Garlic Knots

I mentioned yesterday I had to work all day today.  We had plenty of the delicious pork with apples left for dinner tonight from yesterday.  I am bringing dinner into the kids tomorrow and I wanted to bake some bread for them to go along with Monday's dinner.  I decided on this easy recipe for flavorful Garlic Knots.  You do not need to use a bread machine for this recipe.  I found it helpful so I  could get work items put away and settle into the evening while the dough mixed.  This dough is very easy to work with; not at all too sticky.  So simply wiggle the dough like a playdoh snake and tie it in a knot!

Garlic Knots
printable recipe

1 c. warm water
2 T. butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
3 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. yeast
1 T. melted butter

Italian seasoning

Topping:
1/4 c. melted butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Add all ingredients in the order listed into a bread machine.  Set machine to dough cycle (takes about 1 1/2 hours).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
When dough is finished, flatten out on a floured surface.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 16 equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a 'snake' and tie into a loose knot.

Place on a greased baking sheet.
Brush tops with a little melted butter and sprinkle a bit of seasoning on top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on a rack.
Mix topping ingredients together and brush onto baked rolls.

Pork with Apples and Onions along with Kale and Mushrooms

I had that creeping guilt from our decadent eating fest last night.  I felt compelled to over do on cooking tonight!  I crushed at the grocery store too!  Practically, no actually, everything (not the Kale I had that in the garden) was on special this week!  Love a bargain.  This meal, along with a good bottle of wine, and the continuation of binge TV, made for a perfect Saturday night before a long work day (yes, I had to go out and work on Sunday!)  So, this meal may seem excessive for a Saturday, however, I needed to do a Sunday dinner on a Saturday because I couldn't on a Sunday....oh well, you get the picture!
This sauce with apples and onions is amazing. not too sweet like plain applesauce with pork would be.  So what are the rules of a meal trifecta?  Delicious-yup; Easy clean up-yup; and saving money-definitely.  My work is done for the day!

Pork with Apples and Onions
printable recipe

3-4 lb. Bone in pork roast
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
pinch of cinnamon
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 c. apple cider

Preheat the oven to 375.
Season the outside of the roast with salt and pepper.  Roast in a shallow roasting pan for 40 minutes.
Add the sliced onion, crushed pepper and a drizzle of oil to the pan.

Continue to roast for 40 minutes or until roast has an internal temperature of 145.

Remove the roast from the oven.  Place meat on a platter and tent with foil.

Add the cider, apples, and rosemary to the pan along with the onions.  On the stove top, bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer.

Simmer for 15 minutes to reduce liquid and cook apples.  Remove rosemary stems and discard.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Serve as a side with slices of pork.

Smothered Mushrooms and Kale
printable recipe

2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
10 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and halved
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
salt and pepper
Fresh lemon juice (optional)

Heat a medium sized skillet over medium high heat.  Add the oil and butter.
When the butter is melted add the mushrooms and garlic.

Using a lid that is too small for the pan, 'smother' the mushrooms bu pressing the lid down onto the mushrooms.  Cook 7-8 minutes stirring once.

Pile the kale into the skillet.  Turn it with tongs to combine the kale with the mushrooms.

'Smother' with the lid for another few minutes until the greens are cooked. 

Season with salt and pepper.
If you would prefer, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice to serve.

Junk Food Friday

This week Junk Food Friday was truly a Junk Food Friday.  Our schedules weren't in sync as far as a known dinner time.  Being a true girl from the Pittsburgh area, I went over the bridge into hell for Junk Food Friday   Primanti Brothers screamed my name (if you are not from Pittsburgh, or from anywhere for that matter, and don't know about the piled high sandwiches famous because of their fries and slaw right on the bread along with the meat and cheese of choice, and lettuce and tomato, your have not lived, nor do you know what the term junk food actually means!).  There are many other parts of the country that tout similar creations; but, a true fries and slaw sandwich is from the Steel City!  And, although they are good from my satellite restaurant in my home town, none can compare to the original hub in the Strip District in Pittsburgh.  Ah, but I digress.  Yup, I did not cook.  Yes, I drowned in unhealthy, satanically delicious bliss on Friday night.  I don't succumb too often, but, a craving is a craving; and convenience is even better.  Besides, we got ourselves addicted to binge watching past seasons of Boardwalk Empire.....Fridays, gotta love them!

Apple Cake

I planned on a day of working mostly at the computer.  Two reasons made me decide to bake (which you have heard before is not my strong suit-too precise!).  One was that apples were a great buy this week at my local grocery store and two, I selfishly wanted the house to smell good!  I am not one for gooey sweets.  I like the more savory sweets with cinnamon, nutmeg and rich spice flavors.  This apple cake gets a little crunchy on the outside and soft and light on the inside.  It is a tough choice to decide if you want a glass of cold milk or a hot cup of coffee with this cake.  So, my conclusion, cake with coffee in the morning and cake with milk in the evening!  Balance, folks, remember it is all about balance :)!

