooking business recipe collection.  Adrienne has offered to "bribe or beg" for the recipe.  I wouldn't want her to have to do that, but I do succumb to pressure.  It takes some work to get the recipes from my database into HTML format, and I'm not patient enough to try to automate the whole thing at this point.  It's also why I never got around to publishing the cookbook.  So, if there's a Now We're Cooking recipe you're just dying to have, post a comment here on the blog and I'll get to it!

Adrienne, this one's for you.  The sweetness of the potatoes balances out the heat of the curry quite nicely.

Thai Curry Beef

Serves 4-6

24 Ounces Beef Chuck Shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" cubes

2 cups coconut milk

½ cup bamboo shoots (canned, drained and well rinsed)

1 Tablespoon basil (fresh, chopped)

1 teaspoon garlic

¼ cup fish sauce

½ teaspoon paprika

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Mae Ploy Thai Red Curry Paste for mild curry, or more (up to 3 Tablespoons) depending on your taste

Zest of ½ lime

2 cups diced fresh sweet potatoes

 Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups rice (I prefer brown)

Zest of ½ lime

2 Tablespoons cilantro

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1. Combine all of the ingredients up to the potatoes (beef through lime zest), mixing well.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
2. Put into a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  30 minutes before it's done, add the sweet potatoes.
3. Alternatively, you can do this in a dutch oven:  simmer over low heat for 3 hours, until beef is tender.  Add sweet potatoes 30 minutes before serving.
4. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve over cilantro lime rice.
5. To make the cilantro lime rice:  Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil.  Stir in rice and lime zest.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (white rice) or 40 minutes (brown rice).  Stir in lime juice and cilantro just prior to serving.

To prepare this ahead in the Now We're Cooking way, place all the ingredients up to the sweet potatoes in a large freezer bag.  Combine well.  Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal.  Freeze for up to 2 months.  To cook, let thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.  Proceed from step 2 above.

This Week's Plan

It's been a tough weekend.  I hit a lifetime peak on the scale, and my husband and I took a good hard look at our finances.  We're going to have to closely watch the food budget for a while.  But, of course, the kinds of foods that are inexpensive in bulk also tend to be the kinds of foods that are quick to stick to the hips - pasta, rice, inexpensive cuts of meat.  Even in California, fresh produce is expensive!  But it's still less expensive that meat.  So, for a while, I'm going to be working on treating meat like a condiment, and filling the plate with fruits, veggies, and grains.  That should help both the wallet and the waistline!

Sunday: Grilled Honey-Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Baked Sweet Potato and Shaved Brussels Sprouts.

Monday:  Baby Green Salad with Warm Pears and Pork, Champagne Mustard Vinaigrette

Tuesday:  Crustless Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche, Salad

Wednesday:   Quick & Easy Burritos

Thursday:  Fried Rice with Pork & Veggies

The key to success and budget for this week's menu is the pork.  I'm grilling a Costco 2-pack of tenderloins tonight , and I'll use it for 3 meals.  I'll make a double batch of rice on Wednesday night, and use it as the base for the fried rice.  The fried rice gets all the veggies that are leftover from the week, plus a few from the freezer.  It may not be traditional, but the boys will eat any variation of "egg rice", and if I use brown rice, it's not a bad meal, nutritionally.

Juliet's Super Easy Pantry Snack Cake

Guest blogging today: my friend Juliet, who is acclaimed as one of the best bakers in my circle of friends. Here's her recipe, in her words. Enjoy!


In a desperate search for sweets a couple of weeks ago, I came up with this snack cake recipe. It was partly based on "dump cakes," which I believe are a tradition in Southern cooking. A dump cake, despite it's unappetizing name, usually tastes pretty darn good. The moniker comes from the fact that one just "dumps" whatever one has into the mixture-- a practical and inventive use of ingredients already on hand. This is what I had on hand, and I and everyone else who ate it really enjoyed the cake. I hope you will, too.

