Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps

This is a recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Thai Steak Lettuce Wraps  It is a great recipe.  I check her recipes often.

Printable Version

Ingredients for marinade and sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

1 1/2" knob fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves

 1 1/2 tablespoon creamy almond butter

1 pound steak (flank, skirt, sirloin)

Bibb lettuce cups

Ingredients for Quick-Pickled Cucumbers and onions:

1 small cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (I used 1/2 of an English cucumber)

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced (I only used about 1/5 of a red onion)

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions:

For the quick-pickled cucumbers and onions: Combine ingredients in a small bowl then sir to combine. Let sit on the counter and stir occasionally while preparing the rest of the dish. Can be made up to a day ahead of time.

• Combine soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil, honey, sesame oil, red chili pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Remove 1/4 cup of the liquid then add almond butter to blender and blend again until smooth. Add reserved 1/4 cup marinade to the steak in a plastic bag or container then marinate on the counter for 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat then grill marinated steak until medium rare.
• Remove to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes then slice very thinly against the grain. Lay out lettuce cups then top with sliced steak, quick-pickled cucumber and onions and then drizzle with the almond butter sauce.





Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I didn't write where I got it.  I tried typing in Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I couldn't find the one I used.  The author uses organic when possible, I did not.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter - softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
6 ounces chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl. Beat until creamy. There wasn't enough butter for it to be real creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well. Add peanut butter and mix. Sir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts. Place dough by heaping teaspoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light gold on the edges. Makes approximately 48 cookies. When I took them out of the oven, they were to soft to get up with the spatula.  I had to let them cool about 5 minutes before I was able to move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gumbo

 

 I found this recipe on Food Network. Paula's Gumbo

Printable Version:
Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus leaves for garnish
4 cups hot water
5 beef bullion cubes
1 (14oz) can stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra
4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.
Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving, add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.

The World's Best Chicken

I got this recipe from Pinterest. It is by Rachel Schultz. We liked it very much, and it is very easy to make.  I put it together this morning and then we did our usual Wed. schedule of working-out and walking.  I put it in the oven for 30 minutes. Added some cabbage and carrot sticks and called it dinner.  Very easy, but I wouldn't go so far as saying that it was the World's Best.




Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Rosemary
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar.
3. Place chicken breasts into a 9 X 13 Inch greased baking dish. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Pour mustard mixture over chicken. Make sure each breast is coated. No need to marinate.
4. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. You do not need to cover the baking dish with foil.
5. Season with chopped rosemary.
6. PS: To make this in a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

 This is a recipe from Food Network's Giada.  It was a definite do-over.  I made extra and kept the sauce separate so it wouldn't get soggy.  I will warm the chicken so it will be crispy and then warm the sauce to go over it.  I may make chicken sandwiches with some of it.




Printable Version
Ingredients for Chicken:
1/3 cup flour
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panco)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 fennel bulbs
2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I fried mine in 1 Tablespoon olive oil-- second batch I added another tablespoon olive oil)
Ingredients for the Sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese at room temperature

Directions for Chicken
Place oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 150 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack.  I added foil for easy clean-up, but it wasn't needed.

Make 3 containers for dredging the chicken 1) flour  2) eggs  3)bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme.  Pound chicken to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Dredge chicken in flour, then, egg, then bread crumb mixture.  Cook until golden brown 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
Directions for Sauce:
extra virgin olive oil to juices left from chicken. Add fennel and cook 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add mascarpone cheese. Season with more salt and Pepper. Plate chicken and spoon sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with fennel fronds if desired.

Chocolate-Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches

I hope my friends from H.P.B.C. enjoyed this because I won't be making it again.  It is very labor intensive.  I cut these in thirds because the size the recipe calls for is much too big and a little too thick for the cookie.









Printable Version
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cups cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 quarts mint chocolate-chip ice cream
Directions:
1. Make the cookie-sandwich dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until a firm dough forms. Divide dough in 1/2 and shape each half into a rectangle, about 4" X 3". Wrap in plastic and shill for 20 minutes.
2. Shape the cookies: Line a 13" X 9" baking pan with plastic wrap and spread the ice cream in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refreeze. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll one rectangle of dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness approximately 9X11". Cut the dough into six 2 1/2 X 5" rectangles. (I would make them 2" X 3") Repeat using the remaining dough for a total of 12 cookies. Using the blunt end of a wooden skewer, poke holes into the cookies (5 rows with 3 holes in each row). Place the cookies about 2" apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the pan. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
3. Assemble the sandwiches: Place 6 cookies face down on a clean work surface. Remove the ice cream from the baking dish and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, cut six 2 1/2 X 5" (or whatever size you chose)  rectangles from the ice cream. Place one piece of ice cream on each of the cookies and top with remaining cookies. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until set-- about 30 minutes.