Bacon, Egg and Hash Brown Cups

 

Bacon, Egg and Hash Brown Cups

(12 cups)

Ingredients:

12 slices Thick Bacon, halved crosswise

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

3 cups Shredded Hash Browns, frozen

½ cup Onion, diced

½ cup Green pepper, diced

½ Red Pepper, diced

5 large Fresh Eggs

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Pepper

1 cup Cheese, your choice, shredded

Directions:

Place 2 pieces of bacon in a crossed position in each of the 12 muffin holes of a 12-muffin pan.  Make sure the bacon ends extend over the edges of muffin hole.  Place in a pre-heated 375-degree oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until bacon is crisp.  Remove from oven and dab with paper towels to remove excess grease.  While bacon is cooking, warm a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil and when ready, add hash browns, onion, and both peppers.  Cook for 5-7 minutes or until hash browns begin to brown and vegetables have softened.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs, salt and pepper until well whisked.  Now divide the hash brown mixture evenly over the bacon.  Do the same with the egg mixture.  Place in a pre-heated 375-degree oven and cook for 12-14 minutes.  Remove and evenly distribute the cheese on all 12 muffin holes.  Return to oven and continue cooking 3-5 minutes or until cheese has melted and eggs are set.  Once removed from oven, let sit for 5 minutes and then remove from muffin pan and serve.

Notes:              You can do these ahead of time and just microwave them as needed.  They freeze well too.  Thaw overnight before warming them up to eat.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Sausage-Egg Bake

 

Sausage-Egg Bake

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

4 cups Croutons, your choice in flavor

4 cups Shape Cheddar Cheese, shredded, divided

24 oz. Pork Sausage

6 large Fresh Eggs, lightly beaten

3¾ cups Milk, divided

1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Mustard Powder

1½ cans (10 ½ oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 lb. Shredded Hash Browns, frozen

Directions:

Spray, butter or grease a 9X13 baking dish and evenly spread croutons in it.  Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the croutons.  Set aside.  In a skillet, cook sausage until done, breaking it up as it cooks.  Drain and spread evenly over in baking dish.  Whisk eggs, 3 cups of milk, pepper and mustard powder together.  Carefully pour over sausage in baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, remove baking dish from refrigerator and let rest 30 minutes.  In a bowl, combine the soup and remaining milk.  Pour carefully over baking dish mixture.  Now evenly spread the hash browns over the soup.  Then sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese over the hash browns.  Place in a pre-heated 300-degree oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes covered.  Remove cover, increase heat to 400-degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Remove and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Notes:              If you are more into bacon than sausage, cook 1-2 pounds of it, crumble and use instead of the sausage.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Breakfast Ideas for the Holidays

 This year with Christmas and New Year’s being on a Friday, we have two long holiday weekends.  With breakfast and/or brunch being popular during the holidays, this week’s recipes cater to that notion.

On Wednesday, we have Sausage-Egg Bake” for you to give a try.  Then we have “Bacon, Egg and Hash Brown Cups” on Thursday.

Both recipes use shredded hash browns from the frozen state.  Remember you can also change up the recipes to fit your taste desires too.  Such as switching out sausage for bacon in that Wednesday recipe.

These recipes are delicious anytime of the year.  Not just at holiday time.

Well until next time, “Happy Holiday Season” and “Happy Cooking” too.  Also, don’t forget to spread holiday cheer and the link for this blog site.  Thanks.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans and Cranberries

 

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans and Cranberries

(8 servings)

Ingredients:

1½ lb. Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved

4 tbsp. Olive Oil

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

8 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped

2 cups Whole Pecans (see note)

1 cup Dried Cranberries (see note)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine halved Brussels Sprouts, oil and salt.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet cut side down.  Place in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes.  Turn them over with about 10 minutes to go.  The cut sides should be charred but not blackened.  In a large bowl, combine the roasted Brussels Sprouts, warm bacon, toasted pecans and soaked dried cranberries.  Toss everything together adding a tbsp. of olive oil if needed to help coat mixture.  Serve immediately.

Notes:              To toast the pecans, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add pecans in a single layer and place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until they have darkened a little in color.

Notes:              To soak the dried cranberries, place them in a medium bowl.  Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Pour the hot water over the cranberries and let soak about 10 minutes.  Drain cranberries and add to the mix.

