French Dip al la Jamie

OK so one evening I wanted a really easy dinner. Wasn’t in the mood to cook. so I came up with this. French Dip al la Jamie….

so take 8 oz of white mushrooms wash them, and slice them thin. preheat a medium cast iron skillet and add about 2 tbsp of butter and melt it, then add in the sliced mushrooms, cook until nice and browned, about 10 minutes. sometimes I even turn my mushrooms up to high and almost burn them. They get a nice crust and I think that makes them taste even better…

take 2 hoggies and slice in half

add some prepared horseradish to one slice of the bread or if you like it extra hot add it to both slices

then add some provolone cheese to the same slice as you put the horseradish on

I also sautéed some onion and added that to my sandwich too. Just take one medium onion and slice it thin and throw it in a skillet that is coated with olive oil and a little butter and saute till nice and canalized
add the cooked onions to your sandwich on top of the cheese

then add the cooked mushrooms

then add the sliced roast beef, as many slices as you desire.

top with other slice of bread and cut sandwhich in half

serve sandwich with au jus

Cucumber Salad

Recipe  adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com/

2 English cucumbers
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
salt
pepper
1 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Rinse, peel (if desired) and thinly slice 2 English cucumbers

In a bowl, mix cucumber with 1 teaspoon salt.

Let stand until cucumber is wilted, about 45 minutes. Rinse and drain; squeeze excess liquid from cucumber and return to rinsed bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar,

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil,

(I added in 1 tbsp of soy sauce as well)

2 tablespoons sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve at room temperature or cold.

Shortly before serving, sprinkle salad with about 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds.

Sweet and Savory Ginger Chicken

Recipe adapted from http://www.pbs.org/food/blogs/fresh-tastes/

1.5 pounds boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish

1.Cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces.

In a bowl, whisk the soy sauce,

sake,

honey,

and ginger

together,

then add the chicken. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2.Heat a frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add the oil then swirl to coat.

Fry the chicken in batches.

You want to get a nice brown crust, so it’s important that the chicken is in a single layer and has some space between each piece. Because there is sugar in the marinade if your pan is too hot it will burn. If the pan is too cool, water will leach out of the chicken and it won’t brown. Adjust the heat accordingly.

3.When the chicken is browned on one side, flip it over and brown the other side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Once all your chicken is browned, use a paper towel to wipe out any extra oil, then add the remaining marinade to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, and then return all the chicken to the pan. Stir, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the chicken has a nice shiny coating of sauce.

4.Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve over rice.

Fastest-Ever Enchiladas

When I made this dish I was looking for something fast and good! So I looked online and found this recipe
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, drained (Rotel)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and sliced into strips
1 small can, whole green chiles chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 lime juiced
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded (skin and bones discarded)
2 cups grated Cheddar
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 small can of red enchilada sauce
sour cream
Lettuce
Tomato

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

this is what I do for my tortillas, I take a plate and take a paper towel and put it in water, then ring it out so its damp and spread it out and lay it on a plate

then I lay a tortilla on top

then I get another paper towel and get it wet and do the same as I explained above

then another tortilla

the paper towel

then tortilla

then finally cover the last tortilla with paper towel

and pop it in the oven (make sure the plate is oven safe) and warm the tortillas in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. This makes them easier to roll. Or if you have a microwave you could pop them in there for 10-20 seconds.

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

To prepare the enchiladas: (this is how I did it, the recipe says differently)

Take the warmed tortillas from the oven and lay one on a plate

and get all your stuff ready to fill it

Spoon about 1 cup of the chicken mixture across the center of each tortilla.

then add some chopped onion

Jalapeno

Green chilis

and a couple of spoonfuls of the rotel

and grated cheese

Roll them up to close

and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

I had about 5 enchiladas and rolled them all up and placed them in the baking dish

I had extra chicken left over so I threw that on top

I also had extra onion, jalapeno, and rotel so I put that over the top as well

and then poured the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining grated cheese. Return the baking dish to the oven until the cheese is melted and edges of the tortillas are just beginning to get crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve hot.

then plate enchilada

I topped mine with cilantro, lettuce and tomato and sour cream and the juice from the lime…

Bacon, egg breakfast sandwich

One morning I made this up with sourdough bread, bacon and cheese that I had left over…

What you will need for this recipe is:
Butter
Sandwich bread
Sliced cheese
3 eggs
salt & Pepper
3-4 pieces of bacon

First take about 1 Tbsp of butter and melt it in a cast iron skillet, heated to medium heat

take 3-4 slices of good sandwich bread and place in skillet, to toast

Toast one side and then flip bread over and toast the other side, add more butter if needed. Keep an eye on the bread as it toasts faster than you think.

in a separate medium skillet, heated to medium low heat crack 3 eggs into pan and season with salt and pepper

once bread is toasted removed from skillet and lay on a cutting board and place two slices of cheese on one side. I chose provolone, because that’s what I had

then top the cheese with 2-3 pieces of bacon broke in half (I reheated the bacon that I made the night before in a small cast iron skillet in a preheated oven to 400 and warmed it for about 5-7 minutes)

then top the bacon with the eggs. I cooked my eggs enough to where the white was cooked and the yellow was runny (sunny side up) about 5 minutes

then top sandwich with other slice of bread and cut in half

Sautéed Veggies and Steak

Got the idea for this recipe from this book

Page 30

 

1 cup small whole onions, peeled (from 1-lb bag),
1 package (16 oz) small fresh white mushrooms, washed and bigger ones halved
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 lb boneless beef sirloin steak (about 3/4 inch thick), trimmed of fat and cut in 3/4-inch cubes, and seasoned with what seasoning you like, I chose:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup halved grape

coat pan with olive oil, heat skillet to medium high heat

place onions in skillet

then add in mushrooms

season with salt and pepper

cook mushrooms and onions untill the onions are browned a little as well as the mushrooms. 10-12 minutes

then add in 1/2 balsamic vinegar

cook veggies for a couple of minutes then remove and set aside in a bowl

then heat the skillet to high heat, until its smoking
and add the meat

cook over high heat 7 to 9 minutes or until desired doneness.

