Recipe of the Week: London Broil

London Broil

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (2 lb.) flank steak or round steak

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, soy sauce, oil, ketchup, oregano, and black pepper. Pierce meat with a fork on both sides. Place meat and marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

3. Lightly oil the grill gate. Place steak on the grill, and discard marinade. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Do not overcook, as it is better on the rare side.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com.

From my experience: This recipe was simple and easy, because all of the ingredients I had on hand, plus I measured all of the ingredients and mixed them directly in a gallon-size plastic bag. I hadn't planned this recipe ahead, so I didn't have 8 hours to marinade, mine soaked for about 3 to 4 hours. The meat was juicy and the marinade flavorful. I will definitely use this recipe again. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: No-Bake Tuna Casserole

The inspiration for this recipe comes from my efforts to use the supplies I had in my freezer and pantry. I tend to stock them both, yet forget about what may be lurking deep within. I noticed I had 6 or so cans of tuna hidden away, which I don't normally do anything with except make tuna salad. Typically, I am not so keen on fish, but I gave it a try, and here is our experiment.

No-Bake Tuna Casserole
serves 4

1/2 pound penne pasta
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
One 10-ounce bag frozen cut green beans, thawed
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
One 7-ounce package tuna, drained
Grated peel of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. In a large saucepan, of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and toast, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; season with salt and pepper.

3. In the same skillet, add the garlic and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and cook over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Stir in the green beans and cannellini beans and cook until tender.

4. Add the pasta, tuna and lemon peel to the skillet and toss. Season with salt and pepper and top with the toasted crumbs. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Recipe found in the May 2008 edition of Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine.


From my experience: First let me say, my family did not like this recipe! I realized that I like my tuna cold. The original picture in the magazine was pretty with chunky pieces of tuna, tomato, and green beans. My version turned out a bit mushy. The tomatoes had thoroughly cooked, so they were limp, and the tuna and beans got well incorporated into the mix giving it a gritty texture. I used 2, 5-ounce cans of tuna, drained of coarse, so it had more tuna than called for in the recipe. I thought it would end up with a strong fishy taste, but the power ingredient was the beans. The pasta should have had a more intense lemon flavor coming from the grated lemon zest, but I opted for lemon pepper and lemon juice since I didn't have the real deal, mistake. I served it with a sweet salad. While this recipe was easy to make and included basic ingredients, I will not be making it again.

Splish, Splash

Jake bought Sloane a blow-up pool, and today we tried it out. She loved it even though the water was super cold. Jake even tried to add hot water, but that didn't help at all. He was still a trooper and got in with her. They had fun in the pool, while I enjoyed sitting in a chair watching them!

This was my favorite picture from her pool experience. She was so excited,
she was yelling and squealing with delight!

Jake is gearing up to get in with her. She is just thrilled to splash in the water.

She liked to peer over the edge of the pool, but I thought her
bottom was so cute I had to take a picture.

Daddy and Sloane

Here she is again looking over the ledge. Lily, our dog, has placed

her ball in front of them hoping someone will throw it for her.

Sloane is hugging Jake in the pool, but I also wanted to capture our backyard. Recently my husband ripped out all of the bamboo from the left side of the expanse and laid sod. It was grueling and tedious, but if you've seen our yard before you will understand the remarkable difference. It looks amazing in comparison. Now we must work on our fence.

I did help out by supplying towels and drying off Sloane. She is still happy!

Sloane's kisses are open-mouth, wet but sweet!

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day! Hope all you mommas had a blessed day. Mine was fabulous! This morning my husband let me sleep in while he took care of Sloane. When I woke, coffee and a present awaited. One of my gifts was a James Avery charm of baby booties to symbolize the birth of Sloane. I am going to have her name and birthdate engraved on it, then add it to my charm bracelet. After we all got ready, we ventured to Jake's grandparents for brunch with his family. Here are pictures of our great morning!

