China Bistro Mongolian Beef

I drag Scott to P.F. Chang's just so I can get my fix of this little number right here. I'm so happy to have finally found a recipe comparable enough that I can confidently make it as a substitute. It's so simple and pretty much all of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen! Enjoy!

Mongolian Beef

1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain- on bias

1/4 C cornstarch

3 tsp canola oil

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 T minced garlic (3 large cloves)

 1/2 C water
1/2 C soy sauce ( I would use low sodium because the sauce reduces pretty significantly)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, chopped into thirds

Pat the slices of steak dry, then dredge them in the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Coat thoroughly then shake off excess cornstarch by placing the steak in a fine mesh sieve. You don't want a heavy coating of cornstarch or your meat won't crisp up nicely (the coating will fall off  and into your sauce, yuck).

Heat half of the oil in your wok or large pan over med- high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and let them cook and become fragrant for about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, water, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and then transfer it to a bowl so that you can cook the meat.

Add the rest of the oil to your pan and brown the meat. Pour the sauce back into the pan and allow it to cook down to a thick syrup. Once you've reached the consistency you like, add in the green onions and cook another 30 seconds, keeping the onions green and slightly crisp.  Serve hot, with your favorite kind of rice (you could even try my mom's fried rice) and, as always, enjoy!

Garlic- Rosemary Lamb Chops

These lamb chops are one of my favorite dinners to cook. 

Delicious lamb lollipops... mmm.

It's a great dinner to make when you're aiming to impress because the chop has a lot of flare and plates up beautifully.

This recipe, you will find, is super simple and full of flavor...

Garlic- Rosemary Lamb Chops

1/2 lb. Frenched Lamb Chops ( about 6 chops)

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 tsp kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

3 T olive oil

Preheat your oven to broil

About a half hour before you start cooking, season your lamb liberally with salt and pepper and pop em back in the fridge. (You should always season meat at least a half hour before cooking, any less and the seasonings (salt) will work against you by drawing all of the moisture out of your meat, leaving it dry and flavorless. A half hour allows for the water to be drawn back into the meat, bringing that seasoning back in with it!)

About 15 minutes before you start cooking, pull out those chops to let them temper... you don't want to shock your cold meat by putting it directly on to the hot pan

Heat 2 T of your olive oil in a large sautee pan over med-high heat

Rub the chops down on either side with your smashed garlic

Rub the chops with the remaining olive oil

Sear the chops, about 2 minutes on the first side (until a nice brown crust is formed)

Turn the chops and sear another minute on the other side 

Sprinkle the chops with rosemary and then pop them directly into the oven RIGHT under the broiler

Broil about 3-4 minutes for a beautiful medium-rare chop

Grab a pot holder and pull the pan out carefully

Remove the chops from the pan and allow to rest about 2 minutes before plating

And there you have it!

I served mine with an orzo and green pea sautee.... I think next time I'll whip up some creamy tzatziki to dip them in... mmmm.... enjoy!

Pan Roasted Salmon with Orzo Pasta Sautee

Salmon is so elegant. The color and the flavor are so rich, and the texture so delicate, I can understand why some people find the task of cooking it a little intimidating.  But lemme tell ya, to cook a delicious salmon filet

IT'S SO SIMPLE!

Let me preface this recipe, however, by saying that I am not a crazy fish marinader, topper, or whatever kind of fish maker you can think of. Salmon has such great flavor on its own, and can be used in other recipes as leftovers that I dont like to mess with it. If it ain't broke don't fix it, so please trust me when I say, all you ever need for most fish is some salt and pepper! ( This also goes for all good cuts of steak)

Ingredients

• 2, 6-8oz salmon filets (Scott insists on wild caught Sockeye Salmon, I agree)
• 1 C orzo pasta, cooked
• 1/2 C green peas
• 1/4 C julienned sundried tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 small shallot minced
• 2 T fresh dill, plus some for garnish
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 3 T butter
• 3 T olive oil

Directions

• Set out fish filets about 10 minutes before cooking to allow them to temper
• Season liberally with salt and pepper

• In another sautee pan, heat butter and oil over medium heat
• add shallots and garlic, sautee until translucent but don't let the garlic burn
• add tomatoes, peas and cooked orzo; reduce heat and toss
• sprinkle with parmesan and dill

• Sear salmon skin side down for 2-3 minutes (less time if you like it more rare inside)
• Flip and finish the fish for another 1-2 minutes
• Serve with orzo sautee and top with more fresh dill

Scott's Slow Cooker Deer Roast

So, before I met Scott, I was definitely too cool for a slow cooker. It seemed too easy.... until he brought home a deer roast and said, "Here's dinner!".

Deer or venison meat is extremely lean, and can taste pretty game-y if you don't cook it right. Having only ever handled the most tender steak cuts, the deer meat scared me. So he proceeded to teach me something new... slow cooking!

Deer roasts are not unlike chuck roasts, brisket or round roast. Tough but flavorful. So braising was the way to go.

This meal is great for the busy family because you just throw all of the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and let it do its magic until dinner time...

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs deer roast (or any chuck roast, brisket or round roast if your not feeling so adventurous)
• 2 cans of Golden Mushroom condensed soup
• 2 T all purpose flour
• 32 oz. beef broth
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 T butter
• 3 T light olive oil
• 1 T whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

• Set slow cooker to low setting (8 hour cook time)
• Add golden mushroom soup and broth to slow cooker, whisk to mix
• Add peppercorns and bay leaves to slow cooker

• Heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat.
• Season meat liberally with salt and pepper (this is your chance to add a lot of flavor!)
• Dust meat lightly with flour
• Brown meat on all sides; once you place meat in pan DON'T TOUCH IT! Let the meat form a beautiful brown crust on each side before turning it, this process helps to seal in all the juices!
• Place meat in slow cooker, liquid should cover a majority of the meat

• Turn down heat to medium; sautee carrots and celery 2 minutes- scraping up the brown bits leftover from the meat (these bits are packed with flavor)
• Add onions and garlic, and sautee 2 more minutes
• When carrots, onion, celery and garlic are all tender and lightly browned, remove from pan and add to the slow cooker.

The slow cooker will work its magic over the next 8 hours... you can turn the meat once or twice if you are around to do so. Once the 8 hours are up, remove the meat and "pull" it apart using two forks.

From here on out, the meal is your own to be creative with. I like to boil up some wide noodle pasta and make a light sauce with the braising liquid. I heat about 2 cups of the braising liquid over medium heat and add about 3 T of tomato paste. I cook this sauce for about 7 minutes, it thickens up pretty nicely, and then toss it with the meat and the cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

Dad's Homemade Meatballs

This dish is definitely a staple at the Foulger home. It always turns out great. It's a great meal if you need to feed a hungry husband and you don't feel like spending a lot of time or effort, because who does?

I like to serve them with papardelle pasta, or any wide noodle pasta. The prepared meatballs can be frozen for up to two weeks making them a great make-ahead and left-over meal!

Ingredients

• 2 slices of stale white bread, crumbled (panko crumbs also work great!)
• 1/2 # ground prok
• 1/2 # ground beef
• 1/2 # ground veal
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 medium onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 C cooking oil ( I like canola)

Directions

• Combine all ingredients & form into 2 " meatballs
• Refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight)
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat
• Fry meatballs in batches for 40 seconds at a time (you are just browning the outsides)
• Place on paper towels to soak up excess cooking oil
• Simmer in your favorite red pasta sauce for 10 -15 minutes over low heat
• Serve over pasta, top with more grated parmesan cheese.