Best Ranch Dressing/Dip

... is Uncle Dan's.  It is usually housed next to the dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix, near the spices in the grocery store.  But really, you want Uncle Dan's.

When I make it, I make it according to the dressing recipe but I cut the mayo and buttermilk by half a cup each.  So, it comes out to:

1 packet Uncle Dan's Classic Ranch mix

1 1/2 C Mayonnaise 

1 1/2 C lowfat Buttermilk

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Chill 1-2 hours prior to serving.

You can also make it into a dip by using mayo and sour cream, but I find that it's just as good making it as if it's dressing and using it for a dip anyway. 

BBQ'd Corn on the Cob

Barbecued Corn On The Cob

The trick to great corn on the cob is to leave it in the husk, soak it in cold water for 30 minutes prior to cooking, then place it directly on the grill (in the husk, not wrapped in tin foil) for about a half an hour- shorter or longer depending on your grill and how you like your corn cooked.  Make sure the corn is submerged in the water and not floating about on the surface!

My Favourite Salad

You'll notice I refer to this on occasion, so here it is for ya!

What you need:

Spinach, spring mix, or the 50/50 mix salad

Goat cheese (I use herbed, but it's great with pretty much any of them)

Candied pecans

Balsamic vinaigrette

Pile all together in a bowl. Ha!  Seriously though... a little of this salad goes a long way.  I use probably 1 C or less of the salad (you can also use green leaf lettuce, but it's not as tasty).  Crumble up the goat cheese in a bowl first so that it's easier to sprinkle over the top.  It's very flavourful cheese so be careful how much you put on! I love cheese so I use a lot, but not everyone is such a fan of the tangy flavour.  I like to break up the pecans into smaller pieces so that they cover everything and you don't use as much.  For balsamic, I mostly buy the Litehouse Balsamic that you can usually find in the refrigerated case, but I love to make my own as well... or use your favourite :-)  Measurements all depend on how much you want and like, so it's up to you!

Honey Rosemary Glazed Chicken

I like to make this with some Rosemary flavoured honey that I found some time ago, but it works just as well with regular honey too!

You will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 C flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 C GOOD QUALITY honey- think fresh clover honey or something comparable

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 and 2 Tbsp.

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 2 Tbsp butter in the bottom of a small baking dish (I use the small square pyrex). Mix together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Coat the chicken breasts generously with the flour mixture, then place them top side down in the melted butter.  Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

While that's baking, melt the remaining 4 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan.  Add in the honey, soy sauce, lime juice, and rosemary, and whisk it together, then leave to simmer over med-lo heat.  Whisk occasionally while you wait.

After the timer goes off, turn the chicken over, then pour the honey sauce over the top.  I then spooned more over the tops of the breasts immediately.  Place back in oven, still uncovered, and bake another 20 minutes or until tender, basting the chicken with the sauce every 4-5 minutes.  This will allow it to caramelize and brown really nicely!  When it's ready, place the breasts on the plates and spoon a little of the remaining glaze onto the top.  Mmmmm MMMM!  It was heavenly!

I served it with my fave salad and sweet white corn, but it would be excellent paired with steamed brown rice and vegetables like snow peas, broccoli and carrots. 

Lambstravaganza!

Okay, so yeah it took me a bit to get back to this. Can I remember what I did? I sure hope so!

Menu: 

Broiled lamb loin chops with Mediterranean Dry Marinade

Baked baby red potato slices with fresh rosemary and roasted garlic butter

Sauteed spinach with roasted garlic and herbed goat cheese

Step 1: Roast some garlic.  

I.E. take a clove of garlic, remove the outer layers of skin, cut about a 1/2 inch off the tops to gain access to the cloves, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and throw in the oven 350 degrees for about 40 minutes- until they are tender when you press on them. They are HOT though so be careful!

Step 2: Make the butter.

