Posted in - Poultry, - Red Meat, Meal Planning

Meal Planning Mondays: Recipes to Try for the Week of 3/25 – 3/31/2013

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Meal Planning Mondays are an experiment to see what works for my family. I like trying new recipes. I have too many copycat Minneapolis/St. Paul restaurant recipes that are not being utilized. This week I committ to making these recipes… Drunk & Dirty Sirloin Steak and Kramarczuk’s Bangers and Mash. These recipes will continue to be made ahead time and frozen.

Axel’s Bonfire Drunk and Dirty Steak

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1 cup Soy Sauce
½ cup Bourbon of choice
¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup Canola Oil
¼ cup Minced Garlic
2 Tbls Black Pepper
2 Tbls Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp White Pepper
6 (8oz.) sirloin steaks

Prep Day: Place all ingredients in a gallon. Mix until fully incorporated. Transfer to a storage container and place in refrigerator for 4 hours and then freeze.

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Serve Day: Thaw. Remove meat from package tenderize with fork to allow marinade to fully seep into the meat. Directly submerge into marinade one more time. Grill, broil or pan sear the meat to 140 degrees for a medium cooked steak for 3-5 minutes each side. Turning every 1 1/2 minutes. When you first cut into the marinated cooked steak, there will be a darker ring (hence why they call it a ‘dirty’ steak) underneath the surface of the steak because of the effect of the soy sauce’s interaction with the meat.

Kramarczuk’s Bangers and Mash

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Serves 6

Bangers – 2 sausages per person
12 ea. bangers (Kramarczuk’s sausages)
6T canola oil

Onion Gravy – make 12 oz.
2 cups sliced onions
4T butter
4T all-purpose flour
2 cups veal stock or beef stock
Salt and pepper

Mash – makes 3 1/2 cups or 24 oz.
3.5 lbs any potatoes
1/2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 pinch paprika

Prep Day:

Bangers – package raw sausages for freezing. Then place in gallon freezer bag.

Onion Gravy – Caramelize the onion in the butter then add the flour and cook till a brown roux is formed. Add the stock and cook till the correct consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and package for freezing. Then place in gallon freezer bag with bangers.

Mash – Peel and quarter potatoes. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil, then gently cook until tender. Drain well. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cream cheese, egg, garlic powder and salt. Mash well by hand or with and electric mixer. Spoon potatoes into spray-treated or greased 1.5 quart casserole or 8×8 square pan. Drizzle or brush melted butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika for color if desired. Wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap and wrap in foil wrap. Don’t forget label everything.

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Serve Day: Thaw everything.

Bangers – Sauté the sausage links in a oil till the out side is golden brown. Place the sausage in the oven and cook at 350 deg. For 15-18 min or until the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve the sausages with the mashed potato and gravy.

Onion Gravy – Heat on stove top till hot.

Mash – Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Posted in - Pork, Breakfast, Tips and Tricks

Sunday Brunch: Make Your Own Pre-Cooked Bacon

Make Your Own Pre-Cooked Bacon

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I love bacon as much as the next person, but cooking bacon is not always simple as it requires careful attention while cooking and can make a mess in the process.

When I want to turn out a really efficient and easy hot breakfast, I will cook my bacon in advance and freeze it.

Prep Day: Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with foil. Make sure the rims are deep enough to prevent bacon fat dripping. Lay the strips of bacon on the foil in a single layer. Put on racks in the middle of a cold oven and turn the oven on to 400F. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the sheets around and switch shelves to encourage even cooking. Bake a second 10 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure you are not overcooking the bacon.Remove the bacon to plates or baking sheets lined with paper towels to drain. When sufficiently cooled, layer with freezer paper, parchment, or waxed paper in between and freeze.

Note: When I’m feeling really celebratory, I’ll glaze the bacon with pure maple syrup during the last few minutes of baking. Oh boy!

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Serve Day: To serve, briefly microwave between layers of paper towels or pan fry. Or Use as-is for dishes that will be further cooked such as chowders and casseroles.

Posted in - Pork, Side Dish

Side Dish ‘n’ Saturdays: Mushroom and Bacon Risotto

Mushroom and Bacon Risotto

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2 -3 tablespoons butter
1 large onions, chopped
2 -4 slices bacon, streaky, chopped
6 -10 small mushrooms, chopped in half
9 oz. risotto rice
2 -3 tablespoons frozen peas
9 oz. boiling water
18 oz. hot stock, chicken or turkey
4 oz. of any leftover cheese ( I used a mix of mild and strong cheddar)

Prep Day: Melt butter in a large pan. When hot add onion, then bacon, then mushrooms. Fry for 5 minutes or until onions are turning clear. Now add rice, simmering for 5 minutes, again until translucent, stirring most of the time. Add peas. Now start to add the stock to the pan a little (3 or 4 tablespoons at a time). When you run out of stock, then use boiled water. Now turn heat as low as you can go. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the liquid has all gone.

When cooked, add cheese as much or as little as you like (I don’t grate it–just chop it in bits) stir in the pan and turn off heat. Leave with lid on a minute or two, just so the cheese goes all gooey.

You can serve right away or cool to be frozen. Package for freezing. Then freeze.

Serve Day: Thaw. Then heat gently in a pot and add some broth to loosen. Stir in a touch of cream before serving if you would like.