A Give Away! with Shrimp Ceviche and a fresh salad dressing

 One of the best parts of being a home cook is not having to buy foods that have lots of additives and artificial ingredients in them. I know that when I cook I am only using fresh vegetables and herbs with high quality ingredients. But even I will admit that sometimes its easy to fall into using convenience foods when you are in a rush or just not in the mood to make everything from scratch. One place where I try to always go fresh but sometimes fail is salad dressing. Its so easy to make and you can work with so many different fresh ingredients to make the perfect mix but grabbing a bottle is just so temptingly easy at times.

This is especially true when it comes to bringing dressing to work for lunch. If you put dressing on the salad in advance it can get soggy and no one wants to eat a limp salad but if you keep it on the side it tends to leak and get all over the place. I was really excited when OXO asked me to try these new mini lock top containers. They make some of my favorite tools and I just knew that these containers would be the perfect solution for storing messy liquids and dips. I even was able to use the medium size one to make a few quick servings of dressing - shaking it up right in the container. What could be easier?

 
I love it when kitchen tools make dinner run smoother. The larger container was the perfect size for marinading my ceviche. Last time, I tried ceviche it was with a salmon filet and I was scared that it wouldn't be done and everyone would get sick! Shrimp turn a tell tale pink when they are done as an easy signal that the citrus fruit has done its job. Just give it a shake every 30 minutes or so to keep all the citrus mixed with the shrimp. Its fast and is perfect for a warm spring day or as a contrast to a barbeque filled with hearty meats.You can also serve it on a bed of greens for a lunchtime treat - just don't leave the shrimp in the citrus too long! After a few hours the fish can start to get overdone so try not to let it sit around more than six hours.

Check out my recipes for Tres Citrus Shrimp Ceviche and Garlic Cilantro dressing below and enter the giveaway to get your own set of OXO Good Grips Lock Top containers!

Mediterranean Pepper Steak

Steak sandwiches are one of the most classic hot sandwiches....and probably one of my most craved! I don't think that has ever been a sandwich shop that I have visited that I didn't contemplate ordering one -but usually I end up with a salad instead. My favorite pepper steak still is my grandfathers - I don't know how he made it - just sandwich steaks with salt and pepper and a slice of cheese but they were just so good that 20 years later I still can't forget them. This sandwich isn't like that though...No surprise I decided to do things my own way and went in a different direction using a bunch of veggies & tomato salad to brighten things up.

Meditteranean Pepper Steak
1 lb flank steak
1 red bell pepper - sliced
1 green bell pepper - sliced
1/2 cherry bomb pepper - finely diced
1 frying pepper - sliced
1 red onion - sliced
10 mushrooms - sliced
olive oil
salt & pepper

Tomato Salad
sliced cheese(we used american but swiss or mozz would be nice too)
Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Flatbreads

1) Season the meat with salt and pepper and place on hot grill pan
2) In a separate pan, heat oil with onions then peppers and finally mushrooms.
3) Once steak is medium remove from heat and rest
4) Lightly grill the pita before lining with cheese 
5) Slice steak on the bias and add to sandwich - top with veggies and top with tomato salad

Memorial Day BBQ Bash!

So I have to confess something you all probably know.... I don't live in a big gorgeous house on acres of land and have a beautiful edible garden that I just pluck my fresh ingredients from minutes before dinner time. I live in the city (metro NYC) in an apartment, my growing space is confined to two south facing window sills (and for some reason after having a very successful herb garden all winter we can't seem to keep anything alive more than a week!) and my outside space.... well we have our stoop. I love my apartment but when it comes to summer time backyard parties it just doesn't cut it! And that is where my amazing friends Tim & Heather come into this story. They just got a new apartment and guess what it has outside space! Now its still in the city so don't go dreaming of being barefoot in lush grassy fields but here in the city rooftops do double duty and knowing someone with access to one is basically the highlight of my summer! They were planning a Memorial Day BBQ and being the bossy girl I am I decided that I was going to jump in and lend them a hand (or a pork shoulder!) So thanks Tim and Heather for planning a party and letting me jump in with my party takeover.....

