French Onion Steak Soup

Well here we are in the mid-week slump but at least the rain has finally let up some in PDX, it feels like a breath of fresh air.  It will be nice to get out of town this weekend and maybe away from the rain.  We are headed up to Hood River to visit my grandma, make her a delicious dinner, and relax.  Then on Sunday it is the premiere of the new X-Files which I am beyond excited for as it was one of my favorite shows when I was younger.  I've even invited a group of friends over to watch it and munch on yummy appetizers.  Today is national cheese lover's day so this recipe is perfect for you to make tonight!  And yes I have found yet another french onion style meal to make and trust me you will really enjoy it.  I adapted this recipe and also got so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture.  So the photo credit goes to the original blogger Christie, and I made this gluten free so I didn't use any bread.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 lb. steak
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 cup Belgian brown ale
1 cup beef broth
1 cup beef consomme
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp. kosher salt, to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
8 slices of Swiss cheese (two per bowl)


The Process
1.  Trim the steak to remove the fat rind and any visible cartilage. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Toss with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the steak and brown for about 5-6 minutes.

2.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook 2-3 minutes to make a roux.

3.  Add the beer and de-glaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth, beef consomme, thyme, bay leaf and salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. (The longer it cooks, the more tender the steak will be).

4.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Ladle into a ramekin or oven-safe soup dish. Top with two slices of Swiss cheese for each bowl.

5.  Place the bowls on a pan and heat in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts and browns. If you have soup bowls that can withstand 500 degrees, you can place them under the broiler to melt the cheese faster.

Crustless Caprese Quiche

Well our all day home buying class we super informational and I feel like I have a much better handle on everything that goes into buying a house now.  I feel lucky because we have a lot of knowledgeable friends and family that can help us with this process and fixing the house up to be just the way we want it.  It was kind of nice being in that class all day because it has not stopped raining since last week it feels like and this weekend was no exception.  To help beat the rain Sunday I hung out with my two best friends and we made a fabulous brunch and talked all about life, it was just what I needed to help me decompress from the busy week.  Work has been pretty chaotic with our approaching conference, I leave for New Orleans in a little over a week and I sure don't feel prepared yet but I guess that is what this entire week is for.  Let's talk food, we made this recipe for our Sunday brunch and it was so healthy and delicious.  We paired it with my infamous garlic tahini kale salad.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-5

The Ingredients
½ of a small yellow onion, chopped (approximately ¼ cup)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large Roma tomatoes, one with the seeds completely removed and chopped, the other sliced to desired thickness
⅓ cup packed fresh basil, chopped
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded
4 large eggs
2 large egg white
¾ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper


The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8" or 9" pie plate with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2.  Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic (and a pinch of salt and black pepper) and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender. Spoon onion and garlic into a medium bowl and allow to cool.

3.  Slice one of your tomatoes in half and scoop out as many of the seeds as you can (to prevent quiche from getting soggy). After seeds are removed, chop tomato and add to onion/garlic mixture.
Pack washed basil leaves into ⅓ cup measuring cup, then chop to desired size (I chopped mine quite small). Add chopped basil to onion/garlic and tomato mixture and stir well. Spoon this mixture into the bottom of your pie plate and spread into an even layer. Top with mozzarella and set aside.

4.  In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly on top of cheese layer. Lay tomato slices gently on top of egg mixture (overlapping slices is fine). It is ok if egg mixture comes up over tomato slices. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on top of tomato layer.

5.  Bake for 50 minutes or until filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving.

French Mushroom Soup

Well we made it back alive from our across the world adventure and boy was it a blast!  I don't even know where to start, perhaps I'll just do one story per post.  Let's start in Iceland (the beginning of our trip) this is where we went to the restaurant Dill and it was unbelievably amazing food.  We had 7 courses with wine pairings, as to not overwhelm you with pictures here are 3 courses we had: salted cod with parsnip, apple, and fried cod cream; and cabbage with roe and lamb sausage; tomato variations with buttermilk and yarrow (pictured below).  The atmosphere was wonderful with some folky music in the background and a calm and soothing feel in the air.  The staff were all very nice and professional as well.  Going to this restaurant was definitely one of the major highlights of our trip, it was such a romantic night and Michael actually loved the fish!  As I have mentioned before he is not a very adventurous eater so I am very happy he liked all the things he ate.  The other courses we ate (not pictured) were: carrot with smoked mayo and sol; kale with sour cream, fried onions and cheese; black radish with cream cheese and millet; beet root liver and roasted yeast; dried catfish burnt butter dill; reindeer tartar; sourdough and lamb fat butter; arctic char with butter and birch, mushrooms and fresh cheese; braised beef cheeks with wild mushrooms, new potato, and arctic thyme; burnt cake with currants and whey; and blueberry and cream, juniper and skyr.  I felt so spoiled!  Once we got back to Portland (1 week ago today) it felt like fall so I immediately wanted to make a soup.  I adapted this recipe and pretended like we were still in France.  Enjoy!

