Recipes

[mhrc4]

Since food seems to be such a popular topic on these boards, I wanted to poll the local swanksters for some of their best recipes...

would be tres cool to have a big thread with lots of cats and kittens sharing the recipes that feed their mojo, so here is a start!

It can be recipes for everything from cookies to pasta to steak to chicken to vegetables. Your call, give us others some good ideas...

Myself, im a big BBQ fan, so I cannot wait for spring/summer to get back here for some good BBQ parties!

This one is one that is awesome....

http://barbeque.allrecipes.com/az/BeerSteak.asp

Beer Steak

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 (1/2 pound) rib-eye steaks, or steak of choice
* 2 tablespoons sea salt
* 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
* 2 (12 fluid ounce) cans or bottles beer of choice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the steaks in a large, shallow container with a lid. Season each side of the steaks with the salt and lemon pepper. Gently pour the beer over the steaks (making sure the seasoning doesn't wash off). Cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Place steaks on grill, and discard beer marinade. Cook for 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

[UvaGirl]

Mmmmm...steak

I like a nice steak salad on occassion. Cook some fillet steak to your liking (I marinate mine in oilve oil and ballsamic vinegar, with a little sea salt and cracked pepper first). Slice thinly and add to mixed leaves, cherry tomatos, sliced capsicum, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion and sliced avocado (or any variation). Garnish with some toasted pine nuts if you wish. I dress this with a balsamic dressing. Yum!

[Ghoulish Delight]

This was a bit of decadance I whipped up a little while back under the theory that there are few greater phrases in the English languag than "bacon-wrapped". I played it by ear, so bear with the rambling, no particularly precise instructions.

Bacon-wrapped Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, the leaner the better (def. no fattier than 85/15)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
dried basil
dried oregano
crushed garlic
bacon (at least 5 strips, I'll get to that)
1 Tblsp olive oil

Start by seasoning the beef. This is important, do NOT SKIMP ON SEASONING. Go nuts. I dumped at least 3 Tblsp of basil in, a couple Tblsp of oregano, and the equivalent of about 6 or 7 cloves of crushed garlic (in the form of jarred crushed garlic that I swear by). Go ahead and add anythng else you might think is good, maybe some chili powder for spice, but the key is, go big. The meat's gotta have flavor, and lots of it. Mix those in thoroughly. Add the egg and bread crumbs, mix in well. Form into balls. I made 4, but they ended up cooking a little too slowly. You have a couple options. Either make them more patty-like so they'll cook faster, but then you'll probably need more than one strip of bacon to wrap all the way around (nothing wrong with that). Or shape them into 5, or even 6 smaller balls. That's probably the best option.

Anyway, whichever you decide, wrap the balls with bacon. Sqeeze it on there so they stick. If I do this again, I might experiment with using a toothpick or something to hold it on, because that became an issue.

Heat a wide skillet or a large wok to medium high. Add the oil and let it heat up. Turn the heat down a to just above medium and add the meatballs with the bacon ring horizontal (so the beef should be what's in contact with the pan). Cook slowly for about 7 minutes on each side. Now the tricky part, making sure the bacon gets cooked all the way through. If you're lucky, you'll be able to roll the meatballs so the bacon sides are down and you can just keep rotating until it gets cooked. However, if you can't, or the bacon doesn't stay on, that's no big deal. Just take the bacon off and cook it in the pan. The beef will have gotten the flavor already and will continue to cook in the bacon fat. Cook until the bacon and the meatballs are done (you don't want the bacon very crispy).

Serve as desired. We had it with a brown gravy, egg noodles, and some steamed veggies.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I posted this on my livejournal recently...

Please note: This dish works just fine without the scallops, if seafood aren't your thing.

"Sinful Scallop Pasta"

Ingredients

1 Pound Scallops (fresh or thawed)
1 Pound Fiorentine Pasta (Trader Joe's) or any tube shaped pasta
1 Medium shallot, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of minced onion
2 med. portabello mushrooms, cut into strips
4 Tblsp. fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp. each oregano and thyme
1 1/2 Cup white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
I Tblsp. white truffle induced olive oil (optional)
1 Tblspoon of butter (I actually used Smart Balance tonight though)

Saute scallops in butter over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly browned, cover and set aside.