So first things first lets talk a little bit about party planning and take a look at a few tips that I have put together....
#1 PLAN PLAN PLAN... organization and lists galore will help you keep everything under control
#2 Know your audience... if its a cocktail party make sure food is bite size and portable, if its a BBQ plan ideas that can go on the grill so you don't have to keep running from the grill to the kitchen
#3 Mix familiar dishes with something new.... its great to try something new but don't try and do it all in one night
#4 Plan to make some dishes in advance.... dips, desserts, meats and stews are all easy to make before hand with minimal prep needed during the party
#5 Accept help...delegate responsibilities to your friends- your best girl friend who always shows up on time can get more important items while the ones who are always running later can always bring some extra desserts or snacks
#6 Multi purpose your ingredients.... using parsley in the dip, why not include it in a marinade? it saves on costs and ties your menu together

and most importantly
#7 Keep cool even if it doesn't go your way... the best parties are when everyone enjoys themselves so in the event of a party emergency try to stay cool and laugh it off

OK with all that in mind... let's get our first list ready... the menu (with the rule they correspond to)

chimichurri dip (#4 & #6)
scallion mint dip (#4 & #6)
gucamole (#5)
black bean and corn salsa (#5)
chips, nachos & veggies (#5)
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mojito-marinaded flank steak w pineapple salsa grilled pineapple (#6) (recipe below)
homemade sliders w cheddar or pepperjack (#5)
pulled pork sliders w red cabbage slaw and pickles (#3 & #4)
marinaded chicken (#5)
pasta salad (#5)
grilled corn (#3)
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fresh cubed watermelon (#4)
fruit plate (mango, strawberries, blueberries etc) (#4)
s'more blondie bars (#4)
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peach sangria (#3 & #4)
mint mojito bar (#6)
local micro-brews (#5)

From this list I will make my shopping list and more importantly my task list for the days before the party up and a timeline for the day of the party itself.

Thurs - menu plan
Fri - food shopping & liquor store
Sun - pork into crock pot, make marinade for steak, bake blondie bars, clean corn, make pineapple salsa (decided to simplify and go with grilled pineapple spears)
Mon - (guest arrive at 1 pm)
9am - prep sangria
9:30 - make coleslaw & sauce pulled pork
10 - dice watermelon
10:30  - prep burger fixings (cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato)
11 - start set up
beers into cooler with ice
chairs out and cleaned
plates/forks/knives/napkins/cups available
find and wash serving platters, serving utensils and grill utensils
12 - start plating food
chips and dips out
meat out of fridge to come to room temp
set up veggies plates
condiments out
12:45 - change into party outfit and get the music on!

keep reading for the Mojito Flank Steak Marinade

Simply Indulgent: Roasted Vegetables with Seared Steak

Even though I love to cook, I have to admit there are many nights that I come home from work tired, annoyed, aggravated, hungry, over-worked and just not in the mood to cook. But unlike in the movies, a fairy Godmother never shows her face to cook me my dinner while I relax in a nice bubble bath (and while we are talking about that no one cleans the tub so I can take that bubble bath either!). This is where some stand by favorites come into play. This dinner is about the opposite of time consuming or thought provoking but it tastes good, pretty much cooks itself and it fancy enough that you could even serve it to company! What makes it even better is that a little prep in advance, gets this dinner on the table in the time it takes to sear a steak (about 15 min total including rest time).

 

The secret of this dinner is to peel, cut and dice the vegetables ahead of time and then dress with oil and herbs and roast. I try to do a big batch on Sunday or whenever I have a few hours of TV time to enjoy.  My veggie roasting involved 2 pans this time, one for harder root veggies (potatoes in this case) dressed with rosemary & thyme and one for some of the softer end of summer veggies: bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, red onions etc with just some salt, pepper, olive oil and a bit of basil and oregano sprinkled on top. When its time to serve either heat in the oven for a few minutes at 350 F or about 3 minutes in the microwave (or a hot frying pan). Just don't forget the cardinal rule of veggie baking (and stir-frying): even size vegetables have even cooking times!