Serves 5

The Ingredients
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
Pinch of dried thyme
1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms, I used shiitake, cremini, and portobello, trimmed and thinly sliced
Coarse salt
Juice of 1/4 lemon
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
Plain whole yogurt (dollop as a garnish, optional)


The Process
1.  Cook onions in 4 tablespoons butter in a large stockpot over medium heat until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook over low heat for 4 minutes without browning. Add the stock, blending it completely with the flour. Add the parsley and thyme, and simmer for 20 minutes.

2.  In a large skillet, heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the cremini and portobello mushrooms and season with salt. Cook until softened, and then add the shiitake mushrooms. Season with salt and lemon juice and cook until mushrooms are deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.  Reheat stock mixture to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks and cream until blended. While whisking, slowly add a cupful of the hot soup into the cream mixture and add back to the soup and heat to just below a simmer (if the soup simmers, the yolks will curdle). Add the cooked mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Serve garnished with parsley and plain yogurt.

French Beef Stew with Red Wine

So Noraneko was ok, not as good as Boxer Ramen.  They did have excellent kimchee and kara age.  As for OMSI After Dark...all I have to say is if you don't like crowds don't go, we waited in line for 45 minutes just to get in!  Of course I did end up having fun after I started the cider tasting ;)  As I'm sure many of you know today is the NBA draft and I am sitting here at work waiting very impatiently for 4pm to come around.  The Blazers already lost Nic Batum and I am very afraid we are also going to lose LaMarcus Aldridge.  In other news part of No Kid Hungry put together a great resource: summer is when too many kids are hungry.  You can text FOOD to 877-877 to find free summer meals for kids and teens in your community.  I personally tried it to make sure it worked and I was amazed at how quickly it sent me lots of information, what a great tool.  Also did you know that it is national ceviche month?  Andina is celebrating it and I just might have to get down there and try theirs, I LOVE good ceviche.  This adapted recipe is one I made on our beach trip last weekend and while it is amazingly delicious I found the process to be quite odd.  Serve over garlic mashed potatoes!

Serves 8

The Ingredients
3 lb stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (750-ml) bottle Cote du Rhone (I used Shiraz and it was fine)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 orange, washed well and cut into 8 wedges
1 large onion, peeled and cut into rings
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
olive oil
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3 1/2 oz. Kalmata olives


The Process
1.  Season meat with salt and pepper on all sides.  Place meat in a big bowl with wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots, orange, onion, and garlic.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and preferably 24 hours.

2.  Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot.  Remove the meat from the marinade and brown the pieces in the oil on all sides.  Pour the marinade (including the oranges, bay leaves, etc.) over the meat and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, skimming any foam from the surface.

3.  Lower the heat to a simmer, stir in the tomato paste, and add 4 1/2 c. water.  Cover, and let stew on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

4.  15 minutes before the stew is ready, add the pitted olives.  Let cook for 15 minutes on medium heat without the lid to thicken the stew.

5.  Serve over mashed potatoes.

French Onion Steaks

I'm not sure I have ever expressed my love for French onion soup, but it is undeniably delicious.  The fact that I have two different versions of it on my blog may have given you a clue, but this dish is the tipping point and it was amazing.  TGIF!  I am so ready to spend time outside, bbq, swim, do projects around the house, and maybe even go out mushroom hunting!  This evening we are headed out to farm country to hang with two of our good friends, it will be very nice and relaxing to spend time out of the city.  Lately the city life has been getting to me (which is very rare), I've just been feeling the need for space, silence, and some solitude.  It must have something to do with how quickly Portland is expanding, an estimated 700,000 people are predicted to move here over the next 20 years and we are already running out of room :(  Anyway I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and perhaps you will make this delicious recipe that I adapted.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 petite sirloin steaks
4 slices of Swiss cheese
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup warm beef broth
Onion flakes
Garlic powder
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


The Process
1. Rinse beef steak and pat dry. Pat salt, pepper, onion flakes, and garlic flakes evenly onto meat.

