Beef with Broccoli

Over the past few months I have been totally swamped with work. As a freelance writer and translator, sometimes things are busy and sometimes they are slow, but when they are busy I have to take advantage of the opportunity to earn a little bit of extra money. So, even though I have been cooking and photographing some delicious meals, I haven't spent very much time posting them on the blog. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on your point of view), things have slowed down a little bit lately so I have time to share a few more recipes. This is a beef with broccoli that I made sometime last month. It was just another step in my plan to become an expert chinese food chef, which hasn't really worked out very well for me so far. But I still really liked the meal and, interestingly, I felt like the leftovers were even better than the original dinner. I have the source recipe that I used, which I think might have come from about.com (sorry - it has been so long I just don't remember).

1 lb thin flank steaks, cut into strips

Marinade:

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp water

Other:

1 cup peanut oil

1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Combine the beef and marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Make sure that the beef is thoroughly coated and marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you marinate it for any longer than that, put it in the refrigerator. Prepare the sauce in a separate bowl and set aside. Steam the broccoli. Preheat the oil in a wok or large skillet on medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, or until the beef is almost entirely cooked. Remove the beef from the wok and drain on paper towels. Pour excess oil out of the wok. If necessary, add 1-2 Tbsp more oil. Add broccoli and beef to the wok. Stir in sauce and the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring until it has thickened. Serve over rice.

Shredded Beef Flautas

Over the past few months, I have expanded my repertoire of Mexican cuisine considerably. Actually it all started when I ordered the "Mexican pack" from Bountiful Baskets at the end of August. It was really fun to make interesting foods that I hadn't ever tried before. Also, I have been surprised at how easy it is to make things like taquitos and chimichangas from scratch - for some reason it never occurred to me that I could make them at home rather than buying them in the freezer section at the grocery store - and I have to say that I highly recommend it. These flautas are very similar to taquitos. The main difference is that taquitos are wrapped in a corn tortilla and flautas are wrapped in a flour tortilla.

1 - 1 1/2 lb. chuck roast
1 cup beef broth
cumin
oregano
coriander
salt and pepper
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
flour tortillas
cheddar cheese

You can bake this meat in the oven or in a slow cooker. If you do it in the oven, set the oven at about 325° and let it cook for 3-4 hours, checking occasionally. If the amount of liquid is low, add more broth. In a slow cooker, it should be cooked on high for at least 3-4 hours or on low for at least 6-8 hours. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked, use two forks to shred it. Add additional seasoning if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 375° and begin preparing the flautas. Place a small amount of cheese in the center of the tortilla. Top with shredded beef and roll the tortilla. Place each flauta seam-side down on a well-greased cookie sheet. Before baking them, brush oil over the top of each flauta (you can also use cooking spray). Bake for 8-10 minutes and then turn them over and bake for 5-6 more minutes or until golden brown. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

Strawberry Jello Cake

A few weeks ago, our church had a Jello festival. There was a Jello contest that I thought about entering, so I looked online for good recipes. I found this one on what I think was the official Jello recipe website. Unfortunately, by the time I selected this recipe, there wasn't enough time to go buy the ingredients and make it before the competition began. So I saved the recipe for later. I ended up making it for a Sunday dinner with my brother and sister-in-law and it was a huge hit! Although I adapted it somewhat, it is pretty much the same.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

10 Tbsp melted butter

6 tbsp granulated sugar

White layer:

12-16 strawberries, quartered

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 cup whipped cream

1 cup powdered sugar

Red layer:

8 oz pkg strawberry Jello (prepared according to Jello jiggler directions)

Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Chill 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring water for Jello to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, stir in Jello powder until it is completely dissolved, then remove from heat. Leave the Jello in the pan while you are making and chilling the white layer. This will allow the Jello to cool somewhat and begin to thicken slightly. 

Proceed with the white layer by whipping the cream cheese with a hand mixer until it is smooth and creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar, then the whipped cream. Remove crust from refrigerator and spread strawberries over the entire crust. Top with the white layer. Chill for another 15 minutes.

Pour Jello over the white layer and return to the refrigerator. Allow it to set for approximately 3 hours before serving.

Freezer Fresh Green Beans

This past Saturday we also bought fresh green beans at the Farmer's Market. They gave us TONS of them and, after they sat in the refrigerator for a few days, I realized that we wouldn't be able to eat all of them before they started to get old and wrinkly. So before that happened I read up on how to preserve fresh green beans in the freezer. It is actually very easy. 

