Veal Schnitzel

This dish is a Czech favorite of mine. We like to make it for special occasions because veal can be a little pricey. Most stores don't carry veal but you ca order it and they will get it for you. Do this a few days before you plan to serve it. If you don't like the idea of eating veal you can do this same thing with thinly sliced pork or thin cuts of tender beef like the tenderloin.

I've already posted this recipe on here in October so look for it there. This dish is so tasty and it turned out really well this time. Give it a try if your looking for something new!

Fajitas

Today I felt like fajitas because they're quick cooking and they can marinade while I'm at work. Then when I get home I just have to grill them.

I really wanted to use chipotles in adobo sauce (found in a can) but I couldn't find any at the store. If you do find some, chop them roughly and add them to the marinade but cut down on the chili powder and red chili flake so the meat doesn't get too spicy unless you like that.

Ingredients:
2 lbs skirt steak
20 flour tortillas (any size you like)
1 can pinto beans (any beans you like)
2 onions, sliced thin
2 bell peppers sliced thin
1 avocado, for topping
sour cream, for topping
cheese, for topping
salsa, for topping

Marinade for Skirt Steak:
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbs. worchestire sauce
1 tbs. hot sauce
1 tsp. red wine or rice vinegar
spices to sprinkle directly on the meat (use as many as you have and put a light sprinkle of each):
paprika
chili powder
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
thyme
oregano
cumin

Directions:

1. combine all the ingredients for the marinade into a plastic bag and rub spices onto meat. Place meat into bag of marinade and seal tightly. Squish everything together with your hands and then allow to marinade in the fridge for up to 10 hours. I suggest putting the plastic bag inside a container so it doesn't spill or leak all over your fridge.

2. Remove meat from fridge and preheat a grill

3. Slice the onion and pepper thinly and place into a pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Allow to cook until veggies get soft. Set aside when finished.

4. Pour can of pinto beans into a sauce pan and season with a little salt and pepper. Heat through over low heat. Set aside

5. Place meat onto the grill and allow to cook on one side for 3 minutes. Turn once and continue cooking 3 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest 4 minutes.

6. Slice avocado and set out any other sides and toppings you'd like with your fajitas. Heat tortillas (I suggest flour) about 20 seconds per side over high heat. I just use the open flame and keep turning the tortilla with tongs. Place into a clean dishtowel so they stay warm.

7. Slice meat thinly perpendicular to the grain. This cuts the meat fibers shorter so it feels more tender in your mouth. Toss with any juices on the plate and serve.

8. Put the meat and any topping you'd like together onto a single tortilla and enjoy!

Fried Chicken

I had some left over buttermilk from making cornbread so I decided to make something I've only made once before, fried chicken. The first time I made it I put the wrong crust on it so the crust burned and the chicken was raw inside. It was disgusting in all honesty. Luckily this time it turned out all right. If you want to watch how to make this dish before cooking it, I suggest going to food network and looking up Alton Brown's recipe for fried chicken (also below) and watch his video. I think the key to this chicken is soaking it over night in buttermilk. It just makes the texture and flavor of the final product so good.

Ingredients:

1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Flour, for dredging
Safflower oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Place chicken pieces into a plastic bag and cover with buttermilk. Place in a plastic container to prevent leakage disaster and cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

2. Pour oil so it comes 1/2 inch up the side of a cast iron skillet. Make sure oil comes about half way up chicken cuz you'll flip it once and you want even cooking.

3. Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. It's a good idea to let the chicken rest for about 2 minutes so the coating will stick better to the chicken.

4. Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

5. Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it's a gas oven.

Grilled Pizza Party

If you want to see how this is done, go to youtube.com and search whitney klein. I'm the girl in the pink shirt. I've always wanted to make a movie like the food network and this was my chance. Although we weren't the most professional and I got teased while trying to talk, we had a blast making this. I especially want to thank Patrick Akhamlich for filming, editing, and doing some sweet graphics.

I had the guys over for a poker/fight night so I wanted to do something fun and customizable so everyone was happy. If I did this again I would buy more pizza dough because the guys could have eaten 2 mini pizzas each.

Buy pizza dough (4.50 for large ball of dough)
mozzarella cheese
fontina cheese

possible toppings:
pepperoni
bell pepper
onion
chicken
roasted garlic
basil-cheese
proscuitto
chorizo

tomato sauce:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs oregano
3 tbs fresh basil
red chili flake
up to 2 tbs of sugar

For directions You'll just have to watch my video and see for yourself! please leave comments so I can improve for the next video which should be beef stew.

here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcDkr5nRImc

A Big Breakfast

I got a little tired of doing dinner parties so instead I decided to do a brunch type thing with my friend. Plus, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so why not eat a ton?!?! I made sure they were already at my house before I started to cook because eggs don't take to long and if they just sit around, they get rubbery and gross. I just made things that I had on hand like bacon, eggs, english muffins and a special treat of cinnamon rolls.

I love cinnamon rolls in the tube in the store. You can bake them yourself so they are fresh and your whole house smells delicious. They're easy and all you have to do is follow the directions on the packaging.

The eggs can be made anyway you like. I made mine scrambled with some sauteed onion and a tablespoon or two of shredded cheese. I liked adding these other flavors to spice up what the scrambled eggs I already eat everyday.