4-5 Tbsp unsalted butter

2-3 cloves roasted garlic

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

I'm lazy when it comes to butter.  Melt butter in the microwave, man.  If you feel up to it, make it on the stovetop- small saucepan, medium/med-lo heat.  Smush up your garlic cloves and add to the butter along with the sprigs of rosemary, mix well.  Cover and leave to "soak" on countertop.  Leaving it out allows it to stay warm and for all the flavours to mix.  You'll want to prep this a few hours before dinner so that it has time to infuse.

Step 3: Baby Red Potatoes

4 baby reds

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Hot water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Clean and slice up your baby reds, place them in a baking dish and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cover with tin foil, place in oven on middle rack. After 20 minutes, pull them out of the oven, stir them around, and add just enough hot water to cover about 1/4 inch of the pan.  Why you ask? Well, I'm trying to keep thing maybe just a wee bit healthier, and considering they're going to be slathered in butter at the end of it all, I figured water was the way to go to help them steam/cook.  Cover and place back in oven for another 20-25 minutes, stirring once more in between.

When they're ready, pull them out, reheat the butter and drizzle it over the potatoes, then toss to make sure they're evenly covered. You may need more butter or salt or pepper... it's to your taste at this point :-) Leave them covered and on the stovetop to keep them warm while you cook the lamb.

Step 4: Lamb Loin Chops

3-4 chops

2-3 Tbsp Mediterranean Dry Rub (Rocky Mountain Products)

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Teeny bit of olive oil

(Yes, I do use olive oil in pretty much everything).

Pull the lamb chops out about 20-25 minutes before cooking them.  Pat both sides dry with a paper towel, then coat each side with the Rub, salt and pepper.  Don't go overboard with the rub as it's easy to overdo it on small chops, but (as I discovered) don't go too light either.  Let them rest on the sideboard until you're ready to broil.

Turn oven to high broil, 500 degrees or so.  Place chops on broiler pan and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium- I did 5-6 minutes on each side and they were a bit too done, which made them a little tough.  Lamb meat does stay pretty pink/red even when it IS done, so just be aware!

As with all meat, when you pull them out of the oven you want to place them on a plate, cover them with foil and leave them to sit for about 10 minutes.  This is the perfect time to prepare your spinach, salad, or whichever vegetable you decide to use and set the table.

For veggies I chose....

Step 5: Sauteed Spinach with Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil

1 1/2 - 2 C Fresh Spinach

2 cloves roasted garlic, smushed

1 Tbsp Olive Oil (can use butter also)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Herbed Goat Cheese

Heat OO and garlic in a pan over med heat.  Once it's warm, throw in the spinach, and mix well with the OO and garlic to make sure it's evenly coated, and top with salt and pepper.  You only want to heat it until it's a bit wilted, NOT until it's slimy and gross! Stir it around (I use tongs) until it's all evenly cooked. Dole out the appropriate portions onto each plate, then sprinkle with the goat cheese.

Et voila!  Your lamb, potato, and spinach meal is ready :-)

My next endeavour...

... and I will update you once I've done it.

I'm going to venture into the wide world of lamb.  I will utilize the Mediterranean Rub offered by Rocky Mountain Products, add in a side of baby red potatoes in roasted garlic butter with fresh rosemary, and also spinach sauteed with garlic and olive oil finished with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Possibly some goat cheese for good measure (because I love it so).

Wish me luck!

World's Best Alfredo- And Easiest!

I love this recipe because it requires so few ingredients and it's really, really easy to change it up and add things as you like.  It is a little labour intensive in that you need to whisk it frequently to keep it from separating and to help keep the cheese moving to melt.  

First I'll give you the basic recipe, and then I'll give you my variations of it.  You can put this over pasta, over chicken, over rice, over anything!  It also makes a great dipping sauce for breadsticks.

1/4 C butter

1 C heavy cream

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 C parsley (optional- I don't use it)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add cream and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Slowly add in the cheese, whisking to help it mix and melt the cheese.  Lower the heat a little and let it cook, whisking frequently or continuously for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is mostly melted (it never melts all the way). Mix in the parsley just before serving.

