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By mlb, on February 14th, 2008%
Hmmm…we used to (every so often) get these pre-made at Trader Joe’s. They don’t seem to have them anymore which is just fine — they are very easy to make yourself! Give it a try! Plus, nothing says “I love you” like red meat and a bottle of wine! Grrrr!!!
Besides, this was jwa’s request for Valentine’s dinner!
Flank Steak Pinwheels with Boursin, Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Based on a recipe from Eating Well magazine
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 cups boiling water
1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 clove garlic, minced
3 oz herbed cheese spread, such as Boursin
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
15 or so button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon wine (plus the rest of the bottle for drinkin’!)
Place sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; pour boiling water over them and let steep until softened, about 10 . . . → Read More: I Love You, Flank Steak Pinwheels — Be My Valentine
By mlb, on January 5th, 2008%
Resolution #1 — post more.
So, here we go. This was our stay at home, New Year’s Eve meal. Yep, instead of going out, we opted to stay in and eat a lot of beef. Mmmmm… I’ve wanted to make beef wellingtons for quite a while and finally, the time was right. Oh, was it right. Deliciously right.
In the original recipe, this was paired with a Madeira, beef demi-glace sauce but I just opted to use some tawny port that I already had and some beef broth. In a pinch, I would think you could also just use a cabernet in the sauce as well. Also, I heeded the advice of those on Epicurious who came before me and instead of pre-baking the beef (seriously?), I just seared it first in a pan. That was great advice and worked quite well.
The best thing about this recipe, though, is . . . → Read More: Thank You, Cow. You Were Delicious!
By mlb, on December 18th, 2007%
This month’s Weekend Cookbook Challenge is hosted by Mel’s Diner with the aptly chosen, Celebration Dishes as the theme. For this, I chose my newest cookbook, Nigella Express and made a lamb stew from it.
She calls it a tagine, but since I didn’t cook it in an actual tagine and I’m not familiar enough with Moroccan cooking to judge it’s accurateness, I’m certainly not going to call it a tagine. So, uh, no one get their knickers in a twist.
Anywho….I used a mix of olives here, mainly because that’s what I had — nicoise, kalamata and a handful of plain black, pitted olives. But, I’m thinking oil cured might be super tasty here. I also just made my own caramelized onions, rather than hunting down a jar of them (as the recipe calls for). I have never even seen jarred caramelized onions…maybe that’s a British thing? . . . → Read More: WCC 23: Celebratory Lamb Stew with Olives and Caramelized Onions
By mlb, on July 6th, 2007%
Today is mostly pictures. Okay, there is also a really good peach-tomato gazpacho recipe from Gourmet magazine. On the fourth, as mentioned yesterday, we grilled, ate and hung out in the backyard enjoying the cool breeze. It was a very nice time.
Getting the grill going
jwa tends to the burgers
The end result — cheeseburgers (Tillamook cheddar) and some last minute vegetable rosemary skewers — we have a huge rosemary bush out front that is very handy in situations like this…
jwa assembles his burger empire
Enough with the burgers, let’s get to the gazpacho!
Peach & Tomato Gazpacho
1 1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped (4 cups)
1 lb peaches, pitted and chopped (2 cups)
1/4 cup crushed ice
1 medium shallot, peeled & chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Purée two thirds of tomatoes and . . . → Read More: Dining al Fresco on the 4th of July
By mlb, on November 8th, 2006%
When I was growing up, we had pot roast pretty often. My grandmother would make it at least once a month and wow, did I hate it. Now, times then were different and she was cooking for a husband who refused to eat both garlic and onion (blasphemy!!!) but still, it was pretty bad. I really never thought I would ever want to make a pot roat of my very own.
That’s why I was shocked when, after watching Dave Lieberman do a pot roast this Summer, I mentally filed the recipe away for future use. Because, damn — it looked and sounded so good. Moist and falling apart, soaking up all the flavor of red wine, honey, garlic and thyme. What’s not to love about that?
Along with some horseradish cream and some braised brussels sprouts, the meal was a little piece of heaven on a plate. Who’d of . . . → Read More: It’s Pot Roast! It’s Actually Good…Really!
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About Me I like to cook. I like to eat. I like to take photos. I live in SE Portland with my husband jwa and a grumpy, old lady cat named Chelsea. That is all.
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