Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Nachos

Nachos? Your posting a recipe for Nachos? Well, not really. More just me trying to get out of the nacho rut I seem to be in.

I used to make nachos like this all the time. Cook some ground beef, add some salsa and beans, arrange it over chips, add a bunch of freshly shredded cheese, bake it in the oven for a bit and voila! Nachos. Only as time has gone on, I've gotten lazy. My nachos have turned into throwing some chips on a plate, dolloping some re-fried beans on top, tossing some pre-shredded cheese from a package over it all, throwing it in the oven (oh who am I kidding, the microwave might have come into use) and there you go...nachos in a hurry.

But in looking for a recipe for Nacho Soup the other day (for National Nacho Day of course) I came across several recipes for Nachos. Now, mind you, recipes for nachos really do run the gamut. From simple nachos like my lazy microwave version, to nachos made in a crock pot, nachos with venison, nachos made with bread (the heck?), Ruben Nachos made with corned beef, and of course nachos drenched with that day glow orange cheese sauce...The variations are endless. All these recipes reminded me I was in a nacho rut and needed to get back to the old school nachos I used to make. So out went the Nacho Soup and in came the nacho recipe that takes just a little bit more work.

One of the "classic" recipes I did come across though, had a few steps that I had never tried. Layering and a twice bake. The recipe I found on the Better Homes and Garden website here had where you make one layer (chips, meat, and cheese) pop it in the oven for a bit, take it out and then put another layer on top and pop it back in the oven. This to me was genius (oh the simple things in life). Why have you people never told me of this before?? Normally when you buy nachos in a restaurant, everyone scarfs down the layer of goodness on top and you're left with naked chips underneath. Nothing worse than naked tortilla chips in my eyes. So I will now use this layer, twice bake step whenever I make nachos (even if I make the lazy kind!).

The main thing about this nacho business was honestly, just to remind myself to get out of a few cooking ruts I seem to be in, just because I don't have a lot of free time after work to cook. And to maybe think outside the box a bit (adding corned beef to nachos? That I'll have to try).

Note: The meat part of this is simple. Cook a pound of ground beef (or chicken etc), and then throw in a can of beans (pinto, black, your bean of choice) and some salsa (pico de gallo, salsa from a jar...I used some fresh hot salsa I found at the grocery store in the refrigerated section in this version, but I used to always make this with the jarred green salsa verde). I like to add the salsa to the meat so the meat isn't dry and so the salsa by itself doesn't make the chips soggy.

Halloween Countdown - 10 Days

Just a little over a week. But don't buy that Halloween candy just yet. You know that you'll eat it all before the big day if it's just sitting around. Not that I'd do that.....

Bison Burgers with Cabernet Onions and Wisconsin Cheddar

Except that's not true, there was no Bison in the burgers, though there was supposed to be. I specifically wanted to use the bison meat we had in the freezer so I went online and found this Bon Appetit recipe. It wasn't until Mr. L went to cook said recipe that I realized I'd pulled out the pound of wild boar meat instead*. No matter, the burgers still came out good.

One of the other reasons I picked this recipe to try was because of the Cabernet Onions. I'm finding that Mr. L and I rarely finish a whole bottle of wine with dinner these days (dang that trying to be healthy and watch portions thing) and cooking with leftover wine has become a necessity. These onions sounded wonderful and they were. In fact, bison meat or not, this is actually just a normal burger, but kicked up a notch because of the great wined onions.

The photo that Bon Appetit shows for this burger is a bit misleading. The onions on the burger barely register a tint of pink. As you can see, my onions definitely look like they have been cooking in wine. The cheese on the Bon App photo also was not melted onto the burger bun as the recipe states. Clearly it was artfully draped over the burger and slightly melted to bend it a bit. If you follow directions, I bet your burger turns out more like my photo. If it turns out like the magazine, you should be a food stylist. Just sayin'.

I admit to needing a bit more condiments on my burger. There may have been mayo added. A bit more mustard. And I know there were some heirloom tomatoes floating around at the time the burgers were being put together but there is no photographic proof they existed.

I still think the addition of some bacon might have done wonders with this recipe too. You can find the recipe here.

