Sundried Tomato and Steak Stir-Fry

I love a good stir-fry and they are so easy to make.  You don't need any fancy tools and you can throw in any veggies and proteins you like.

This week I made a stir-fry using sirloin steak, sundried tomatoes and broccoli, since that's what I had on hand.

The rule of thumb in cooking a good stir-fry is to use a hot pan and cook your veggies in order from which needs the longest time to cook to the shortest.  Also, don't forget your mise en place, which means "putting in place."  Stir-fry cooks very quickly, so it's best to get all your ingredients ready before you begin cooking.

Here's what I used:

1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin sliced about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick - just make sure they'll all about even
3 TBLS of soy sauce, divided in half
broccoli - enough as you want, or any veggie you'd like.  If starting with fresh, you should blanch them first.  I used frozen, so I thawed them first.
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, halved, plus 3 tablespoons of their oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bunches of green onions/scallions, chopped about 1 inch
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, as desired
1 CUP beef broth
1 TBLS arrowroot or cornstarch

In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 TBLS of soy sauce with the sirloin and set aside. 

Heat a pan or wok on high heat and add 2 TBLS of the oil from the sundried tomatoes.  Add the meat and stir fry until no longer red, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove the meat and set aside.  Add another TBLS of the oil to the pan/wok and add the scallions/green onions and sundried tomatoes.  Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the beef broth, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 TBLS of soy sauce and arrowroot and stir until thickened.  Add back the meat and broccoli and heat through.  Serve over rice or couscous.

Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiche

Well, sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I was just recently diagnosed with something called SIBO - Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.  So now I have to tweak my diet.  I was gluten-free before when my doctor thought I had Celiac.  That was a tough diet to stomach.  Now, I need to cut back on not only wheat, but sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, soy, and most starches as well.  I'm in an adjustment period and for now, I've been eating a lot of salads, fruits, and meats, so I guess that's a good thing!

So while I'm adjusting, I'll have to post some new recipes!

Today, I made these Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiches! They are so easy, and make great leftovers.

My package of pre-cut canadian bacon came with 10 slices, so I made 10 mini quiches.

10 slices of canadian bacon

10 eggs

red peppers

shallots

chives

salt and pepper

havarti cheese

Those are the ingredients I used, but feel free to play around with any combo of veggies, cheese and herbs you have on hand.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cupcake tin with some spray oil. Cut slices, about 1/2 inch, along 4 sides of the bacon. Place a slice of bacon into each muffin cup. These don't need to be perfect. Place your veggies on top of the bacon. I sauteed mine slightly, but you don't have to. Then carefully put an egg into each cup. Top with some herbs and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. Top with cheese, salt & pepper and voila!

Faux Turtles

These are the easiest, tastiest chocolate treats you can make!  They're salty and sweet.

Ready for this?

Buy Rolos.  Buy those square, grid pretzels.  Buy some nuts or M&M's.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the pretzels on a baking sheet and top each with a Rolo.

Pop these babies in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the chocolate looks shiny.  Take them out of the oven and immediately top them with nuts or M&M's or whatever you fancy.  You can also top them with another pretzel to make a pretzel-Rolo sandwich!

Let them cool completely before storing them,  If you try to move them while they're hot, the chocolate will get everywhere.

Cook's Illustrated Apple Cake

I came across a picture of this cake when I was surfing the food blogs.  I found it was a recipe from Cook's Illustrated.  Most Cook's Illustrated recipes are only available to paying members of their site.  Luckily, they have a free 2-week trial.  So I signed up and grabbed as many recipes as I could find.


So, Cook's Illustrated Apple Cake can be found here for those you pay, or want to try it out free for 2-weeks.  Did you know, Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen recipes are developed right here in my state of Massachusetts?  Actually, in the town next to where we live, Brookline!    I even did some cat sitting for someone who works there, and I'm very jealous of her job.  But I digress....

The first step to making this apple cake is to butter and sugar your bundt pan and add a layer of brown sugar at the bottom.

Next, chop your green apples, toss them with some more brown sugar and layer them on top of the brown sugar already in the bundt.  You could also toss the apples with some cinnamon.

Next, combine your dry ingredients, and your wet ingredients.  This recipe uses cake flour, which gives the cake the texture of a pound cake.  The batter is very thick.

And then bake!  I had a hard time figuring out if this cake was done, since the middle still looked a bit loose even after 45 minutes.  Once it's done, you're supposed to immediately invert the cake onto a foil-lined baking rack.  Well, this part wasn't so easy!  Part of the apples and cake stuck to the bundt!  I think perhaps it had something to do with sugaring the pan??  Either way, it smelled delicious, like a warm apple pie.

