Grilled Korean Flank Steak

The original recipe for this dish came from Food & Wine.  I changed it slightly.  First I substituted Brown Sugar for regular white sugar, I wanted it to have more spice than sweet.  Also,  I only made half of the original recipe which was plenty for our family.  My husband loves this dish because it is spicy!  If you would like to reduce the spice just cut the amount of crushed red pepper down.

Ingredients:

• 1-1 1/4  lbs Flank Steak
• 1 Clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dry white wine

Serves 4

Combine all ingredients except flank steak in a small bowl and mix them well until the sugar dissolves.  Place steak in a shallow bowl and pour marinade over top.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.  

Grill until cooked to desired temp.  I have cooked this both on the grill outside and in the cast iron grill pan inside.

I served with lo mein rice noodles and veggies seasoned with a little garlic and soy sauce and grilled scallions.

 I brushed the scallions with olive oil and grilled about a minute on each side.

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Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potatoes with French Fried Onions

I think that mashed potatoes are an ultimate comfort food.  At my house they always accompany warm and cozy foods like turkey, or pot roast.  But I want to eat them way more often than that!  You can change them up and add different things to them to make them better accompany what you are having for dinner.  I don't think I have ever measured the amount of salt, pepper, butter, or milk that I add to my mashed potatoes, but I did today.  Please adjust if you find it necessary.  Mashed potatoes are easy to make just start with less milk because you can always add more.  

Ingredients:

• About 5 Medium Russet Potatoes
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 3/4 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• About 1/3 Cup Milk (start with a little less)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• French Fried Onions

Serves about 6

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Cut into chunks and place them in water.  Bring water to boil and cook until fork tender.  Drain.  Place in large bowl and add butter, milk, and garlic.  Using electric hand mixer beat until smooth.  Add more milk if needed.  Add in cheddar cheese and a handful of French Fried Onions and mix throughout.  Top with a little more cheese and a couple of onions and serve!

I served this with Cranberry Pork Tenderloin, green beans, and Homemade Cranberry Relish.

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Mushroom Risotto

Every time I say I made risotto for dinner people look at me like I am crazy.  I used to feel the same way.  All the stirring and pouring and keeping it the right temperature overwhelmed me.  This time I decided I wasn't going to stir constantly (I stirred OFTEN, just NOT constantly). When all was said and done, it was delicious and no one but me (and now all of you) knew that I cheated and didn't stir the entire time!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Mushrooms- chopped ( I used a combo of Shitake and Portabello)
• 1/4 Cup White Wine
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Shallot- minced
• 2 1/2- 3 Cups of Chicken Broth (warm)
• About a tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3/4 Cup Arborio Rice
• 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley

Serves 4

In a medium sauce pan heat olive oil.  Add shallot and cook for about 2 minutes.  When shallot starts to soften add in the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add in rice and toast for 2 more minutes.  Pour in the wine and cook until it has all been absorbed (about two minutes...lol I just wanted to say 2 minutes again!)  Next, add 1/2 cup of warm chicken broth and stir OFTEN until it is almost all absorbed.  Repeat this until broth is gone/rice is cooked all the way.  Risotto is meant to be creamy and slightly chewy.  Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese and parsley.  Stir to combine.  If risotto is too thick add a small amount of chicken broth to loosen it.  Salt and Pepper to taste.

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Steak Oscar with Asparagus

I am sure that my father-in-law thinks that I named this dish after him and it would actually be quite fitting.  For those of you who know him, you will understand.  (Please don't tell him I said that)  I have no idea how this combination earned this name but I see no point in trying to change it.  This is a great meal to celebrate a special occasion.  This can be made at home for less than half the cost as at a restaurant and I promise it will taste just as delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Fresh Asparagus (steamed)
• 1/4 lb of Fresh Crab Meat
• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
• 4 Beef Tenderloin Steaks
• 1/8 teaspoon Paprika 

Hollandaise Sauce

• 6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 Large Egg Yolks at room temperature
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• A pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Serves 4

I lightly seasoned the tenderloins with steak seasoning and grilled them to medium.  

After I brought the steaks in from the grill I covered them loosely with foil and let them rest for just a few minutes.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add crab meat.  Cook until crab meat is heated all the way through.  Add lemon juice and toss to coat.

In the jar of a blender place egg yokes, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Blend for 15 seconds.  With the blender running slowly pour the hot melted butter into the blender and blend for an additional 30 seconds.  The sauce will thicken.  You can leave sauce in blender at room temp for up to an hour.  If it gets too thick standing at up to a tablespoon of HOT water and blend for a few seconds to thin it out a tiny bit.

Top tenderloin with 1/4 of crab meat and asparagus.  Drizzle hollandaise sauce over it and ENJOY!!!!

