With a barbecue wok you can take this beef stir-fry recipe outside to the grill.

• ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp salad dressing
• 2 tsp Asian chili sauce
• 1 lb Beef Grilling Steak (e.g. Rib, Top Sirloin or Strip Loin), trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick strips
• 4 cups mixed stir-fry vegetables (e.g. snow peas, slivered sweet yellow pepper, red onion and carrot)

1. Combine hoisin sauce, salad dressing and chili sauce. Toss 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the sauce mixture with beef strips. For even more flavour, marinate meat in the sauce for an hour or two.
2. Preheat barbecue to medium-high. Coat inside of barbecue wok with cooking spray. Place on the grill and close lid; heat for 5 minutes. Add beef strips to wok and cook over high heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables and cook with the lid closed, for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer to a large serving platter or bowl; toss with remaining sauce. Serve with cooked vermicelli-style noodles.

From The Cooking Blog.

• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 ½ lb Beef Grilling Steak or Medallions (e.g. Rib Eye, Top Sirloin or Strip Loin), 1-inch thick
• Garlic Smashed Potatoes (recipe below)

1. Combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger in large sealable freezer bag. Pierce steak all over with fork; add to bag and marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Discard marinade. Pat steak dry with paper towel.Grill or broil using medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes per side for medium doneness.
3. Let stand for 5 minutes; slice thinly across the grain to serve.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes: Boil scrubbed 3-inch (7.5 cm) new potatoes until just tender. Drain and cool slightly. Flatten each potato slightly with your hand, keeping potatoes intact. Brush generously with your favourite salad dressing and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 3 minutes per side, until crispy and browned.

From The Cooking Blog.

One of the great things about going on vacation is I get to hang out with my friends, and sometimes meet their friends, who sometimes have OMG-this-is-so-GOOD dishes that they bring over. This tomato pie recipe is a result of one of these encounters. The first time I heard of it (”tomato pie”, hmm, oooookaaaay) my brain suffered a little cognitive dissonance (never heard those two words, tomato and pie, joined at the hip like that before). Seconds after taking a bite however, I was begging for the recipe. Many thanks to Diane Connolly (aka Lady Di) who graciously wrote it out on some post-it notes for me at the dinner table. It is the first thing I cooked when I got back home. Think pizza meets cheesy bread and they make-out in a pie crust. The recipe lends itself to estimates. Handfuls of this, handfuls of that. I measured, but you could eyeball it and it would still work out. Feel free to change the cheeses around, play with the spices. I made a homemade pie crust, but for this recipe a good quality prepared crust would work fine.

Continue reading “Tomato Pie” »

From Simply Recipes.

Porkchops with Mushroom Bourbon Cream Sauce

Watch out. This mushroom bourbon cream sauce is so addictive, you’ll want to eat it by the cupfuls. Mushrooms and onions browned, then cooked in wine reduction, then a reduction of stock and Bourbon, then cream. Basil is added at the very end. Oo la la. This recipe is from my father’s recipe collection (cut out from magazines – can’t tell which one this is from). We’ve made it a few times. The one thing you might have trouble with is getting the sauce to thicken. It takes a strong boil to reduce all of that liquid, but it’s worth it.

Continue reading “Porkchops with Mushroom Bourbon Cream Sauce” »

From Simply Recipes.

Salmon Pasta Salad

• 15-1/2 oz canned salmon
• 8 oz macaroni
• 2 cups cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese cut into this strips
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Lemon Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp lemon peel, grated
• Pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to packet instructions. Drain, rinse and cool.

Drain and flake salmon and place into large serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss.

Blend together all ingredients for the lemon dressing.

Add the lemon dressing to the salmon pasta, toss well and enjoy.

• 6 chicken pieces (about 2lbs)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, tarragon etc)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/3 cup warm water

Preheat the oven to 375°Fahrenheit.

In a little dish, combine the flour, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces and wash them thoroughly under cold water. Pat them dry with paper towels.

Grease a shallow baking dish and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle the herb flour over the chicken with a small sieve. Add 1/3 cup of warm water to the side of the baking dish, don’t pour it over the chicken.

Bake in the oven uncovered for about 40 to 50 minutes or until the chicken is done and no longer pink inside. For extra tasty and brown chicken, baste the chicken pieces once in a while with the liquid from the pan. If needed, add more warm water for basting.

Enjoy with rice and a tomato salad!

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
• 1 tbsp parsley, minced

Heat up your grill.

Shape your ground beef into 4 hamburger patties and set aside.

Place the peppercorns on a large piece of foil or waxed paper. With a heavy object (bottom of pan) crush and crack peppercorns coarsely. Spread the cracked peppercorns evenly on the paper and place the four patties on top of them. Press down so that the peppercorns stick to the meat and turn around. Repeat until all peppercorns are used up. Put the peppercorn patties onto the BBQ.

In the meantime, heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the green onions and wine vinegar. Cook over medium heat until green onions are just done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt/sour cream and parsley.

Spoon the sauce over the burger and enjoy.

Fried Rice with Chicken

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked long grain rice
8 oz chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Dash of sunflower oil
2 tsp peanut oil
1 red pepper, diced
6 green onion, thinly chopped
¾ cup frozen peas
¾ cup cooked corn kernels
2 tbsp soy sauce
½ cup bean sprouts

In a large wok, heat oil and pour in lightly beaten eggs until set. Slide eggs on a plate and cut into thin slices.

Add peanut oil, green onions and pepper to the wok and quickly stir fry ingredients until soft. Add chicken pieces, rice, corn and peas and cook until hot. Mix in the soy sauce and bean sprouts and stir fry quickly, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sliced egg.

Vegetable Meat Loaf Square

Ingredients:

1 slice bacon, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/2 cup French bread, cubed
1 pound lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 oz) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes or until browned.  Remove bacon to a paper towel. Using the bacon drippings cook the tomato, carrot, celery and onion, covered for 6 minutes or until tender.  Stir the bacon back into the skillet.  Place the bread in a bowl.  Place just enough water in the bowl with the bread to cover.  Allow the bread to stand in the water 5 minutes.  Drain the water and squeeze the excess water out of the bread cubes.
Place the bread back into the bowl.  Add the ground beef, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to the bread.  Mix the ingredients together with you hands.  Form a square loaf when the ingredients have been mixed together.  Place the loaf in a square baking dish.  Form a well in the middle of the loaf.  Place the cooked vegetables into the well.  Sprinkle in the mozzarella cheese.  Form the loaf back over the top of the vegetables.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 50 minutes.  Remove and let the meat loaf stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Serves 4

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes and juice
1 (7 ounce) container sun dried tomato pesto
2 eggs
2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 (14 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (8 ounce) package Italian cheese blend, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oven ready lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Pour the oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil has is hot but not smoking add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking 1 minute garlic should be fragrant. Pour in the tomatoes and use the back of a spoon to crush being sure to leave chunks in the sauce. Place the heat on low and cook 3 minutes. Add the pesto and stir well. Remove the skillet from the heat. Beat the eggs slightly in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, spinach and 1/2 of the cheese blend. Stir well. Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and continue stirring until completely combined. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with sauce. Lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Cover with sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times ending with sauce on the top. Bring the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining Italian cheese blend. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking 30 minutes or until bubbly. Allow lasagna to stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8