 

BISON (WILD BOAR) BURGERS WITH CABERNET ONIONS AND WISCONSIN CHEDDAR
(Bon Appetit)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions (about 2)
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1 pound ground bison (buffalo)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 organic hamburger buns
6 ounces sliced Wisconsin white cheddar cheese
Dijon mustard
1 small head of escarole leaves separated

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and saute until tender and golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to saute until very tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. DO AHEAD - Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover and chill.

Preheat broiler. Gently mix meat and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until well browned, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Open buns and arrange, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Place cheese slices on bun tops. Broil until cheese melts and bottom halves are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Spread bottom halves with mustard. Top each with a few escarole leaves, then burger. Spoon onions atop burgers, dividing equally. Cover with bun tops; press lightly. Serves 4.

NOTE: Yeah, wild boar instead of bison. Will have to make this with bison some day. Might have also added a pat of butter to the boar to make it moist while cooking.

NOTE: We used brioche buns from the bakery. They were not organic.

NOTE: The white cheddar was not from Wisconsin but it was organic.

NOTE: The onions took twice as long to brown and twice as long for the liquid to evaporate during cooking than the recipe specified.

NOTE: Any leftover Cabernet Onions go really well on steaks or in omelets.

*We found packages of wild boar, bison and other interesting type meats at our local Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store.

 

Russian Beef and Cabbage Soup

One of the first things I did when looking for Russian type recipes to make during the Olympics was check Eat Your Books to see if I had any non-russian cookbooks that might have Russian recipes. Not many came up. One that did was this soup from Americas Test Kitchens Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2. Not exactly authentic but the dish sounded appealing and the fact that it used a slow cooker meant more time for me to watch Olympic events.

If you take a look at the ingredients you'll notice there is no cabbage listed. The recipe calls for sauerkraut. I admit at first that using sauerkraut instead of some fresh cabbage sounded like something that wouldn't normally be done, but in reading some of the Russian cookbooks I bought, sauerkraut was used in the old days due to the fact that fresh vegetables weren't always available. Americas Test Kitchen said that they used sauerkraut as a way to get around prepping fresh cabbage.

And gnocchi? Well, it seems Russians do make their own versions of gnocchi, though the authors of the cookbook said they used the packaged version so they didn't have to make the gnocchi from scratch. Hardly authentic but I said what the heck, and I decided to give this recipe a try.

The soup came out decent. The meat, though very tender was a little dry (more on that in the notes). Mr. L asked for seconds, which is always a good sign. I liked the bit of tang that the last bit of sauerkraut gave the soup. There wasn't an overwhelming sauerkraut flavor so don't be afraid of that. The soup heated up really well the next day and became much more flavorful.

 

RUSSIAN BEEF AND CABBAGE SOUP
(Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2)

2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups beef broth
2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed
Salt and Pepper
1 pound vacuum-packed gnocchi
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
sour cream

1. Microwave onions, garlic, tomato paste, oil, and thyme in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth and 1 cup sauerkraut. Season beef with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 10 hours on low or 6 to 7 hours on high.

2. Transfer beef to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of soup.

3. Stir in gnocchi, cover, and cook on high until tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in shredded beef and remaining 1 cup sauerkraut and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream. Serves 6 to 8

Notes from the recipe:
*Use a 5 1/2 to 7 quarts slow cooker
*Be sure to rinse the sauerkraut well or the soup will become too sour
*Do not use refrigerated or frozen gnocchi, it will turn gummy in the soup

NOTE: I asked my butcher about "steak tips" and he said use either a sirloin steak (which I did) or to use stew meat. I chose the sirloin because the butcher said it would be more tender (and of course it did cost more). The meat was a bit dry for my taste. It was very tender so maybe less time in the crockpot next time? Or maybe I figure out what steak tips are?

NOTE: Part of the recipe explains about smart shopping for sauerkraut. I agree that the canned versions are horrible. There are some great versions in jars or vacuum-sealed bags (check the refrigerator section). Or if you're lucky, you might be able to find a farmers market like the one locally here where the guy sells some awesome homemade sauerkraut.

NOTE: As per instructed I used vacuum packaged gnocchi. There were several brands available at my local supermarket and I know you can buy them at Cost Plus World Market. I was surprised how well they held up and how tasty they became in the soup.

NOTE: I cooked this for a bit over 9 hours and then the addition 30 minutes.

NOTE: The sour cream actually added a bit of richness which I really liked so I'd definitely add that to the finished dish.