You can make any other breakfast favorites you'd like but my favs are bacon and english muffins. Breakfast is usually quick cooking so it's great for entertaining!

Beef Short Ribs and Mashed Potatoes

I really wanted to braise some meat today because I know I'll be home for a while. I tried to find some brisket because it's cheap but when I got to the meat counter there wasn't any. So I picked the next cheapest thing I could braise- short ribs. I really like these anyways so I was actually pretty excited to make them. Since I had to buy a few extra short ribs due to how they were packaged I decided to invite some friends to help me eat it all. I don't think they minded the free and good food haha.

Short ribs tend to shrink during cooking so make sure you have about 2 ribs per person and 3 if people are really hungry. You can also do a whole lot of side dishes to stretch the meat. You could make this dish in a slow cooker by doing steps 1-3 in a pan and then transferring everything to the slow cooker. I suggest this way you can have a delicious meal right when you come home for work.

Ingredients:
6 Short Ribs (trimmed)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 onion, large chop
3 carrots, peeled and largely chopped
3 stalks of celery, large chop
1 28 oz can of san marzano tomatoes (diced if you can find them)
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cup beef stock

Mashed Potatoes:
4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (or any cheese or your choice)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
milk and butter

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil in the bottom of a large, oven proof pot and heat over medium high. Season short ribs with the spices of your choice and salt and pepper. Place short ribs in to brown and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Leave the short ribs alone while cooking on one side so it forms a nice crust. Turn meat and continue to cook until all sides are browned up. Remove ribs and set aside

2. While meat is browning, roughly chop all the vegetables. Once meat is finished add veggies to the hot pan and season with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat until veggies start to soften, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the canned tomatoes and cook another minute. Then add the wine and beef stock. Allow everything to come to a simmer then add the short ribs back to the pan. Make sure they are completely covered with liquid. Place in preheated oven for about 2 hours or short ribs are tender.

4. When ribs get close to being finished go ahead and make any side dishes. I decided to make some decked out mashed potatoes. Peel the yukon potatoes, cut into small chunks, and place into cold water. Allow the water to come to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender.

5. Drain the potatoes and mash with the cheese, a little butter and a splash of milk. Add more milk for consistency if needed. Once everything is mashed up together add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the fresh basil.

6. Once ribs are tender, remove them from pan and set aside. Pour the rest of the veggies and liquid into a blender and mix. If you want a thinner sauce add water, if you want a thicker sauce add more veggies. Place ribs on a platter and spoon some of the sauce on top. Place on a table with all the other side dishes and enjoy!!!

Stuffed Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce

I was chilling with some buddies for the afternoon and we decided to make this dish. Luckily for me, my friends were able to finish it for me with some directions because I wasn't feeling too well. They did a great job and it tasted wonderful! This dish takes about an hour to make but the good news is you can prepare everything and put it all together than freeze the dish. Then bake it frozen and enjoy it as a quick dinner after a long day.

First make the Arrabiata Sauce:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 strips of bacon, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dry oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Now it's time to make the filling for the pasta and par-cook the noodles

Ingredients:
1 box of Manicotti noodles or some kind of large shell or any shape pasta that can be stuffed
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon red chili flake
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry thyme
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella, extra for sprinkling on top
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
Parmesan for sprinkling on top

1. Place a large pan of water onto the stove, cover and allow to come to a boil.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add a drizzle of olive oil and then add ground beef. Season with the first set of spices above. Stir and allow to brown for about 10 minutes. Then set aside and cool

3. While meat cooks, make the rest of the filling by combining the cheeses, egg, basil, and spices to a bowl. Stir well to combine. Once meat has cooled down a bit add meat to cheese mixture and mix well.

4. Once water is boiling drop in a few of the noodles. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes so there are flexible but not finished. Place them on a sheet pan covered with olive oil so noodles don't stick. Do this for the rest of the noodles

Putting it all together:

1. If making these now preheat oven to 400 degrees. You can put everything together and then cover the dish well and freeze. Then bake the frozen noodles at 400 degrees for an hour.

2. Take a glass or ceramic baking dish (13 x 9) and butter dish well so noodles don't stick later

3. Take a noodle and gently fill it with the cheese mixture. You can use a spoon, your hands, or put the filling in a plastic bag and cut off the corner so it's like a pastry bag. (make sure cut on bag is same size as noodle hole)

4. Place a small amount on bottom of casserole dish so it covers everywhere with a thin layer. Then place filled noodles on top in an even, single layer.

5. Once all the noodles are filled and in the dish, pour the rest of the sauce on top. Make sure to cover all the noodles with sauce or they will come out dry. Top with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese

6. Bake the whole thing for 20 minutes. Feel free to make garlic bread or some kind of meat or veggie dish to go along with this but the dish itself really is a meal all in one.

Remaking Favorites

I've had some people over lately and instead of creating new dishes, I've been making things I know will please a crowd and please me! haha. I made the tri-tip and venison chili again (both of these recipes are on here) The only difference I did was making it for more people and plating it differenty so I wanted to share how it all looks. Now that summer has started, hopefully I'll have more time to blog again. Look back here soon for some updates.