Sage-Infused Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms with Cacio e Pepe

Sage-Infused Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms with Cacio e Pepe

I follow some fantastic food blogs, and many of their recipes are the inspiration for our meals. The past couple of days yielded a bonanza for me for a meal that had everything I already had in the pantry, garden, or freezer. The hubby thought it was quite good!

Huge thanks to Linda at Fabulous Fare Sisters and to Mimi at Chef Mimi Blog for providing the motivation to make this super-tasty meal. Go check out their blogs when you have a chance!

On to the preparation!

Sage-Infused Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms
Inspired by Linda at Fabulous Fare Sisters

Garden Sage Plant

8 ounces sirloin tips
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
2 tablespoons fresh chopped green onions (green part only) or chives
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Fresh ground pepper and salt or Mrs. Dash, to taste

Finely Chopped Sage and Green Onion

Place the chopped sage, green onion or chives and garlic in a shallow dish. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, pepper and salt or Mrs. Dash, and whisk to combine.

Add the sirloin tips, mix well, then marinate at room temperature for a half hour.

Sirloin Tips in Herby Maridade

Meanwhile, add another tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until liquid has released and mushrooms have browned. Remove from skillet and set aside and turn off heat.

Cooking the Mushrooms

Next, prepare the Cacio e Pepe (recipe below).

When pasta is cooked, reheat the same cast iron skillet on high. Drizzle a little olive oil into the hot skillet. Add the sirloin tips and sage mixture and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until cooked to your liking.

Steak Tips in Sage Sauce

Add the mushrooms and stir until heated through. Remove from heat and serve immediately with the Cacio e Pepe.

Cacio e Pepe
Inspired by Chef Mimi Blog

2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
4 ounces dried spaghetti noodles
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for serving

Finely Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Place a large pot full of salted water on the stove over high heat and cook spaghetti according to package directions.

When the pasta is done to your liking, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water in a bowl. Drain the pasta and return the pasta to the pot. Immediately add about a half cup of pasta water to the pot, stirring gently.

Add a teaspoon of coarsely ground pepper and the grated cheese, along with more pasta water as needed, (I kept having to add about a 1/4 cup at a time throughout and did end up with some clumpy cheese at the bottom, but that’s OK).

Pasta, Cheese, and Pepper

Stir vigorously through out this process until cheese is melted and pasta is creamy. Keep warm until steak tips are done, and add a little more pasta water to loosen up just before serving. Serve with additional ground pepper, if desired (recommended!)

Sage-Infused Sirloin Tips and Mushrooms with Cacio e Pepe

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

I love it when I come across a recipe that inspires me to buy the ingredients on my next shopping trip and make it for lunch or dinner. This was such a recipe, and a big shout out to Seana at Cottage Grove House, who makes beautiful, easy-to-make homemade fresh dishes and shares them for people like me! Please go check out her site, if you would, here.

Although it’s been the warmest fall I can remember in the 20 years I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest, October means it is soup-making time. Who cares if I’m still wearing capris and t-shirts?

A 3-quart pot is the largest pot available in this tiny temporary kitchen, so I had to make some quantity adjustments to the original recipe. In addition, the store I went to did not have creme fraiche, so I had to use a homemade substitute for that.

This was a perfect, light supper for another beautiful sunny, fall day. And as luck should have it, my husband fried up some extra bacon when he made a BLT sandwich for lunch today, so I added some extra flavor to the soup by subbing one tablespoon of olive oil for bacon grease, then garnishing the soup with some of the bacon bits. The bacon part is totally optional, so this would be a great meatless meal for any day!

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup
Adapted from Luscious Cauliflower Soup by Cottage Grove House

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade or low sodium
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream whisked with 2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded)
Snipped chives or green onion, for garnish
Chopped cooked bacon, for garnish (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chopped Onion, Cauliflower, and Potatoes

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or 1 tablespoon bacon grease and 1 tablespoon olive oil) in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 more minutes. Remove from heat

Simmering Cauliflower and Potatoes in Broth

In batches, blend about half the soup until desired consistency. Stir in the cheese, half & half and sour cream mixture. Garnish with snipped chives and bacon bits (optional). Pass with salt and pepper and adjust seasoning accordingly, depending on garnishes used. Serve with warm crusty, buttered bread.

Download and Print this Yummy Recipe!

 

Tarragon Chive Lemon Butter on Grilled Steaks

Tarragon Chive Lemon Butter on Steak

My parents have made it back to town for the summer to escape the sizzling heat of Texas, only to bring their sizzling heat with them. OK so high 80s/low 90s is not exactly sizzling by Texas standards, but when you have no AC that’s hot enough, thank you.

We invited them for dinner this past weekend and figured we’d grill them up some steaks, but I wanted to make their welcome-back dinner a little more special. So I tried my hand at making a compound butter with some of the fresh herbs from my planter garden.

Butter, Lemon, and Tarragon

This was so gosh-darn easy. OK I take that back. I do not have a proper zester and it frustrated the heck out of me to finally get at least a teaspoon of zest from the lemon on my cheese grater. I was so frustrated that I finally took a photo of my pitiful attempt before getting that amount (minus the chives, those were added last minute). But I finally got ‘er done!

This herbed lemon butter can be used for more than steaks, such as fresh steamed green beans or asparagus. In fact, I must try that!

Herbed Butter Log Ready to Chill

Tarragon Chive Lemon Butter on Grilled Steaks

1 stick of unsalted sweet cream butter (8 tablespoons)
Zest of one lemon plus about a teaspoon of the lemon juice from it
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
1 steak per person (we used New York Strip, any good steak cut will do)

Let the butter sit on the counter for a few hours to soften and bring to room temperature. Add the softened butter to a small bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the steak, ha!). Using a fork, combine and squish and mix around until it’s all incorporated well. Plop the butter mixture onto wax or parchment paper, then roll it around until it’s the shape of a large tootsie roll. Seal it on the ends and then refrigerate until the butter hardens. In the interest of time I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes then transferred to the refrigerator.

Grill up those steaks seasoned lightly with salt and lots of black pepper, then top with a pat of the herbed butter. Put the butter on while the steaks rest for five minutes, so it starts melting all over it. YUMM! This added such a fresh taste to the steaks, and my mom even used more of the butter for her baked potato. I loved the fact that nobody asked for any kind of bottled steak sauce! You will not be disappointed.

p.s. We are leaving again for a trip to our RV property on the coast for four days on Thursday after work. I don’t know if I’ll have time to write that one before we leave, but if not, you’ll see a fab new recipe early next week!

Melting Herbed Butter on Steak

These Should Have Been Kabobs Artichokes and Chicken

Artichokes and Chicken Grilled in a Foil Packet

So I opened a can of artichoke hearts the other day to make my small serving of Artichoke and Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes, and had to figure out what to do with nearly a full can of them. My husband had already taken out a boneless, skinless chicken breast to defrost for dinner, so got my thinking cap on for dinner ideas.

It got into the mid-80s and figured grilling would be a good idea, but how does one grill the artichoke hearts with the chicken? In a foil packet, of course! ~ STOP THE PRESSES! No, these should have been grilled as kabobs. Hindsight really is 20-2o. ~ The chicken and artichokes were marinated along with some grape tomatoes and onion in an Italian-type salad dressing, along with lemon juice, fresh-snipped chives, and fresh chopped tarragon leaves. I could have gone ahead and made the entire marinade from scratch, but what the heck, I didn’t.

This made for a light summer meal served on top of a bed of rice cooked in homemade chicken broth. EXCEPT this would have been much better grilled on skewers!