I just picked the stuck-on pieces out of the pan and put them in the middle of the cake.

After the cake cools completely, top it with some confectioner's sugar.  I also made some Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream to be served alongside.  I have to say, the cake was good, but very sweet.  The Bourbon Cream, which is made with sour cream, gave it a nice tang to cut the sweetness.  The cake was good the day it was served, but the leftovers weren't so great.

Here's the recipe for the Brown Sugar Bourbon Cream - Printable Recipe

Happy Thanksgiving

What's on your menu?  Today, I'm cooking:

*Cook's Illustrated Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Bourbon Cream

*Classic Corn Pudding with Cheddar and Chives

*Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Smoked Gouda and Chive

*Turtle Pretzel Cookies

A full report after the holidays!

I wish you all a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!!

p.s.  Am I the only odd one who doesn't eat turkey?

Baked Manicotti from Cook's Illustrated

It's a fact.  I love pasta.  Even more, I love baked and cheese filled pasta.  When I saw the recipe for Baked Manicotti from Cook's Illustrated, I wanted to give it a whirl.  You can find the recipe here if you are a paying member of the site.  But you can also sign up for a 2 week trial of the site.  I find their site to be very helpful with loads of cooking instructions including video, recipes, equipment and product reviews.

The first step is to make the sauce using canned, diced tomatoes, garlic, seasonings and olive oil.  The sauce is very watery, which I was concerned about.

The next step is to take the no-bake lasagna noodles (Cook's Illustrated prefers Barilla) and soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes.  After the noodles have soaked, lay them individually on paper towels.  Then you can begin to fill them. 

The filling is made up of eggs, ricotta, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and more seasonings. 

Spread about a 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture onto the lasagna noodle leaving about a half inch at the top.

Then, roll it up tight!

Place the rolled up manicotti into a 13x9" pan that has some of the sauce mixture on the bottom.

Once you've rolled them all, pour the rest of the sauce mixture over the top, making sure to completely cover the manicotti.  Cover with foil, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Then take the foil off, top with more cheese and broil until bubbly and browned on top.

And remember how I was worried about the sauce being too watery?  Well, thanks to the magic of the no-bake noodles, the water is absorbed making a perfectly al dente noodle!

This makes a ton of manicotti.  We had 2 dinners and I had 2 lunches out of 1 batch!  I think these would freeze nicely for a make ahead meal.

Tea at the Four Seasons

Ever since my friend and I visited London for the first time back in 2001, I've enjoyed spending an afternoon having high tea.

My first experience was at the Ritz in London.  I wish I had some of those photos online, as nothing can compare to it! 

Over the years I've been to quite a few afternoon teas around Boston.  I've liked them all for different reasons.  There is a new cupcake tea at the Ritz in Boston, which I'd like to try sometime, but this weekend, my husband surprised me with tea at the Four Seasons.

Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons is held in the Bristol Lounge, which overlooks the Boston Common.  It's a beautiful setting, and perfect for an afternoon tea.

To start off, we decided to have the Royal Tea, which comes with a glass of Kir Royal.

Nothing like a little bubbly on a Saturday afternoon!

For our tea selection, I chose the Black Currant, which is Black Tea Infused with the Delectable Fruitiness of Black Currant and Dried Fruit Added.  My husband had the English Breakfast – Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Well Balanced and Bright with an Apricot Fruit Flavour.  We both really enjoyed the Black Currant.  It had a sweet and mellow flavor.

For our sandwiches, we had curry chicken salad, cucumber with Boursin and watercress, and a shrimp mousse.

I opted for an extra cucumber salad, since I don't eat seafood.  My husband thought  the shrimp mousse tasted very fishy, and they were kind enough to bring him an extra cucumber sandwich as well.  I enjoyed the cucumber sandwiches, but I did think the bread was a little on the stale side.

And no Afternoon Tea is complete without scones and clotted cream!  They served cranberry scones with Strawberry Jam, Lemon Curd and Devonshire Cream.  I don't know what they put in that cream, but it's divine!  The proper way to eat it is to mix the strawberry jam and cream together.

We also had a selection of 3 different desserts.

 We had one pecan bread tart, a mini cheesecake and a lemon curd shortbread.  I really enjoyed the cheesecake.

Next time I'd like to try that cupcake tea or perhaps the L'Espalier's Fantasy Tea.