All in all, not a bad soup. Though the taste didn't blow me away, I'd make it again if I had someone who liked sauerkraut. Can't say it's even close to any real Russian dishes, but it was nice to serve during the Olympics while watching all those folks in the snow (of course it was pretty warm there though LOL).

 

Velveeta Cheeseburger Mac

Since I've already admitted that I have a fondness for Velveeta, it probably won't surprise you that I also am partial to Hamburger Helper. Back in the day, hamburger was pretty much the cheapest beef you could find. And there weren't all these fancy variations...no sirloin, no percent fats...you just went to the grocery store and bought a package of hamburger out of the meat counter. Wrapped in plastic on a white plastic plate. And for a single working mother with me as her daughter (meaning feed me now Mom), my Mom didn't have a lot of time to spend fixing dinner once she came home every night. Variations of Hamburger Helper made regular appearances on our kitchen table. By far my favorite (and my Moms) was the Cheeseburger Macaroni version.

A while back I asked my Mom what dish she wanted me to make out of the Velveeta Incredibly Easy Recipes cookbook and she chose this Cheeseburger Mac. We both figured it would be close to our beloved Hamburger Helper version, and while it was good, it certainly didn't match up. Both my Mom and I thought it was too sweet. I'm thinking it was because I used some organic ketchup from Trader Joes that tends to be sweeter than normal. Or maybe because the Velveeta had a heart attack when it came in contact with something organic and real.  Didn't make it inedible, but it just didn't have the Hamburger Helper flavor we were looking for. Mr. L, who is not really a Hamburger Helper connoisseur, had no problem finishing off his portion.

This is super quick to put together since you don't have to boil the macaroni separately.

 

VELVEETA CHEESEBURGER MAC
(Velveeta Incredibly Easy Recipes)

1 pound ground beef
2 3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tsp. onion powder
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2 pound (8 ounces) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Brown meat in a large skillet; drain.

Add water, ketchup and onion powder mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 8 to 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Stir in Velveeta; cook until melted, stirring occasionally.

Makes six servings.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a cooked crisp green vegetable, such as broccoli.

NOTE: I figure I need to taste test some ketchup's to find one that might have less of a sweet taste when I'm cooking with it (I'm not a fan of ketchup...don't dunk my fries in it, don't put it on hamburgers or hot dogs).

NOTE: Even though I'm sure this would be way salty for some folks, I added additional salt (I do that to my Hamburger Helpers too so the sodium goes through the roof).

NOTE: This wasn't extremely cheesy. I think you could get away with adding a bit more Velveeta though you might need to cook it a bit longer so it's not soupy.

NOTE: You could always try adding the Mexican Velveeta for a change of pace.

NOTE: This reheats very well.

Will I make this again? Probably not. I think it maybe be kind of like those donut hamburgers...try it once and then move on to something different. There are plenty of other Velveeta recipes to try and if I have a hankering for something like this I can always just buy a box of Hamburger Helper (and I did make Mom some of her beloved Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni before she passed away and she far and away liked it better than the Velveeta version). 

Bloody Mary Flank Steak

I know Guy Fieri gets a lot of crap these days. I have eaten in one of his restaurants locally here in San Jose and though some of the dishes weren't my favorites, some were very good. He might be a little crazy but I kinda like that. I've eaten at several of the places he's featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives and cooked from one of those cookbooks and had great success (American Chop Suey). I've always felt he would be a kick to hang out with. But he does seem to be the one to make fun of.

We enjoyed this recipe. I put the flank steak in the marinade and reduced the sauce the night before so it made a quick dinner when I got home from work. Both Mr. L and I liked the flavor and liked having something different to go with our steak. Is it the best thing since sliced bread? No. But it's something that we will make again.

I found the recipe through Pinterest and the Serious Eats Website. The recipe comes from The Guy Fieri Food cookbook. No I do not own this cookbook. Yes, there is actually a cookbook out there I do not own LOL.

