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Beef and Broccoli Fried Rice

April 9, 2022April 9, 2022 FloraD

Who doesn’t like a quick weeknight dinner that is not only fast, but easy and tasty? Look no further! This one skips the Chinese take-out order, doesn’t take long to prep, and comes together in no time.

I found this recipe on the kitchn. I did make a few changes. There was a mistake about how much oil to use so I fixed that. I made 3 cups of rice instead of 4 so I also decreased the number of cups of broccoli from 5 to 4. I probably didn’t need to make rice/broccoli changes, but when I made the rice using my 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups of water ratio, it made 3 cups of rice and I wasn’t about to make more rice. Call me lazy. I don’t mind. By the way, if you have leftover rice around, use that. It turns out even better so I’ve heard.

After you make the rice, put it in the freezer to chill. You could make this the night before and chill it in the fridge, but that would require one to remember to do this. All the power to you if you plan ahead. Me? Not so much.

Next, chop up your veggies: broccoli and green onions. BTW, this is a great dish for vegetable haters. Not a zillion tiny pieces of vegetables to pick out. Mince a couple cloves of garlic. Grab your ground beef, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a couple eggs. Be sure to use sesame oil, not canola or olive. You want that nutty sesame flavor. You also need to beat your eggs.

Now you’re ready to go. See what I mean about prep work? Super simple. It takes longer to cook the rice.

Heat up some oil in a wok or skillet, add the beef, and break it up until it’s crumbled. Don’t cook it all the way because you are going to continue cooking it with the broccoli. Throw in your chopped broccoli and cook that until it’s tender and crisp, and the beef is fully cooked.

Add garlic and some soy sauce, and mix it up. About a minute later, put all of this in a large bowl and set aside.

Add some more oil to your pan and throw in your rice and some more soy sauce, season with pepper, and stir until everything mixed together and heated through. Don’t ask me why you have to chill the rice only to heat it up again. I’m assuming it has something to do with not ending up with mushy rice.

Now the fun starts. Scoot the rice over to one side and add your beaten eggs to the other half.

Season with salt and pepper, and then stir until the eggs are almost set. Remove the pan from the heat, add your beef mixture that you set aside, throw in your green onions, and gently fold everything while making sure you break up large pieces of egg. Season it with more salt and pepper, and you are done!

Dish it up in a bowl. If you’re feeling super fancy, sprinkle more green onions on top.

The boys loved this dish. The younger boy was obligated to eat one piece of broccoli. He claimed it was terrible, but not a bad way to cook it. I’ll take that. I just loved how it came together so quickly. Definitely a make again.

Beef and Broccoli Fried Rice

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 cup rice or 3 cups cooked
2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
8 ounces ground beef
4 cups broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce divided
freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs lightly beaten
Kosher salt
3 green onions sliced

Instructions

Cook 1 cup of rice with 1 1/2 cups of water. Chill. You can also used leftover rice.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef, break it up into small pieces with a spoon, and cook until halfway cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover, and cook, stirring every minute or so, until the broccoli is crisp tender and the beef is cooked through, about 4 minutes total.
Add the garlic, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Season with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through, about 4 minutes.
Push the rice to one half of the pan and add the beaten eggs to the other half. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula until almost set, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the broccoli and beef, sprinkle with the green onions (leave some for garnish), and gently fold everything together with the rubber spatula, breaking up any large pieces of egg. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with green onions.

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Beef and Cheddar Casserole

February 13, 2022February 13, 2022 FloraD

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It’s Superbowl Sunday! Just like last year, it’s just the three of us eating snacks, watching commercials, and enjoying the 90s-inspired half-time show (go Eminem!). I plan to play with my air fryer and make: Tater Tots, Mozzarella Sticks, and Jalapeno Poppers. For dinner, we’re having Instant Pot White Chicken Chili with cornbread. I’ll blog it if it turns out to be good.

Today I’m sharing a really easy casserole (yes, yet another casserole!) that you could make today or during the week. It’s comforting, cheesy, beefy, and simple. Picky eaters will like it too. I’ve slightly modified it from the original, which you’ll find on The Food Network.

Go preheat your oven to 425F. You’re going to need it to melt all that yummy cheese. Find a 2-quart casserole pan and spray it with cooking spray. Boil some noodles according to the package. Pull the sour cream out of the fridge. While you’re boiling your noodles, dice a red bell pepper and chop a bunch of green onions.

Grab your packaged ground beef. Shred some Parmesan cheese, or buy the shredded stuff. It seems like I haven’t been able to buy a block of Parmesan cheese since the pandemic hit unless I want to spend $20/pound for the imported stuff. No thank you.

