Steakhouse French Dressing

Posted on March 29, 2024 by tbuzzee

We have friends coming for a feast on Sunday, so I am busily making stuff ahead where I can. The cool thing (I think) is that stuff like this Steakhouse French Salad Dressing actually tastes better after it has rested for a day or so in the fridge.

I call this Steakhouse French because the recipe is based on one from a pretty famous steak house west of Boston, although I have cut the honey called for by one third, and the dressing is still wonderfully sweet and just tangy enough.

INGREDIENTS
•1/4 cup honey
•1/3 cup ketchup
•1/3 cup cider vinegar
•1/3 cup chopped red onion
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1/2 tsp steak seasoning
•1/2 tsp smoked birch salt*
•1 tsp paprika
•1/2 tsp celery seed
•3/4 cup vegetable oil

*Feel free to use kosher salt.

Add all of the ingredients, except for the oil, to a blender jar and pulse until they are well and truly blended and smooth.

With the blender running, slowly stream the oil through the hole in the lid and continue to blend until the oil has emulsified into the dressing. It will take on a creamy look.

Transfer to a jar and stash in the fridge until needed. Like, mebbe for a strawberry and baby spinach salad?

 

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Balsamic Onion and Garlic Pork Chops

Posted on March 27, 2024 by tbuzzee

OK, so, last post featuring my new fave Garlic Salad Dressing and Sauce, well, mebbe until after the weekend (we’re having folx over for the holiday).

This is a version of a recipe my husband found, Blackberry Sage Pork Chops, but I used some balsamic onion jam our cousins in Canada sent for Christmas.

The thing is, now I have to scour our better jams and jellies departments to find something close.

INGREDIENTS
Chops:
•2 thick cut pork shops
•Steak seasoning
•Black Pepper
•1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
•Balsamic onion jam (125 mL jar)
•1 tbsp butter
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tbsp Garlic Sauce
•1 tbsp water
•1/2 tsp dried sage
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/8 tsp steak seasoning

*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.

Note 1: for this batch, I used butterflied boneless chops because they were on sale.

Note 2: no balsamic onion jam? Blackberry preserves are a classic substitution.

Season both sides of the pork chops with steak seasoning and cook in the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for three to five minutes per side.

Remove the chops to a rimmed plate to rest while you put the sauce together.

Add the sauce ingredients to the skillet over low heat and cook for about five minutes, scraping up any tasty browned bits on the pan bottom, until the jam and butter have melted and the sauce has thickened.

Return the chops, and any liquid from the plate, to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top of each.

Cover and cook until the chops are cooked through (160º or so), spooning the sauce over the chops every now and then.

Serve with the sauce over the chops.

All in all, a pretty stellar dinner.

Now, I am off to research gourmet jans and jellies because,  y’know, I can make it myself, but I really would rather just find a decent supplier.

Or, plan a trip back to Canada.

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Zanzetti, Now With Added Garlic Sauce!

Posted on March 26, 2024 by tbuzzee

I’ve long posted about my Aunt Buzz’s go-to no fuss dinner, Zanzetti.

It is actually (I am pretty certain) a packaged foods version of Johnny Mazetti Spaghetti, which was pretty popular in the middle of the last century, and I have also made that a lot of times.

So, I found a sale on “meatloaf mix” – ground pork and beef at the market, had a coupon for Kraft Dinner, and now have this killer Garlic Sauce.

Let us go forth into Zanzetti!

INGEREDIENTS
Meat:
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1 lb meatloaf mix
•1 sweet onion, chopped
•1 tbsp steak seasoning
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
•1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mac and Cheese:
•1 box mac and cheese
•1/4 cup (4 tbsp) butter
•1/4 cup milk
•1 can tomato soup
•1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
•Sliced black olives (optional)
•1 tbsp Garlic Dressing

*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat, then add the meatloaf mix (plain ground beef is fine), and the onion.

Add the steak seasoing, Sherry Peppers, Cajun Power, and Worcestershire sauces.

Cook, breaking up the meat until it is cooked through and the onion is tender.

Note: I like to cook mine, stirring every now and then, until most of any pan liquids have be reduced and (I think) the flaovrs have intensified. This also saves me from draining any fat into the sink.

Transfer the now nicely seasoned meat and onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Allow the pot to cool off a bit, then fill with water and cook the mac and cheese according to package instructions.