BLOODY MARY FLANK STEAK
(Guy Fieri-Serious Eats)

1 cup vegetable juice (Guy recommends V8)
1/2 cup vodka
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Guy recommends Tabasco)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground celery seed
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound flank steak
Small celery stalks and leaves, and grilled tomatoes, for garnish (optional)

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all the ingredients except for the flank steak and the garnish. Pour half the marinade into a resealable 1-gallon plastic bag and add the flank steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

Pour the remaining marinade into a saucepan over medium-high and simmer until it is reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Preheat a grill to high or heat a skillet over high heat. Remove the flank steak from the marinade and wipe off the excess liquid with paper towels. (Discard the meat's marinade.) Grill or pan-sear both sides, then lower the heat to medium and cook to medium rare (135 degrees F), 8 to 10 minutes.

Let the flank steak rest, covered with foil, for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut the steak on the bias across the grain and serve with the reduced marinade. If desired, garnish with celery and tomatoes.

Serves 4 to 8

NOTE: I used V8 and Tabasco...not because Guy recommended them, but because they are favorites of mine too.

NOTE: I left the actual cooking of the steak to Mr. L who just broiled the steak to medium rare.

NOTE: Did not garnish with celery and tomatoes. I suck at garnish. Always forget even if I have bought the ingredients. Luckily garnish is usually optional.

Again, very tasty, not too much work, something I can put together the night before if I have time and then come home and put a decent meal on the table.

 

 

Roz's Lumpia

 

When my mom's cancer returned last year, one of the first things that she and I talked about was having me learn how to cook many of the recipes I grew up with. Though I do have written "recipes" of these dishes, most of them are written in what I call "Grandma's Style"...Take some pork, cook it with some onions and garlic and then add some of this and that and cook until done. I need more direction...how much pork? How much of this and that? Is done when the meat is cooked or do you mean simmer on the stove for an hour? Plus, I found that some of the recipes left out important steps (like when I made Grandma Rosie's Garbonzo Stew and the directions never mentioned adding some water...it was something that my Mom knew automatically to do, but it never made it into any of the steps).

Since my mom was born in the Philippines (she lived there until she was twelve) a lot of the comfort food she has been craving in her illness has been Filipino food.  I grew up with my Moms wonderful FIlipino cooking and in fact her Pansit is on the top of the list as my most favorite food dish ever (a dish that has become standard Thanksgiving fare for us instead of a turkey). Over the years, while my mom has cooked Filipino dishes on a regular basis, the one that she hasn't made for quite a while has been Lumpia. I always thought it was a long involved process, probably because the last time Mom and I made Lumpia was for a party almost 30 years ago, where we prepped hundreds of the little rolls to be fried later in the day.

Lumpia is not as difficult or time consuming as you might think. There is a bit of prep (that can be done the night before) and once you get the hang of how to wrap them it's a quick process.To be quite honest, my first wrapped Lumpia were a mess. But after wrapping a few, I got the hang of it and they turned out like the little beauty above. Yes, there is only a photo of one Lumpia...we were eating them as fast as I was cooking them!

My Moms Lumpia is not the standard Lumpia you'll find in most restaurants. It's probably not the Lumpia you'll find made in your Filipino neighbors kitchen. In fact, it's probably not the same Lumpia many of my Aunties and cousins make. That's because, like many cultural dishes, each cook has put their own spin on a dish, changing up ingredients whether it's because of cost or availability or convenience. We've never made the slim "finger size" Lumpia, ours has always been more the size of standard Chinese Egg Rolls. This is the same recipe that my Mom has been making since I was a kid.

ROZ'S LUMPIA

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
Bacon grease
2 cans french style green beans
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 large onion minced
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic from a jar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rice Flour Lumpia Wrappers
Egg White for sealing edges
Vegetable oil for frying
Vinegar and chopped or crushed garlic for dipping

Saute onions in the bacon grease until almost translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add beef and pork and cook until done. Drain mixture in colander.

Drain the cans of french cut green beans in a colander.

Wash and dry bean sprouts.

Once everything has drained, mix meat mixture with green beans and sprouts. Add salt and pepper.

Take small spoonfuls of mixture, put in Lumpia wrapper and wrap into shape.

Heat vegetable oil in pan (doesn't have to be deep oil, a one inch layer works), about medium high. Fry each Lumpia 15-30 seconds in the oil, turning the roll so it gets golden brown all over. Remove and put on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any additional oil.

