Salisbury Steak For the Refined Palate

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American, beef, food, gravy, main dish, mushrooms, Salisbury, steak, traditional

When I think about salisbury steak, I think TV dinners, the S&S Cafe, and latchkey kids.  I didn’t ever want to eat it. This recipe changed my mind. Adam from the Unorthodox Epicure has a great website full of tasty recipe. They use normal ingredients to produce amazing results. This recipe is proof of that. I made mashed potatoes and asparagus to accompany the steak, slathering the potatoes in the savory gravy. MMMM! Nothing is better than meat and potatoes!

Salisbury Steak (a variation of a recipe from the Unorthodox Epicure) 

The Steak:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp bbq sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

In a bowl, Combine ingredients and form into 5 patties. Heat oil in large skillet and fry patties on both sides until nicely browned and almost cooked through. Drain the patties on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

The Sauce:

• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• Dark soy sauce, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

The pan should have a nice glaze of oil from frying the patties. If there is extra, drain it off. Add mushrooms and onion slices, frying for about five minutes. The onion and mushrooms should start to brown a bit. Add the wine and reduce until nearly gone. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour. Stir until all mushrooms and onions are coated. Continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes. Add stock and combine, mushing out the lumps as needed. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it has thickened slightly. Add soy sauce to taste (I used about 2 or 3 tbsp). Add meat back to pan and allow warm through for a couple of minutes. Turn off heat, cover and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Serves 5.

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A Simpler Holiday Season

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Christmas, holiday, holiday season, seasonal, simple, Thanksgiving, traditional

In the past, I have been a self-described Grinch when it comes to Christmas. In fact, the Grinch in me says “No posts about Christmas before Thanksgiving, dummy! Celebrate one holiday at a time!” But there are only four weeks before the big day and I am trying my best to get in the spirit.

Christmas seems so overly commercialized these days.  Nothing like the Christmases of my memory. And all the hype on TV just seems so much like a Pottery Barn catalog that there is no way my somewhat dysfunctional family could ever live up to its cheerful, glittery perfection. Though we sit around a food covered table every Christmas, it is not beautifully appointed with amaryllis blossoms, seasonal evergreen boughs, and brightly burning candles. Nor are we as gorgeous as the people featured in those advertisements.

Instead, we eat off dishes my grandmother uses every day (as has for the last 30+ years). None of the food is transferred from their cook pots to serving bowls or platters. We do not own a gravy boat or placemats. Or silver. Or crystal. And, you know what, there is nothing wrong with that!

It took me a few years but I have figured out how I can have a happy Christmas, knowing that it will never be “perfect.” It starts by going back to the basics. What does Christmas mean to YOU?

Christmas means…

Fun– Decorating sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. Playing in the snow. Making paper snowflakes. Decorating the tree and the house. Going see a live nativity scene. Walking around the neighborhood to check out the neighborhood lights, taking a hike, playing pool or ping pong. Cut your own tree. Make a new wreath for your front door.

Food– Homemade candies and cookies. Comfort food like your grandmother’s mashed potatoes, your aunt’s cranberry sauce, your favorite ham recipe, the macaroni and cheese that your family has always made. Perhaps a seasonal cocktail.

Family– Get together. Play games. Talk (maybe not about politics or religion, though). Take pictures of each other and the fun.  Honor the memories of those who have already passed away. Embrace your faith’s Christmas traditions like the advent wreath or Midnight Mass.

Regardless of how you celebrate, if you concentrate on the simple things in life, you will have a happy holiday season. Now start making your list of things to do this season that will celebrate what Christmas means to you!

Photos credits: Here, here, here, here, and here

Dandelion Jelly

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dandelion, foraging, gluten free, jelly, Kentucky Proud, traditional, weed

Dandelions are perhaps one of the easiest wild edibles to obtain. Even if you live in a concrete jungle, I bet you can find dandelions. With the Latin name Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion is completely edible. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked down as greens. The blossoms can be used to make wine and this jelly. The ground root can be used as a coffee substitute. Medicinal uses include use as a laxative and as mosquito repellent. And since they are so recognizable to so many people, there is very little chance you will pick the wrong thing…

To make the tea, go out to your back yard and pick 10 cups of blossoms. They add up fast so don’t despair. I bet if you don’t have enough in your yard, I bet your neighbors will share.