Measure out some tomato paste and Italian seasonings. BTW, after you open that can of tomato paste and only use a tablespoon, don’t throw it away! Get a plate, plop tablespoons of paste onto the plate, and freeze. When they’re frozen, pop them in a baggie and store in the freezer. It’s a good way not to waste tomato paste and you’ll have some for other recipes. You’re welcome.

You’ll also need some salt and pepper on stand by. Grab a can of diced tomatoes. Grate some cheddar cheese. If you have some parsley, chop a few leaves for garnish. Sorry, I sound like I’m barking out orders. Please gather you’re ingredients. It’s better to have everything you need to work with at your fingertips.

Take your ground beef and brown it in a skillet for about 4 minutes. Toss in your veggies with a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes so the veggies are still a little crunchy. Move the meat mixture to the side and add your tomato paste. You’ll cook this for about a minute to help get the raw flavor out. Add Italian seasonings and another pinch of salt. It’s important to add a little salt bit by bit as you go rather than add a ton of it at the end. Throw in your diced tomatoes and stir. Simmer it for a couple minutes. It should thicken up a bit.

When your noodles are done, drain and put them in your casserole pan. Add sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and pinch of salt and pepper. Stir it around until it’s well mixed. This will be your first layer. Next, pour the beef mixture over the noodles. Do not mix!

Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the whole thing.

Add more than 2 cups if you’re wild. I used restraint and stuck with 2 cups. It was very difficult. I see a patch in the middle that could have used more cheese.

Stick it in the oven and bake until the cheese is all melted and gooey, about 15-20 minutes. I’d start checking on it after 15 minutes. You don’t want to scorch the top. Pull it out when it’s ready and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I know. It’s a hardship you’ll have to bear.

Serve and garnish with parsley so it looks fancy.

You’re done! In addition to being easy to make, it reminds me of lasagna without all the work. It’s creamy. It’s saucy. It’s unforgettable. You’ll want to make this again and again.

Beef and Cheddar Casserole

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Servings 6

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
3 cups wide egg noodles about 5 ounces
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
12 ounces ground beef
1 red bell pepper diced
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
14 1/2 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and put in the prepared baking dish. Toss with the sour cream, Parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the red peppers, green onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Move the beef mixture to one half of the pan, add the tomato paste to the other side, and toast for a minute. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt. Add the diced tomatoes. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Pour the beef mixture over the noodles (do not mix!) and sprinkle with the grated cheddar cheese. Bake on the middle rack until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021 FloraD

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It’s finally soup season! Making homemade soup instead of cracking open a can is a cooking investment worth your time. One of my favorite soups is minestrone. I love the simplicity of it. It’s basically a tomato-based broth with a few veggies, some pasta, and maybe some ground meat. So, when I came across this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis from The Food Network, I had to try it. She makes awesome Italian dishes so I knew this one would not fail me. I was intrigued that instead of pasta she uses canned white cannellini beans. No pasta?! Most of the time you want to use dried beans for the most flavor so I was a little skeptical whether this soup would be tasty enough, but this soup recipe did not disappoint. Because the beans are canned, making this soup was super fast for a comforting homemade weeknight soup. No need to soak your beans over night.

Prep your ingredients. Dice up an onion, carrot, and celery. I like my celery and carrots in heartier pieces, so I sliced mine. If you want more veggies, feel free to add more. This is a very flexible soup. Next, mince some garlic. Measure out some tomato paste. Gather your canned ingredients. Have some grated Parmesan nearby.

Take a large saucepan or Dutch oven and saute your veggies. Be sure to add salt and pepper.

After the veggies are soft, throw in your ground beef and cook until there’s no more pink. The ground beef below needs more cooking time.

Add your tomato paste and then the rest of your ingredients.

It’s starting to look like soup! And it really smells good too. Here it is bubbling away.

Let it simmer for about 30 minutes while you go do something fun. Not that cooking isn’t fun, but maybe there’s an episode of House Hunters you’ve been meaning to watch. So I hear.

When it’s ready, ladle it into soup bowls and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

And that’s it. Super simple, and economical too. It makes great leftovers plus it freezes well. It’s so much better than what you’d find in a can and is worth the slight amount of effort that goes into it. It tasted like I spent hours on it. It’s a win-win!

Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

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Servings 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely diced
1 large carrot peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 celery rib trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces lean ground beef
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
15 ounces canned cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and mix to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

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Chipotle Steak Rice Bowls

October 3, 2021October 3, 2021 FloraD

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I’ll get to the point. We love tacos and fajitas. So much so that I came to the conclusion that we needed another Taco Tuesday, but let’s say on a Friday. I decided mix it up a bit and make these tasty fajita steak rice bowls, which feature juicy slices of homemade fajita-seasoned skirt steak along side sliced onions and peppers over rice. I promise the effort is worth the reward. What am I saying?! You’ll find this recipe is a quick and satisfying meal. This recipe comes from The Recipe Critic and will not disappoint.