2.  In a medium frying pan and heat olive oil over medium heat, when hot add onions.  Let the onions cook for a couple minutes and then add a little salt and the balsamic vinegar.  You are going to continue to cook them for about 15-20 minutes to give them a quick caramelized flavor.

2. While onions are cooking pour olive oil into an 8- to 10-inch ovenproof nonstick frying pan over high heat; tilt to coat pan bottom. When hot, add steak and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Supporting meat with tongs, tip steak onto its edge and rotate to brown lightly, about 2 minutes total.

3. Put pan with steak in a 400° regular or convection oven and bake until meat is done to your taste (cut to test), 8 minutes for rare or about 25 minutes for well done.

4. Turn oven heat to broil. Remove pan and mound caramelized onions onto meat and lay two pieces of Swiss cheese over each steak. Broil in pan about 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven and pour broth around meat, stirring to release browned bits.

5. Then serve on plates but make sure to serve with some of the broth. (Broth not in the picture)

Warm Steak Salad with Browned Butter Mushrooms topped with a Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette

This last weekend was full of fun but exhausting...I need to remember to balance my time better and give myself some time to rest.  Friday evening I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in way too long and had a fun time watching the Blazer game and eating very tasty chicken wings at NePo42.  This is a great place for happy hour and will always have some die hard Blazer fans.  Then Saturday  included brunch with more friends, major house cleaning, and having friends over for a lovely dinner.  And we all know what Sunday consisted of, delicious food and football.  Now if that wasn't enough activity last night (which I could not pass up) my good friend Val brought me to what is known as PlayerPalooza, it is an event for Blazer season ticket holders where they served us dinner, had games to play, gave out free things, all while hanging out with the Blazer players!  We got to see all the players and I have some not so great pictures, but one picture did turn out.  Below is a picture of me with Allen Crabbe.  Speaking of Allen Crabbe if you want a fun Twitter feed to follow check out Crabbe People.  Onto the food, I made adapted this salad and vinaigrette, it turned out delicious.

Serves 2

The Ingredients

For Salad:
12 oz steak (a tender cut)
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz baby bella mushrooms
5 tbsp butter
12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
4 cups fresh baby spinach
additional salt and pepper, if desired

For Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste


The Process

1.  In a container with a tight lid, preferably a glass jar, combine shallot, vinegar and mustard. Close tightly and shake well to mix. Add salt and pepper, and shake again.

2.  Add olive oil 1/3 cup at a time, shaking very well after each addition, until smooth and emulsified. Taste and add more olive oil, 1/4 cup at a time, if dressing is too tart.  Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 weeks. The chilled olive oil will form a lump, so remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before using to allow it to liquefy. Shake well before serving to re-emulsify.

3.  Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper, and grill or broil to desired doneness (medium or medium-rare).  Slice steak thinly across the grain.

4.  In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook until it is just beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sage, and saute until fragrant and sage is crispy, 4 minutes more.

5.  Divide spinach between 2 large plates and arrange sliced steak over top.
Pour mushrooms over each and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour mustard-shallot vinaigrette over salad and serve immediately.

Pan Seared Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce

I am so excited because this weekend we are going to Silver Falls and staying in a lodge with 4 of our friends.  Silver Falls is an amazing and beautiful state park that has a ton of wild life and hiking trails.  There is also the Trail of Ten Falls which I've never hiked and really want to because who doesn't love waterfalls?  As I mentioned last post the cooking situation is not so easy, I think I have come to the conclusion that I am going to make this recipe of Pizza Chili and then just reheat it on the wood stove for dinner.  Today is my Friday and I couldn't be happier, I have been exhausted all week and am ready to relax.  Although tonight I am going to The Portland Kitchen class and meeting staff, kids, and will talk more about what I will be doing as a volunteer.  Onto the recipe, I adapted this recipe and it was so freaking delicious I want to make it again tonight!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

1 1⁄2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin rings and separated

1 lb mushroom, cremini mushrooms, quartered

1⁄2 cup chicken broth

1 cup half-n-half

3 tablespoons avocado oil

3 tablespoons butter

1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)



The Process

1.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and let rest.

