Double Duty Dinner Success

Shift work can be tough, especially a 12 hr one! So in getting ready for a round of shifts as a nurse, I always like to make sure that there are enough lunches & dinners to go around for a few days. I decided to make two dinners side by side because the ingredients were similar and it would cut down on the prep time. I was also going to try out Kraft Catalina Dressing. I often times do not like Kraft Recipes because of the processed foods they use, and or that they like to promote their own products, which don't always have the highest nutritional value. But I had a craving for pad thai and wanted a quick recipe, so I was optimistic and bought the dressing, and my beef stir fry recipe called for it as well. So why not?

So the two recipes I made in about an hour:

Creamy Peanut Pad Thai 

http://stg.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/creamy-peanut-pad-thai-129882.aspx

Asparagus & Beef Stir-Fry

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/asparagus-beef-stir-fry-123780.aspx

I did not take any of my own pictures, because I actually did not think about doing a blog post about it; until after I was done and saw how efficient the process was. Thank you Kraft for the nice pictures! So I am just going to go over the steps I did simultaneously to get both meals done at the same time.

My variations on the Pad Thai: I used chicken breast,  added mushrooms & bell peppers from the stir-fry.
                                                                       (I like lots of veggies in my dishes!)

   on the Asparagus & Beef Stir-Fry: I boiled the asparagus for 5 minutes, so that I could have the mushroom & bell peppers separate, since I was not adding the asparagus to the Pad Thai. I also used top sirloin steak, not sure if that makes a difference.

1. I washed & cut all the veggies, putting everything into separate bowls.
2. I thinly sliced the chicken, and then prepped the steak the same.
3. Put a pot of water to boil for the rice. Put a pot of water to boil for the asparagus.
4. Started to heat up the wok (frying pan) for the veggies -->started with mushrooms first because they take longer then added the bell peppers.
5. Mixed the dressing/sauces for the 2 different recipes and set them aside.
6. Your asparagus should be done. Use that pot to boil your rice noodles in.
7. Heat a frying pan on medium heat, add some olive oil and the steak. Then add the sauce called for in the stir-fry recipe. When meat is done (~5min) add the desired amount of mushrooms, bell pepper and all of the asparagus, set aside. Your rice should be done. Meal #1 complete.
8. Put another frying pan on medium heat to cook the chicken. Add some olive oil, garlic, ground black pepper & salt for some seasoning. Cook until not longer pink.
9. Wipe the pan and fry the eggs. Return the chicken, bell peppers & mushrooms to the frying pan with the eggs, add the sauce called for in the Pad Thai recipe. Add the cooked rice noddle: toss to coat, be gentle. Meal #2 complete.
10. Top the Pad Thai with bean sprouts  & green onion, and the Stir-Fry with green onions.

There you go...in 10 STEPS!!
Phew...now who is going to clean the kitchen??

Spiced-Rub Braised Beef

Sauteing onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper

The most important ingredient, ready to go

the tomato sauce simmering for 20min in the dutch oven

a lovely side of sauteed zucchini & bell pepper

This recipe was so good that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! I made some white rice and sauteed zucchini & bell peppers for the sides. So use your imagination ;)

 We had it for dinner, and then I packed away the leftovers for lunches. I used the original picture from the recipe, thank you Cooking Light for the beautifully professional picture ;) I am more of a spicy than sweet girl when it comes to meat. So I did not rub brown sugar onto the roast when marinating it, and used half of the brown sugar the recipe called for in the tomato sauce. I also added some cayenne pepper to the tomato sauce for an added kick. YUM YUM YUM.

link to recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spice-rubbed-braised-beef-10000001918504/

Chipotle's Barbacoa AT HOME!

I always like the challenge of make a copy-cat recipe from a restaurant and seeing how closely the finished products compares. I wasn't planning on making this dinner idea a blog post but once I tasted the beef as I was shredding it, I could not resist. So that will explain why I don't have my normal picture of all the ingredients. Just snapped a few pics of the final thing. My husband & I love Chipotle and this recipe was absolutely fabulous! I used Eye of Round Beef Roast, and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gives it the nice smokey flavor (you can find these peppers in the Mexican section of your grocery store, they are canned). Since you only use 3-4 peppers, depending on the size of you meat, I froze the rest in a small tupperware. What I did so that it would be convienent for next time, I layered parchment paper between 3-4 peppers so that I would not have to defrost all the peppers, just the portion I needed. What I like about this food.com version of the recipe was that I was able to tweak the serving size until it showed the weight of the size of meat I bought, so that I would make the appropriate amount of marinade. They call for a piece of meat that is too big for my family, and since I had a 2.5lb piece, I tweaked it to 4 srvgs and it worked perfectly. It also works the other way if you have a larger piece or making this for a party!
So here is the link & enjoy:
http://www.food.com/recipe/chipotles-barbacoa-copycat-recipe-472445?scaleto=6&mode=null&st=true

