Recipes

Taco Pasta Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups bell pepper strips (From 1-2 bell peppers.)
2 cups salsa (I used medium salsa fresca from my grocery store’s deli case.)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta 1 minute less than instructed by packaging, drain. 

3. Heat oil over medium heat in Dutch oven.  Add onions and sauté until softened.  Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through.  Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, and bell pepper strips.  Saute until vegetables soften.  Add salsa and salt and pepper to taste.  Add pasta and 2 cups cheese to Dutch oven and toss to mix. Top with remaining 2 cups cheese.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese melts and starts to brown. 

4. Before serving, garnish with cilantro.  Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and extra salsa if desired.  (We thought it was great without anything extra.)

Comments
This recipe is from What’s Cookin, Chicago? I modified it a bit and doubled it as well.  I have this intense dislike for using partial containers of things, so I tend to tweak amounts in recipes so that they’ll use entire containers of ingredients. 

This casserole was delicious, tasty, and we all gobbled it up.  It’s also a casserole that would be very simple to vegetarianize by switching the ground beef out for some canned and drained black beans.  This was a great casserole and I can easily see it entering to our “regular rotation” or recipes.  You know, if we had a regular rotation of recipes….

Internet - What’s Cookin, Chicago?

Strip Steaks with Balsamic Cream Sauce

Ingredients
3 (10 to 12 ounces each) strip steaks or rib eye steaks, about 1 inch thick
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
¹⁄₄ cup balsamic vinegar
¹⁄₃ cup half and half
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Instructions
1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned, 2 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil.

2. Add shallot to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 30 seconds. Stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until syrupy, about 1 minute. Add cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in chives and season with salt and pepper. Slice steaks and serve, passing sauce at table. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I used steaks from our half cow and they turned out perfectly medium rare and delicious.  The sauce was full of flavor and great balsamicy goodness.  This is a very quick and simple recipe, perfect for a busy weeknight. 

Shown here with Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli and Mushrooms.

Cook’s Country 2010

Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli and Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ cups rice
2 cups water
1 ¹⁄₄ cups beef broth
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cut spaghetti or spaghetti broken into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions
1. Place rice in sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. 

2. Microwave water and beef broth until hot, about 5 minutes. 

3. Melt 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming.  Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to small bowl and set aside.  Add remaining butter to pan and heat until foaming.  Add onion, mushrooms, and sauté until lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in garlic, allspice, thyme, and soy sauce and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add pasta and rice and stir to coat.  Cook until edges of rice grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. 

4. Stir in warmed broth and bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice and pasta are tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork, season with salt and pepper, serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  It’s essentially homemade rice-a-roni and it was pretty tasty.  However, I did think it was a little bit bland and I’m not entirely sure why.  Next time I’ll add more spices, more salt, more broth instead of a mix of broth water… I’ll tweak it up somehow. 

Shown here with Strip Steaks with Balsamic Cream Sauce.

Cook’s Country 2010

Parmesan Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ pounds potatoes, cubed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
Salt and pepper
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F.  Spray 12 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Place potatoes in baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Toss potatoes to cover evenly.  Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Stir once halfway through baking and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Comments
This recipe is from [Let’s Dish](http://letsdish(recipes.blogspot.com/2010/10/parmesan-garlic-roasted-potatoes.html).  Like all roasted potato (recipes, the cooking time seemed much too short, so I increased it for the recipe.  I even cut the potatoes into small pieces to ensure they’d cook faster, but it still took about 45 minutes.  These were lovely, easy, and full of flavor.  I like the way the Parmesan crisped up on top of the potatoes at the end. 

Shown here with Crispy Oven-Fried Cod.

Internet - Let’s Dish

Pani Popo

Ingredients
2 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons yeast
1 ¹⁄₂ cups milk, lukewarm
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small bits, plus more for buttering dish
1 can coconut milk
¹⁄₄ cup sugar

Instructions
1. Mix yeast and milk in large bowl.  Let rest for 5 minutes until yeast has dissolved.  Stir in butter pieces then slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time.  Mix until dough easily pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a smooth ball. 

2. Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest until doubled in volume.  (This took about an hour for my dough.)  Butter 12 by 9-inch baking dish. 

3. Split dough into 18 pieces, roll into balls, and place in baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another hour. 

4. Meanwhile, mix coconut milk with sugar.  Once rolls have risen, pour coconut milk over dough and heat oven to 375*F. 

5. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until done. 

Comments
I found this recipe on A Little Bit of Everything.  They looked great and, miraculously, I had a can of coconut milk that was unclaimed by any other recipe hanging out in my pantry!  I don’t have a lot of experience with breads that need to rise, since I tend to use the bread machine.  These were very simple to make, and the flavor was great.  They were a bit gooey and messy to eat, but I didn’t care one bit.

Internet - A Little Bit of Everything

Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes

Ingredients
Salt and pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (Hunt’s is the recommend brand.)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¹⁄₂ cup all purpose flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups half and half
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400*F. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour diced tomatoes with their juices over pasta and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half and broth until smooth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until cheeses melt. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to combine.