First, bring out all your ingredients, which are your seasonings, olive oil, limes, soy sauce, skirt steak (try to pull it out an hour ahead of time because meat cooks more evenly when it’s at room temperature), peppers (any color you want), some butter, and rice (brown or white, your choice).

Go cook some rice.

Next, make the fajita seasoning. A lot of stuff (seven!) goes into this, but that’s where all the flavor. Please do that skip the chipotle chili pepper powder, which you can find among all the other spices at the grocery store. I hate buying spices that I never use again, but you can use this instead of your regular chili powder. It’s worth the purchase.

Mix it up, spoon out some for your veggies, and put the rest aside for the marinade.

Time for the marinade. You don’t have to marinate the meat for hours. Love it. If you’re like me, you usually forget to marinate ahead of time. Not a problem here. In a gallon size zip-top bag, add olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and the fajita seasoning. Throw your steak in the mag, close the bag, and squish the bag around to coat the steak. Let it hang out on your counter while you slice and cook up the peppers and onion. BTW, you can use any color of bell pepper. Any type of onion too. I used yellow and red peppers with red onions.

Now you’re going to cook your onions. I used an iron cast skillet because it makes a nice crust on the steak and it makes me feel fancy (which is super important when cooking as it boosts your confidence level), but any skillet works. After you’ve softened the onion a bit, add your peppers and reserved fajita seasoning. Give it a stir. I don’t like overcooked, soft peppers so I only cooked them for about 4 minutes. These are perfect.

Transfer them to a plate and set them aside.

Next is the steak. I did sort of make a mess, but that’s okay. Melt some butter in the skillet and gently place it in the pan so you don’t splatter the butter like I did.

Sear the steak for about 4 minutes on each side. When you think it’s ready, take our your trusty instant thermometer. Wait, you don’t have one? You need to buy one (and no, I’m not making any money from this recommendation). It’s perfect when making sure your meat isn’t raw. Ick. I like mine around medium rare, which is about 145F. If you want it medium, cook until 160F. Let’s not discuss any other acceptable level of rareness.

When the steak is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it as thin as you like. Fill a bowl up with hot, cooked rice. Throw on your steak and veggies. Add any toppings you like. Cilantro is a must in our family. We also added spicy pickled carrots and avocado. Yum.

This is a make again. Two thumbs up. This meal pleases everyone because it’s both adult and kid friendly. The perfectly seasoned steak is flavorful without being too spicy. You can customize the bowl to however you want. My picky eater skipped everything but the rice and steak while throwing some cheese on top. Perfect! There’s no wrong way to make your bowl. Because I tend to low carb it, I skipped the rice and put it on a bed of kale (yes, I’m weird that way), but cabbage would have worked too.

Go make this. Please and thank you.

Chipotle Steak Rice Bowls

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil divided
2 limes juiced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
2 medium bell peppers any color
1 medium onion any type
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups rice
your favorite toppings

Instructions

About an hour before cooking, place the steak on the counter so it comes up to room temperature.
In a small bowl, combine the chipotle chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons for the vegetables.
In a large zip-top bag, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and the remainder of the fajita seasonings. Add the steak, seal the bag, and press the bag to coat the marinade onto steak. Set it aside on the counter while you prepare the vegetables.
Remove the onion skin and slice into thin strips. Core the bell peppers to remove the seeds and thinly slice.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12" cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the bell peppers and sprinkle with the reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons of fajita seasoning. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Transfer and set aside on a plate.
Melt butter on the same skillet and sear the steak. Allow to sear for 3 to 4 minutes (or more depending on how done you like your steak) on each side. Internal steak temperature should be 145F for medium rare or 160F for medium. Transfer steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
Fill bowls with rice. Top with steak, onions, peppers, and your favorite toppings.

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Indian-Spiced Pepper Steak

June 6, 2021February 6, 2022 FloraD

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We eat a lot of chicken and I’m trying to cook more fish, but every once in a while we want a steak. We’re sort of crazy when it comes to grilling steaks. It’s raining outside. We grill steaks. It’s 105 degrees out. We grill steaks. The wind is blowing a million miles an hour. We grill steaks.

I always make a simple rub of freshly ground black pepper, seasoned salt, onion powder, and garlic powder, which I liberally rub it into the meat. But steaks are pretty expensive these days so I decided to look for a less expensive cut of beef and make something completely different.