Fresh Apple Cake

printable recipe

3 c. Granny Smith apples, about 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces

1 c. lightly toasted chopped pecans

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease a Bundt or tube pan.

In a medium bowl mix together the apples, nuts vanilla and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil and eggs.  Add in the flour, salt and baking soda and completely combine.

Fold in the apple mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan before turning over onto a plate to remove.

I was impatient and mine stuck a bit!

Salisbury Steak with Brown Gravy

Seriously, I have got to stop veering towards old fashioned comfort food!  It seems the busier our days, the more we crave that homey food of our childhood!  This is reminiscent of my days at catholic school and the lunch ladies (we called them Gray Ladies) loaded our trays with noodles and gravy.  Heaven only knows what they used in their torpedoes and what they created gravy with; but by using good (real) ingredients, these are delicious!  It occurred to me I have not had fish on our menu in ages!  I faithfully used red meat sparingly most of the year; but, recently, call me Fred Flinstone-I have been using it a lot!

Salisbury Steak with Brown Gravy
printable recipe

2 T. vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 c. bread crumbs
1 T. grill seasoning
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
8 oz. cremini mushrooms
kosher salt and pepper
1/4 c. flour
28 oz. beef stock
8 oz. egg noodles

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Heat 1 T. oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft.  Put 1/2 of the onion in a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl add the beef, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, remaining onions and egg.  Mix to combine well and shape mixture into 5 oval patties.

Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in the skillet over medium high heat.  Add the patties until both sides are well browned, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove to a platter.  They will not be cooked through at this point.

To the pan add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining onions and sprinkle all with flour.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. 

Return the patties to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Serve beef and gravy over noodles.

Spicy Fajita Soup and Mexican Cornbread

Another Monday I get to treat the family to dinner.  I decided on soup because it is the easiest to transport to their homes, and with it getting cold, and being a raw Fall day there is nothing like hot soup!  I put a Mexican spin to it because all the guys like Mexican and I have to cook for the audience occasionally!  This recipe is adapted from a Sandra Lee recipe that got great reviews.  I thought it need some ooompf so I added the chicken and pasta.  This is one of those soups you can play around with to suit your tastes.  I am also giving you the recipe for Mexican Corn Bread.  Their dad made this for them and it is one of everyone's favorites!

Spicy Fajita Soup with Chicken and Pasta (I doubled this for 6 adults)
printable recipe

2 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 green peppers, cored and seeded, cut into strips
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 T. chopped garlic
2 T. chili powder
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 qt. chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 T. oil
1 c. elbow pasta
Shredded Monterey Jack for serving
Sour Cream for serving

In a large dutch oven heat the oil.  Add the chicken and begin to brown.
Add the onions and garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Add peppers, corn, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, chili pepper and stock.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for an hour.

Add the pasta and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve with cheese and sour cream if desired.

Mexican Cornbread
printable recipe

2 packages (8 1/2 oz.) corn muffin mix
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. shredded cheddar
1 can cream style corn
1 1/2 c. sour cream
4 eggs, beaten
1 can green chilies
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 T. finely chopped jalapeno pepper

In a large bowl combine the corn bread mix and the onion.
In another large bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Add the cornbread mixture to the wet ingredients; stir just until combined.
Pur into a greased 9 X 13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned and edges pull away from the pan.  Serve warm.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Pan Seared Flat Iron Steak with Onions and Blue Cheese

We met friends Sunday morning in a small little bistro in the mountains for breakfast.  The day was gorgeous and the trees were stunning in their Fall finery of yellows and reds.  I really didn't have a plan for dinner.  On the way home we stopped at the butcher shop and simply chose what jumped out at us.  They had some nice Flat Iron Steak on sale...ta da, decision was made.  I saw Ree Drummond make rib eye steaks with an onion blue cheese sauce awhile back on television.  I took the idea and tweaked a little to make it fit what I had on hand and not take away from the beauty of the meat.  We both decided this sauce would be great on old shoes!  Delicious and easy.  Be patient!  The key to sweet, caramelized onions is patience.  Use as much blue cheese as you like to suit your taste.  I am also thinking of using these flavors to come up with a hot dip at some point.

Pan Seared Flat Iron with Onions and Blue Cheese
printable recipe

1 1/2 lb. Flat Iron Steak
2 T. oil
3 T. butter
2 Large sweet onions, sliced thin
1/4 c. Half and Half
1/4 c. or more Blue Cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper

Season steak with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 T. oil in a large cast iron skillet until hot.  Slowly add the steak.  Cook until nicely seared and desired doneness.  4-5 minutes for medium.  Remove from the pan and tent with foil.  Allow to rest.

Add 1 T. oil and 3 T. butter to the skillet.  Allow the butter to melt.
Reduce heat to medium low.  Add onions.  Cook until soft and caramel color, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cream and cook for a minute until slightly thickened.

Melt in the blue cheese.
Season with salt and pepper.

Slice steak in thin slices across the grain.  Serve with the hot onion sauce.