This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus

Crazy Good Crab Cakes

We live close to Baltimore so we have access to some of the best crab!  I am spoiled, I often laugh at chain restaurant menus that offer crab cakes because I know that it is just not as fresh as I am used to.  My husband has taken me so some fantastic crab restaurants, but it is sometimes hard to go out to dinner with the kiddos.  Now we can bring the deliciousness (is that even a word) to our house!  

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Fresh Crab Meat
• 1 Egg
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
• 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1/2 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs (Sometimes I don't use all of them, I add them a little at a time)
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (I crumble them to make them a little smaller)
• Olive Oil

Serves about 6 as an entree

In a small bowl combine, Worcestershire, Dry Mustard, Mayonnaise, melted butter, dried parsley, Old Bay, lemon juice, egg, and yellow mustard.  Mix until well blended

In a larger bowl place crab meat.

Pour in egg mixture and mix well, but do it gently to ensure that there are still large pieces of crab.  You might want to use your hands.   Next, sprinkle in half of the bread crumbs and mix.  Add in the remainder of the crumbs (you may not need quite all of them) until you have the right consistency.  You don't want them to be too wet or too dry.

Heat a large skillet with a LITTLE bit of olive oil just enough so the crab cakes don't stick to the skillet.  Form about 6 patties and place them in the hot skillet.  

When they start to turn golden brown (about 3 minutes) flip to the other side for an additional 3 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Serve with the Creamy Crab Cake Sauce

Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Mayo
• 3 or four dashes of Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Horseradish
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 4 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate until you are ready to use.  

You could also make appetizer size crab cakes to serve at a party as a quick finger food.  Makes about 30.

If you like crab, try our Asparagus Steak Oscar.

This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus


Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.

Crispy Onion Straws with horseradish dipping sauce

Onion straws are something that I have wanted to make for a very long time but I was always afraid.  I am not even sure what exactly I was afraid of, but now that I have done it I am HOOKED!  This is something that I love to get at restaurants, but now I can make them at home!

Ingredients:

• Large onion
• 1 Cup Butter Milk
• 1 Cup of Flour
• 2 Cayenne Pepper
• About 3 Cups of Canola or Vegetable Oil

Sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup mayo
• A few dashes of paprika
• pinch of oregano
• A few dashes of cayenne pepper
• A few dashes of garlic powder
• About a teaspoon of horseradish

Slice the onion into thin pieces.  I did this by hand because I don't have (but I want one) a mandolin but that would work best.  The thin pieces are what make is more of a "straw".  

Place onions in a flat dish and pour the buttermilk over top of them.  Place in refrigerator for about an hour.
To make the dipping sauce, simply combine ingredients and stir.  Adjust spices as necessary.

On a plate, combine the flour and cayenne pepper

Heat oil in fryer or as I did in a large pot.  I used about 3 cups of oil, but you really just want to make sure you have about 2 inches of oil.  Heat the oil to about 350 degrees.  I don't have a thermometer so I just tossed in a very small pinch of the flour mix and once it sizzled as it touched the oil I knew it was hot enough.

With a pair of tongs, remove the onions from the buttermilk and place one bunch at a time into the flour mix and completely coat.

Tap off extra flour and drop into hot oil and drop onions in the oil and cook for about 2 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown.

Remove from oil with tongs or mesh strainer and place on paper towel to drain off excess oil.  Repeat until all onions are cooked.  Serve immediately with the spicy dipping sauce.

I served these with Pocket Burgers and Deviled Eggs

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

I have to admit, I am kinda in love with this dish!  It was the perfect amount of spice for everyone.   This tastes like something that I would order at a restaurant, but it was oh so easy to make at home!  I can't wait to put it on the menu again!  The sweet peppers are a perfect addition to the pasta.  I just might add a few more next time.  You should definitely make this NOW!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of uncooked Shrimp (remove shells, veins, and tails)
• 1 Tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning
• 1 Cup of Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon of Minced Garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 2-3 Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/2 Cup of Red Pepper- diced
• 1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese (plus a little for grating on top)
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• 16 oz Box of Linguini

Serves 5

I used frozen shrimp, so just before I was ready to cook them I put them in a colander and rinsed them with very cold water to thaw them.  Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.  Toss the shrimp with 1 Tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning and set aside.  Start pot of water for Linguini and cook according to package.  Melt butter in large skillet on a med-high heat and add the seasoned shrimp.

Saute the shrimp until they begin to turn pink then add the diced red pepper, minced garlic, and black pepper.  Cook another minute or two until shrimp it cooked all the way.

Turn the heat to med and add the cream, basil, and Parmesan cheese.  Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.  When pasta is cooked drain and add to shrimp and sauce and stir.  Serve with a little more Parmesan cheese on top.  Enjoy!

If you like this check out Lemon Grass Skewered Shrimp and Tequila Lime Shrimp.

This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus

Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.