I came across a recipe from Rachael Ray that was posted on the Food Network web site called Indian-Spiced Pepper Steak. It did not remind me of Indian food as she claimed, but I was intrigued that you toasted the seasonings, which is commonly found in Indian food preparations. It’s an extra step. Is it worth it? We shall see. And as usual, I changed the recipe, which included an adult beverage. I do have to say that the vodka mule looked refreshing, but I skipped it or we would have never had dinner.

Grab all your ingredients. Grate your ginger and garlic. Slice your veggies and skirt steak, which is a little cheaper than a New York or rib eye steak. Slicing the beef early concerns me because I don’t want overcooked meat, but it’s all good and helps you make a quick meal. Also, while this is all going on, make a pot of rice.

In a small skillet, add your seeds: coriander, cumin, and mustard. Toss in your peppercorns. I know it’s a lot of ingredients you don’t use often, but once you make this dish, you’ll want to make it again and you’ll have those spices on hand. After adding these items to the skillet, toast them for about a minute. You should be able to smell them and they are wonderful. Place them in a spice mill and grind. I have a NutriBullet so I use that instead. You can also use a spare coffee grinder. If you aren’t able to grind your spices, you can use already ground spices and skip this step. Combine your toasted (or not) spices with chili powder, garam masala, and turmeric.

Cooking happens quickly. I heated up my large cast iron skillet, but you can use any type of skillet. Just make sure it’s hot because you want to brown the beef so it’s a little crisp, which takes about 2 minutes on each side. Season it with salt, and set it aside on a plate. Next, cook your onions and peppers for about 3 minutes. Add your ginger and garlic. Cook it about a minute. Add the beef back in and toss in your spices. Mix that up and add some apple cider vinegar for acidity.

And that’s it. You’re done. Overall, I think this is an easy, quick weeknight meal. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients and some prep work, but it turns out that it’s really worth toasting the spices for a more intense flavor. The beef is super tender and the final addition of vinegar elevates the flavors in an unexpected way. Don’t skip this step. Serve with hot rice and enjoy.

Indian-Spiced Pepper Steak

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds skirt steak
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 large red onion
1 large red pepper
1-2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers optional
1 inch ginger root
6 cloves garlic
canola oil
salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
chopped cilantro for garnish
cooked rice

Instructions

Pat meat dry and thinly slice the meat into strips against the grain of the meat.
Add seeds and peppercorns to a small skillet over medium heat and toast a minute until fragrant. Place in spice mill and grind. You can use ground spices instead and skip the toasting step. Combine with chili powder, garam masala, and turmeric.
Peel and slice red onion. Seed and thinly slice bell pepper. Optional: Thinly slice or chop the fresh Serrano or jalapeno peppers. Seed if you prefer milder food or leave seeds in for extra spicy. Grate or mince ginger and garlic.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and cook beef in single layer to brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and remove to platter. Add another tablespoon of oil, and add onions and peppers, toss, and cook for 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, and toss a minute more. Add beef back to pan, sprinkle in spice blend, toss to combine with peppers, and add apple cider vinegar. Garnish beef with cilantro. Serve beef with rice.

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Cheesy Beef and Macaroni

April 4, 2021April 4, 2021 FloraD

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Pasta is one of the ultimate comfort foods that you can make in so many different ways. I like to make a big batch of meat sauce and freeze it for future spaghetti dinners. Or make a bunch of meatballs (Ina Garten’s are the best) and freeze those to serve with jarred sauce and noodles. Along those lines, Cheesy Beef and Macaroni is a delicious and easy weeknight pasta dinner that everyone will love. It’s definitely not fancy. This one skillet dish makes plenty so you can freeze some for another night or just have some leftovers for lunch. This recipe comes from the Kitchn, but I changed it a bit. First off, I split the recipe. You are welcomed to make the full recipe, but I have no idea how it would fit in the 12-inch skillet that the recipe specifies. In fact, I used a 12-inch skillet and it barely all fit.

Gather all your ingredients. You need to chop up a few veggies: red pepper, carrots, and onions. Mince a few cloves of garlic. Grab ground beef, olive oil, a can of crushed tomatoes, and a bottle of Worcestershire sauce. Measure out your herbs and spices. Shred some cheese or buy it prepackaged. Pretty basic stuff.

Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, drain the fat, and set it aside. A lot of recipes, including this one, don’t have you season the meat, but I think it’s a really important step. Salt brings out the flavor in meat. Use about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat. Throw in a little pepper to balance it out. I’ve found that if you season early on, you probably don’t need to add more salt later.

Add some oil and throw in your veggies and garlic. You’ll cook those until they are slightly soft for about 5 minutes. By the way, this is a sneaky way to add some veggies to your meal.