2.  In a small skillet, saute onions in the butter until they are golden brown (carmelized).

3.  In a larger skillet with tall sides, heat avocado oil and brown the chicken on both sides, but do not cook through. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

4.  While the pan is still hot, deglaze with the chicken broth, and use a whisk or spatula to loosen all the browned bits.

5.  Add the half-n-half and the balsamic vinegar to the chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes (if desired) Whisk through.

6.  Add the mushrooms to the cream sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Add onions into the sauce.
Place the chicken back into the pan with the sauces, increase heat to medium and saute until chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear.

7.  Remove chicken and add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir until melted through the sauce.

Plate the chicken and top with sauce.

Julia Child's French Onion Soup

I hate to admit it but this is my first time making any of Julia Child's recipes...and that obviously needs to change because I love her and French food.  I have been wanting to make French onion soup for a while now, it started when I went to the beach with a lovely group of friends in early October and they made a very delicious version of the soup and it reminded me that I hadn't made it in many many years (here is a link to my own recipe I made back in 2011).  This is a link to Julia Child's original recipe, I only slightly adapted it.  This last weekend was so relaxing, we had almost no plans and loved every minute of it.  On Saturday we went and saw Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, it was a dark comedy and I would recommend seeing it...although it isn't a movie I would say is worth owning.  Then on Sunday I had plans to make the Lebanese version of Dolmas, one of my best friends is Lebanese and she has a family recipe we were going to use.  After we bought almost all of the ingredients we were still hunting for jarred (pickled) grape leaves...6 stores later including World Market which always has a ton of international food we still had no grape leaves.  Every store kept saying they stopped carrying them because nobody was buying them.  At this point we decided to give up and reschedule our Dolma making, we are hoping that we can find the grape leaves at a Mediterranean store.  So if you plan to make Dolmas be aware and plan ahead.  Another thing I need to invest in is a set of oven safe ramekins or bowls so I can host a French onion soup night!  Onto the recipe!

Serves 6

The Ingredients

5 -6 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons flour

5 cups beef stock

1 cup beef consomme

1 cup white wine

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

salt and pepper

14 Swiss cheese slices

1/2 raw yellow onion

3 tablespoons cognac

6 slices French bread (about 1 inch thick)

4 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling


The Process

1.  Place heavy bottom stock pot or dutch over over medium-low heat.  Add 1 Tbs cooking oil, 2Tbs butter to pot.

2.  Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent.

3.  To brown or caramelize the onions turn heat under pot to medium or medium high heat.  Add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly.

4.  Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbs flour to the onions.  Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, you can add a bit more butter here).

5.  Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits.  Add the rest of the stock, consomme, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

6.  To make the "croutes" (toasted bread), heat oven to 325 degrees F.  Drizzle each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet.  Cook the croutes for 15 minutes in oven on each side (30 minutes total).

7.  Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.  Remove the bay leaf (if you can find it).  At this point you can add the 2-3 Tbs cognac and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup.  Add a 2 slices (ripped apart) of the Swiss cheese directly into the soup and stir

8.  Transfer to 6 oven safe bowls.  Place 1 toasted bread on top of each bowl of soup, then place 2 slices of Swiss cheese over each bowl in a thick layer on top of the bread making sure to cover the edges of the toast to prevent burning.


9.  Place all bowl on a cookie sheet (to prevent spilling) in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and brown cheese well.

10.  Let cool for a few minutes.  Bon Apetit!

Chicken Wrapped Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

I had a very exciting weekend, first off we went to Eugene to visit my boyfriend's family and go to a baby shower and last minute I got a ticket to go with my boyfriend to the Ducks vs. Michigan State game!  If you watched it you know it was an amazing game that we (the Ducks) won!  It was my first Duck game since I was a freshman at the University of Oregon, and now I'm back to work and another boring Monday is in full effect.  For the last 2 going on 3 weeks my oven has been broken and I haven't been able to bake anything, if that weren't frustrating enough the repair man didn't show up or call on two separate occasions.  So finally my landlord said he would fix it which is great because I'm not going to sit around and waste 3 hour chunks of time anymore and dang it I want my oven working.  I always love to roast my asparagus but since I don't have a working oven I had to get creative and that is when researched different asparagus recipes and came up with this one.  (Mind you my boyfriend did make the hollandaise sauce and boy is it delicious).