Once cooked, drain the pasta and return to the pot with the butter, milk, cheese packet, seasonings, and tomato soup.

Stir until smooth and creamy, then return the meat (along with the black olives, if you are using them) to the pot and heat through.

You now have a pretty decent dinner that my Aunt Buzz would totally hate.

Oh well.

My kitchen. My take on recipes.

I stirred in one tablespoon of that perfectly lovely Garlic Sauce before serving.

Yeh.

You need to try this!

 

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Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing and Sauce

Posted on March 25, 2024 by tbuzzee

A new fave around here, this garlic dressing will liven up your salads, but it also makes a wicked tasty sauce, added directly to meats, or even stirred into sauces.

It also happens to make a pretty spiffy pizza topping, as shown here.

At first, I was a little concerned that there would not be enough of a garlic hit with “only” two cloves of garlic, but, fret ye not!

The garlic is strong in this one!

INGREDIENTS
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1/3 cup mayonnaise
•2 cloves minced garlic
•1 tbsp white vinegar
•2 tsp water,
•2 tsp lemon juice
•2 tsp sugar
•1 tsp dried parsley
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp kosher salt
•1 or 2 tbsp milk

Note: the dressing is kinda thick, which is why I’ve included adding a bit of milk (or even half and half) to thin it out a bit.

For best results, combine the ingredients together early in the day (or, even better, the day before) then stash in a jar in the fridge to allow the flavors to really develop.

Use as you will.

Here, it is being added to my Tamari Dressing.

I’ve also stirred some into a Balsamic Onion Sauce for pork chops.

It even works a treat on salads!

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Strawberry and Lime Poke Cake

Posted on March 23, 2024 by tbuzzee

My husband had a taste for one of these cakes where you bake the cake, then poke the out of it and pour jello over the top.

We were having friends over for a Saint Patrick’s Day dinner (my barbecued corned beef), so settled on using lime jello to keep with the theme of dinner.

I did make a small change to the cake recipe, which is to borrow a trick from a local restaurant and use mayonnaise in place of oil when making the cake.

Yummers!

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
•1 box moist white cake mix
•3 eggs
•1 cup ice cold water
•1 cup mayonnaise
•1 cup boiling water
•1 small box jello
•1 tub whipped topping

Strawberries:
•1 container strawberries
•1 tbsp sugar
•1 tbsp Cointreau*

*Feel free to use orange juice instead.

Apply cooking spray to a 13×9 inch baking pan and preheat your oven to 350º.

Combine the cake mix together with the eggs, water, and mayonnaise according to box instructions. Add the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake according to the instructions on the box.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then poke holes all over the cake, a meat fork works a treat here.

Stir the jello into the boiling water until it has dissolved.

Pour the jello evenly over the cooled cake, then cover the pan and stash in the fridge for at least one hour.

Wash the strawberries, then hull and slice them before adding to a bowl.

Add the tablespoon of sugar and Cointreau (or orange juice) to the bowl and toss the berries lightly to mix.

Let rest for ten minutes, then transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill until needed.

Frost the cooled cake with the whipped topping, then slice and serve topped with the strawberries.

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Coleslaw With Tamari Dressing

Posted on March 20, 2024 by tbuzzee

A long time ago, I picked up a supermarket’s “Shoppers Fave Recipes” cookbook; and it had a really kinda cool ramen salad with a soy sauce dressing.

It was, in fact, a really great salad, and dressing, except that I cut waaay back on the sugar called for.

I have also, now, switched to lower sodium Tamari, which is a gluten-free replacement for soy sauce, an important thing to consider for family and friends.

INGREDIENTS
•Tamari Dressing:
•1 cup veggie oil
•1/4 cup rice vinegar
•1/2 cup sugar
•2 tbsp lower sodium Tamari

Salad:
•1 bag coleslaw mix
•1/2 red onion, chopped
•Scallions, sliced
•Fresh asparagus, sliced

Optional:
•Crushed ramen noodles
•Sesame Seeds

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until emulsified – an immersion blender works a treat for this.

Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the dressing.

Cover and chill for an hour before serving.

Note: this salad is pretty good even after resting overnight.

Also, like the Asparagus Ceviche, you do not need to blanch or otherwise cook the asparagus befire adding it to the salad.

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3. 2. 1. Ranch Cornbread

Posted on March 19, 2024 by tbuzzee

This is kinda crazy…

but totally delicious.