NOTE: Draining in a colander is an important step. You want as much moisture out of the ingredients as you can, otherwise you will have soggy Lumpia (and especially if you are making these ahead of time and freezing or cooking later). After letting the meat mixture sit in a colander for a bit, I turned it out onto some paper towels and pretty much let any grease or water soak up. I did this with the green beans too and was surprised at how much liquid they contained. I used a lot of paper towels drying those beans!).

NOTE: There are specific wrappers made for Lumpia. The ones I bought were actually a bit dry right out of the package which made it difficult to wrap without them breaking. Next time I'll try a different brand of wrappers (if you don't have a FIlipino store near you, a lot of Asian markets do sell them). Be sure to keep them under a wet towel while your working so that they don't dry out. My mom has a recipe for making the wrappers from scratch which I'll have to try someday.

NOTE: I'm not going to try to explain how to wrap the Lumpia. I went online and looked up videos of Lumpia wrapping (yes, there are quite a few). It's similar to wrapping a burrito in that you put the mixture on one side, roll, then pull the sides in and roll again.

NOTE: Because the wrapper seems a bit big and you're making more of an egg roll size roll, you might try to put more filling in the wrapper than is necessary. I kept breaking the wrapper until I put much less filling in. This gives the Lumpia lots of wrapper to get that nice crunch.

NOTE: Per Mom, the filling is already cooked so you just want to heat it up a bit with the frying and crisp the outside wrapper. If you've made the filling the night before, let it come to room temperature before wrapping. Basically you are frying the wrapper so it looks nice and just heating up the filling. Depending on how hot your oil is (we just fried in a stove top wok but plan on using a cast iron skillet next time) you may fry these more or less than the 15-30 seconds.

NOTE: I fried these one at a time because we were pretty much eating them as they were cooked. Some of the ones towards the end came out a bit dark because I was running out of oil. Best to start with a good amount of oil or add more as you go. You can obviously fry more than one at a time.

NOTE: If one of the wrappers breaks while frying, do try to get as much of the filling out of the oil as possible, otherwise it burns and colors the oil and doesn't make for pretty Lumpia.

NOTE: This may seem a bit bland so adding a good amount of garlic and salt and pepper to the filling helps. Also, we dip our Lumpia in a mixture of vinegar and garlic which to me makes the dish. There is special FIlipino vinegar if you can find it, but we've used apple cider and white rice vinegar.

NOTE: My mom has also made this with potato...You would want to dice them real small.

Obviously, you can add other ingredients to the filling. You can usually find julienned carrots, cabbage and other assorted vegetables in most Lumpia. You can go all pork. You can add some shrimp. You can doctor this up all you want. But for my Mom and I, this is Lumpia.

Individual Beef Wellingtons with Madeira Sauce

I still remember the first time I had Beef Wellington. I was just out of high school and dating an older man. He took me to this nice fancy restaurant where he ordered Beef Wellington, a bottle of expensive red wine and cherries jubilee for dessert. Yeah, definitely impressive. Though the relationship didn't last long, the memories of that meal have always lingered. So when my little London Olympics Food venture came about, I figured to impress Mr. L by making my first ever Beef Wellington. I found several interesting recipes in my British cookbooks, most very traditional, but it was this recipe I came across in America's Test Kitchens Cooking For Two 2009 annual that really intrigued me. Sort of a deconstructed Beef Wellington.

This was awesome. It had great flavor and made a wonderful presentation. I felt bad that I didn't put linens on the table and light some candles LOL. This was surprisingly easy to make, basically it's just a filet mignon, with some puff pastry, pate and a sauce. The sauce has a sweetness to it from the Madeira (which you can find in the wine section near the sherry and vermouth). I loved the play of the crunch of the puff pastry and the meltingly tender cut of beef. Don't be put off by the long list of instructions, it's more of America's Test Kitchen telling you what to do in detail.

You only use half of a standard 9-inch square sheet of puff pastry. I actually used the other half of the sheet for dessert...cooked them and then added some butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.

I'd make this again in a heartbeat. I can so see serving this anytime I want a fancy celebratory meal. I also think I could easily double the recipe and serve to company for an impressive dinner. Not the cheapest meal I've ever made and not necessarily very British, but I think the end results were worth every penny. And I think this recipe is worth the cost of the Cooking For Two 2009 Annual alone! (as with all their recipes, the introduction to the dish, the tips and tricks, the concise and clear recipe directions, all help make the dish).