Put the beef back into the skillet and add your herbs, spices, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and 2 cups of water. Let that come to a simmer.

Once it’s simmering, add the pasta. I love this kind of meal because it doesn’t require you to boil the pasta separately. Oh, and let me remind you that I halved recipe and the ingredients are as close to the top as they should get. How ginormous was their skillet?!

Cook until the pasta is tender, which is about 10 minutes.

Throw some cheese on top and let it melt. I used a cup of cheese. At the time I thought I could have used more because I was expecting this dish to be more cheesy like mac and cheese, but the amount of cheese was perfect.

And that’s it! Like I said, not fancy, but a little fancier than your typical spaghetti and red sauce. Super comforting and delicious. Really easy to make in no time. You only use one skillet so clean-up is quick. Win-win.

Cheesy Beef and Macaroni

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Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup red, yellow, orange, or green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
28 ounces crushed tomatoes in juice
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups dried elbow macaroni
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Crumble and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Set beef aside.
Wipe out the skillet. Heat oil over medium heat. Add bell pepper, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
Return the beef to the skillet. Add the basil, oregano, tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and 2 cups of water. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase the heat to high and let come to a simmer.
Add elbow macaroni, stir, and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, for 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and black pepper as necessary.
Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the skillet and cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Serve from the skillet.

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Hanger Steak with Chimol

March 7, 2021March 7, 2021 FloraD

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about culture. I don’t have a lot to say about mine and that’s a problem. My mom was from El Salvador, which makes me half Salvadoran. Growing up in California, I noticed that my mother didn’t embrace her culture as one would expect. She tried to blend in, didn’t teach me any traditions, and didn’t cook very many Salvadoran meals. She kept her memories of her homeland close to her chest and hidden. I regret not pushing her more for information, but she never wanted to talk about it.

She also hated cooking so I couldn’t fault her for not teaching me Salvadoran cooking. But she did make a few things and she made them well. She taught me how to cook black beans three ways: soup, refried, and gallo pinto. She baked Salvadoran quesadilla, a slightly sweet dessert made with rice flour and cream cheese. I remember one year when I was 5 she made tamales with some of the ladies from the neighborhood. I sat on a tall stool and watched all day as they did magical things to meats, dried fruits, and banana leaves. I wish she continued that tradition so I could learn, but it’s a lot of work and for someone who doesn’t like to cook, it was not fun, except the camaraderie shared among the women in the kitchen that December afternoon while drinking horchata. We ate tamales for Christmas Eve that night.

A few decades later, I’ve decided I need to learn what I didn’t learn: how to cook Salvadoran food. I’ve searched for cookbooks and came up empty handed. El Salvador is a small country, but I expected to find something. But with all this talk of culture, Bon Appetit has brought diverse cooking to the forefront and wrote an article about Salvadoran food. The article made me emotional, like maybe I’ve found my people. I know, it’s silly, but I found a piece of me that day, something to connect to. I decided to start my adventure on a fairly easy recipe, Hangar Steak with Chimol.

Chimol is a radish salsa that also includes red onions, lime or lemon juice, chiles, and cilantro. Some also add tomatoes, but this recipe left those out. Chimol drew out a distant memory of when my aunt made this icky radish and lemon juice mix every single day. At the time, I thought it was weird, but I think she was making chimol her way.

This recipe is not difficult to make, but making chimol was a little time consuming because of all the slicing and chopping. Combine lime juice along with thinly sliced red onion and serrano chiles (leave the seeds and membrane on for more spice). Grate a couple cloves of garlic (I added 2 cloves instead of 1 in the original recipe…I like a lot of garlic!) and slices of radish. I cut the radishes in half and then with the flat side down, sliced them up. Took a while, but that’s okay. Some things are worth the effort. I do have to say that I only used about 1/2 a chile because I didn’t want to scare away the boys. Next time, I’m going to make my own batch. Also, don’t forget to season it all with salt and pepper.

When you’re done, it will look something like this.

I think it looks pretty.

Prepare the grill for the hanger steak. I chose to use a grill pan and do this indoors. Hanger steak might be a bit tricky to find so ask your butcher if you can’t find it on the shelf. They usually have some in back. I thought it was the same as skirt steak and my butcher corrected me quickly. He’s a good guy. Here’s an informative article about the differences if you want to know.

While your grill pan is heating up, salt and pepper the meat and rub it with olive oil. Throw it on the pan on medium high heat. The original recipe has you do this first, but I think it’s better to wait until you’re done making the chimol.