VARIATIONS:

1 C shredded Fontina cheese

1/2 C shredded Parmesan

2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence

I add the HdP when I add the cream and garlic to the butter, that way the flavour has time to permeate the mixture.  Fontina is a very soft cheese so it melts really well, and it makes the sauce super thick and creamy.  I mix the cheeses together and add them slowly so that the parmesan has time enough to melt.  This is probably my favourite variation!  

3/4 - 1 C Goldy's Roasted Garlic w/Fine Herbs cheese spread

1/2 C Parmesan

For this variation you won't need the extra garlic as the spread is quite... potent.  I haven't quite fine tuned this one, but it's all about experimentation right?  

Pan Fried Steak au Poivre: Avec La Sauce!

Steak and I have slowly been getting reacquainted these past couple of years, but we've developed a good bond and I'm finally figuring out how to cook it.

I've used this recipe with a couple different cuts of meat, but I've been most pleased with the Petite Filet and with Ribeye.  The great thing about the Ribeye is that you can get one good sized steak and split it between two people!  They say presentation is everything, and sliced Ribeye presents itself very nicely- especially since the outside gets nice and crusty/crunchy and the middle is just a little pink, or very red depending on how you like it.

Things to remember when cooking steak:

• It is very important that you let it rest for 15-20 minutes prior to cooking
• Don't pester it while it's cooking! You only want to turn it one time.
• It is important to let it rest AFTER you cook it. Put it on a plate, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and leave it alone for about 10 minutes. This keeps the juices in and helps make it even more tender- and stops it from bleeding on your plate too!

So, now that that's out of the way, here goes!  It's easier to explain this recipe when using Petite Filet so I'll go with that.

2, 6 oz. Filets cut 1 1/4 inches thick

Kosher salt (or coarse Sea Salt)

2 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter (divided)

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

3/4 C Chopped Shallots- or onion if you prefer

1 C Beef Broth (canned)

1/2 C sweeter red wine (or Cognac, or Brandy, whichever you prefer flavour-wise)

Pat each side of the filets dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle them with salt and press the pepper evenly into both sides.  Leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp of the butter and all the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high until the butter browns and almost smokes.  Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium, then cover to prevent oil spatter (and to help keep the steam in, which helps it cook). For medium rare, saute the steaks for 4 minutes on one side, then for 3 minutes on the other.  I prefer medium to medium well and usually do about 5-6 minutes on each side.  Remove them to a plate or serving platter and cover them tightly with aluminum foil. 

FOR THE SAUCE:

Pour out all but about 1 Tbsp of the fat/oil/butter mixture from the saute pan.  Add the shallots/onions (and I like to add garlic too, 1 clove minced) and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until they've softened.  Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4-6 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a whisk so you can mix it all up together.  Once it is reduced, add your wine (or whichever you choose) and allow it to cook down for about 2-4 minutes to minimize the alcohol flavour. Once you remove it from the heat, swirl in the remaining butter and 1/2 Tsp of salt.

How you serve the steak is your choice! I prefer to pour the sauce on top, or keep a little dish of it to dip my steak in as I slice it.  I have tried it with both Cognac and wine, and I much prefer the wine. 

Let me say that this recipe is super, duper easy- especially if a moron like me can make it and have it turn out well.  Pairs really well with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, broiled baby reds, baked potatoes... whatever!  It's how you like.

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes w/Herbed Goat Cheese

You're right, there's a theme here!  I was on a lemon kick this week, can you tell?  Really though I am simply testing out the rubs/marinades on the things I like to see what they work with- and yes, potatoes? They work.  After some testing, I came to the conclusion that the lemon pepper rub isn't quite lemony enough on it's own for me, hence why I add fresh lemon juice- which means that yes, it too is optional!  Or you can just adjust the amount to your taste.  You can also add it AFTER cooking to help enhance the flavour. Again, it's as you like.  I also like to use two types of potatoes, and I cut them up into small triangles, which I have discovered helps you feel as if you're getting a lot of potatoes when you're actually getting a relatively small amount. Plus, the flavour is better!  So, without further ado...