3. Transfer Dutch oven to oven and bake until top begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual.  I’m a fan of mac and cheese but try not to make it regularly due to Lance’s lack of love for cheese.  This recipe looked like it would be a nice twist on the usual mac and cheese and I loved it.  The tomato flavor was really great and the mixture of cheeses worked out very well.  I think all sharp cheese would have been a bit too much, so the mild cheddar evened the flavors out well.  Leftovers were equally tasty the following days! 

Shown here with Deviled Chicken.

Cook’s Country 2010

Indian Spiced Salmon with Basmati Rice

Ingredients
For the rice
2 cups water
1 cup basmati rice
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
4 teaspoons pine nuts

For the salmon
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground ginger
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garam masala
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground coriander
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets

Instructions
1. To prepare rice, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in rice and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt.  Cover, reduce heat, and cook 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and pine nuts. Keep warm.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Combine ginger and next 5 ingredients. Rub spice mixture evenly over salmon. Place fillets on a broiler pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil and broil 7 minutes. Remove foil, broil an additional 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve salmon with rice. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  Lance’s comment, when we finished dinner, was “I could eat another entire serving.”  We didn’t have seconds, but leftovers were delicious the next day.  The salmon was very flavorful, smelled great, and tasted fantastic.  And, even better, the entire dish came together in about 30 minutes which made it great for a quick dinner after my late afternoon voice lesson.  This recipe is definitely a keep in the “easy” file.

Cooking Light 2011

Manti

Ingredients
2 pounds ground lamb, beef, or a mixture of the two
1 medium onion, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
2 packages wonton wrappers
1 stick butter, cut into thin pats
1 cup beef broth

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 325*F.  Spray two 12 by 9-inch baking dishes with cooking spray.

2. Mix ground meat, onion, parsley and 1 egg in large bowl.  Beat remaining 2 eggs in small bowl. 

3. Working about 6 wonton wrappers at a time, place wrappers on cutting board and brush two opposite sides with beaten egg.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of meat mixture inside wrapper and fold brushed edges over on themselves.  (You want the sides with egg to be sealed and the top to be open so you can still see the filling.)  Arrange manti in prepared baking dishes. 

4. Bake for 12 minutes.  Remove dishes from oven and top with pats of butter.  Pour ¹⁄₂ cup beef broth into each baking dish.  Return to oven and cook 15 minutes longer. 

5. If the tops of the manti aren’t golden brown, transfer dishes to broiler and broil until nicely browned. 

Comments
I saw this recipe on My Barbarian Table a few weeks ago and I’ve wanted to make the delicious looking dumplings ever since.  They were, indeed, delicious.  I had Art’s help in assembling the dumplings and it was much faster than we both had feared it would be.  He spread the wrappers out and brushed them, I filled and sealed them, and into the dishes they went. 

I served these with Tzatziki and they were scrumptious.  I think it would be easy to tweak the recipe for other fillings, perhaps pork with ginger and garlic?  Or other, more exciting, flavor combinations?  This seems like a super flexible, and simple, way to make dumplings.  Yum.  We finished off the leftovers yesterday and already I’d like to make them again.  I used ground beef because my grocery store failed at supplying me with non-rancid lamb yet again.

You should be sure to check out the recipe source linked above because the blogger’s pictures are grand.

Internet - My Barbarian Table

Garlic Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 pound button mushrooms, halved if large
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 450*F. 

2. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil and ¹⁄₈ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 9 by 9-inch baking dish.  Top with butter pieces and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 20 to 40 minutes.  (Cooking time will depend entirely on how roasted you want your mushrooms to be.)

3. Stir in lemon juice and parsley before serving. 

Comments
Shortly before Christmas I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and immediately emailed it to my mom as a suggestion for Christmas dinner.  She, being a lover of all things mushrooms, quickly agreed.  This is a great alternative to sautéed mushrooms when you’re looking for something to serve alongside a delicious steak or cow roast. The sauce is luscious, the mushrooms are well seasoned, and it’s super simple.  If you use a mini-processor attachment of a hand blender to chop up the garlic and capers, it’s even easier.  Be sure to double the recipe if you’ve got lots of mushroom lovers, 1 pound of mushrooms doesn’t go very far!

Shown here with Herb Rubbed Sirloin Tip Roast and French Onion Casserole.

Internet - Smitten Kitchen

Herb Rubbed Sirloin Tip Roast

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₄ tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon onion powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3 pound) sirloin tip roast

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place wire rack on top. 

2. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme. Stir in the olive oil, and allow the mixture to sit about 15 minutes.

3. Rub spice mixture over all sides of roast.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Roast 1 hour or until meat reaches 145*F when tested with an instant read thermometer.  Rest 15 minutes before slicing. 

Comments
I found this recipe on [all(recipes.com](http://all(recipes.com//Recipe/herb-rubbed-sirloin-tip-roast/Detail.aspx).  I had a sirloin tip roast I knew I wanted to do something with, but I had no idea what to do with it.  Google turned up this spice paste and it was delicious.  The crust was nice and spicy, the meat was tender. 

Shown here with Garlic Roasted Mushrooms and French Onion Casserole.

Internet - all(recipes