Super Easy Pantry Snack Cake

· 3 eggs
· 1/2 c oil
· 1 c water
· 1 box white cake mix
· 1 box vanilla pudding mix
· 2 c chocolate chips
· 2 c generous handfuls chopped toasted pecans (optional)
· 2 generous handfuls sweetened coconut

Wintertime Pantry Cake Variation:
· 2c dried cranberries instead of the chocolate chips, plus 2 t cinnamon if you are so inclined

Preheat oven to 350 F, 325 F if you are using a nonstick cake pan. Butter a 13X9X2 baking pan. Whisk the pudding and cake mixes together. Add the eggs, oil, and water, and continue mixing until the cake batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the coconut on top of the batter first, then the pecans. Using a knife (any sort is fine), swirl the batter and the coconut and pecans, taking care to only penetrate the top half of the batter. Bake cake for 27-37 minutes or per the cake box directions. (Please note the cake may take a little longer than the box directions indicate due to the additions.) Let cake cool, cut a few pieces, and chow down.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I made this for the first time Christmas morning, and it was fantastic. It's got a flavorful, chewy toffee crust that bakes on the bottom, and is on the top when you flip it over. Texture is great, not too sweet, lots of blueberries. It's perfect!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a rack in the lower third of the oven.  Grease a loaf pan.
2. Mix the brown sugar and pecans together.  Sprinkle evenly on the bottom of the loaf pan.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon - together.  Using a pastry blender (or pulsing with a food processor), cut the butter in until the mixture is like coarse crumbs.  If using a food processor, be very careful to pulse so you don't melt the butter.
4. Whisk the egg, milk and vanilla together.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix gently, until flour is just moistened.  Ingredients will be clumpy.  Mix in the blueberries until just mixed.  Spoon into the loaf pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (except for berry juices).
5. Let stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes, to give the toffee topping time to harden.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Invert onto a serving plate.  (I find it easier to place the plate on top of the pan and flip them both.)  Let cool a few minutes before slicing.  Serve warm.

Variation:  Lemon Almond Blueberry Coffee Cake:  Use sliced almonds instead of pecans for toffee.  Skip cinnamon, and use zest from 1 small lemon instead.  Use 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

Yummy Mac and Cheese

Well, I have planned to make a healthier Chicken Pasta dish tonight, but the cauliflower was icky, and I didn't feel like chicken.  I felt like indulgence.  So I made Mac and Cheese.  And Chocolate Chip Cookies.  But heck, I hiked for 2 hours today, gardened for 1, and cleaned house for an hour.  I earned it!

Mac and Cheese

Serves 6-8

4 Tablespoons butter

1 shallot, minced

4 Tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups milk (or 2 cups milk and 1/2 cup white wine for a sophisticated flavor)

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon paprika

pinch nutmeg

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 cups shredded cheese (I like to mix them up.  Tonight I used Gruyere and smoked Gouda)(One key - I always buy cheese and shred it myself in the food processor.  Packaged shredded cheese is coated with chemicals that drain the flavor, I think.)

12 ounces dried pasta, cooked and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  (I like my Corningware French White)
2. Melt the butter in a large pan (I use my dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot and saute until tender.  Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir until smooth.  Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.  (This gets rid of the "flour taste" of the roux.)  Whisk in about 1/4 of the milk. Whisk until smooth.  Add the remainder of the milk, paprika, nutmeg and mustard, and whisk until smooth.  Add the bay leaf and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and stir in 3 cups of the cheese.  Stir until smooth.  Add in the pasta and stir well.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and smooth.  Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese evenly over the top.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

What I love about this recipe is the variations that are possible.  First, you can play with the cheeses to create a totally different dish - cheddar and Gruyere, fontina and cheddar, smoked cheddar and Colby - they create a totally different flavor.  Nearly any semi-soft or semi-hard cheese can be used, as long as it melts well.  When you add the pasta, you can also add a variety of other ingredient combinations:  

• diced ham and cooked broccoli, 
  
• crumbled bacon and grape tomato halves, 
  
• shredded chicken and sauteed red bell peppers, 
  
• chicken or bacon and cooked cauliflower
  

The possibilities are endlessly delicious!

Favorite Breakfast Smoothie

I like having a simple, healthful breakfast that I can consume while I'm getting ready for work.  This high-protein smoothie makes me feel surprisingly full, gives me energy, and contains 2 servings of fruit!  Sometimes I also add a piece of toast so I feel like I've eaten.  The kids like this, too.  Sometimes I'll double the recipe and split it:  half for me, 1/4 for each of them.  One key is using whole fruit rather than fruit juices - whole fruit is a much better choice nutritionally.

Banana Berry Smoothie

3/4 cup frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk  (plus a little extra to get the texture you want)

3/4 cup low fat sugar-free vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup silken tofu

1/2 banana

2 Tablespoons vanilla flavored protein powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Puree together in blender until smooth.  Add additional soy milk to thin, if needed.  Enjoy!

