You do not have to have a wok to make this.  I actually made this two or three times before I decided I needed to get a wok.  It's more about space than anything. You may have to cook the food in smaller batches if you don't have a big pan.

You will need a flank steak.  1 1/2 to 2 pounds is a great size.
Marinade Ingredients:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of water
2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Make sure you're working with a sharp knife.
Turn your flank steak to wear the grain is side to side. 
You are going to cut against the grain.

Cut against the grain and at a slight angle. You want the strips to be pretty thin.

Place your flank steak strips in the marinade and mix. Let sit for about 30 minutes to one hour.

Use 2-3 heads of fresh broccoli and cut the florets. 
Rinse and drain.

For the sauce you will need:
1/4 soy sauce
1/4 of teriyaki
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour

Mix and set aside

Add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to pan and head over medium high heat. 
Add the broccoli and stir continuously to prevent burning. Cook for 3 minutes and transfer to bowl.

Add another tablespoon of oil and add meat.  After a minute or so add half of the sauce mixture. Stir continuously.  It will begin to stick to bottom of pan some but don't panic!  Cook for another 3 minutes and then add the broccoli back into the pan and the remaining sauce.  Stir to coat, then turn off heat and cover with lid for a couple of minutes.  When you uncover and stir some of the sauce that was stuck to the bottom of the pan will loosen and turn into a sauce. 

To stretch this meal even further you can serve over rice or add rice to the mixture just before serving!  

Enjoy!!!

I had written the recipe in a notebook and had not written down the source.  I forgot where I had found the recipe.  I found it last night and must give credit!  This original recipe came from Rainy Day Gal.  I've changed up the ingredients to suit my tastes (and what I have available to me here in the sticks).  You can find the original recipe at www.rainydaygal.com

Willie Ruth is "Meemo" to me.  And what is better than a family recipe that is easy and fail proof?  I can't believe I've never posted this recipe.  It's one of our stand by recipes.  
This chili is not too spicy.  It's just simple and delicious.  

Here are her instructions:

For every pound of ground beef add: 
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 onion, diced.

Brown the ground beef and onion then add the remaining ingredients.  

That's it!!!  It is so simple to make.  Of course you can add heat.  Occasionally I'll add to this recipe and spice it up a little bit.  

Yesterday I made Meemo's chili recipe but I made a couple of additions. I thought it turned out pretty darn good.  
I added:
1 tsp. of oregano
1 tablespoon of cumin
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 can beer

Then I wanted to try something I've never done before.  Pioneer Woman adds Masa to her chili. So I added 1/4 cup of ground masa in 1/2 cup of water and added it to the chili.  It thickens it slightly and gives it a nice mild corn flavor.  It was yummy!  

I'm sure Meemo wouldn't like me putting beer in her chili!  But it gave it a wonderful flavor and all of the alcohol cooks out of the soup.  I sure miss her! She was a great woman!  

This is so easy to make and has the best flavor!  I would have made these in the panini press but my oldest son stole my press when he moved out.  But the turned out just fine grilled on a griddle.  

Use a nice fresh bread.  We used a Tuscan bread. 
You'll need turkey slices, cheese slices.  I used mozzarella but provolone would also be great.  Then I used a bag of cole slaw and some thousand island dressing.  

Just grill your turkey and cheese and then when it's done add the coleslaw mixture and serve!  

Super easy!!!  

I have another picture of just the ingredients but I thought my super cute helper deserved to be in a blog.
 I shouldn't be teasing when he's playing with sharp objects.  Dentists pretty much need fingers in order to work. 

That being said he's an awesome chef and there are certain things he does better than anyone else. He's an awesome sandwich maker and salad maker.  His sandwich making skills he says he got from his grandfather. And no offense to Grandpa Kirby but I love it when this guy cooks for me.  



This was an idea we dreamed up for dinner late in the day so we decided to take a short cut and use a bagged caesar salad kit from the store rather than make our own.

You'll need: bread- My husband prefers the ciabatta rolls.  
                 Italian cheese (I'm using an already opened bag of shreds)
                 Chicken breasts to grill (I seasoned mine with s&P, and an Italian seasoning blend)
                 Caesar salad kit.  

That's it!  Just grill your chicken and slice it.  Assemble your sandwiches and add your lettuce and tomato.  Don't get me wrong.  I know you guys are smart enough to figure that out! But since this is a cooking blog I felt obliged to offer up instructions.  ;p
Oh! And the nurse in me says please use your instant read thermometer to ensure that your chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Don't want any sickies out there.  

My inspiration for these sandwiches came from my favorite restaurant in our little town. American Grill.  I seriously think they should be featured on Triple D. (Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives).  I'm hoping that my friend Mark won't get mad at me for posting a blog about the same type of sandwich that they serve.  I guess I could have asked him. ha!  But, as usual I don't think my version of the sandwich are any threat to him or his restaurant.  I'd way rather go eat one of theirs.  He uses different bread and his salad dressing is homemade.  And it's made on their grill which to me makes the sandwich all together different.  PLUS I just love having other people cook for me.  (Think I've done enough butt kissing here?)  

Anyway, next time you need a quick dinner or you want to serve a great sandwich for a tailgating party, or just want something a little different try this!!!

These roasted sweet potatoes are such a breeze to make! I first made them as a side dish for Thanksgiving a few years ago.  Everyone loved them.  But I'd forgotten about it.  Yesterday my husband and I were sharing a steak and he wanted to have sweet potatoes and asked me if I remembered roasting them like I did that one year.  Perfect idea! 

Just peel and cut into chunks and toss with olive oil.  I like to do that in a plastic bag and shake it up just for convenience. 

Then drizzle with some Maple syrup.  I believe my old recipe called for Grade B syrup but I have some maple that was given to me by a girlfriend whose family taps their own trees. (How cool is that?) 
And then sprinkle with pepper and crushed rosemary.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

I used an aluminum pan here too.  I guess I wasn't in a dishwashing mood!  

This is a lot easier than it looks!  I've been using cedar planks to cook salmon for years.  The one I used for this recipe I bought at Williams-Sonoma and it's a nice size but if you don't have access to them you can use cedar planks from a lumbar yard.  Just make sure that it's untreated and cut to the right length.  
To prepare the cedar for cooking you need to soak it in water for a couple of hours before cooking.  I've read where you need to add salt to the water that you're soaking it in but I really can't see where that serves any purpose at all.  

The salmon that I selected is a side of king salmon but you can use smaller filets if you like. I prefer the taste of king salmon over sockeye salmon or other varieties.  This is something I'm a stickler about.  
For this recipe I removed the skin and placed the salmon on what would be the skin side down. I seasoned it lightly with potlatch seasoning.  If you don't have potlach just sprinkle some salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper over it or you could even use a nice Cajun spice mix.  Something like "Slap Yo Momma".  :)

Meanwhile in a small sauce pan mix the following:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped Jalapeno peppers
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Bring to a low boil and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Let mixture cool and then spoon over salmon just before placing it on grill (or after you place it on the grill).

Grilling:
I prepared my grill and had red hot coals- the temperature was around 400 degrees.  You want it to be on indirect heat if possible or have the coals to where they will not flame up and catch the board on fire.  I closed the lid of my grill and cooked it for 30- 40 minutes and then checked on it.  The internal temperature of the fish needs to be around 140 degrees to ensure doneness.  
The end result of cooking this way is a steamed, light and flaky fish!  It was delicious and flavorful it had a slight kick but was by no means too spicy.  

I've blogged about this recipe before on my old blog but thought it was worthy of another post!  I found this recipe through google when I was looking for a copy cat recipe.  Like most other recipes I've tweaked it a little to fit my taste.  But one thing is for sure- this is zesty and delicious!  
Whenever I make homemade salad dressings I always wonder to myself why I don't do this more often.  They are so easy to make and taste SO much better than the bottled stuff you get at the grocery store that's so full of preservatives it doesn't even taste good.  

I whipped this up in the blender a couple of hours before dinner and let it sit in the refrigerator to let the flavors marry.  It could be just my imagination, but I think they're very happy together.  ;)

2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons of orange juice (or water if you don't have juice)
2 tablespoons of salad vinegar (or red wine)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon of course ground mustard
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one lime
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp of pepper

After the ingredients are blended well add: 
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tablespoon of  dried cilantro 

**********  If you have fresh herbs on hand by all means use that!  When I first made this recipe it was in the middle of winter and I didn't have any fresh herbs.  But yesterday I gathered herbs from the garden.  Instead of using measuring spoons I just used a hand full of each- maybe a 1/4 cup.  

<3 Enjoy!!!  

The word brochette actually just means to skewer.  But doesn't it sound impressive?    
The inspiration for this dish comes from Pappasito's.  It's simply large raw shrimp that has been peeled and deveined, butterflied, and then filled with a sliver of monterrey jack cheese, and a sliver of fresh jalapeno.  You then wrap it in bacon and secure it with a toothpick or skewer and grill!  I seasoned mine with a little bit of paprika and cayenne pepper.  I brushed this batch of shrimp with a little bit of Head Country BBQ sauce when it was done but for those of you who've eaten at Pappasito's- you know that these shrimp come drizzled with buttery goodness.  




I found a knock-off recipe for Pappasito's Mantequilla sauce years ago.  This makes a lot of butter (2 pounds) but it freezes very well and you can use it for grilling other foods as well.  It would be great with steak, chicken, seafood, etc.  Pappasito's also uses their sauce with their fajitas.  

Mantequilla Sauce: 
1 pound butter 
1 pound margarine
1 tablespoon chicken bullion granules
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 cup chardonnay

Mix room temperature butter with all of the ingredients except for the chardonnay.  Then once the ingredients are mixed well, slowly add the chardonnay.  Roll up in a tube of saran wrap and freeze!  You can cut off sections for use.   

 
I snapped this photo with my phone the other night while we were eating dinner at Cherokee Yacht Club.  I'd ordered their Caprese Salad and it was delicious.  It had ripe red tomatoes with fried green tomatoes sandwiched in between them and baby mozzarella on the side.  There was basil, green onion, and bacon bits sprinkled on top and then it was dressed with a homemade green goddess dressing.  
I've never had fried green tomatoes before and was very pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were.  I don't know why I had expected there to be a sour flavor or no flavor at all.  
The only other time I'd ever eaten a green tomato was at another restaurant on our lake that has a green tomato relish they serve with their catfish.  It's yummy too!    

For a couple of years I'd been thinking about trying to make some fried green tomatoes but I'd never come across any.  Then yesterday while I was driving through our downtown area I noticed the farmer's market.  I turned my car around and was proud of myself for being awake and out and about early enough to shop there.  Then as if it were my personal reward I saw baskets of green tomatoes!  Yippee!!!!  I knew that I would try to make the caprese salad I'd had last week.  

I came home and googled recipes and came across several.  Some called for cornmeal as a coating and some called for bread crumbs.  I decided to wing it.  I used both cornmeal (my husband brought home self-rising cornmeal and that worked out GREAT) and panko.  I added about a teaspoon of Louisiana cajun seasoning to the mixture.  

1 cup of self-rising cornbread mix
1 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp. of cajun seasoning spice mix

For the wash I made some home made buttermilk.

Mix one cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, let sit.

Then I added a teaspoon of hot sauce because bland food is unacceptable. :)  

I washed my tomatoes, removed the stem and sliced.  Then because I saw it mentioned somewhere I salted them.  I guess it "sweats" the tomatoes??  I wasn't sure if this was something that needed to be done but I made one and tried it just to be sure it had a good flavor before I did the same with the whole batch.   

It was good.  :)

I also decided my oil in the pan needed some southern flavor so I added some bacon drippings.  :)  
Just dip the tomato slices in the buttermilk one at a time and then into the cornmeal.  
Then fry them up until they are just browned on each side.
Let drain on a paper towel.  

Then came the fun part! Assembling the pretty plate.  I used  some fresh baby mozzarella chunks, purple onion, bacon crumbs, onion ring salad topping, some fresh chopped basil, some shredded parmesan, herbs to garnish the plates, and drizzled with some bottle green goddess dressing.  
The flavor combination was out of this world good and next time I make this I might use a homemade dressing but frankly the bottled stuff was good enough.  

I had said I wasn't going to put this recipe out just yet because it was ugly.. ie.. "rustic" but I just heated up a leftover slice for my lunch and I've completely changed my mind.  It is delicious!  And it's not all that ugly.  I was just pouting because it wasn't perfect.  The crust shrunk a little bit on one side making the egg over flow on that side and the top got a little more brown than I would have liked.  I wasn't watching it in the oven or I could have prevented that.  But that's my fault- not the recipe's fault!  

So tell me what you think? Ugly or pretty??

Let's start with the crust.  I sometimes use ready made crust but this really is worth a little extra effort.  

I used my food processor with the dough blade and it mixed perfectly.

Pie Crust
 
9 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and chilled, plus extra
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons iced water


 Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes, place in a small bowl and chill in freezer or fridge. Place flour and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to combine. 
Add butter to flour mixture and pulse several times, until it resembles a coarse, crumblike meal.
 Add 4 tablespoons of iced water and pulse several times. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water and pulse again, with slightly longer pulses. If necessary, add more iced water, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture forms large dough balls. 

Form the dough as pictured above, work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Par-bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a quiche or pie pan lightly with butter Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about a 1/8-inch thickness. It needs to be larger than your pie plate. Gently transfer it to the pie pan and gently press it into the bottom and inner edges of the pan.

 With straight-sided tart pans and quiche plates, lightly press the sides of the crust so the dough extends 1/8-inch or so above the edge of the plate, again because of inevitable shrinkage during baking.

Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Lightly press a sheet of aluminum foil inside the crust and fill it with pie weights or uncooked rice or dried beans. Bake for about 20 minutes, until edges are slightly colored. 

6 slices of bacon, cooked (I used peppered bacon)
1/2 of onion
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
8-10 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup of fat free half and half
1/2 pound of Swiss cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp. Herbs de Provence (I used 1 1/2 tsp)

I cut my bacon into pieces and cooked over low heat while I was preparing the crust and cutting up veggies.  
Cook until crispy and drain on a paper towel.  
Reserve some of the bacon drippings to saute the veggies.  

For you folks who've never had a leek.  Don't be scared.  It looks like a gigantic onion and although it's in the onion family it has a very mild flavor.  
The biggest thing to be aware of is they can trap sand between the layers when they are growing so you are going to want to wash them very well to ensure you don't get any grit.

The part you are going to use is not very big.  Just some of the white and some of the light green.

I turn it on end and cut it in half and then turn it to cut it again.  Sort of the same way you'd cut a cucumber when making small chunks.  Then lay it on it's side and cut it into pieces. This is when I put mine in a strainer and rinsed it off.  

 
Then using your reserved bacon drippings cook the chopped onion and leeks for about 5 minutes until it is tender.

Mix eggs, half and half, and spices

Add the onions and leeks to the bottom on the pan on top of the crust. Then add bacon and cheese and pour egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for an hour.  Using your instant read thermometer make sure the temperature of the eggs is 145 to ensure it is cooked thoroughly.  
Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes.  And obviously watch you quiche!  Don't make a rustic quiche like me! heehee.  If the top is browning a little to fast you can lay a piece of aluminum foil gently over the top.  

This is wonderful served with a garden salad on the side, some skillet potatoes, or fresh fruit.  If you really want to sin serve this with some crusty buttery bread!  Enjoy!