Serves 2

The Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, pounded out
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bunch of asparagus washed, bottom 2 inches cut off
8 toothpicks
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Hollandaise:
5 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup melted butter or clarified butter (add more if you want)
Dash of cayenne

The Process

1.  Put chicken breasts on a cutting board, and pound them out. Season each of the pieces of chicken on both sides with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Take about half of the bunch of asparagus, and roll the chicken around it. Secure the roll with about 4 toothpicks each.

2.  In a large frying pan, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the hot pan and turn to brown on all sides. Once the chicken is browned, turn the heat down to medium and add chicken broth, wine and thyme. Let chicken simmer in the broth mixture for about 10 minutes, turning once halfway through.

3.  While the chicken is simmering you can make the hollandaise sauce. In a small saucepan, beat the egg yolks with a whisk with no heat. Add the lemon juice, mustard powder and cayenne to the egg yolks and whisk again to combine. Very slowly drizzle in the melted butter into the egg yolks while continuing to whisk. Once the butter is combined, place the saucepan over medium-low heat.  You want the sauce to come up to temperature but not boil, and stir occasionally. Just before the sauce wants to start bubbling remove from heat. (you can also use a double boiler to make this process easier).

4.  Drizzle the hollandaise sauce over the asparagus stuffed chicken and serve!

Meat Crust Quiche

This past weekend I had two of my lovely friends over for an awesome paleo brunch.  These two also follow the paleo lifestyle so it was fun to share methodologies and recipes with them.  Post brunch I had planned to garden all afternoon but of course Portland's "70 and sunny" afternoon turned into a manic rain and wind storm, might I add I'm still waiting for the sunny day to get some seeds planted.  In other news I'm headed to another book club meeting tonight, we were all reading The Monuments Men which turned out to be a super boring book so we switched mid-month.  I'm happy that I am part of such a wonderful group of women who accept change and encourage it, I have heard otherwise about other book clubs...  I found this recipe in a search for good paleo brunches, all of which seem to involve sweet potatoes and I think that gets a little old but this sweet potato plays a minor role in the dish.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
1 pound pork sausage
1 small sweet potato, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 cups fresh spinach
4 eggs, whisked
2 garlic clove, minced
1teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon ground paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons bacon fat

The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Now  make your sausage into a crust. In a pie plate and begin to press your sausage into the pan until it is even all around and pressed up to the rim of the plate.

3.  Place the pan on a baking sheet (in case of any spills) and in the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes until meat presses back when you poke it. It doesn’t need to be completely cooked through, but pretty close.

4.  While your crust is baking, place 2 tablespoons of bacon fat into a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic.

5.  Add in the chopped onions and sweet potatoes to the pan and mix. Once the onions begin to become translucent, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on top and cover to help steam the potatoes and cook quicker.

6.  Once potatoes are tender after about 4-5 minutes, toss in the spinach and cover once more to help the spinach wilt.

7.  After a minute or two, once the spinach is wilted, remove your mixture from the pan and place in a bowl to let cool.

8.  When mixture is cooled, add in the eggs, garlic powder, ground paprika and a bit more salt. Mix well.

9.  After the crust is done baking, remove the excess oil that may be left behind, then pour your egg mixture on top of the meat crust. It’s just fine if some leaks over into the pan because the meat will shrink just a bit.

10.  Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 23-25 minutes. Once the middle pushes back when you poke it, it’s good to go.

11.  Let cool, cut and serve.
 

Steak Au Poivre

It has been an exciting week for me here in Portland!  I got a wonderful new job, I am the new librarian for the Oregon Department of Forestry and I saw some family friends whom I haven't seen in probably 10 years.  Last night we had a big family event down at the sailing club that my parents belong to and we ate lots of good food, played catch up with our family friends who were in town, and of course went sailing.  Although it was a great week I am still happy that it is Friday, here is to a sunny and relaxing weekend at the beach.  As for this recipe it is almost the exact same sauce that I made for the Pork Au Poivre and it was a great sauce poured over the mashed potatoes I paired with the dish.  It is a nice low fat sauce too that adds lots of yummy flavor.