This Week's Plan

It's Saturday morning, which means it's time to plan food for the rest of the week, make the grocery list, and go to the store.  Plus I have to clean the kitchen and bathrooms, do some laundry, get the boys to clean their rooms, and go to the gym.  Oh, yes, and I have to find time to have some fun with the boys.  Who says weekends aren't relaxing?!

This Week's Plan:

Saturday:  Mac and Cheese & salad with pears and bleu cheese 

Sunday: Roast Chicken with Orange Sauce, brown rice, broccoli

Monday: Black Bean Soup with Cornbread

Tuesday: Fried Rice made with leftover chicken and leftover veggies

Wednesday: Leftover Black Bean Soup

Thursday: Beef Picadillo wrapped in lettuce leaves (tortillas for the guys), sauteed veggies, brown rice

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Garlic

This is a winter comfort food, makes you feel like Mom's around.  I don't make my own chicken stock - a travesty, I know, sosumi.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Garlic

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, well trimmed

3 quarts chicken broth - I like the Pacific Natural you can get at Costco

3 Tablespoons cornstarch or Wondra

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

3 carrots, peeled, halved, then cut in 1/4 inch thick slices

3 ribs celery, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

3 small parsnips, peeled, halved, then cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

zest of 1 small lemon

juice of 1 small lemon

8 ounces pasta (egg noodles, rotini, bowties, whatever you like)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large dutch oven, bring the chicken stock to a simmer (almost a boil).  Add the chicken breasts to the stock and cover.  Reduce heat slightly (so it won't boil), and let cook, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts from the broth and set aside.  Bring the broth to a boil.
2. In a medium saute pan, add the olive oil, shallots, and garlic.  Turn the heat to medium and saute until garlic and shallots are translucent.  Add the carrots, celery, parsnips, and lemon zest.  Saute 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat.
3. Make a slurry of the cornstarch and water.  (I put them both in a tightly sealed Tupperware container and shake well.)  Stir the cornstarch mixture into the chicken broth.  Let cook for 10 minutes, until broth is slightly thickened.  Stir in the veggie mixture and reduce heat to just under a boil.  Let cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the pasta and let cook about 3 minutes less than the package says.  Shred the chicken breasts with 2 forks.  Stir the chicken breast and parsley into the soup.  Let cook 3 minutes, until chicken is reheated and flavors are blended.  Season with salt & pepper and serve immediately.

If you are going to serve this over multiple days,  divide the soup before you add the pasta, and add pasta only to the portion you plan to serve that night.  Add some chicken and parsley to the soup you plan to save, add pasta fresh the next time you serve it.  Otherwise, the pasta in the soup soaks up all the broth in the fridge and it gets really gooey.

Wheat Cloverleaf Rolls

This are a simple, fluffy dinner roll, good with most anything.  They can also be shaped into crescents, Parker House rolls, or others.

Wheat Cloverleaf Rolls

1 egg

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup hot milk (125 degrees)

1/2 cup hot water (125 degrees)

3 Tablespoons melted butter

1. Whisk egg until well beaten.  Coat a large bowl with the oil .
   
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine flours, sugar, salt, yeast, and softened butter with the dough hook attachment.  Turn speed to low and slowly pour in the hot milk and hot water.  Add beaten egg.  Beat on low for 12 minutes.
   
3. Remove dough from mixer and knead by hand on a floured surface for 1 minute, until dough is smooth and elastic.  Shape dough into a ball and place in the oiled bowl and rotate, so dough is coated with oil.  Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (70 degrees) until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
   
4. Punch dough down gently and turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Form into a smooth ball.  Let rest for 15 minutes, covered by the bowl you used for rising.
   
5. Grease 2 muffin pans.  Pinch off dough and roll into 1 inch ball.  Drop 3 balls into each muffin cup.  Brush with melted butter.  Will make about 18 rolls.  Cover loosely with wax paper and let rise until doubled in size.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning once halfway through baking.  Tops should be golden brown.
   

This Week's Plan

It's a new year, so I'm back to trying to plan and execute menus every week.  I'm really tired of the pizza, takeout Chinese, and hot dogs we've been living on.  So here's the plan for the week:

Saturday:  Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Oranges & Apples for the kids

Sunday: Lemon-Scented Chicken Noodle Soup with Wheat Cloverleaf Rolls

Monday:  Cheesy Chicken Pasta, Broccolini

Tuesday:  Chicken Noodle Soup, again

Wednesday:  Winter Salad with Pears and Grilled Chicken

Thursday:  Black Bean Burritos

I'm going to assemble the chicken pasta most of the way on Sunday so all I have to do is throw it in the oven.  