2/7/10 - Super Bowl with out the snacks - Bacon wrapped Asparagus

I couldn't wait to try a fun new technique that I found online this week (I know it seems like all I do is go online to food blogs but I promise I do other things too) Bacon Wrapped Asparagus! So fun and a perfect mix of the healthy with the excessive! With all the snow on Saturday our party didn't end up as planned and this was pushed to Sunday and a different friend. No matter who dinner might have been with this was just delicious and not too hard to master. Some suggest that you use toothpicks to secure the ends of the bacon but if you are careful you can get them tucked in on their own

2/6/10 - Freshly Ground Filet Burgers

Last week I sent Jeremy to the grocery store and there was a little confusion, I like to buy the full tenderloins of beef that are sold at many area stores. The best part about this cut (besides the price) is that they will cut it to your specifications in the store - either roasts or steaks which are so much nicer that the pre-cut steaks they have for sale. This time Jeremy went to the store and he forgot to mention the whole cutting down of the large piece of meat and just bought it as is. I had never butchered a large hunk of meat - until a few years ago I didn't even like cutting my own steaks! However there was $50 worth of beef sitting in the fridge that wasn't going to cut it self. Like everything however there was a youTube! The computer saves the day again... I don't think there is anything that that it can't do. Since I am far from an expert I ended up losing a good amount of meat during this process and tried to save it by grinding the left overs for hamburgers.

It was quite easy to grind the beef using my Kitchen Aid Mixer attachment which I got for Christmas. The burgers were delicious and worth the time needed to find my Kitchen Aid in its hiding spot (behind the oil in the bottom cabinet) and take out all the attachments.

I set up a little serve yourself topping bar that had swiss, munster and american cheese, potato or wheat bread and jalapeno, chipotle and spicy mustard, mayo, ketchup, green tomato relish and chimichurri sauce, as well as a side of crinkle cut chips.

My burger which is pictured above was served on wheat bread with munster cheese melted to each side. I topped the burger with spicy mustard, ketchup, green tomato relish and a bit of the chimichurri. Oh and maybe a handful (or two) of chips!

2/2/10 - Filet Mignon w Steamed Broccoli

A simple dinner that took only a few minutes to prepare....I used a traditional skillet instead of my grill pan because my clean-up crew was complaining about how difficult it was to clean!

1/12/10 - Surf and Turf: Fillet Mignon and Mako Shark

Tonight's dinner was a bit of an after thought but luckily with a little team work (and some know-how courtesy of Alton Brown on Good Eats) I think it came out wonderfully! I had planned to make a repeat of the white chicken chili we had a week or so ago as it was delicious (and I had a breast left over from my roasted chicken....yes I am officially addicted to roasting chickens now - a few minutes of prep and an hour plus in the oven is like 3 days or more of meals!) I found out around 5 pm that our pescetarian friend would be joining us. Since I am not one to ever say no to an opportunity to host I had about an hour and a half to come up with a new dinner plan before I had to leave to go to my pilates lesson (which means I wouldn't be home till 9pm... late dinner night sorry!)


Luckily I had jut bought some mako shark (on sale for less than half of the swordfish and it looked & tasted almost exactly the same!) in the afternoon so his part of dinner was all set but there wasn't really enough fish for all of us. I decided on a surf and turf dinner as it was fast to prepare after I got home from pilates and who would say no to surf and turf. My only issue.....the steaks were still frozen solid! Yikes I only had few hours so I needed them thawed out and fast. Luckily I had recently seen Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on duck and he explained some different thawing methods. While thawing in the fridge is definitely the safest (especially for larger cuts) you can also use cold running water to quickly defrost meats. Place the steaks (sealed in a zip top bag) in a bowl filled with cold water and allow the faucet to slowly drip into the bowl (to keep the water moving) and before you know it they are ready to cook (for the record I don't recommend using this method usually as the steaks seemed to taste a bit less juicy and tender but in a pinch it works!)
While I was at pilates the guys hung out and were kind enough to switch the rice maker on (a basmati medley from trader joes) and even noticed that I hadn't plugged it in. When I got home the steaks (beef and shark) went into a hot pan and were seared, while the green beans went into some boiling water. Just moments later the table was set and the meat rested and topped with some chimichuri sauce.... dinner is served!

1/5/10 - Grilled Strip Steak w Broccoli

I took advantage of the left over bechamel sauce from the mac & cheese I made this weekend to liven up this grilled steak and steamed broccoli dinner.