You will need:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

2 medium Baby Red Potatoes

2 cloves garlic, flattened by the broadside of the knife

1 1/2-2 Tbsp Lemon Pepper Dry Marinade (or your fave)

1 1/2-2 Tbsp Olive Oil (I use Extra Virgin)

Juice of 1/2 a small lemon (to start, add more if you wish)

Zest of 1 small lemon

Sea Salt to taste

Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

2 tbsp (or more, if you wish) Montchevre herbed goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Clean your potatoes, then cut them to your desired size.  I slice them in half, cut each half lengthwise, then dice horizontally to make little triangles that are relatively thin.  I place them directly into the pan in which I'm cooking them. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice and toss them to coat each piece evenly.  Sprinkle the LPDM, a few twists of your pepper grinder, and your sea salt (I use a grinder and do about 5 turns- you can add more at the end if you wish), and the lemon zest.  Toss again to cover evenly.  

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place on the rack in the middle.  Set your timer for 15-18 minutes.  When it goes off, pull the potatoes out and give them a good stir, then recover and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Pull out, stir, check if they're done.  Cooking time will depend on how well your oven cooks, but I find that 30 minutes or so is the norm.  If I think they're almost done, I'll place them back in the oven and just turn the heat off, then leave them to sit while I finish whatever else I'm doing- an extra 10 minutes or so, and it helps keep them warm till you're ready to finish them!

If you'd like, when you pull them out, you can throw a little butter or butter substitute on them. Otherwise, just sprinkle with your crumbled goat cheese, then cover them back up until you're ready to serve them so that the goat cheese gets a little melty.  

These also reheat really well, just throw them in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat to brown them a bit, then take the heat down to Lo/Med-Lo until they're warm and ready to go.  You don't need to use the goat cheese if you don't like it- or any cheese for that matter!- you can sub whichever cheese you prefer. They taste great with fresh grated parmesan as well.

Broiled Lemon Pepper Chicken

I have recently, thanks to the Haggen meat department, been introduced to Rocky Mountain Products: 

http://www.rockymountainproduct.com

... and I have found them to be more than worthy of lauding and praise.  Today's recipe features their Lemon Pepper Dry Rub. I have tried this rub on both beef and chicken with great success, but my other half believes that it would also be fabulous on a pork chop.  I don't eat pork, so I can't say anything one way or the other, but I do trust his opinion when it comes to meat as I'm a recovering vegetarian. Ha!  ANYWAY, onto the recipe.

Things you'll need:

1 1/2-2 Tbps Lemon Pepper Dry Marinade/Rub (or lemon pepper)

5-7 turns Fresh cracked pepper

1-2 Tsp Salt (I prefer sea salt, the new grinders are fabulous- just a couple turns is perfect!)

Juice of 1 small lemon

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, less than 1 lb.

1-2 Tbps Olive oil

Make sure the chicken is fully defrosted and ready to marinate.  I prefer to let the chicken marinate for a fair amount of time- say, 8 hours- to give the marinade time to work.  Place the chicken in the container you wish to use for marinating.  Sprinkle the LPDM liberally over the chicken, followed by the pepper and the salt.  Douse with fresh squeezed lemon juice then drizzle with olive oil.  Work the mixture really well into the meat, then cover and refrigerate.  The lemon juice makes a huge difference in the lemon flavour!

When you're ready to cook, pull the chicken out and allow it to rest at room temp for about 10-15 minutes.  Set the oven to broil and let it heat while you're waiting for the chicken.  When it's ready, place the chicken on a broiler pan and set it under the broiler for about 15 minutes.  Cooking time depends greatly on your oven, and you should ALWAYS check to make sure it is fully cooked. You can either slice into it (my method) or you can use a meat thermometer. Chicken is to be cooked to 165-175 degrees.  Once you've deemed it "done" you'll still want to leave the chicken to rest for about 5-10 minutes.  Cover it with foil and leave it while you finish your sides and starters!  This will allow it to continue to cook a bit, but will also help keep the juices in when you cut into it.