Left-Overs Easy Beef Stew

If you're like most people who grill out on holidays, especially if friends or family come over, you have a couple of left-over steaks and baked potatoes lying around. Here's a quick and easy recipe to use them. It beats re-heating steaks and eating. That makes them tough. Baked potatoes, grilled steak, or any other cooked vegetables add additional flavor to stew.


                                                   Left-Overs Easy Beef Stew

1 steak, cooked, cut into 1" cubes
2 baked potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
2 tbl. spoons All-Purpose flour
1 small onion, sliced (Or chopped grilled onion)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup frozen corn (Or leftover cooked corn)
2 tbl. spoons vegetable oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups beef broth
2-3 dashes hot sauce
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
s/p to taste


Heat 6-quart pot on medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onion, carrots, celery. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour to make roux. Reduce heat to medium. Add corn, mushroom soup, stock. Cook 25 minutes. Add steak, potatoes, thyme. Lower heat to simmer 30 minutes.  Add hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

If using fresh meat instead of leftovers, add meat before onions and cook 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, and flour and cook 4-5 minutes before adding stock . If using uncooked potatoes, add after stew has been cooking 25 minutes and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Carne Asada with pico de gallo

Summer is for grilling. I love Mexican food. This Carne Asada (Grilled Steak) recipe is easy and feeds several for an inexpensive cook out. Goes great with tea or a good Mexican beer, like Dos Equis or Tecate.


                                                                 Carne Asada

2# skirt or flank steak
1 large onion, sliced
1 avocado, peeled, sliced

Marinade
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 limes, juiced
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Remove silver skin from steak and into slice very thin strips. In a bowl, mash dry ingredients into a paste and mix with liquid ingredients. Place steak into plastic bag with marinade mix, cover thoroughly, and allow to refrigerate 2 hours.

Get grill hot. Oil grill. Place onion on grill and cook 4-5 minutes. Turn over, Add meat to grill and cook quickly - 3-4 minutes per side. Serve Carne Asada, grilled onions, and avocado slices on warm flour tortillas with pico de Gallo and slices of avocado.

Pico de Gallo

4 Roma tomatoes, small diced
1 red onion, small diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl. spoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For sweeter pico de Gallo, substitute pineapple for tomato,

Slow Cooker Oriental Pork

Crock pots, or slow cookers, are a time saver, especially for families with a hectic schedule. I love Oriental dishes and crock pots are a great way to cook them without slaving over a hot stove. This pork dish is easy to prepare, savory and tasty, and should please even the most picky eater.


                                                 Slow Cooker Oriental Pork

2# pork steaks or boneless pork chops
2 Tbl spoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 small container Shitake mushrooms
1 small bunch Enoki mushrooms
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on a bias
1-8oz can tomato sauce
2 Tbl spoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tbl spoons brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Heat a skillet over medium high-heat. Add vegetable oil. Sear pork steaks or chops until browned. Place in slow cooker. Layer onion, mushrooms, and carrots over pork. Mix tomato sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, salt and pepper together and pour over layered pork and vegetables.

Cook on high 4-4 1/2 hours, or better yet, cook 6-7 hours on low. Prepare before lunch, go out and enjoy the day, and come back to a prepared meal.

Serve over cooked rice. Top with sliced scallions.

Italian Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork chops are the other white meat. Cooked properly, they are moist, tasty, and healthy. This recipe combines stuffed bake chops with coated fried chops.



                                               Italian Stuffed Pork Chops

4 thick pork chops
4 slices prosciutto
4 slices Fontina cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbl spoon dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 coves garlic, minced
1 cup Italian seasoned crouton, crushed or 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tbl spoons olive oil


Mix beaten eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and herbs in second bowl. Season chops with salt and pepper. Slice pocket in the side of each. Insert prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Seal with toothpick. Dip chops in milk/egg mixture, and then coat with bread crumbs. Place in heated sauté pan over medium heat with 3 Tbl spoons olive oil and garlic. Cook both sides until brown - about 5 minutes.

Place sauté pan in oven at 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until done (145 degree internal temperature).

Serve with Parmesan mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans.

Parmesan Mash Potatoes

5 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
5 quarts water, salted with 1 tsp salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat salted water to a boil. Add potatoes. Boil until done - about 15 minutes. Drain. Add butter and half of the heavy cream. Mix with blender or by hand. Add additional cream until smooth. You may not need all the cream. Stir in Parmesan cheese by hand. Season with salt and pepper.

Pad Thai

If you like spicy Asian food, Pad Thai is the perfect dish to try. It's not complicated, though different fish sauces or peppers can change flavor. You want a nice balance of sweet-sour-spicy. Caution: Contains peanuts. They can be omitted if allergic.


                                         Pad Thai

1 (12 oz) pkg. rice noodles
2 eggs, whole
1# skinless, boneless chicken breast, in bite-size pieces
1/2 cup tofu (Optional)
2 Tbl spoons butter
3 Tbl spoons vegetable oil
2 Tbl spoon Tamarind paste (Or can use 2 Tbl spoons white wine vinegar)
3 Tbl spoons fish sauce
2 Tbl spoons brown sugar
4 Tbl spoons, roasted peanuts (Optional)
1/2 tsp crushed chili peppers
1 1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 green onions chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lime or lemon cut into wedges


Place rice noodles in cold water and soak 30 minutes until almost soft. Drain and set aside.

Add butter to wok or skillet over medium-high heat and sauté chicken until browned and almost done. Remove and set aside.

Add oil to heated pan or wok. Add tofu. Sauté 2 minutes, and then add noodles, tamarind paste, sugar, garlic, chili peppers, and fish sauce. Add eggs and cook for 3-4 minutes while mixing well. Noodles should have a slight bite but tender. Add cooked chicken, peanuts, and bean sprouts. Cook 3 minutes more.

Add green onions.

Serve with wedge of lemon or lime. Have additional fish sauce and chili pepper available for guests.
Serve with tea or Asian beer.

Veal Ravioli with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

On a recent cruise, one of the best dishes I ate at one of the ship's superb restaurants was veal ravioli in a porcini mushroom sauce. I don't know their exact recipe, but I'm sure this comes close.


                                 Veal Ravioli

1 pkg. fresh lasagna strips
1 egg
1# ground veal
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small carrot, fine diced
1 small onion, fine diced
1 celery stalk fine diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsps. freshly chopped parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup tomato sauce
salt/pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. Add carrots, celery, onion. sauté for 6-7 minutes until tender. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add veal. Cook until done, about 4-5 minutes. Add pepper flakes, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Reduce liquid until mixture holds together well.

Lay out lasagna sheets. Cut into 2-inch squares. Add 1 tsp mixture into center of lasagna. Beat egg and brush edges of sheet. Lay a piece on top and crimp edges with a fork.

To cook, bring four quarts salted water to a low boil. As raviolis 4 at a time and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towel.


                                                  Porcini Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup warm water

2 tbl spoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine or dry Marsala wine
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
salt/pepper to taste

2 tbl spoons butter
2 tbl spoons flour

Add dried porcini mushrooms to warm water. Allow to soak for 30  minutes. gently squeeze moisture from reconstituted mushrooms but reserve all liquid.

Add olive oil to sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until slightly caramelized. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, mushroom liquid, white wine, and stock. reduce heat and simmer until 2 cups liquid remain - about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix butter and flour into a paste and whisk into mushroom mixture until thickened.

Add raviolis to sauce to reheat.

Serve with chilled white wine and buttered bread. Delicious.

Savory Hamburger Steak with Mushroom-Onion Gravy

Ground beef in any form is my all-time favorite comfort food. I enjoy it as meat loaf, meatballs, hamburgers - but most of all, I love hamburger steak. As a child, it was a real treat for our poor family. Here is a simple hamburger steak recipe sure to please the entire family.


   Savory Hamburger Steak with Mushroom-Onion Gravy


2# ground beef, 80/20 or 90/10 is best
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbl spoon oil

Mix all ingredients thoroughly with ground beef. Form five (5) equal slightly oblong patties. heat skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and sauté patties ten minutes per side or until done inside. (165 degrees).
Remove from pan.

Mushroom-Onion Gravy

1 cup sliced white onion
1/2 cups sliced button or crimini mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 Tbl spoons All Purpose flour
1 Tbl spoon vegetable oil
1 cup beef broth
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground sage

Keep temperature of skillet at medium-high. Add oil to drippings. Add onions and sauté until almost done (10 minutes). Add mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes. Add flour and stir. Reduce heat and add beef broth. Add herbs and seasonings and allow to simmer until thickened.

Return hamburger steaks to mixture and heat.
Place steaks on plate. Spoon gravy over steaks. Serve with mashed potatoes or French fries.

This dish will bring back childhood memories.