Filet Mignon with Sweet Potato Fries

I forgot to take a picture of the filet, but trust me, it was pretty! I wrapped the filets in bacon, dusted them with garlic, onion powder, s&p, and seared each side in my grill pan, stove top. I baked the filets until they were medium rare. Okay, okay, I cooked them until they were rare and needed to put them back in to get them to medium rare, LOL. I am learning my way around beef and other meats besides chicken. As for the sweet potato fries. The outside of them was almost like candy, yummy.

INGREDIENTS

2 sweet potatoes

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

fresh grated nutmeg, I'm not sure on a measurement

a bit of oil

METHOD

Slice sweets into fries slices. Mix the rest of the ingredients listed and toss sweet potaotes to coat. Bake at 400 degrees until they are brown, enjoy.

Kettle Fries

I almost lost the tip of my thumb making these. The husband awoke ready for breakfast. He likes eggs, sunnyside up are a new fav of his. I wanted homefries to go with the eggs. I began by chopping a shallot. I was using a dull knife and I thought to myself the last time I used it I should get rid of it. I didn't and the mangling of my thumb taught me a lesson, no dull knives!

INGREDIENTS
1 shallot, diced
1 clove of garlic
4 potatoes, mine were small

I diced the shallot and garlic and sauteed in the pan until soft. I "baked" the potatoes in the microwave then peeled and chopped them. I tossed them in with the shallots and garlic after adding a bit more oil to the pan. I added salt and pepper and tossed to coat the potatoes. I got a piece of tin foil and sprayed one side with vegetable oil spray. I put the foil on top of the potatoes and then put my teakettle on top of the foil. I first filled my teakettle with water, and heated it before I put it on top of the potatoes. The kettle pushed the potatoes against the pan and they got nicely browned and crispy.

San Marzano Tomato Soup

Having a craving for tomato soup and no can of Campbells in sight I figured I would make my own. I googled a few recipes and checked my Joy of Cooking for some ideas. I didn't have all the ingredients for the recipes, but I would have to, as Tim Gunn says, "make it work". My father once told me some things aren't worth making from scratch, he said tomato soup was one of them. I have to disagree!

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup onion
1 rib celery
1 bay leaf
28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
15 oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups chicken bouillon (stock, broth, whatever)
1 cup instant rice
1/2-1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
salt & pepper to taste

METHOD
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 rib chopped celery
a bay leaf
Sautee the above in vegetable oil until everything is soft, remove the bay leaf.

Add one 28 oz can of San Marzano (DOP) tomatoes, I used peeled plum tomatoes.
Use your spatula to chop up the tomatoes in the pot. Cook the tomatoes down until you can draw your spatula across the pot and the tomatoes leave a "path".

Add the tomato sauce, bouillon and rice. You don't have to add the rice, but I thought it would be a nice touch. Once the rice is cooked then add the milk. You can leave this out too if you want. Lastly I added some baking soda to cut the acidity.

I don't have a picture, but it is yummy!

Broccoli & Potato Fritatta

On Saturday mornings I like to treat myself to something yummy for breakfast. I have a habit of making fritattas for myself. I make it on Saturday then I have some left over for Sunday morning and for a quick week night meal for one if needed.



6 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped broccoli, I use frozen from the freezer
1 medium baked potato, I "bake" it in the microwave
I clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of chopped onion
Salt & pepper to taste

In a oven proof skillet, sautee the onion and garlic in oil until it is soft, about 5 minutes. I sprinkle the oninons and garlic with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt while they cook. Add the baked potato in cubes and the chopped broccoli. Once the mix is heated add your beaten eggs. Let the eggs set for a minute or two then pull the side of the egg mix in letting the raw egg flow out to the sides. Push the fillinf around so it is evenly distributed. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is set in the center. I keep my left overs in a ziploc bag.