Serves 3

The Ingredients
3 petit sir loin steaks
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup red wine (dry)
1 teaspoon Dijon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and Pepper
Cooking Spray

The Process
1.  Turn grill onto hot and let heat up.  In the mean time heat a medium skillet up over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the steaks.

2.  Add cooking spray to pan when hot and sear steaks for 1 minute each side and transfer to the grill and grill for about 3 minutes each side for medium rare.

3.  Take the same skillet and add beef broth, red wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Dijon, and tomato paste.  Whisk continually while you bring the mixture to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute and then reduce the heat to medium heat and keep whisking for 4 minutes until sauce starts to thicken.  The sauce reduces to about a half a cup.  Serve sauce over steak and enjoy.

Grilled Steak with Tapenade

First of all my mom and I had our 2012 Pickle Fest this past weekend and it was awesome.  We didn't have time to pre-order our pickling cucumbers so we went to the Beaverton Farmers Market early Saturday morning and we ended up getting some amazingly small and perfect cucumbers for our day of pickling.  We only pickled 35 lbs this year but I think it will be enough for the year, in the past we have done 50 lbs of cucumbers and that is definitely a longer day.  From shopping to jar lids popping it took us 6 hours and I had fun every second of it.  In other news it is still very hot here in Portland, Oregon so I continue making lighter meals.  I adapted this recipe that came from the Food Network site and I will definitely make it again because it was so refreshing and delicious.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 petit sirloin steaks 
1 medium shallot
2 cloves garlic
1/2 sprig rosemary
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, halved
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper

The Process

1.  Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Pulse the olives, shallot, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon in a food processor; season with salt and pepper.

2.  Pierce the steaks all over with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Rub 1 heaping tablespoon olive mixture all over the steak, then set aside, about 10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, toss the remaining olive mixture with the tomatoes, parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon in a small bowl.

4.  Grill the steaks until browned on one side, about 7 minutes. Flip and cook about 7 more minutes for medium rare.

5.  Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.  Thinly slice the steaks against the grain and top with the olive-tomato tapenade.

Per serving: Calories 361; Fat 26 g (Saturated 6 g); Cholesterol 43 mg; Sodium 283 mg; Carbohydrate 7 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 25 g
 

Filet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce

This adapted recipe was another one from our lovely Valentines day meal, I must say we ate like kings.  Not only was the sauce delightful I cooked the filets absolutely perfectly, and I personally like beef to be rare and they were juicy and very pink.  As for the sauce, like I said it was tasty but of course (it being french) was full of butter so once again this would technically be a fat kid recipe.  As a recent development in my media life I have finally given into and opened an account in Pinterest...am I doomed?  Will I ever do anything productive ever again in my life?  Between all of the different entertaining medias on the internet these days I find myself more and more bored with doing one thing at a time, I am now addicted to multitasking.  Not sure if that is a bad thing but I do know my eyes and posture are suffering from this computer addiction...oh well.  As our veggie my lovely man made another French dish Asparagus with Creamy Mushroom and Tarragon Sauce which was also damn good!  On with the yummy food!

Serves 2

The Ingredients
2 filet mignon steaks, about 4 ounces each
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup shallot, chopped
1 large tablespoon capers, drained
2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

The Process
1.  In a heavy and large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.

2.  Rub each side of the steaks with salt and pepper.  Then add to skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes each side for medium-rare.  Then put steaks on a plate and keep warm, foil tents can help with this, or put a lid over the plate.

3.  In same pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and cook for about 1 minutes.

4.  Then add wine, capers, and mustard to pan.  Simmer for about 2 minutes or until slight thickened.

5.  Then stir in parsley and turn stove to medium-low and whisk in last 2 tablespoons of butter.  Season with salt and pepper and serve spooned over steaks. 

Sherried Chicken Pate

I love pate, and I have been wanting to create it for a long long time.  I don't have much experience with French cooking so when I began this process I was a little weary but hopeful.  This chicken pate was the appetizer for the lovely French meal that my boyfriend and I made on Valentines day this year.  After a long and difficult day it was very nice to walk into his house and be greeted with a glass of wine and a dozen roses (blush), not to mention cooking always helps me relax.  I found and adapted this recipe after looking at many versions of pate, this was one of the most simple ones and it turned out VERY tasty!