Me, Pappa T, Gran Jan, Jake, Sloane, and Maw

Jake and his mom

Paw kissing Sloane

while she finished
her breakfast

Trent, Maw, Sammy, and Grady

Craig, Kip, Zach,
and Maw

Maw and Paw

Sloane had so much fun exploring the open, outdoor area where we at breakfast. She walked everywhere possible. Jake and I were exhausted by the time we left from chasing her around.

Gran Jan gave Sloane her cell phone to play with, and she starting pretending to talk on the phone. I knew this would happen at some point, but I am surprised she picked up on it so fast.

First Monday

When my sister was in town, we took a trip to Fort Worth to see family and go to First Monday, which is a huge flea market in Canton, Tx. Here are a few pics from our day.

It was unexpectedly cold that day, so we bundled up as best as possible. My Aunt Sharon had just had knee surgery, so we pushed her around in a borrowed wheel chair from my Papa. Here they were getting a fried pie!


My sister and I opted for a corn dog or as we called them "corny dogs" for our mid-morning snack. We did a lot of good eating that day. For lunch we had barbecue baked potatoes and homemade tater chips with ketchup. Later on we had fried pickles, then before we left kettle popcorn. Told ya, good eating!

Here is Sloane begging for some food! She wanted to enjoy all the fried goodies too!

We all found unique things at the market. This is a picture of my biggest purchase. They are wooden, black blocks with pictures glued to them, then modge podged to seal. Now they sit on our mantle. Below is the company website and contact information if you are interested.

www.TheWalnutStreetHouse.com
triciaglasgow@gmail. (325)338-9731

Recipe of the Week: Nachos

This recipe is a bonus since my other one for the week was easy. This is another easy and quick recipe from the Food Network Magazine. Every issue comes with a tear out book on 50 varieties of a particular food item, this one being nachos. We were going to a baseball game, and needed something quick and easy. After looking through the booklet, I was inspired to make nachos. I didn't really have all the ingredients to make any of the varieties published, consequently, I made my own. I started with their basic method then added what I had on hand. Here is my experience.

How to Make Nachos:
Spread 8 cups chips on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow dish. Add cheese and other toppings, then bake at 475 degrees in the upper third of the oven until melted, about 7 minutes.

From my experience: My inspiration came from the Tex-Mex version. I put black beans, corn, and chopped bell pepper on the chips before adding cheese. When they came out of the oven, I added some spinach leaves, then drizzled salsa over it all. It was awesome! Below I've added some versions I thought sounded appealing and fairly easy! Enjoy!

Tex-Mex: Top tortilla chips with 1 can refried beans and 3 cups shredded cheddar. Bake, then top with salsa and pickled jalapenos.

Pizza: Toss half of a thinly sliced baguette with olive oil, then spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 7 minutes. Top with 2 cups pizza sauce, 3 cups shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup shredded parmesan. Bake, then sprinkle with chopped basil. (optional: could top with Italian sausage, sauted onion and bell pepper slices.)

Margarita Shrimp: Marinate 1/2 pound shrimp in margarita mix with a dash of cayenne; grill. Top lime-marinated chips with 1 1/2 cups each shredded white cheddar and muenster. Bake, then top with grilled shrimp, diced onion, avocado and cilantro. Top with lime juice.

Greek: Top 4 cups pita chips with 1 cup each hummus, diced cucumber, tomatoes and feta, 1/4 cup each chopped red onion and kalamata olives, some tzatziki sauce and oregano. (Do not bake.)

Apple Pie: Cook 3 cubed peeled apples in butter. Top cinnamon-sugar pita chips with the apples, warm caramel, ice cream, whipped cream and cinnamon. (Do not bake.)

Recipe of the Week: German Hot Dog

The Food Network Magazine for June 2011 had an article for World-Class Hot Dogs. My husband saw the picture of the hot dog on the cover and browsed the article. Later when we went to the grocery store, uncharacteristically he started looking for sauerkraut. Apparently the article inspired him to try the German Hot Dog.