Saute shallots, onion, and garlic in olive oil over high heat for 2-3 minutes
Add mushrooms, oregano and thyme and continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add white wine and a bit of salt and pepper and reduce over med-high heat (3 minutes?).
Add scallops, basil, and truffle oil and simmer for final 2 minutes.

Start pasta cooking about the same time that you add the mushrooms and both should be done about the same time.

Mix pasta, scallops and sauce. Serve in pasta bowls with PLENTY of fresh grated Romano and fresh italian bread to sop up the sauce.

Some of the factors to consider if anyone tries this are:

1) Don't burn the garlic! Watch it carefully.

2) Be careful with the cooking times. I have the misfortune of using an electric stove. Gas would probably alter some of the times, and be a heck of a lot easier. I curse electric stoves!

3) If presentation is important to you, gently scrape the bottoms of the portabello mushrooms with a spoon to remove the frilly stuff underneath. Otherwise, they can discolor things a bit.

4) Taste frequently and add salt / pepper accordingly.

[€uroMeinke]

I think we need some cocktail recipes:

This is a past and recent favorite:

The Bhura Peg

First take a cube of sugar and coat it with some Peychaud bitters (the original recipe calls for Angastura, but Peychaud works much better with the other ingrediants IMHO)

Drop the sugar cube into a Chapagne Flute
Pour in 1 oz Cognac (or Brandy)
Fill the rest of the glass with Champagne (be carefull the sugar incresses the effervessence of the Champagne)

Delightfully refreshing, swanky, and potent - drink with caution.

[Prudence]

This is probably the best food item in the world:

Tart de bry

9" pie crust made with butter
6 egg yolks
1 1/5 lb Brie cheese
3/8 t ginger
3 T sugar
8 threads saffron
1 t water
1/16 t salt
Mash cheese and egg yolks together. Crush saffron into water to draw out the color, then mix that and the sugar and spices with the cheese. Put in crust and bake 50 minutes at 350deg. Cool before eating.

[Baileykat]

Going with GD's bacon-o-rama....we had this last night!

BBQ Bacon Chicken

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce - pick your favorite
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon

Place chicken in a baking dish, cover with 1/2 BBQ sauce...then lay strips of bacon over the chicken in criss cross pattern. Top with other 1/2 of BBQ sauce.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

It was wonderful! We had it with wedge salads (bleu cheese crumbles, bleu cheese dressing, tomatoes, red onions and bacon) and au gratin potatoes.

The chicken was very very moist! And it smelled so good cooking!


Tonight I made a pot roast in the crock pot! Roast, can of cream of mushroom, can of cream of celery, 1/2 cup water. OH MY GOSH good! Made it's own gravy!

Certainly not swanky...but easy and yummy!

[mhrc4]

Originally Posted by Baileykat

Going with GD's bacon-o-rama....we had this last night!

BBQ Bacon Chicken

weve already got the chicken thawing, were so having this for dinner tonight!

[mhrc4]

update this.... - heres a few good ones

Pita Chicken
Cayenne, salsa, onion and garlic punctuate this Tex-Mex pita sandwich stuffed with seasoned chicken, tomato, avocado, sour cream and lettuce.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salsa
2 pita breads
8 ounces diced tomato
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup sliced avocado
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream


Directions
1. Cut chicken into strips. In a skillet, saute in hot oil until almost done. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper over chicken. Add salsa and simmer until done (about 5 minutes).

2. Split pitas in half, fill with chicken and garnish with tomatoes, lettuce, avocados and sour cream. Add whatever garnishes you like and eat!

[mhrc4]

Also looks good

Chicken Scarpariello
A wonderful delicate dish, quick to fix. It is especially nice served over angel hair pasta or white rice.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper


Directions
1. Cut chicken breasts into 1 x 3 inch strips, and dredge in flour.

2. In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.

3. To same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Saute until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (3 to 4 minutes). Return chicken to skillet, and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes).