Pierogies

One day while shopping, we discovered a box of something called Pierogies. They looked interesting. It said they were stuffed with cheese and potatoes.....2 positives already! Into the cart they went. Well after a few weeks, they hit their time on the menu and it was some good eats.

Tyler cut up some red potatoes, shallots and green pepper and fried all of the above with the pierogies, almost like a stir-fry. Lightly seasoned, it was really good! We weren't sure what to expect. I think we might just have to have them again!

Chinese Pepper Steak

I am always one who loves a good night with the Chinese takeout. Tyler is not. Little did I know that if I recreated one of these fabulous dishes, he would be completely down with it :)

I have found a new love: Allrecipes.com. I only changed it a bit by not including the mushrooms, adding a couple tablespoons of soy sauce to the sauce, and using the marinated steak (in soy sauce) from the kabobs. Here is the great Pepper Steak recipe I used tonight:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups julienned green bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. In a wok or skillet, stir-fry green peppers and onion in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute longer. Remove and keep warm.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, stir-fry the beef and garlic in remaining oil for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink; drain.
3. Combine the cornstarch, apple juice and water until smooth; stir into the beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minutes or until thickened. Return the vegetables to the pan; heat through. Serve over the rice.

Kabobs

Tonight was a great night for food. It was kabob night! Steak...check. Onion...check. Green Pepper...check. All on a stick?! Check! Throw on some soy sauce and a nice hot grill and you have good eats. Very easy! We also did some zuccini with sweet baby peppers in the grill bowl, topped with EVO, kosher salt and pepper. Yay!!

Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

*I also added oven roasted chicken, red onion and a fresh pear to the salad for a little kick.

Pork Burgers on the Grill

We are in the Midwest and when it comes to different types of Burgers, pork ones are hard to beat. When we first moved to the area, we found some fantastic pork burgers in the local store. They were great, grilled nicely and took to BBQ sauce like a champ. Then the store got rid of them. Tears were shed. Others were tried and nothing was as good as the old. Well today was finally the day of a suitable replacement and we only had to look to our local butcher for the cure. Tonight we had Pork Burgers, Salad, and Crash Hot Potatoes. I will have to talk about those another day. Good stuff!

Grilled Salmon

After a stop at our local Schnuck's, a nice marinated Salmon was just begging to be grilled up and served with a veggie-pasta side. Can't get much simpler than this. All you have to do is slap it on the grill and make up the pasta. Nice and easy!

California Pizza Kitchen - BBQ Chicken

Tonight is another work night on the China Cabinet. We are so close to being done. With a disasterous try at Trader Joe's, Salmon has been put off and we will be having a good 'ol fashioned frozen pizza in its place.

Gourmet Pizza

Well it was an interesting task getting this pizza to be. We decided to take the grilled approach and use a pizza stone on the grill... one of the ways recommended on the Trader Joe's wheat dough we were using. As soon as we got the dough rolled out, the gas went out on the grill. No bueno. So we moved the stone into the oven. We put the pizza together by coating the dough with EVO, putting on sauce, onions, garlic, fresh mozeralla, pepperoni, and topping it with EVO, salt and pepper and fresh basil from the garden. It looked fantastic! And then came time to move it.....that didn't go so well. Our lovely looking pizza went into the oven looking like something out of the twilight zone.... but in the end it was delish! Next time I do want to push to grill the actual dough and then top it and heat it again. I think it should turn out great. We can hope at least!

Crab Cakes

Grilled Sandwiches and Mac and Cheese

Tonight we cheated a bit. Kabobs were on the menu, but we wanted to spend a good chunk of time tonight working on a home project. So instead of Kabobs, we did panini-like sandwiches and good ol' mac and cheese. Comfort food :)

For our hot sandwiches, we take 2 slices of white bread and butter one side on each slice. Slap a cold cut of your choice, or not, on the griddle and warm. Put the butter side of one slice down on the griddle. Top that with your meat and choice of cheese and top it off with the other slice of bread, butter side up. Let cook for about 90-120 secs for each side and you should be good to go. Always a great, easy meal and sometimes we need those!

To Die for Burgers

Tonight we had burgers and fries. Tyler had some "flu-like symptoms" today and it was slow going, but turned out great. Nothing a little hair of the dog couldn't fix, if he dared. :) Here are the recipes:

    

Grilled Sausages

Tonight we went to a co-worker of Tyler's and helped to celebrate her Husband's birthday. The theme of the party was Sausages. Unfortunately, the other boys got a little too wasted a little too quickly and Tyler was put on the grill. He loves to do that, but it was kind of awkward. :) The hostess kept apologizing, which was cute. We had never met any of these people, except for the hosts. Anyways.....the sausage came from a lovely hidden gem in the C-U area: The Illini Meat Room. This is a small retail place that sells the meat butchered by the Ag students at U of I who are training to be butchers. The meat is as fresh as you can get and is wonderfully cheap! Lots of good food. A little too much drink. And all is well.

Tacos

Tonight I made fresh home-made tacos for my family in town. Nothing gets my boys running like home-made taco shells. Throw in a bowl: eggs, tobasco sauce, oil, salt, corn starch, corn meal and some milk and you will end up with a fabulous corn tortilla, nice and warm. Add with that some seasoned beef, lettuce, onion, cheese and salsa, and you have a fantastic taco. I think this might be Tyler's favorite meal I make.

Grilled Ahi Tuna and Asparagus

Tonight we had the Ahi Tuna I picked up from Trader Joe's. It comes vaccum-packed and is already marinated for your convenience. We also had asparagus, as well. The veggie was already in a ziplock bag, so Tyler threw in some olive oil, salt and pepper and got it all nice and coated. Then he threw the tuna and asparagus on the grill and 10 minutes later, we had a great meal. This made me fall in love with TJ's that much more.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Tonight we had a great salad. I have come to the decision that for our family of 2, a packaged salad is the way to go to cut down on waste. So after a long afternoon at the pool, I stopped by the store to pick up a salad, chicken breast strips, french baguette and some dessert. 

At home, I took the salad package and put it right in the fridge. On the stove, I scrambled 2 eggs with a little milk and then mixed in the chicken breast. When heated through, I put the lettuce in a bowl, topped with chicken and scrambled eggs, added some romano caesar dressing, topped with parmesan flakes, crutons and salt and pepper.

I served this with a side of warmed french bread and butter and it was Delish! Nothing like a good salad in the Summer and so easy!

For Dessert, I picked up some angel food cake and fresh strawberries. I decored the strawberries, put a half cup of sugar on them and let them marinate for a few hours to get nice and juicy. Cut a couple of slices of the cake, put them on a dish and set up with a heaping of strawberries. Yum!

Spaghetti Carbonara

 

This recipe turned out to be great. I made a few adjustments due to what was on hand. Instead of buying bacon, I used Pancetta, which is an Italian Bacon. I also substituted Asparagus for the Peas. Yum!

Trying Something New

I am trying my hand at planning out meals instead of flying by the seat of our pants each night. My blog came to mind as a place to post what we were having and a place to post the recipes. We will see how it works out :)