Green beans

boiling water

Ziploc bag

Rinse green beans and remove stems with scissors; cut to desired length. Heat water in a saucepan (or larger if you prefer) until it comes to a rolling boil. Blanche green beans for 2-3 minutes, then run them under cold water. Dry before placing in plastic bag or freezer container. Leave in freezer until you are ready to eat them.Vegetables can be stored at 0° for approximately 5-7 months.

Supposedly, blanching helps to retain the green color and fresh flavor. That is why it is important before you freeze most vegetables.

Coconut Chip Cookies

I was trying to come up with a new type of cookies to make for a church activity I had signed up to help with and I came up with the great idea to add coconut to my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was very excited about the new recipe I had "invented" when I realized that my friend, Rachel, had made chocolate chip coconut cookies for the activity too! How did she steal that idea right out of my brain? So apparently I wasn't the first person ever to come up with the recipe, but maybe I was the first to add peanut butter chips to it.... Probably not - with so many aspiring chefs out there, it is hard to create a recipe that is truly unique. Nevertheless, these cookies turned out AMAZING. I was actually kind of shocked that they turned out so well.

1 cup butter flavored shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
2 cups flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Cream shortening and sugars together. Dissolve baking soda in water and stir into the creamed mixture. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Stir in all other ingredients. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes at 375°

Stuffed Zucchini

This past weekend my husband and I went to the local Farmer's Market with some friends. In addition to some of the best raspberries that I have ever had, we bought corn on the cob, fresh green beans, summer squash, and a huge zucchini. At one of the booths, the zucchinis were fifty cents each. Although I could have chosen one that was somewhat regular size, I couldn't resist picking one of the largest in the bunch. I asked the girl who was working there what I should make with such a big zucchini and she suggested either zucchini bread or stuffed zucchini. Since I had never made stuffed zucchini the decision was made. So today I went online and looked at a variety of recipes for ideas. According to what I read, I created a recipe using my favorite ingredients and - voila! An amazing gourmet dinner. With artisan sourdough bread, fresh green beans, and sparkling lemonade this was a great dinner (and very romantic too...).

1 HUGE zucchini (or about 4 regular ones I am guessing)
1/2 lb. sausage
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
mozzarella cheese, sliced

Prepare the zucchini by rinsing thoroughly. Cut off each end and slice in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove seeds and fleshy interior. Be sure to leave at least 1/4" on each side so that the zucchini can support the filling. Chop the zucchini so it can be added to the filling.

Preheat medium skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Roast garlic for 20-30 seconds before adding onions and peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes before adding meat. Season with thyme, oregano, and parsley. When the meat has cooked thoroughly, add tomatoes and excess zucchini interior. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another few minutes. Drain excess liquid. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes then stir in egg. Spoon filling into zucchini and bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes. After the first 20 minutes place sliced cheese over top and allow to cook the rest of the way. You will know when it is ready because the zucchini is soft and the cheese has begun to brown.

Baked Shells with Bolognese Sauce

This was a little pasta dish that I came up with on the fly when I was trying to save money by using the ingredients we had in our home already. Luckily, we had some pretty good ingredients lying around. I used the jumbo conchiglie (shells) pasta, but if I were to make it again I would use the smaller shells or some other type of bite-sized pasta. The sauce is similar to a bolognese sauce, but just a little different because of time and some ingredient constraints - close enough, though.

Bolognese Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb sausage or ground pork

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste 

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup milk or cream

Salt and pepper to taste

White Sauce:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Pasta:

2 cups dried conchiglie (shells)

2 Tbsp dried Italian style bread crumbs

2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add garlic and cook for 20-30 seconds before adding in onions, carrots, peppers, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften, then add meat. Cook, stirring frequently until there is no pink left in the meat. Season with oregano, basil, salt and black pepper. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add milk (or cream) and turn down heat. Taste and add seasonings according to preference.

While Bolognese sauce is simmering, boil pasta according to the directions on the package. Preheat the oven to 375°.

In another pan, cook the white sauce by melting the butter in a pan, then adding flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add milk slowly, whisking to combine until sauce is smooth and thick. Season, then remove pan from heat. 

Drain pasta and put it into a casserole dish. Pour Bolognese sauce over top and stir to mix. Beat the egg into the white sauce and pour over the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bread crumbs and bake on 375° for 15-20 minutes