Cook each side for about 10 minutes for rare, or longer if you prefer. Move it to a large cutting board and douse it with that sauce no one can pronounce: Worcestershire. Apparently it’s used a lot in El Salvador and is sometimes called salsa inglesa, which I’m thinking of calling it that from now on. It’s a lot easier to say. I also learned that El Salvador has the highest per-capita consumption of salsa inglesa. That’s impressive.

Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes so when you cut it, the juices stay in the meat rather than run all over your board. Cut thinly and serve on warm tortillas with chimol and more salsa inglesa. Yum. The meat is super tender. The chimol is peppery and spicy with the right amount of acidic tang from the lime juice. I thought that it would be weird to have salsa inglesa in a taco, but it complements it perfectly. Definitely a make again.

Hanger Steak with Chimol

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Servings 6

Ingredients

vegetable oil for grill
juice of 4 limes
1/2 red onion
1-2 serrano chiles
2 garlic cloves
8 ounces radishes
1 cup cilantro
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
1 1/4 pounds hanger steak cut in 2-3 pieces
Worcestershire sauce
tortillas

Instructions

Prepare your ingredients: Thinly slice red onions. Depending on how spicy you want your chimol to be, remove the seeds and membrane of the chiles, and thinly slice. Grate garlic. Slice radishes. Rough chop cilantro.
Mix together lime juice, red onion, chiles, garlic, radishes, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup olive oil. Let chimol sit at room temperature while the steak cooks.
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Oil grate with vegetable oil. Season steak with salt and pepper, and then rub all over with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Grill, turning once, until deeply browned on the outside and cooked to desired doneness, 8-12 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and generously drizzle with Worcestershire sauce. Let sit 5 minutes before thinly slicing.
Serve steak with chimol, warmed tortillas, and more Worcestershire sauce.

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Oven-Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

February 28, 2021February 28, 2021 FloraD

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Unless you are somewhere warm, grilling cheeseburgers outside is probably not high on your list. But what are you to do when you want a delicious cheeseburger? You certainly can fry a hamburger patty indoors, but let’s try something easier and without the grease splatter.

The first time I made these cheeseburger sliders was for a Super Bowl party. I think I tripled the recipe and we had plenty without a lot of effort. This recipe makes a great party food. But I now make these all the time for my family with just a pound of ground beef. Sometimes I include chopped onions, sometimes I don’t. I don’t use lean beef because it tends to dry out in my opinion, but you certainly can use 93% instead of the 80% beef I use. You can also use ground turkey instead.

Grab a bowl. Mix up beef, bread crumbs, finely chopped onion, and salt. Don’t over mix or your burger will turn out tough. You just want to mix just enough so everything’s combined. Are the chopped onion bits all over the place so each bite has a piece of onion? Stop. You’re good.

Press the meat into an 8 x 8-inch pan.

You can use any sized pan, but the thickness will vary and so will your cooking times. Next, use a fork to poke a bunch of holes in the meat to help evenly cook the meat. Bake for 20 minutes. When you pull them out of the oven, you’ll notice that the meat shrunk and is in a pool of liquid. Completely normal.

Carefully pour the liquid out into a soda can or jar. Don’t pour it down the drain unless you want clogged pipes and your plumber on speed dial.

Top the burgers with slices of your favorite cheese. American cheese melts nicely, but we’ve used cheddar, pepper jack, or even blue cheese.

Stick the pan back in the oven until the cheese melts. Cut into squares the same size as your rolls, place them on Hawaiian rolls (or any sized roll or bun), add your favorite toppings, and tada! A cheeseburger!

I like to fry up some bacon while the the burgers are cooking in the oven for bacon cheeseburgers, but bacon bits will do in a pinch. Here we serve them with celery and pickles. That and the ketchup counts as a vegetable.

Do these have grill marks? No. They are oven-baked, people! And they are completely wonderful and delicious. Another easy meal.

Oven-Baked Cheeseburger Sliders

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/8 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 pinch salt
9 Hawaiian rolls or slider buns
Cheese slices

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, and salt. Gently press mixture into a 8 x 8-inch pan so that it makes one large patty of even thickness. Using a fork, poke holes throughout the meat so the meat will cook evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. As it bakes, the meat will shrink away from the sides and liquid will accumulate around the edges of pan. When fully cooked, remove the pan from oven (keep oven turned on) and carefully drain off the liquid.
Top the meat with an even layer of sliced cheese. Return pan to oven for about 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Cut into 2-inch squares (or the size of the buns used) about 9 mini-hamburgers.

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Instant Pot Beef Carnitas

February 21, 2021March 27, 2021 FloraD

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I love all things tacos. Taco Tuesday might be my favorite day of the week. One particular week I made these amazing beef carnitas that didn’t take as much time as my slow cooker pork carnitas, and were even better. I don’t remember having any leftovers and that’s saying a lot when we started out with a two pound hunk of meat and there’s only three of us.