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Sweet Potato Casserole II

 

Sweet Potato Casserole II

(6-9 servings)

Ingredients:

3 cups Mashed Cooked Sweet Potatoes

¾ cup Sugar

½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

2 large Fresh Eggs, beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/3 cup Evaporated Milk

Topping:

½ cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup All-Purpose Flour

2½ tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted

¾ cup Pecans, chopped

Directions:

Combine potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk.  Mix well and pour into a 2-quart (8X8) sprayed baking dish.  Now combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the potato mixture.  Place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Notes:              You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate 2-3 days.  Just pull it out 30 minutes before placing in oven.

Notes:              This recipe can easily be doubled.  Just put it in a 9X13 baking dish.

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Holiday Side Dishes

 These December year ending holidays are loads of fun.  It seems turkey, ham and prime rib get all the glory as we determine menus for each holiday.

But I believe that it’s the side dishes we serve that really make the day or meal.

Everyone has their favorite side dishes.  Those that family tradition dictates.  New creations with seasonal foods.  All of these are great.

This week, there are more to add to the list.

On Wednesday, try an excellent “Sweet Potato Casserole” that you’re going to want to make more often than just holidays.

Follow that up on Thursday with a great vegetable dish of “Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans and Cranberries” for a delicious side dish.

I believe you will find both recipes this week a must serve for your future meals.

“Happy Cooking” until next time and enjoy all the holiday festivities too.  Please help share this link with others.  Thanks in advance.

Oven-Baked Risotto (GF)

 

Oven Baked Risotto (GF)

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

¾ cup Onion, chopped

2 cups Arborio Rice

1 cup Dry White Wine

5 cups Chicken Broth

1¼ cups Parmesan Cheese, grated

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cut up

2 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped

to taste Salt and Pepper

1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Warm oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté about 3 minutes or until softened.  Now add rice and cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until rice is golden.  Add wine off heat and after returning to heat, cook and stir until liquid has evaporated.  Next add chicken broth, stir to combine and bring to a simmer.  Cover with lid and place in a pre-heated 375-degree oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until rice is al dente.  Remove mixture from oven.  Move oven rack to upper third of oven and pre-heat broiler on high.  To the mixture, stir in Parmesan cheese, butter and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Gently stir in two-thirds of tomatoes.  Then top mixture with remaining tomatoes.  Place under broiler for about 3 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly softened.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil if you so desire and serve. 

Notes:              This makes a great side dish.  But by adding some cooked rotisserie chicken (about one pound) you could make it a great entrée dish.  Chop up chicken and add when you add the chicken broth.

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Mushroom Risotto (GF)

 

Mushroom Risotto (GF)

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

5-6 cups Chicken Broth

1 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 large Leek, rinsed, drained and chopped

12 oz. Fresh Mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

2 tbsp. Dried Porcini Mushrooms, chopped

1½ cups Arborio Rice

½ cup Dry White Wine

1 tsp. Salt

5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated (freshly in possible)

2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, warm chicken broth and keep warm.  In a 3-quart sauce pan over medium heat, warm oil and butter (1 tbsp.).  Add leeks and cook 5-7 minutes.  Then add mushrooms and continue to cook until soft (another 5-7 minutes).  Pour in wine and cook until mostly evaporated.  Next add rice and cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes.  This is to ensure that all the rice is coated with the oil/butter mixture.  Pour one cup of broth and the salt in pan and stir in a gentle simmer until broth is absorbed.  Do not let it boil.  Add another cup of broth and repeat the process until rice is tender but still slightly firm.  Taste to see if rice is done.  After last cup of broth has been added and absorbed, remove from the heat.  Now stir in the 5 tbsp. of butter and the Parmesan cheese.  Continue stirring until rice is a nice creamy consistency.  Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the parsley and a little more Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes:              You could use onion in place of the leeks if needed.

Notes:              Remember to make sure all your ingredients are gluten-free.

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Gluten-Free Risottos

If you haven’t tried a “Risotto” before, you’re missing out on a great dish.  It can be used as an entrée or side dish, which makes it very flexible.

Risotto is an Italian way of cooking rice.  But it does require using a particular type of rice.  The main and best one to use is “Arborio” rice.

The process for cooking risotto rice is different from cooking any other rice.  With most rice cooking you put combine water and rice, bring it to a boil, cover with a lid and turn down heat to a simmer and let it go about 25 minutes.

The Italian way with risotto, you brown the rice a little before adding liquid.  But you don’t add all the liquid at once.  You usually add a cup at a time.  Once that liquid is absorbed, you add another cup and repeat the process until you have added all the required liquid.

You don’t normally use water for the liquid.  Recipes usually call for chicken or vegetable broth.  They also call for white wine to be used before you start with the broth.