I also had a side of white rice splashed with lime juice, cilantro and corn.
If you like Chipotle's rice here is the copycat recipe for it:
             http://restaurant.food.com/recipe/chipotle-copycat-lime-rice-recipe-147335

Mongolian Beef

I was in a beef mood and wanted to use my slow-cooker, and this is what was born:

MONGOLIAN BEEF!

Click for recipe--> http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/slow-cooker-mongolian-beef/Detail.aspx

(I used stewing beef cubes, and it turned out fine! I also sauteed some veggies on the side and added to the sauce when the beef was done. I used oyster mushroom and bell peppers)

Corned Beef

SUPER EASY RECIPE:

                                                         beef brisket- your choice of size

2 Tbsp. pickling spice

coarse black pepper

Put brisket in crock-pot

In order to get that nice herb crust to form, sprinkle meat with spices & pepper first

Carefully fill crock-pot to the top with water, not pouring water directly on the meat but to the side.

Cover so brisket is completely submerged

COOK on LOW for 8-9hrs

THATS IT!!

I find that the brisket is not located where you think it would be in the grocery store. At least at the ones I shop at, it is not by the fresh meat, but where the packaged bacon & deli meat is?? Don't know why, but I get the Maple Lodge brand.

Meatball Mania

Ok...so I am not a huge meatball kind of person, but William Sonoma had a cooking class all about it so I attended. I did learn a few things, and am glad I went. You can make meatballs 3 ways: fry, bake, or simmer directly in tomato sauce. But what I picked up for myself is that I can made a big batch of meatballs, have some for dinner now, and then freeze for later. I tried simmering the meatballs (they come out so tender), then after dinner lightly fried the rest just to get them brown and threw them in the freezer. On a busy day when I do not have time to cook, I will pop them in the oven at 375F for 10-12 min on each side and presto...dinner is on the table.

I am using a recipe my friend gave me at work and they are delicious

3 pieces Tuscany bread (crust removed) or any bread on hand
1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 onion, finely chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/8c. parsley
1 lb. ground beef or veal
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
                                                      1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Soak the bread in milk for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Later squeeze the excess milk out from the bread and crumble. I use the same milk (and a little more if needed) and add the bread crumbs stir until you get a paste-like mixture.
2. Saute onion in olive oil until clear and tender, add garlic and parsley saute for a min or so.
3. Combine meat, salt, pepper, egg, Parmesan cheese, onion mixture, crumbled bread and breadcrumbs, mix gently until combined.
4. Rinse hands with water but do not dry them. Shape the meat into 2-inch balls, rolling them lightly between moistened palms (this helps the meat from sticking to your fingers).
5. In saucepan, heat up tomato sauce of your choice until lightly boiling, add desired amount of meatballs, decrease the heat to a simmer and cook about 20min.
6. In a frying pan, heat up some canola oil and brown meatballs, they do not have to be fully cooked....they will be going in the freezer and reheated later. If you do want them cooked, cook until brown on all sides about 15 min. I sandwich them between paper towels after to soak up the excess oil.

At William-Sonoma we also made Moroccan-styel meatballs with mint leaves, cumin and cinnamon...the taste combination was pretty interesting and good!
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/moroccan-style-meatballs.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

Satisfying Beef Barley Stew

I recently went to Williams-Sonoma "Soup for Supper" cooking class, and instantly feel in love with the Beef Barley soup. These classes are great because they are FREE. They actually make the soup in front of you, giving you tips and best of all: give you a sample....just to wet your palette. They also made a Carrot Ginger soup and let us try their jarred Tuscan White Bean Soup they sell in the store....yum, that was my lunch.

What I love best about this soup: very tender beef, the mushrooms give it an earthly balance and barley...very healthy :) Pair along side with a grilled cheese sandwich....soup for supper!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-barley-soup.html  <--link to the recipe
**I did not use the butter in the recipe, I sauteed my onions & mushroom in olive oil