German Hot Dog

German mustard + saurkraut + pretzels =

From my experience: Even though we had the pretzels, Jake forgot them on his dog. He also used spicy brown mustard since that's what we had. Jake had never had saurkraut on his hot dog, and he liked it. I had to use this recipe for my blog since this was an inspired food experiment done by my husband; he was so enthusiastic about it, he even took the picture! In case you were wondering, I didn't get creative with my hotdog, just mustard for me. We served our dogs with grilled romaine lettuce drizzled with green goddess dressing; this was another super first for us! Enjoy!


Here are some other interesting combinations:

* hoison sauce + pineapple + scallions = Polynesian Hot Dog

* wasabi mayonnaise + Asian snack mix + pickled ginger = Japanese Hot Dog
(for you Brittany!)

* chipotle mayonnaise + cotija cheese + avocado = Mexican Hot Dog

* barbecue sauce + pulled pork + coleslaw = American Hot Dog

Easter

We had celebrated Easter with both families, were with mine on Easter Sunday. My sister was visiting since she was displaced from Japan, so we had a full feast. Here are some pictures of Sloane's egg hunt.

Sloane with Nana and Pops

Sloane and
Aunt Brittany

She was good at

pointing to the eggs,
but she needed some
help finding them.

Sloane had fun picking up the eggs, but she wanted to hold on to them. When she found another egg, then she would put the first in her basket and hold the newly retrieved prize egg. She liked to shake them. Hunting for eggs was so much fun!

At some point, she tired of looking for eggs and realized their were actually goodies inside of them. She stopped walking around, sat down, and dove in! Here you see her new pouty face. These days she gets sassy at times and furrows her brows at us. She did it to my sister alot!

Sloane with Daddy
She was getting tired at this point, but kept on eating her treats!

Sloane with Mommy

Recipe of the Week: Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

While the biscuits bake, the creamy chicken stew comes together in only 15 minutes. If the stew is too thick, thin it out with a little water.
* 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 large egg white
* 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
* 5 carrots, thinly sliced
* 5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
* 1 box (10 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 cup milk; add to flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Drop four 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.

4. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and thyme. Simmer until liquid is thickened, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken, simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve chicken stew with biscuits.

Serves 4. Recipe found in the April 2008 edition of Everyday Food magazine.

From my experience: This was pretty easy to make and has possibilities for your own variation. I substituted the frozen onions and carrots for bag of mixed vegetables. I also doubled the biscuit mix, it made 7. The first three I made plain, then I added some green onions and parsley to the rest of the biscuit batter for the last 4. Honestly, the later were better. The plain biscuits were dry and flavorless, but the green onion version were much tastier. The chicken mix was good. I liked that I didn't have to cook the chicken separately. I served this meal with a salad. I think that if I were to make this recipe again, I would just make cornbread. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: Citrus Salad

I made this salad for Easter lunch with my family. My chef friend made it for me one Mother's Day, my mom loved it so much she asked for this salad specifically.

Citrus Salad

*pineapple, sliced
*strawberries, sliced
*mandarin oranges
*spring mix lettuce
*citrus vinaigrette

Put fruit on top of spring mix. Drizzle citrus vinaigrette on top.


Citrus Vinaigrette
*2 Tbs. lemon juice
*2 Tbs. lime juice
*3 Tbs. orange juice
*1-2 Tbs. sugar
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/4 Canola oil
*1/4 Olive oil
*salt
*pepper

From my experience: For the dressing, I measured out everything putting it in a jar, then shook it to mix. I think it would have mixed better had I used a whisk or blender, because it still had an oil aftertaste. The measurements I played around with to get the right taste. For the salad, I added toasted coconut on top of the fruit to add another element; it was a success. The salad was yummy, I will definitely make it again. Enjoy!