then add in the onions and mushrooms to the meat

Stir in tomatoes, and turn off the heat

serve hot

 

Damn good marinara sauce

Saturday October 13th I had me a little girls night. I invited some girly friends over and told them I would make them a Jamie meal if they would bring the wine! So I made them some pasta with marinara sauce and meat-a-balls and garlic bread, and salad with Normy dressing and tiramisu for dessert. So here is the Recipe that was my inspiration for the Marinara but I changed it up some and instead of adding the meat I made meatballs and here is the original Recipe: Jo Mama’s World Famous Spaghetti (thinking this is going to be my go to marinara sauce).

Here is my recipe

Olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
3 -4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans petite dice tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can purred tomatoes
2 (28 ounce) cans Whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup red wine
Freeze dried basil
Italian seasoning
dried parsley flakes
salt
crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 lb spaghetti
parmesan cheese

In large, heavy stockpot, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil add onions

I took a picture of how I took the picture of the onions

saute the onions stirring occasionally until they are softened about 10-12 minutes

Add garlic,

and stir and let saute for about a minute

then add in the canned, diced tomatoes

the pured tomatoes

and then the whole peeled, San Marzano tomatoes

Thats a lot of canned tomatoes!

then add the MOST important part of the sauce…

The Wine
I used Cupcake, Red Velevt wine as that is my favorite wine right now

then add in (all on taste)
Freeze dried Basil

Italian seasoning, dried parsley flakes, and Kosher salt

and red pepper flakes

and black pepper to taste

and then about 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar

then add in 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar

and 1 cup of water

Stir well and barely bring to a boil.

Simmer on low, stirring occsinaly.

I simmered mine for several hours!

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Spoon sauce over drained spaghetti noodles add meatballs and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

I was SO distracted by the time the sauce was done with girl time and wine that I didn’t take a picture of the finished sauce!

But I did take pictures of everyone eating and drinking wine!

Cheers to girls night!

Look at all the wine!

I also didn’t take pictures of my meatballs for a recipe for you. I just threw the recipe together and they turned out awesome!

and here is my salad and garlic bread too!

the garlic bread was a hit!

heck the whole meal was

 

Tiramisu

Got this recipe from the BEST blogger person EVER The pioneer woman
■5 whole Egg Yolks
■1/4 cup Plus 4 Tablespoons Sugar, Divided
■3/4 cups Marsala Wine, Divided
■1 cup Whipping (heavy) Cream
■1 pound Mascarpone Cheese, Softened (Room Temperature)
■1-1/2 cup Brewed Espresso Or VERY Strong Coffee
■1 Tablespoon Vanilla
■1 package (7 Oz.) Savoiardi Or Ladyfingers
■ Cocoa Powder, For Dusting

In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Find a mixing bowl that will fit over the top of the pan, but not sink all the way in. (Do-it-yourself double boiler!)

Put 5 egg yolks into the mixing bowl.

Add ¼ cup sugar

and whisk

until yolks start to turn pale.

Place the mixing bowl on the saucepan with the simmering water. Slowly add 1/2 cup Marsala wine and whisk to combine. Cook over the simmering water, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the pan. Cook until thick.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.

Place mascarpone cheese in a bowl and stir until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, combine whipping cream

and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar

and whip until not quite stiff.

To the bowl of whipped cream, add the softened mascarpone cheese

and the chilled egg yolk mixture.

Fold mixture gently.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Measure 1 ½ cups brewed espresso. Add remaining Marsala and vanilla.

Arrange the ladyfingers in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan.

Spoon a small amount of the coffee mixture over each ladyfinger

(keep it under 1 tablespoon per cookie and you’ll be fine). Plop 1/3 of the cold cream/mascarpone/zabaglione mixture on top and spread it into a layer.

Scatter with raspberries and grate over a thin layer of semi sweet chocolate. Repeat the process two more times. (I skipped this sifted cocoa over the top instead)

(I added chocolate covered coffee beans)

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. This allows for more moisture to soften the cookies and the whole mixture to meld together. To serve, spoon out helpings onto individual plates.

Note: Tiramisu does not last beyond 24 to 36 hours, as everything eventually starts to break down and become soupy.

Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

I got the inspiration for this recipe from this blog

2 tablespoons of butter
1 quart chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

3 heads broccoli, chopped into small florets

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon cubes
Salt and pepper, to taste
4-5 red potatoes peeled and boiled
1 cup of heavy cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

In a large pot, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and add chopped onions

Instead of using flour and milk to thicken my soup I used potatoes and cream like I did in my Beer, Cheese soup recipe

I peel and then boil 4-5 red potatoes until they are nice and fork tender, 30-45 minutes, then drain them and then I blend them in the food processor with chicken broth and cream until very smooth then I add them to the onions and then added the chicken broth

Then I boiled the broccoli and cauliflower separately in a big pot of boiling water and boiled it for about 10 minutes, or fork tender

Then I add the broccoli and cauliflower to the onions, potatoes and chicken broth

then I blended everything together with my hand blender

I added cream while blending to help make it even more smooth

blend until everything is nice and smooth

then I added in salt & fresh ground black pepper

and stir

then Add chicken bouillon

then grate the cheese

and add that to the soup

Stir in Cheddar cheese until completely melted.

simmer soup for about 15-20 minutes so all the cheese is melted and the soup is warmed all the way through

serve in a bowl, nice and hot

I served mine with a BLT Club Sammie