The Ingredients
4 strips bacon
4 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon allspice, ground
3/4 cup dry sherry
1 1/4 lbs chicken livers, rinsed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup bacon fat

The Process
1.  Place a large skillet on the stove and turn to medium-high heat and cook bacon until crisp.  Take bacon out of pan and throw away or use for something of your choice) and then pour all the bacon fat (except for a tablespoon) into a container and set aside for later use. 

2.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add shallots, garlic, and thyme to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until shallots are soft, but not browned.

3.  Then stir in sherry and allspice, increase heat to medium-high and cook for 4 minutes stirring often.

4.  Then add chicken livers and cook for about 5 minutes, until the outsides are cooked and the insides are still pink in the middle.

5.  Remove from heat immediately so you don't over cook the livers, and transfer everything into a food processor.

6.  Add sugar, salt, and cream to the food processor and then blend on low until the mixture is smooth.

7.  Transfer mixture to a glass dish and smooth the top out, then take the bacon fat that you set aside and pour over the top of the pate.

8.  Then put in fridge and let set until the bacon fat solidifies, about 3-4 hours.  It will last about a week, enjoy!

Egg Vinaigrette and Asparagus

As another attempt to make something different, healthy, and full of protein I decided to adapt this recipe from Seven Spoons.  It is so filling and amazing you can eat it as a main dish, but I ate it with a light little piece of fish.  I also had leftovers the next day and the dressing for the salad tastes even better after sitting for 10 hours.  While I ate this dish with dinner it could also be an amazing brunch, oooOOOoo the options:)  As for the Portland life, it has been extremely rainy (of course) and all the beautiful colorful leaves are now all over the street causing flooded roads and mayhem, which is pretty entertaining to me.  It has also been ridiculously foggy and dark lately, I feel like every morning and every evening I am in the movie Twilight, because where I live which is up on a hill and there are tons of trees and crazy animals...well just deer but still.  Also on my morning commute to work today while crossing the Steel Bridge oh the Occupiers were at their best again, getting ready to Occupy the bridge and shut it down...and the S.W.A.T. team was ready and waiting...  All I have to say is power to the people!  Oh also on a very random and different note y'all should listen to Drake's new album Take Care, it's dope.  Here is the recipe:


Serves 4 (large portions)

The Ingredients
1 pound asparagus, cooked however you prefer (I steamed mine)
2 crowns broccoli, cooked however you prefer
4 green onions, white and light green parts separated and finely sliced
4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 - 2/3 cup olive oil
20 capers, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 cup italian parsley, chopped
1 cloves garlic, pressed
Salt and Pepper

The Process
1.  In a small bowl, pinch together 1/4 teaspoon salt with the white part of the sliced green onions. Once the green onions begins to release some juice, stir in the red wine vinegar and set aside.

2.  Separate the egg yolks from the hard boiled eggs. Place one egg yolk in a medium bowl. Chop the other egg yolk and egg whites separately, and keep both aside for later.

3.  Mix the Dijon mustard into whole egg yolk until smooth. Using the back of a fork, beat in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Once emulsified, stir in the vinegar and white green onions.

4.  Add the reserved egg whites to the sauce, along with the capers, the chili flakes, garlic, and most of the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

5.  To serve, arrange the cooked asparagus and broccoli on a plate. Spoon over the sauce, then garnish with the chopped egg yolk, reserved parsley and green onion tops.

French Onion Soup

During this cold and rainy weekend I needed to do something that I love (ie cook) and make something that would warm me up and make it feel like Fall time.  The pains of life are getting to me a little again with all this rainy weather, and me being at one of the biggest transition points in my entire life...  It's all just pretty scary and stressful not knowing where and what I will be doing two months from now, how I will be making money, how successful I will be and so on.  But on the bright side I  can cook and feel some solidarity in that.  So here is a recipe to make when you just don't quite know what to do or think.  Created by yours truly.

Serves 5

The Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
5 cups chicken broth
1 10.5oz can of beef consomme
1 14.5oz can of beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

The Process
1.  In a large sauce pan over medium-low heat melt butter.  When melted add all the onions to the pan and turn heat to medium.