The whole “3. 2. 1.” thing in the title of this post is actually most of the recipe, and an easy way to remember what you need:

3 eggs.

2 boxes of cornbread mix.

1 bottle of ranch salad dressing.

INGREDIENTS
Bread:
•3 eggs
•2 (8-1/2 oz) boxes cornbread mix
•1 (16 oz) bottle Ranch Dressing

Honey Butter:
•1 cup butter, room temperature
•6 tbsp honey*

*I used two tablespoons of Hot (jalapeño infused) honey and four regular.

Note: the original recipe gave the option of sprinkling a packet of ranch dressing mix over the top of the batter before baking, but I thought it all smelled more than ranch-y enough, and skipped that bit.

Next time, though, I may very well add a can or two of drained diced green chiles.

Heat your oven to 375º and apply cooking spray to a 13×9 inch baking pan.

Note: the original recipe by the Baking Yesteryear Guy called for mixing the bread by hand, but my shoulder was acting up, and my trusty stand mixer worked a treat.

Lightly beat the eggs, then stir in the corn bread and ranch dressing, mixing just until combined.

Transfer to the prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack.

To make the honey butter, whip the softened butter together with the honey and transfer to a container.

Store in the fridge, but it really is best served at room temperature.

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Asparagus Ceviche

Posted on March 18, 2024 by tbuzzee

I was looking for something “different” to do with asparagus.

I mean, yeh, I could blanch it (which I do a lot), I could sauté it in some garlic infused olive oil, grill it, roast it, you name it, but I was just not in the mood for any of that.

So, I went to Food Network and came across this wicked simple, and incredibly delicious recipe for asparagus ceviche.

You don’t even need to cook the asparagus!

INGREDIENTS
•1 lb asparagus spears, chopped
•1 lb shrimp, cooked
•1 bunch green onions, chopped
•1/2 cup chopped red onions
•1 cup chopped tomato
•2 cups coleslaw mix
•1 jalapeño, sliced
•6 tbsp lemon juice
•6 tbsp lime juice
•2 tsp steak seasoning

Note: the original recipe called for adding crab, but I am allergic to it, so I skipped it.

Place all of the ingredients together in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, lime juice, and steak seasoning.

Stash in the fridge for 45 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve as a dip with corn chips, as a fish taco in tortillas, or enjoy as a salad.

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Garlic Balsamic Grape Tomatoes

Posted on March 14, 2024 by tbuzzee

I needed some tomatoes, and the market had this buy one, get one free deal going on, so I did.

except…

I really did not need that many tomatoes.

Happily, I came across this recipe on, I think, allrecipes.com, and decided to offer it up as a side dish for dinner. Leftovers, as it turned out, made a frozen pizza a true thing of beauty.

INGREDIENTS
•1 pint grape tomatoes
•2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
•1/2 tsp steak seasoning
•1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then add the tomatoes and garlic.

Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the tomatoes begin to soften.

Add the balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, and steak seasoning and continue to cook until the tomatoes begin to burst and any pan liquids have reduced and thickened into a sauce.

Serve as a side, which, as I noted above, was lovely, or scatter on top of a frozen pizza before cooking, which was really good.

I might even go so far as suggest just spreading it on crusty bread.

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Apricot BBQ Meatballs

Posted on March 12, 2024 by tbuzzee

I have this recipe filed under “Korean Barbecue Meatballs,” but really it is at best, I think, only kinda Korean-adjacent; and so I am opting for the more appropriate “Apricot BBQ” label.

Still wicked tasty, though.

I used a bag of frozen home-style meatballs, and served them with mashed potatoes and some veggies as a main course, but they would work a treat as an appetizer as well, which I am thinking of for Easter.

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
•13 oz jar apricot preserves
•1/2 cup barbecue sauce
•1/4 cup orange juice
•1/4 cup Zesty Catalina salad dressing
•2 shallots, minced
•2 tbsp lower sodium Tamari
•1 tbsp chili crisp
•1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Meatballs:
•1 bag frozen home style meatballs

*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.

Combine the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the preserves are melted and the sauce is thickened a bit.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs in a slow cooker and cook on high for four hours.

Note: this a last minute meal choice, and I did not have the four hours to slow cook, so I set my cooker on ‘Simmer” and cooked the meatballs in the sauce for 30 minutes or so before resetting to “Slow Cooker” for another hour or so. This allowed me to thicken the sauce further into a glaze.

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