INDIVIDUAL BEEF WELLINGTONS WITH MADEIRA SAUCE
(Cooking for Two 2009 Annual)

Pastry and Beef
1/2 (9-inch square) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut in half width-wise to make two 4 1/2-inch squares (see note)
2 (7 to 8-ounce) center-cut beef tenderloin steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick
Salt and Pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons smooth chicken or duck liver pate, at room temperature

Madeira Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup Madeira
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. For the Pastry and Beef: Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack, and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pastry squares on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until needed.

2. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the steaks in the skillet and sear until well browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping the steaks halfway through cooking.

3. Transfer the steaks to the hot baking sheet on the lower oven rack, setting the skillet aside for the sauce. Place the refrigerated baking sheet of pastry on the upper oven rack. Cook the tenderloin steaks and pastry until the centers of the steaks registers 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (for medium-rare) and the pastry is puffed and golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Transfer the steaks to a carving board, spread the pate evenly over the top of each, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven to let cool on the baking sheet.

5. For The Madeira Sauce: Meanwhile, add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

6. Return the skillet to medium heat, stir in the Madeira, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until it has thickened slightly and reduced to about 1/3 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cooked mushroom mixture, parsley, thyme, mustard, butter, lemon juice, and any accumulated beef juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover to keep warm.

7. Following the photos (see notes below) split the pastry squares in half with a serrated knife. Place the bottom half of each pastry on an individual serving plate and lay a tenderloin steak on top. Spoon the Madeira sauce over the steaks, top with the remaining pastry, and serve immediately.

NOTES FROM RECIPE: Be sure to let the pastry thaw on the counter before cutting it in half and cutting the squares; if the dough starts to separate at the seams before you cut it, simply rejoin the seams by rolling them smooth with a rolling pin. See recipe (they give a recipe for Cheese Straws) to use up leftover pastry, or you can refreeze or refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

NOTES FROM RECIPE: They prefer these steaks cooked to medium-rare

NOTES FROM RECIPE: Serve immediately or else the pastry will turn soggy

NOTE: I used Duck Liver pate that I found at my local grocery store.

NOTE: Took much more time than the 3-5 minutes to reduce the Madeira Sauce (more like 5-10)

NOTE: I was worried about the beef and pastry cooking together, but they both were actually done about the same time (10 minutes for the beef, maybe 12 for the pastry). I did use a thermometer to test the beef for doneness (medium-rare).

NOTE: Though I realize beef shrinks, a 7-8 ounce fillet is not only too big a portion for one person, but costs quite a bit. I think you could get by with smaller cuts of steak (just watch the cooking time). You'd also probably have to cut down the size of the puff pastry. Which changes the whole recipe. Which leads me to the next note...

NOTE: Didn't pay attention and baked a full sheet of puff pastry cut into fourths so I ended up with two additional puff pastries. No problem since I only ate half my filet. I took that half, the leftover sauce and reheated it for lunch. Meat and sauce reheated wonderfully. The puff pastry, not so much, but it still tasted good. I know, completely goes against my "this is a dish for two" philosophy, but 8-ounces of meat is not one serving for women!

NOTE: Madeira Wine is a fortified wine that can be used in many different dishes. Just do a Google search and you'll find a ton of different recipes to try.

NOTE: The black and white photos in the cookbook do show you how to "cut" the pastry in half. Having never worked with cut sheets before, I didn't realize that when the squares of pastry cook, they actually make two half's, top and bottom. It's very easy to take a knife and cut the two horizontally in half. You can see it a bit more in photo below.

Again, even I was impressed with how good this turned out. Though it may seem like a lot of steps, this did come together fairly quickly. It made me excited to try out other recipes from the cookbook!

Bubble and Squeak: Fried Cabbage, Potatoes, and Corned Beef

Anybody who has ever made Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patricks Day, has probably made Bubble and Squeak without really knowing it. Basically it's leftover corned beef mixed with leftover cabbage and potatoes. In our family, not only do we always have a corned beef in the freezer, we also always have canned corned beef in the pantry. And quite frequently leftover potatoes. So when life is busy, opening up a can of corned beef and making Bubble and Squeak will probably be a regular occurrence. Yes, I'm sure that using a fresh corned beef instead of canned would have made this taste even better, but time constraints and lack of planning (read remembering to take the dang corned beef out of the freezer) made me very glad for the canned stuff.