2. Saute these onions in this pan for about 40 minutes or until caramelized and slightly syrupy.

3.  Next add all the other ingredients which includes chicken broth, beef broth, beef consomme, red wine, Worcestershire, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and salt and pepper.  Mix and bring to a boil.

4.  Once soup reaches a boil turn down to simmer for another 40 minutes.  Then serve! I served it with toasted sourdough with provolone cheese on top.

Pork au Poivre

...in other words amazing.  I turn to cooking for many reasons, creativity, outlet, satisfaction, and because I love to cook for others.  Lately this whole job search has been weighing on my spirit, while yes I only graduated with my master's 2 days shy of a month ago I do need to start expanding my horizons.  I need to be investing more time searching for jobs in other fields as well...with all of this in mind and uncertain change on the forefront I had a very reflective weekend.  So I turned to cooking, to comfort, sooth, and maintain something I know so well.  As part of a goal to keep things positive and feel good I am once again creating and eating very healthy meals, with less and less "fat kid recipes" and the dreaded baking.  This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and is absolutely delightful.

Serves 3

The Ingredients
3 3-ounce pork chops, or pork loin
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth, (better than bouillon)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray for skillet

The Process
1.  Turn on Grill to medium heat (or you can do this part in the oven, follow the original linked recipe for those instructions.

2.  Put a medium pan over medium high heat on the stove top and spray generous about of cooking spray in pan.  While this is heating pepper the pork chops.

3.  When pan is hot add pork chops and cook each side for 2 minutes.  When done put pan aside and put the pork chops on the grill for a total of 12 minutes, flipping after 6 minutes.

4.  While chops are grilling take the pan with pork juice remnants and put over high heat and add wine, broth, Dijon, tomato paste, and salt.

5.  Bring to boil while whisking continuously and boil for about 1 minute.  Then reduce heat to medium and keep whisking for about 4 minutes until sauce is smooth and thickens (should be about a 1/2 cup reduced).

6.  Serve pork with sauce over the top and enjoy the tangy sensation!

Nutritional Facts: (per serving)
Cal:162; Fat 5.7g; Sat Fat1.3g; Protein 24.5g; Fiber.5g

Ratatouille

That's right, like one of my favorite movies!  I mean if you haven't seen ratatouille yet you really should, it's frickin' adorable!  Anyways I keep trying to explore the cooking world and cook dishes I have never made before and ratatouille is a classic that I felt had to be done.  It was (once again) inspired by all the fresh veggies I need to use up from the garden (and Katie's garden).  The recipe is slightly adapted from the recipe in my big and beautiful Gourmet Today cookbook, and I would recommend this recipe to anyone, it was absolutely delicious!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
2 small eggplants, chopped about 1-inch thick cubes
1 large zucchini, chopped about 1-inch thick cubes
1 large yellow squash, chopped about 1-inch thick cubes
3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped about 1-inch thick cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion or 2 little ones, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

The Process
1.  Take already chopped eggplant and place in a colander and put that in a bowl.  Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of salt over the top and toss and let sit for 1 hour (it gets some of the excess water out of the eggplant).

2.  After that hour rinse off the salt from the eggplant and then between paper towels press the eggplant chunks to squeeze out excess water.  Press them about 3 times, or until the eggplant chunks are fairly dry.

3.  Then take eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini and toss in a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of oil (maybe 2).  Then turn oven on to 500 degrees and place zucchini mixture (single layer) on a large cookie sheet.

4.  Sprinkle the mixture with salt and put in oven for about 30 minutes, but stirring or flipping mixture every 10 minutes.  When done take out of oven and let cool.

5.  In the mean time put about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large pot and heat over medium-high heat.  When hot add the onion, and turn heat down to medium-low heat.  Cook these for about 15-20 minutes stirring frequently; cook until they are soft and golden brown.

6.  Next add the garlic to the pot and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and thyme to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes (the tomatoes with start to get juicy).

7.  Next add the zucchini mixture to the pot and cook for about 5 more minutes or until everything in the pot is heated through.

8.  The very last step you take the pot of the stove and stir in the fresh basil and parsley, this is also the point when you add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!! It pairs great with grilled chicken!