Banana Berry Crackle Muffins

This is a hearty breakfast muffin - sweet, tender, and gooey.  It's a great way to use up bananas that have gotten a little brown.  Heavens knows there's no chance that my kids would ever eat a banana with any brown on it!

Banana Berry Crackle Muffins

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 large ripe-to-overripe bananas

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries, washed  (if frozen, do not thaw - just break into individual pieces.  The juices of thawed berries will change the color of the batter)

1/4 cup pecan pieces

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons flour

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.  In a small bowl, whisk together the banana, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla.  Gently mix the banana mixture and the blueberries into the flour mixture, stirring just until the flour is moistened.  If you over mix, the muffins will be tough.  Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
3. In a mini food processor or blender, mix the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and melted butter, until the pecans are finely chopped and the ingredients are mixed.  Sprinkle this mixture over the tops of the muffins.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean (except for berry juices).  Let cool 5 minutes then remove from pan.  Serve immediately or the same day.  If storing over night, store in sealed plastic bags to preserve moisture.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (from Now We're Cooking)

This was one of the most popular items on the Now We're Cooking menu. Because it uses pork shoulder, which is an inexpensive cut of meat, it's also an inexpensive way to feed a large family. Add coleslaw and serve with sweet potato fries to make it a complete meal. If you like, use your favorite bottled barbeque sauce instead of making your own. Serves 6-8 people.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

3-4 pounds pork shoulder (butt), trimmed of external fat

Dry Rub:

2 teaspoons black pepper
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Spanish paprika (or sweet Hungarian paprika)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cooking Liquid:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Southern Barbeque Sauce:

1 cup ketchup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon Red Hot Sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

6-8 Kaiser Rolls

1. Mix together ingredients for the dry rub. Coat the pork with the rub. Place in a large freezer bag (if freezing) or a covered bowl. Let marinate for 8-12 hours. If you're freezing it, it will marinate while it's defrosting.
   
2. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator for 36-48 hours. Add pork to 5-6 quart slow cooker. Mix together cooking liquid and pour over pork, along with 1 cup water. Cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-10 hours. Ideally, turn 1-2 times during cooking. Remove pork from pot and discard all but 1/4 cup marinade. Shred pork with two forks. 
   
3. To make BBQ sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in reserved marinade and heat for 5 minutes. Stir meat into sauce and serve over toasted rolls.
   

Resolutions for the New Year

2008 was a difficult year by any measure.  Personally, I lost a business but rediscovered a career I love.  I'm financially in a huge hole, and I have to start digging myself out.  Nationally, our economy is a disaster, and I keep hearing that it's not going to get better until consumers start spending again.  Sadly, I will not be one of the consumers to help turn it all around.  I can't afford it.

I never believed in New Year's Resolutions.  It seemed a worthless endeavor, just a way to set yourself up for failure.  But this year, I need to do some things differently in my life.  So I'm going to try making some resolutions.  I'll set them up like work goals:  they must be measurable and achievable.   My plan is to check in on them weekly. 

So here are my goals for 2009:

1. Try for 5:  I spent a few weeks on the South Beach Diet last year, and it showed me how few vegetables are in my daily diet.   When I went back to my normal eating habits, I found there were entire days that I consumed not a single vegetable - and sometimes not even a fruit! Although I'd like to lose weight, I'm not willing to diet.  I just don't have the commitment.  But I am willing to commit to increasing my fruit and vegetable intake - and my family's as well.   So my food goal is to eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
   
2. Exercise 1 hour, 4 times a week:  Again, I'd like to lose weight, but I really just want to be healthy.  I have never been a regular exerciser.  I go on kicks where I'll work out daily for a few weeks, and then I'll get sick and fall off the treadmill.  But I am willing to commit to regular exercise this year.  I have scheduled 2 workouts a week with a colleague from work, and I'll exercise on Saturday and Sunday.
3. Live on a Cash Basis:  For many years, I have lived on the expectation that I'd be making more money next year.  And for many years that was true, and my increasing debt was not a concern.  But when I started my business, my income dropped precipitously.  I continued to rack up debt as I cleaned out my 401(k) and savings accounts and lived on plastic to cover the shortfalls between income and expenses.  I now have a great job, but it's with a start-up and the salary is lower than I had hoped - but I believe there's huge potential for growth.  But the only way I will ever get out of this huge hole is if I live within my means.  So this year, I will commit to living on a cash basis.  The only plastic I'll use is my debit card.  My exception will be American Express for reimbursable business expenses.  But this year, if I can't pay for it out of my checking account, I can't have it.  This is likely to be the hardest resolution to keep, but it's also the most important for my family's secure future.