Chicken and Artichokes Marinating

Artichokes and Chicken Foil Packet – but really put them on skewers

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup Girard’s Champagne salad dressing (or any other Italian-style dressing)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh-snipped chives
1 teaspoon fresh minced tarragon leaves
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 carton grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into large chunks
Ground black pepper, to taste

Cube the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and set aside. In a plastic or glass bowl, whisk together the salad dressing with the lemon juice and herbs. Add the chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and onion, and grind black pepper over all. Toss to coat well, then marinate in the fridge for at least a half hour.

Preheat grill to medium heat, or oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, divide the chicken and vegetables into half and place on large sheets of foil cut to fit. Seal foil into packets, then double wrap with another layer of foil. thread onto skewers. Grill for about 30 minutes until chicken is done. Remove from foil, ahem, skewers, then serve over hot rice garnished with more snipped chives.

Lemony Tarragon Summer Squash Soup is a Community Pick!

Lemon Tarragon Summer Squash Soup

Please forgive my lack of new recipes during my “camping and fishing season” but I am happy to announce that another one of my recipes has made it as a Community Pick in a Food52 recipe contest. I am very proud of this soup, and I hope you have a chance to enjoy it this summer. The squash I am growing have just started to flower, but I already have a bunch of fresh tarragon and chives just waiting for my first crop of squash. This entry was for the Your Best Fresh Herbs contest.

Here is the link to the contest: Food52 Your Best Fresh Herbs

And below I have copied the recipe that was adapted for the contest so you can save it for when your crops come in. Or heck, just go buy some from the Farmer’s Market!

p.s. My recipe still needs testers, so please feel free to sign up and test the recipe. Anyone can become a tester, you just have to join the Food52 Community. Easy sign up. Plus they have awesome recipes to browse through.

p.s.s. My last recipe that was chosen didn’t make it as a finalist in that contest, but I’m just glad it made it in! Hundreds of recipes are submitted, so it’s just perseverance to continue to submit, and especially have the ingredients called for in the contest.

Squash, Tarragon and Green Onion

Lemon Tarragon Summer Squash Soup

1 large yellow squash
2 green onions (scallions), light and white parts, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
1/2 cup milk or cream
Tarragon, snipped chives, shredded Parmesan cheese, croutons for garnish (optional)

1. In a soup pot, sauté the squash and onion in the butter and olive oil until onion is tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic in the last minute or so.
2. Season with black pepper to taste, add the tarragon, then pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and stir.
3. Cover and bring to a simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the squash is tender all the way through.
4. Remove from heat and add the milk or cream.
5. Puree about half the soup with whatever device you have, then return to pot.
6. Serve immediately, and garnish with optional additional tarragon, chives, shredded Parmesan cheese, and croutons.

New Potato Salad with Lemon, Dill, and Chives (No Mayo)

New Potato Salad with Lemon, Dill, and Chives

I finally get to show off my new Ninja food processor I got for Mother’s Day! For whatever reason, we hadn’t cooked anything that needed something chopped small until now. Well not exactly true. We made a chef’s salad the other day and I had fun chopping up the carrots and such for it, but it was not a blog-worthy meal. Just a typical throw-in-anything-you-have-in-your-fridge salad on a busy weeknight. However, the other night I set out to make a “lighter” version of potato salad that didn’t use mayonnaise. From all my research it appeared Greek yogurt was the best substitute, along with some oil and citrus and herbs.  This would make a great potluck salad since it doesn’t have mayo or eggs in it!

Ninja with Chopped Celery and Radishes

New Potato Salad with Lemon, Dill, and Chives

1 1/2 pounds small red new potatoes, quartered
1 celery stalk
2 radishes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh minced chives
1 tablespoon fresh minced baby dill
Ground pepper, to taste

Boil quartered potatoes for about 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes from heat, drain, and rinse in cold water. Add to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to make the salad. Meanwhile, finely dice the celery and radishes. I really enjoyed using my the Ninja for the chopping. It only took about 4 pulses on the button to make me smile. It’s small and only handles two cups max of anything, but it does the job quickly and was a snap to clean up. I love it! (No I was not paid by Ninja for this endorsement.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced chives, minced dill, and ground black pepper, to taste. Take a taste to see if it needs more of any one flavor.  Stir into the bowl of potatoes, then cover and refrigerate to let flavors meld until ready to serve.