Free (for $15) Senseo Coffee Maker

I am not what you would call a coffee snob. I drink Dunkin Donuts, or make my own at home. I'm not a fan of Star Bucks coffee, or any of the other big name, smell me coffees. I came across a website to get a Senseo coffee maker for free, umm, no for $15 shipping and handling. I filled out the questioneer and was approved. I paid with paypal and wrote down all the infor incase it turned out to be a scam. Fifteen bucks is still fifteen bucks.

They tell you it will take 4-6 weeks for your Senseo to arrive, I got mine in a week. You are not given the option to pick the color you would like, I wanted black and "yeah" that is what I got! I opened the box and placed the Senso on my counter, it looked fancy. I read the manual and ran the cleaning cycle twice, just to be sure.

It was after 5pm when I got the Senso set up. I can't sleep if I have caffine too late so I waited for the next day to give my Senseo a try. The next morning I woke and reread the direction. I figured I would make 2 cups, which is 8 ounces of coffee. Wanting to take my coffee to work I ran hot tap water and filled my travel mug to warm it up. I used my glass measuring cup to catch the coffee since my travel mug does not fit in the Senseo, a minor irratent in my opinion.

You have to heat the water which take a minute or two then load the coffee pods and brew your coffee. I heated the water and loaded the pods. I was a bit too exicted for just making coffee. Once it was done I added some sugar and cream. I tasted it and it was a bit strong for my taste. I figured even though it says in the directions to not use the pods again, what could it hurt to try? After I made 2 cups (8oz) of coffee I heated 1 cup(4oz) of water and brewed one more cup using the same pods I used for the first 2 cups. This made 12 ounces of coffee, for me it was perfect! My coffee was at just the right temperature for drinking once I got to work.

Some reviews mentioned the Senseo coffee not being hot enough for them. I didn't have that issue. When I use my travel mug I warm it first with hot water, then add my Senseo brewed coffee. If I will be at home I do the same thing, I warm my mug with hot tap water and then brew into the warmed mug. Perfect!

Senseo has quite a few different coffee types to chose from. With the free for $15 you get a bag of medium roast pods. For me they are perfect. I don't know that I would like any of the stronger blends. I did try the cappacino pods. I really liked those as well. I made one cup (4oz) and used one teaspoon of suger, that is it, again, perfect as you can see below.

Buttermilk Slaw

WOW! This was so yummy. I began by salting the cabbage. While that was wilting I mixed the rest of the ingredients. I added more lime juice and cilantro, but other than than, this is perfect! This is where I got the orginal recipe.

If you are planning to serve the coleslaw immediately, rinse the salted cabbage in a large bowl of ice water, drain it in a colander, pick out any ice cubes, then pat the cabbage dry before dressing.
INGREDIENTS

1 pound cabbage (about 1/2 medium head), red or green, shredded fine (6 cups)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 medium carrot , shredded on box grater
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 scallions , sliced thin
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


1. Toss shredded cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt in colander or large mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. Place wilted cabbage and carrot in large bowl.
2. Stir buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage and toss to combine; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Corn Chowder by eye

When I bake I measure, when I cook I throw things together until it looks/tastes good. While I was preparing this chowder I knew I was going to put it in my blog, that forced me to measure, a little. Since I cook by eye I also end up with lots of whatever it is I'm making, that is what happened here.

1/4 pound salt pork fat back

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

5 small/medium potatoes, I scrub them and leave the skin on, cubed

1 14.5 oz can of white corn, save liquid

1 14.5 oz can of yellow corn, save liquid

1 14.5 oz can of creamed corn

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of cream

1 teaspoon of chives

1/8 teaspoon of dill

I began by rendering the salt pork. Cook it in a stock pot over medium heat until it is golden brown, drain it on paper towel. Add a bit of vegetable oil and saute the onions. This will help to get the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. If you have some white wine you might want to add a bit of this too.

Once the onions are soft add your garlic and your cubed potatoes, stir. Add the broth and the liquid from the corn, the potatoes should be covered, if they aren't add just enough water to cover them. Turn the heat to high and boil the potatoes, cook until they are just tender. Add milk, cream and the spices, along with salt and pepper to taste. I let this simmer for another 15ish minutes. Serve with corn bread and butter.