So give our two recipes this week a try.  Wednesday’s choice is “Mushroom Risotto (GF)” and is your traditional risotto.  Thursday’s recipe uses a different method when you try “Oven Baked Risotto (GF)” using the oven and broiler.

Hope you enjoy both of these recipes and until next time, “Happy Cooking” and please share with others.  Thanks.

Taco Tot Casserole

 

Taco Tot Casserole

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

2 lb. Ground Chuck

6 tbsp. Taco Seasoning, divided

2 cups Onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz.) Black Beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups Mexican Blend Cheese, shredded

2 lb. Tater Tots

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground chuck and onion with 4 tbsp. of taco seasoning.  When meat is no longer pink, add the beans and stir to combine and heat through.  Spread the mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top evenly with the cheese.  In a medium bowl, place tater tots and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Toss now with remaining taco seasoning.  Place these tots on top of the cheese to cover the entire dish.  Put in a pre-heated oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until tater tots are crispy.  Serve with your usual taco toppings like sour cream, diced tomatoes, cubed avocado and salsa.

Notes:              To make this dish a little healthier, you could use ground chicken or turkey instead of the ground chuck.

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Tater Tot Casserole #2

 

Tater Tot Casserole #2

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

2 lb. Ground Chuck

½ cup Onion, chopped

2 lb. Tater Tots

1 pt. Sour Cream

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1½ soup cans Milk

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

1 lb. Velveeta Cheese

2 cups Ritz Crackers, crushed (see note)

½ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground chuck and onion until no longer pink.  Drain and set aside.  In a greased 9x13 baking dish, arrange tater tots across the bottom.  In a medium bowl, mix sour cream, soup, milk, salt and pepper.  Pour this mixture over the tater tots and smooth out covering all the tots.  Slice Velveeta cheese and place over soup mixture.  Now spread meat mixture over the cheese.  In a small bowl, mix Ritz crackers with the melted butter.  Sprinkle this over the meat evenly.  Place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.  Let set 15 minutes before serving.

Notes:              You could also use crushed corn flakes instead of the Ritz crackers in this dish.

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Tater Tot Casseroles

 Continuing with cold weather foods, tater tot casseroles are another big hit in the winter.  In Minnesota, instead of casserole, these dishes are called a “Hot Dish” and it can be confusing the first time you’re asked to bring one to a get together.

I already have a tater tot casserole on the blog, so Wednesday’s dish is called “Tater Tot Casserole #2” so you know the difference.

Thursday we have “Taco Tot Casserole” for a little different flavor.

There are many tater tot casserole recipes out there.  So if you like these and want to try more, just check the web.

So until next time, “Happy Cooking” and help me spread these recipes to others.  Thanks.

Paste e Faggioli Soup (Slow Cooker)

 

Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Slow Cooker)

(10-12 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

2 whole Carrots, diced

4 stalks Celery, diced

1 medium Onion, diced

28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

2 cans (14.5 oz.) Beef Broth

2 Whole Bay Leaves

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Dried Basil

½ tsp. Dried Thyme

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

1 can (15 oz.) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz.) Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup Ditalini Pasta, uncooked

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and add ground beef.  Cook until browned and no longer pink.  Place beef in a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients except for the beans and pasta.  Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (3 to 4 hours on high).  At 30 minutes before serving, add the beans and pasta to the slow cooker and mix to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Discard bay leaves and serve.

Notes:              For a slightly different taste, try using Italian sausage (sweet or hot, your choice).  Remove from casting if not using balk and cook breaking it up as you go.  Then just follow the recipe.

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Beef Stroganoff Soup

 

Beef Stroganoff Soup

(6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 lb. Beef Sirloin, cut into thin strips

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

8 cups Beef Broth

4 oz. Egg Noodles

½ cup Sour Cream

1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil and butter.  Add the sirloin strips and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until meat is slightly browned (about 5 minutes).  Using a slotted spoon transfer the meat to a plate.  Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, stir and sauté until vegetables soften (about 3 minutes).  Next add the Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika and beef broth.  Stir everything together, bring to a boil then add the beef back to the pot.  Stir in noodles and cook for about 8 minutes or until noodles are cooked to your liking.  In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream together with about ½ cup of the hot soup. Then pour back into th e pot and stir.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.  Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes:              This soup can be made Gluten-Free by using a GF pasta in place of the egg noodles.

Notes:              You can freeze this soup too.  Just leave out the noodles until you thaw and heat soup back up.  Then just bring to a boil, add noodles and cook until they are done.