When you have them all collected, you have to remove the green parts from the yellow petals. There are two ways to do this. Pull them apart with your fingers. Use scissors to cut the yellow off the green. I prefer the scissors method.

When you have collected 4 cups of yellow petals, pour 4 cups of boiling water over the petals. Allow to sit until room temperature or overnight (the later is better). When you are ready to make your jelly, strain the tea through a coffee filter to remove the petals and any other solids(hopefully no bugs). This is your tea. You can refrigerate it a bit longer if you are not ready to make the jelly quite yet.

Dandelion Jelly

• 3 cups dandelion tea (see above)
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 box powdered pectin

Add dandelion tea, lemon juice, 1 box of pectin and sugar into large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Top with your sterilized lids and rings. Tighten and allow to cool. If they do not seal, place them in the fridge. They can keep up to 2 months. The final product tastes a bit like honey…

King Cake – NOLA Series Part 2

Tags

bread, cake, dessert, king, Mardi Gras, New Orleans, NOLA, Southern, traditional, yeast

I was introduced to King Cake last year by my friend Lynne, a LA native. A yeast bread cake with a flavor similar to homemade cinnamon rolls, this dessert is best recognized by it’s beautiful coating of gold, green, and purple sugars. Hidden inside the delicious layers is the baby trinket. If you get the slice containing the baby, you are King or Queen of the day, obligating you to bring next year’s cake. For more history of the King Cake, see here.

This was my first attempt at the king cake. Next year, I’ll probably do a couple of things differently. I think I overworked the dough because it was denser than I had hoped. I also would use a thicker filling than the one used in this recipe. Overall though, this recipe was very tasty and my co-workers had no problem eating the whole thing.

For more recipes in this series, check out these links:

Barbecue Shrimp- NOLA Series Part 1

King Cake

The Dough: 

• 1/2 c warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar + 2 tsp, divided
• 4½-5 ½ c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ cup lukewarm milk (110 degrees F.)
• 3 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp butter, melted then cooled
• 1 King Cake baby, coin, dried bean, or pecan

The Cream Cheese Filling:

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1-2 T flour
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Icing:

• 1/2 lb powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• milk

Sugars: (sugars can be colored ahead of time and stored in an airtight container)

• ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided in thirds
• purple food coloring, or red and blue
• green food coloring
• yellow food coloring

In a small bowl, add warm water, yeast and 2 tsp of sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes and allow to proof. The yeast will bubble and nearly double in size. Combine 4 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 c sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture and warm milk. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and butter, gradually combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. A soft ball will form. Place ball on a floured surface and incorporate more flour if needed. Knead until smooth and elastic. Brush the inside of a large bowl with 1 tbsp softened butter. Set dough in bowl and turn to coat with butter. Cover bowl and set aside for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in volume. While the dough is rising, combine the filling ingredients and mix until smooth. When dough is doubled in size, roll the dough out in a 30 inch x 9 inch rectangle on a well floured surface. The dough will be thin. Spread filling in a thin line down the 30” length of the dough, keeping the filling away from the edges. Fold the edge over the filling, then slowly roll the dough into a cylinder, like rolling a jelly roll. Place on baking sheet to form a ring, pinching ends together. Cover and set aside to rise again, about 45 min. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake cake on a rack placed in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool cake to room temperature on a wire rack. Hide the baby, bean, nut, or coin into the cake (through the bottom). For the icing, mix the powdered sugar and vanilla together. Add milk, a small amount at a time, until icing is smooth. Drizzle over cooled King Cake using a fork or your fingers. For the colored sugars, either mix in separate bowls or shake and knead in plastic bags. Add 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring to the sugar and mix to coat all of the sugar. Repeat with green food coloring. For purple, red and blue food coloring can be used but purple colored paste will give a richer color. Sprinkle the sugars over the King Cake while the icing is still wet. Sprinkle in alternating colors, purple, green, and yellow, in rows about 2-3 inches wide.