This recipe alone is enough justification to run our and buy an Instant Pot. You really won’t regret it. There’s so much you can do with it and it’s not scary at all like those old-fashioned pressure cookers.

This recipe came from an Instant Pot magazine that I purchased when I first bought my Instant Pot. I really should try more of the recipes because none of them have ever failed. I made a few changes, but stuck to the recipe.

Gather your ingredients. Chop up an onion until you have a cup. Cut the meat into large 2-inch chunks. I used chuck instead of the stew meat that the recipe lists. Stew meat is a mixed bag, literally. Stew meat is whatever left over meat cuts the butcher has that are good for braising. Because the meat might not be all the same cut, you won’t get consistent results. Some cuts might be tougher than others all in the same package. It’s much better to just have one cut of meat, like chuck, and stick with that.

There are a lot of seasonings, but you probably already have most of them. If you don’t have ancho chili powder, use your standard chili powder. I actually had ancho chili powder so I’m sort of kicking myself. I couldn’t find it and thought I didn’t have any. Time to clean out that spice rack! Or, maybe I just need to make this recipe again. 🙂

Combine olive oil with your seasonings.

Add the beef and mix it until the beef is well coated. Also add your chopped onion, bay leaf, and broth in the pot.

Add the meat to the pot and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Plan on an extra 15-20 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure. Sounds long, but it’s worth it. Go watch some TV or something. When it’s done, natural release the pressure, which will take another 5-10 minutes.

Remove the beef with a slotted spoon. Transfer the beef to a baking pan, shred it a little, and let it crisp up in the broiler for about 5 minutes. You can certainly skip this step, which I did. It’s less authentic, but I like the juicy chunks of meat just on its own.

Warm up some tortillas, spoon the carnitas onto the tortillas, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy. I think I was a little heavy handed with the toppings, but I swear the meat is down there somewhere. The meat is super flavorful because of the spices and tender beyond belief. I really did not except these results. Another win for the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Beef Carnitas

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Servings 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons kocher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ancho or red chili powder
2 pounds beef chuck cut into 2-inch cubes
1 cup onion coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups beef broth
tortillas
your favorite toppings

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cut up the beef into 2-inch cubes and mix until well coated. Place chopped onion, bay leaf, and broth in the pot. Add beef.
Cook at high pressure for 45 minutes. When cooking is complete, natural release to depressurize.
Remove the beef with a slotted spoon or large fine-mesh strainer to remove the liquid. Reserve some liquid if you are broiling the meat. Shred or leave in chunks. Serve on warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Optional: Transfer the meat to a baking pan. Use two forks to shred the beef and spread into an even layer on the pan. Broil about 4 inches away for about 5 minutes or until it reaches the crispiness you like. If needed, add some of the cooking liquid to moisten.

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Chili con Carne

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021 FloraD

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It’s Super Bowl Sunday, but we’re not big football fans. The game is about getting together, listening to the national anthem, watching funny commercials, munching on snacks, enjoying the half-time show…oh and there’s the actual football game. Almost forgot about it. Unless the 49ers are in it, I’m not interested in who’s playing.

This year is different. Not that I get out much, but the last party I went to was our friend’s huge Super Bowl 2020 party. He had two TVs going, a kitchen peninsula overflowing with pot luck items, ice coolers brimming with beverages, and multiple chafing dishes full of Asian deliciousness from his family’s restaurant. There’s much talking, laughing, and small children running about (except my teenager who is bored out of his mind). There’s a little television watching, but mainly it’s about the food and the commercials.

This year is different, I repeat. I just tell myself it’s a different type of Super Bowl where we all should be socially distanced. Please stay home. It’ll be quiet, calm, and sometimes that’s okay. We might have the TV on. I’m going to make some cheeseburger and bacon sliders (recipe coming soon!). I thought about making my chocolate football brownies or chocolate dipped football strawberries, but I just want an afternoon of peace and a little reflection. It’s the year to slow down.

If you read this and have time to run to the store, do it because this dish is amazing and perfect for the Super Bowl. It takes forever to make so you can start mid-afternoon and have something ready by dinner time. Before I made it, I wondered if it was really worth the effort. YES! I’m talking about chili con carne. And it’s not from a can. It’s amazing. I can’t say that enough.

I decided to look up the difference between chili con carne and chili. There isn’t really. I guess if your chili has no meat, you really shouldn’t call it chili con carne, but some people would wonder if that’s even chili. Then there’s the whole controversy of beans versus no beans, which I will not get into. You guys duke that one out on your own.