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Some Different Fall Soups

 

With fall and winter seasons ahead of us, soups make for a great meal with some good bread.  This week we have two soup recipes that will warm your hearts as well as your tummies.

 

The first on Wednesday is taking a traditional comfort dinner and making it a soup.  It’s “Beef Stroganoff Soup” and it freezes well too.  The recipe can be easily doubled to do that.

 

Then on Thursday, we have an Italian soup that tastes great but you don’t see it offered in too many places.  It’s “Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup” and as the name implies, it’s done in a slow cooker.

 

If you want to freeze this soup, don’t add the beans and pasta until you are reheating it to serve.

 

Enjoy these and other soup recipes on the blog all fall and winter.  “Happy Cooking” until next time and please share the link.  Thanks.

Scallops with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

 

Scallops with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

Scallops:

16 large Sea Scallops (see note)

¼ cup Olive Oil

as needed Salt and Pepper

¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

2 cups Hot Cooked Rice

Chili-Lime Cream Sauce:

¼ cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

¼ cup White Wine

1 tbsp. Fresh Ginger, minced

1 large Shallot, chopped

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

2 tbsp. Asian Sweet Chili Sauce

6 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

as needed Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine oil, salt and pepper to taste, red pepper flakes and garlic.  Add scallops, toss to combine and marinate for 30 minutes.  In a medium sauce pan over high heat, combine lime juice, wine, ginger and shallot.  Cook until reduced by half (about 3 minutes).  Add cream, lower heat to medium and cook until reduced by half (about 3 minutes).  Remove from heat, stir in chili sauce.  Whisk in butter, 1 tbsp. at a time.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  On a pre-heated medium-high grill, cook scallops until opaque throughout (about 1-2 minutes per side).  Serve scallops over the rice and topped with the sauce.

Notes:              This will be about a pound of Scallops.  You want them to be about 1¼ inches wide, give or take a little.  After soaking them in the marinade you made for 30 minutes, place them on a paper towel lined pan.  Top with more paper towels to remove as much surface moisture as possible.  This gives you the best results for grilling them.

Note:               You could also grill asparagus for this meal.  Place asparagus over rice, top asparagus with the scallops and then top with the sauce.

Note:               You could also cook the scallops on the stove.  In a 12-inch sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until oil ripples and just starts to smoke.  Sprinkle scallops with salt on both sides and place in the hot pan without crowding.  Gently press scallops with a spatula to make direct contact with the pan.  Sear scallops without moving them, continuing to cook until bottoms are a rich golden brown (about 3 minutes).  Add a tbsp. of butter to pan and turn scallops over and cook on second side.  Use a spoon to baste the scallops with the butter, tilting the pan to collect the butter as needed.  When scallops are opaque in color and firm to the touch (about 1-2 minutes), turn off heat and transfer to a plate

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce

 

Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Kosher Salt plus more for seasoning

1 cup Hot Water

4 cups Ice Water

16 large Sea Scallops (see note)

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 tbsp. Fresh Garlic, minced

½ cup White Wine

1 cup Chicken Broth

1 tsp. Lemon Zest

2 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tbsp. Capers, rinsed

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

as needed Black Pepper

1 tbsp. Fresh Dill, chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Chives, chopped

1 large Lemon, cut into 8 wedges

2 cups Hot cooked Rice

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine salt and hot water.  Stir to dissolve the salt.  Add the ice water to cool the brine.  Add scallops to the brine and let stand for 10 minutes.  Drain scallops and place on paper towels (see first note below).  Allow scallops to rest 10 minutes at room temperature before starting to cook.  In a 12-inch sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until oil ripples and just starts to smoke.  Sprinkle scallops with salt on both sides and place in the hot pan without crowding.  Gently press scallops with a spatula to make direct contact with the pan.  Sear scallops without moving them, continuing to cook until bottoms are a rich golden brown (about 3 minutes).  Add butter to pan and turn scallops over and cook on second side.  Use a spoon to baste the scallops with the butter, tilting the pan to collect the butter as needed.  When scallops are opaque in color and firm to the touch (about 1-2 minutes), turn off heat and transfer to a plate.  In the same pan over medium heat, add the garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant.  Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, stirring as needed until wine is reduced by half (about 3 minutes).  Turn heat up to high and add the chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and capers to the pan.  Cook until sauce is reduced by half (about 8-10 minutes).  Turn off heat and whisk in the mustard.  Return heat to medium and add scallops back to pan, cook until warm (about 2 minutes).  Taste sauce and adjust seasoning, in needed, with salt and pepper.  Garnish scallops with chopped dill and chives.  Serve immediately over rice with the lemon wedges.