This recipe came from The Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast. It was a familiar dish to start my British Food fest for the Olympics. The name for the dish supposedly comes from the sound and appearance of the ingredients when they are put in a hot skillet. I have never heard food squeak when putting it in a hot pan. If it ever does, I'm probably not going to eat it.

This made a nice comforting dish as it was quick to make even though I made it from scratch since I didn't have leftover potatoes.

 

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK: Fried Cabbage, Potatoes and Corned Beef
(from The Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast)

4 quarts water, to cook the cabbage and potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to your taste, plus 1 tablespoon if cooking cabbage and potatoes
2 cups chopped potatoes, cooked or fresh
2 cups chopped cabbage, cooked or fresh
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups chopped cooked boiled or corned beef
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. If your potatoes and cabbage are not already cooked, bring the water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon, reserving the water and set aside. Repeat with the cabbage, but simmer it for only 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and cook it, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the boiled cabbage and potato and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown too, about 20 minutes more.

4. Taste for salt. If the beef was salty enough, you won't need it; otherwise, add 1/2 teaspoon or to taste. Add the pepper and stir. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE from author: If you leave out the corned beef, you'll have Colcannon, a classic Irish vegetable side dish.

NOTE: Mr. L and I have actually made Colcannon before, it's actually very good.

NOTE: We didn't have any leftovers so we followed the directions to cook the potatoes and cabbage from scratch. I used Yukon Gold potatoes.

NOTE: I used just one can of canned corned beef (for those not aware of this product, you can find them near canned corned beef hash and they sell them in bulk packages at Costco). Canned corned beef doesn't crisp up like fresh corned beef will and seems moister, read fattier, than the fresh kind. Canned corned beef is one of those shelf stable cooked meat "emergency" products we tend to have on hand in our pantry.

NOTE: Quite frankly, I think amounts listed here are rough estimates. If you have leftovers, just throw them all in the pan, doesn't matter if you have more potatoes than usual or more cabbage etc.

Since we eat corned beef year round, Bubble and Squeak will be showing up at our table on a regular basis.

 

Baked Brie Bites

One of the reasons I love this little recipe is the fact that I can make as many as I want. If I'm craving a little snack, I can make just a couple of these at a time. If I have company coming over and want to make a quick appetizer, I can whip up a whole batch of these in no time to keep guests busy until dinner. The ease of making these is also why they can be dangerous. You might find yourself making two or three of these bites before dinner, every day for a week. Not that I would do any such thing....

Though I came across this recipe on Pinterest here, this recipe and many variations can be found...adding jams or fruit preserves, varying the types of nuts or cheese used...around the Internet (links to some follow).

I not only liked the flavor of these but I loved the texture...the crunch of the shell and nuts, the creaminess of the cheese and honey. Great little snack that also looked pretty good presentation wise.

Except for the mini phyllo shells I usually have all the ingredients for the Baked Brie Bites on hand which makes this a quick appetizer or snack to put together.  And since these can be so addicting, I may just start keeping those phyllo shells in the freezer for quick ideas like this.

 

BAKED BRIE BITES

Mini Phyllo Tarts
Brie
Dark Brown Sugar
Chopped Pecans
Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions are for one brie bite:

Put a cube of brie (or a good melting cheese of your choice) in the middle of each phyllo tart. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar over the cheese in the tart. Top with the pecans. Drizzle some honey over the top of everything. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Note: I used Athens Mini Fillo Shells (there were 15 shells in the box), Small Bees Pure Raw Unfiltered Wildflower Honey US grade B (local from Los Gatos).

Note: The cheese kind of melts down a bit so you can see in my photos that the bites weren't as filled as most you'll see. I've tried to put in more cheese but then there wasn't room for the nuts and such. And I liked lots of nuts and sugar and honey in mine.

Really like this recipe and looking forward to trying all it's little variations.

More Baked Brie Bites Recipes:

Baked Brie Bites from Plain Chicken

Raspberry Brie Bites from Food.com

Mini Brie Bites from She Wears Many Hats

Brie and Honeyed Pear Tarts  from Athens Foods and Weight Watchers

Hot Brie Kisses from Recipe Girl