FRIES, not FRIED!!!

IT'S SUMMER!  

Do you know what that means?

We eat outside!

Or if you live in MT, you set the table outside, take pics of your food outside, and then proceed to bring everything inside once you realize the temperature is plummeting and it is no long Summer like.

Oh well, the food was still awesome!

So this is a Curry rubbed chicken served with parmesean steak fries,  know your drooling, or maybe its me.

Super easy, however if its too hot where you live you might not want to turn your oven on.

In that case, I think you could do all of this on a grill, you would just have to be creative with the fries, like putting a pan on the grill, can you do that? I don't know.  We don't have to worry about such things, the motto in MT is, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 min.  So I can usually find a time during any day that it is ok to turn on the oven.

Enough rambling...now COOK!

ENJOY

Curry Rub

4tsp curry powder

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together.  Lamb would be a good choice for this indian-style rub.  Or try it on chicken and shrimp. Makes 10 tsp.  

(I would have never thought to put this on shrimp, but I'm definitely going to try it!)

Parmesan Steak Fries

3 large egg whites

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

3 baking potatoes (8-10oz each)

1 1/4 cups grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 425.  In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 tsp salt until frothy.

Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites, and turn to coat.

One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off excess; working oer a plate, sprinkle with parm until coated (do not shake off excess).  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. (I didn't have any, it was really no big deal, just use a non stick baking sheet).

Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 min. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****

Asian Summer Slaw Salad

Is it slaw, is it salad, I think its a slaw salad.

I used broccoli slaw to make this delicious salad.

Have you heard of broccoli slaw, no??  Have you been living under a rock??

This stuff is awesome, you can make a salad, you can use it in stir fry, you can put it in an omelette.

The options are endless really.

Here I added chicken, mandarin oranges, scallions, water chestnuts and a Asian sesame ginger dressing.

Perfect summer salad!

ENJOY!

Stuffed Onions

What is a stuffed onion you say?  Well there it is!  I didn't know either, so don't feel bad.

In fact I have passed over this recipe countless time when planning meals, frankly I was afraid of it. 

I didn't know what it would be like, how can you make an onion a side dish?  

Well don't be afraid my faithful readers, stuffed onions are delightful!

Just like anything else that you put cheese and bacon in...how could it not be delish?!?

I served this stuffed onion with a  spicy paprika rubbed pork chop, which was also very tastey.

All in all this meal was a hit and you should make a stuffed onion and impress your husband, boyfriend, wife, family, children, etc....

ENJOY!

Stuffed Onions

4 large yellow onions, peeled and hollowed, insides chopped and reserved

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

4 slices bacon (4oz), cut crosswise into 1/2 in thick pieces

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces

1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (4 oz), plus more for sprinkling

2 T coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (I skipped this)

S&P

Preheat oven to 450.  Arrange onions in an 8 in baking dish, hollowed side up.

Pour chicken broth into dish, around onions.  Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake onions until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 20 min.  Remove onions from baking dish, pour off liquid from dish, then return onions to the dish.

Meanwhile in a med skillet, cook bacon over med heat, stirring occasionally until crisp, 3-5 min. 

Add chopped onions; cook stirring often until golden brown, 10-15 min.

Remove from the heat; add bread, cheese and parsley.  Season with S&P; stir to combine.

Fill hollowed onions, with bread mixture pressing with back of spoon to pack tightly.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, 20-25 min. 

Serves 4.

Spicy Paprika Rub

4 tsp paprika

2 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground all spice (I used nutmeg)

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients.

Because of paprika's strong taste, this rub is best paired with fattier foods, including salmon, skirt steak, pork loin and whole chicken.

YUM...you won't be sorry!

Makes 9 tsp.

Logan Rating: ****

Easter/Thai Steak Salad

HAPPY EASTER!

Since I have already eaten my fill of these

as well as these

and lastly these

I am all Easter'd out!

Therefore I share with you a Thai Steak Salad

about as far as I could get from Easter.

ENJOY!

This was a delicious salad.

I have actually made it before, but forgot to blog about it, or didn't take pictures, or was just down right lazy.

But who's keeping track, not me!

I made this when it was feeling spring-like here in MT.  And then of course it snowed...

I should have known, I should never trust MT weather.

One minute you can be sun bathing on your deck and the next you are catching snowflakes on your tongue.

So while I'm sure next week I'll be blogging about soups and hot dish, for now I am focusing on this bright springy salad that my taste buds LOVED!

The dressing/marinade does not look like a lot, but it goes a long way, just make sure you don't use it all up as the marinade.

Try this out and leave me a comment!  Hope you are all still out there!

Thai Steak Salad

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 T soy sauce

1 T sugar

1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 T vegetable oil

2 boneless rib-eye steaks (each 8oz and 3/4 in thick)

S&P

1/2 lb carrots (3-4 med)

1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1 in ribbons

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/3 cup salted peanuts, chopped (totally makes this salad!)

Make marinade; in a med bowl, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and oil.  

Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper; place in a baking dish. Pour one quarter of the marinade over the steaks (reserve the rest): turn the steaks to coat.  Let them marinate up to 30 min.

In a large skillet, cook the steaks on med-high heat, turning once, 2-3 min per side for med-rare.  

Transfer to a cutting board; tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest, 5-10 min.  

Slice the steaks across the grain; halve the slices crosswise.  Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with reserved marinade.

With a vegetable peeler, cut the carrots into long ribbons.  Add to steak in the bowl, along with lettuce and mint: toss to combine. 

Divide salad among 4 shallow bowls.  Sprinkle with beans sprouts and peanuts.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****

Creamy Pasta

Check out this delicious dish.  Sprigs of dill just sprinkled all over, oh so delish.

This is a creamy pasta dish, sort of a play on fettuccine alfredo, however unfortunately in my opinion, this does not quite live up to its more sinful cousin.

It was pretty good, but I think that the texture of the sauce was a bit off and it just needed something, but I couldn't put my finger on that something.  

I did sub whole wheat noodles and I think that was a mistake.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it so does not, this was one of those "so does not" times.

I also took out the asparagus (because Logan won't eat it for whatever reason) and used broccolini.

However, overall this was pretty good, definitely edible and even not bad heated up as leftovers.

See if you can put your finger on the "something" that I'm referring to. I welcome your opinions!

Creamy Fettuccine with Asparagus

1/4 cup pine nuts

S&P

3/4 lb fettuccine

2 bunches asparagus trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise in thirds

4 oz creamy goat cheese, broken into pieces

2 T grainy mustard

2 T snipped fresh dill

In a small skillet over med heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring often, until golden, 2-3 min.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente, according to package instructions.

Adding the asparagus during the last 5 min of cooking.  

Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain.

Return pasta, asparagus, and reserved pasta water to the pot.  Toss with the goat cheese, mustard, dill and toasted pine nuts. 

Season with S&P, serve immediately. 

Serves 4. 

Logan Rating: ***