As part of living on a cash basis, I'm getting rid of stuff.  I have never been good at throwing things away or selling them.  But this year, I'm committing to getting rid of things I don't use and clothes I don't wear.  Our garage is so packed with stuff we can't fit even a single car in it.  So this year, I'm getting rid of the 6-year-old baby clothes, the TV we haven't used in a decade, and the books I've planned to read for more than 3 years.  I've already gone through my closets and pulled everything I haven't worn in a year or more.  Salvation Army and eBay, here it comes!

That's my plan for the year.  Ambitious, but I believe it's manageable.  What are your plans for the year?

Recipe Index

Recipe Index

Lists all of the recipes posted on this site.  Items with asterisks are from the Now We're Cooking business recipe collection.  Most of the Now We're Cooking recipes have a freeze-ahead version posted, too.

Appetizers, Salads, Breads

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Wheat Foccacia with Basil

Main Dishes

Pizza, Pasta, and Grains

Deconstructed Pasta Marinara

Homemade Pizza

Linguine with Broccoli

Mac and Cheese

Pregnancy Oatmeal

Tomato-Garlic Sauce

Chicken

Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon and Garlic

Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Pot Pie

Garlic-Herb Marinade for Chicken*

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Tortilla Soup with Chicken

Beef

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf*

Hungarian Goulash

Marinated Skirt Steak*

Thai Curry Beef with Cilantro Lime Rice*

Pork

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches*

Soups

Black Bean Soup

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Family-Favorite Minestrone

Vegetarian

Super-Easy Burritos

Desserts & Baked Goods

Banana Berry Crackle Muffins

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Wheat Cloverleaf Rolls

Breakfast Choices

Banana Berry Smoothie

Banana Berry Crackle Muffins

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Pregnancy Oatmeal

Now We're Cooking Business Recipe Catalog

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches*

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf*

Garlic-Herb Marinade for Chicken*

Marinated Skirt Steak with Bleu Cheese or Shallot Butter*

Thai Curry Beef with Cilantro Lime Rice*

Back from the Lost

Well, it's 2009 and I'm back from the lost.  I fell off the blogging wagon during the crush of new job, holiday season, and the general chaos of my life.  However, we still have to eat, so I'll get back in the habit of sharing what I'm cooking - and I'll throw in some old favorites from Now We're Cooking.

Thanks to all of you who asked about the Now We're Cooking Cookbook.  I miss the business terribly, and it's heartening to hear that some of you do, too.  Unfortunately, it turns out that it's a huge amount of work to write and publish a cookbook, and I just never got it done.  So what I can promise is that I'll publish NWC recipes here, and if I have your email address, I'll let you know when the popular ones are up.  Maybe someday it will be a book.

So tonight I'm making Chicken Paprikash, adapted from a recipe in EatingWell Magazine. EatingWell is one of my 2 favorite cooking magazines, the other being Fine Cooking. They're both creative, great sources of ideas with fresh, seasonal ingredients with a concentration on great flavor.  I highly recommend starting the new year with subscriptions to both of them!

Chicken Paprikash

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced

10 button mushrooms, quartered

10 baby bella mushrooms, quartered

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 Tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (make sure it is not hot paprika or Spanish paprika)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 15-ounce can low sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

3/4 cup sour cream

1 heaping Tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Generously salt and pepper the chicken breasts and set aside.  In a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add the diced onion and sugar, and saute until soft and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  (You have to use the butter to get the onions to caramelize.)
   
2. Stir in the peppers, mushrooms, tomato paste, paprika, and crushed red pepper.  Let cook about 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Place the chicken in the mixture, pressing down.  Sprinkle the marjoram over the top.  Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let simmer over low heat for 50 minutes, until chicken is tender.
3. Mix the sour cream, flour and salt together.  Remove the chicken from the pot.  Stir in the sour cream mixture and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes (do not boil).  Dice the chicken and stir into the pot.  Heat about 1-2 minutes more to blend flavors.
4. Serve over egg noodles.  If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh dill.

Wow, this was so good.  It was one of those meals I didn't want to stop eating, even after I was full.  Perfect for a cold winter night.