Potato Salad Ready to Mix

I thought this was a fabulous light side dish to go with the babyback ribs my husband cooked for dinner. The only complaint I had from the family was that I made my potato chunks too big. Some of the new potatoes were not exactly small, so use your judgment on what size to chop them. I have learned my family likes smaller. Oh, and the hubs inquired why it had no bacon, either. 🙂

P.S. I will not have a weekend post, as we are off to our river property for five days over the Memorial Day Weekend. God Bless all our troops and the family members who have lost their loved ones for our country.

Potato Salad and Ribs

Lemon, Tarragon, Chive, and Cilantro Grilled Chicken

Lemon, Tarragon, Chive, and Cilantro Grilled Chicken

The tarragon and chive plants that mysteriously revived themselves from winter are going gangbusters, so decided to come up with a marinade for some chicken I planned on grilling. This super-simple marinade imparted a wonderful, fresh taste to the chicken. I threw in a small handful of cilantro at the last minute, but you can certainly omit it if you want.

Lemon and Herbs for Marinade

Lemon, Tarragon, Chive, and Cilantro Grilled Chicken

Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup white wine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken

Whisk all the ingredients well in a small glass bowl. Add the chicken to a large Ziploc bag, then pour marinade over chicken and squish around to cover the chicken well. Marinade in the refrigerator for a few hours, up to overnight. One hour before grilling, take the chicken out of the fridge (keeping it in bag) and let rest on countertop for about an hour before grilling. Preheat grill with two outer burners on high and the two middle burners on low. Add the chicken to the top rack on the grill bone-side down, reserving marinade. Cook covered for 15 minutes, then flip chicken over and cook covered another 15 minutes. Turn chicken back over, baste with marinade, and cook five minutes more or until meat thermometer registers 165. Remove from grill and tent with foil for 10 minutes. We served this with rice cooked in chicken broth and fresh steamed broccoli. A perfect spring weekend meal!

Harvesting Your Herbs for Winter Use

Filling Tray with Tarragon

I’ve been hauling the remnants of my herb garden in and out of the house the past week, since it’s been getting down below freezing (or close to) and I still had some harvest-able fresh herbs. I saw this great idea on Pinterest on how you can harvest, freeze, and then use your fresh herbs throughout the winter! What a great idea. I really can’t attribute this to any one person, as I guess it’s a method that has been done for years but I obviously never paid attention since I had never had an herb garden before this year. You can read about my herb garden here: Planter Pot Fresh Herb Garden

The method is simple. Clip all your fresh herbs with scissors, strip the stems of their leaves, then dice small. Fill ice trays (or in my case, I also used one of those egg-holders from my fridge) with a teaspoon to tablespoon of the diced herbs. Pour olive oil into each “cup” until just over the top of the herbs, then freeze. Once frozen, you can empty them into Ziplocs and label them. Next time you want to saute up some veggies for soup or make a sauce, take one (or two or three) of these cute little cubes and throw them in the pan! Now you have the oil AND herbs ready to go!

Tarragon with Oil Ready for Freezer

My herbs haven’t had time to freeze up all the way yet for a photo at the time of this writing, so can’t show them labeled in the bags, but I’m sure you get the gist. If you haven’t harvested your herb garden yet if you have one, now is the time to think of salvaging them for the winter.

I ended up freezing lots of tarragon, a fair amount of basil, and some chives: One egg and one ice tray of tarragon, one ice tray of basil, and a half ice tray of chives.  I didn’t plant near enough cilantro and that’s been long gone, but I’m going to attempt to grow my rosemary bush in the house over the winter. If I see it’s starting to fail, out come the scissors and ice cube trays!