Notes:              This will be about a pound of Scallops.  You want them to be about 1¼ inches wide, give or take a little.  After soaking them in the brine you made, place them on a paper towel lined pan.  Top with more paper towels to remove as much surface moisture as possible.  This gives you the best results for browning them.

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Let's Try Scallops

For those of you that are not allergic to shell fish, I have a couple of recipes for scallops this week.

There are two types of scallops out there.  There are sea scallops and bay scallops.  We’re talking about sea scallops today.  They are the larger of the two and vary in size but run around an inch to an inch and a half in diameter.

Bay scallops are much smaller and are usually less than a half inch in diameter.

Both are delicious but are used in different recipes.

So for tomorrow’s recipe, we have “Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce” for you to try.  Then on Thursday, it’s “Scallops with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce” for your liking.

Both recipes call for serving over rice, but you could use pasta as well.

If you have never tried scallops, you really are missing out on a wonderful opportunity.  Talk to your local grocery store to get more information about both types of scallops and what all you can do with them.

Until next time, “Happy Cooking” and please help share the link here with family and friends.  Thanks.

Carrots with Maple and Cider Vinegar (GF)

 

Carrots with Maple and Cider Vinegar (GF)

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup Water

3 tbsp. Butter

½ tsp. Dried Thyme

½ tsp. Salt

2 lb. Carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 -inch thick on a diagonal

1 tbsp. Maple Syrup

1 tbsp. Cider Vinegar

to taste Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, bring the water, butter, thyme and salt to a boil.  Stir in carrots, the cover and cook until tender to a knife pierce (about 10 minutes).  Stir once about halfway through.  Uncover and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until carrots begin to sizzle (about 5 minutes).  Off heat, stir in maple syrup and vinegar.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Notes:              You could use a large sauté pan that has a lid in place of Dutch oven.  You want the carrots to be able to spread out to cook evenly.  So be careful slicing the carrots, as you want them to be very uniform for this dish.

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Honey Butter Skillet Corn (GF)

Honey Butter Skillet Corn (GF)

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

3 tbsp. Honey

1 lb. Frozen Corn

2 oz. Cream Cheese, cut into chunks

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

Directions:

In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and honey.  Once melted, add frozen corn and cook 5-8 minutes stirring as needed.  Add cream cheese, salt and pepper and continue cooking 4-6 minutes.  Once the mixture is smooth, creamy and heated through, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Serve at once.

Notes:              During fresh corn season, cut corn off cob and use it instead of the frozen corn.

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Gluten-Free Veggies this Week

 It’s the week I offer gluten-free recipes.  We’re looking at vegetable recipes.  Vegetables are gluten-free themselves.  But depending how they are prepared, gluten may be added.

This week’s two veggie recipes are very simple but offer great flavor.  Because of that, anyone eating either of these dishes will be well satisfied.

“Honey Butter Skillet Corn (GF)” is the one we start with on Wednesday.  Then try “Carrots with Maple and Cider Vinegar (GF)” on Thursday.

The recipes are easily double for larger crowds.  They’re good enough to add to your holiday menus too.

“Happy Cooking” until next time and please share this link with everyone you know.  Thanks.

Marinated Flank Steak

 

Marinated Flank Steak

(8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 (1½ - 2 lb.) Beef Flank Steak

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar, packed

2 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

5 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1½ tsp. Kosher Salt

1½ tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

3 sprigs Fresh Thyme or Oregano

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

Directions:

Trim fat from steak, if any.  Score both sides of steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-in. intervals.  Place steak in a large resealable plastic bag in a shallow dish.  In a medium bowl, combine oil, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper.  Pour mixture over steak in the bag.  Add herb sprigs and seal bag.  Turn to coat and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.  Pre-heat grill to medium and oil grates.  Remove steak from refrigerator and let stand 20 minutes before removing from bag.  Blot steak dry with paper towels before placing on grill.  Transfer marinade to a sauce pan.  Grill 12 to 15 minutes, turning once about halfway through.  This should give you a medium-rare finish.  Time may vary because of grill heat or thickness of steak.  The time above should give you a medium-rare finish.  Let steak rest 5-10 minutes tented under foil before slicing (see note).  While steak is resting, bring marinade to a boil.  Stir in the butter until melted.  After slicing steak, drizzle marinade over slices and serve.

Notes:              Flank steak’s grain basically runs the length of the piece.  So you want to slice it against the grain thinly on a bias.  Not straight up and down.  Start slicing at the thin end and work your way to the thicker end.

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