Okay, enough talking and let’s get down to business. I found this recipe on Simply Recipes, and was really pleased how awesome it came out. I only made a couple substitutions. My biggest complaint is that it takes way longer than 10 minutes to prep. I don’t know who these people are except a chef on Chopped. It took me 10 minutes alone to cut up the meat. So, bottom line, give you yourself at least 30 minutes to bring all your ingredients together.

Measure out all your seasonings and place them in a small bowl with some water to make a paste.

This recipe calls out for two types of chili powder, red and chipotle. I didn’t want to spend $4 on chipotle chile powder (hello, that cuts into my Starbucks habit) when I already had ancho chile powder (and I have no idea why I did have that). How different can they be? Apparently not enough for this cook. Chipotle chile powder is made from smoked, dried jalapenos. Ancho chile powder is made from dried poblanos, which results in a milder, sweeter chile powder that isn’t quite as smoky or hot as chipotle. In my opinion, either is fine, and if you want, just stick to your standard red chili powder if you want. You might miss some of the smokiness, but you’ll be fine.

Next, get your bacon going in a fry pan while you finish up dealing with your onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes. Squeeze some lime juice and measure out the sugar. You can also drain and rinse some beans, and measure out the cornstarch, which you’ll put aside for now.

When the bacon is done, chop it up into bite size pieces. The recipe calls for you to cook it so you can crumble it, but I like my bacon a little meatier than that. I want substance.

Toss in the meat in batches to sear. Do not be tempted overcrowd the beef all into one pan or you’ll end up with a big pile of steaming meat. Not a good thing. By the way, the recipe says to drain the bacon fat and use a tablespoon for the meat. No way. I’m not going to that mess and it’ll taste better my way. This is not a time to be all healthy.

After you’ve seared the beef, set it aside and start on your onions.

Next add garlic and jalapenos. In this household, I usually hold back the spice for the boys, but not this time. Jalapenos really aren’t that spicy if you don’t include the membranes.

Next add your spice paste and cook it a little longer.

Put all this fragrant goodness into a large pot or Dutch oven along with the bacon, tomatoes, some water, lime juice, and sugar.

There’s a lot of flavors going on here, which is good because you’re going to let it cook for a couple of hours while you “watch” the game, snack, and drink beer. Well, if you’re on the East coast, you might want to make this a few hours before the game and dig in just as the game starts. You can still snack and drink beer. No one’s stopping you and if we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s apparently to be day drinkers.

After 90 minutes, uncover the pot and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. When that’s done, you’ll think that you have a watery soup/stew situation going on. But wait! There’s more! Mix up your cornstarch with some water until it’s dissolved (no lumps) and add it to the pot. Throw in your beans (shocking, I know). Add a bit of salt, if it needs it. You might need to add a little more lime juice or sugar, but I didn’t think so.

Just in case, dip a corn or tortilla chip into it to taste. If you’re not sure, continue and repeat. It’s pretty much amazing at this point and eventually you should share it with others so take it off the heat, ladle into bowls, throw some cheddar cheese and onions if you like, and serve.

This is not your canned chili. I was concerned that I would spend hours making this to discover it’s not worth it. Wrong. It’s totally worth it. Just plan ahead. This is not a weekday meal, but it freezes well so you can have it anytime you want. Now I have to be concerned that the boys won’t want canned chili ever again.

Chili con Carne

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Servings 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons red chili powder
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder or chipotle
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
4 tablespoons water
3 strips thick bacon
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast cut into 1/2-inch cubes
salt
1 medium white onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 jalapeno chili peppers stems removed, seeded, membranes roomed, minced
14 ounces whole tomatoes broken up
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
14 ounces red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in a couple tablespoons of water
salt
grated cheddar cheese and chopped onion optional

Instructions

In a small bowl mix the red chili powder, ancho chile powder, ground cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water so that the spices forms a light paste. Set aside.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat until it's slightly underdone. Set aside on a paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the skillet. When the bacon cools, chop it into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Increase heat to medium high. Working in batches so that you don't crowd the beef , sear the beef cubes on all sides, lightly salting as you cook the beef. Remove beef from pan, set aside.
In the same skillet, add the chopped onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add and cook the garlic and jalapeno for a minute until fragrant. Add the chili paste and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Into a 6-quart thick-bottomed Dutch oven or pot, put onion chili mixture, beef, bacon, broken down tomatoes (break up the whole tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pot), water, lime juice, and sugar. Heat the chili on medium high heat until it comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Then uncover and simmer for another half hour.
Mix the cornstarch powder into a little water to dissolve the cornstarch completely and add to the chili to thicken it. Gently mix in the kidney beans. Add salt to taste.
Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheddar cheese and chopped onion.