Don's Most Perfect Stir Fry Ever

We just had the most delicious stir fry. It's an improvement on a former recipe we tried from Epicurious called Stir-Fried Beef, Broccoli and Yams. Our additions and revisions are definitely for keeps and have earned this a permanent rotation in the early household. Wanted to write it down while it's still fresh.


Ingredients

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons oyster sauce*

1 to 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper

1 pound Ribeye Steak (sirloin or flank would work nice too)

2 1/2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided

3 Stalks Celery, sliced diagonally

4 cups broccoli florets (about 8 ounces)

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices

1 teaspoon bottled ground ginger

1 teaspoon bottled ground cloves

1 small box of Trader Joes Pad Thai Noodles (save sauce packet for another use)

Stir first 4 ingredients in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set sauce aside.

Season Steak with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large wok over high heat. Add beef ; sear on both sides about two minutes until no longer pink outside. Transfer beef mixture to cutting board and let rest.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet. Add broccoli, yam, celery, garlic and ginger. Toss to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add sauce. Cover, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add beef mixture. Toss until sauce coats beef, and beef is to desired degree of doneness. Add noodles and toss until well coated. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chipotle Barbecue Beef

So, I have no idea how appetizing this does or does not come through on camera, but if you could smell it through the computer, you would be selling your soul to me for a bite. This is, from my perspective, the best crockpot dinner I have ever made. So easy, so tasty. And while it was a bit of a rush to get it put together before work this morning, I loved the luxury of knowing all day long that dinner was going to be ready and waiting for me at the end of the evening. Will absolutely, positively, make this again and again.

1 3-pound Beef Rump Roast
1 Large Walla Walla Sweet Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Dried Italian Herb Seasoning
3 teaspoons ground ancho chili powder
1/4 Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Brown Roast on all sides in a heavy cast iron skillet heated with canola oil. Remove roast and place in crockpot. Saute onions and garlic in the skillet for a few minutes until softened. Stir frequently to scrape up all the browned bits of meat on the bottom of the pan. Pour over roast in crockpot. Combine next 9 ingredients (tomato sauce through pepper) in a small mixing bowl and stir with whisk until fully incorporated. Pour over roast in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Shred meat with a fork and stir in juices. Serve opened face over a whole wheat bun to sop up all the juices. Delicious!

Peppered Steaks in Beer and Garlic

An old recipe from memory we used to make. Wanted to capture it while it was on my mind.

1 bottle Dark Oatmeal Stout
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
8 Cloves Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Whole Mixed Peppercorns, slightly crushed
2 to 4 Steaks

Rub combine brown sugar, worchester sauce, garlic and peppercorns. Rub evenly over steaks pressing into the flesh. Marinate in beer for 2 to 8 hours. Grill to desired doneness.

Chinese Make In: Stir-Fried Beef, Broccoli, and Yams

Sorry, I didn't get a better picture, but this one was too good not to share. Why get Take Out when you can have Make In. Next time you are in the mood for Chinese Food, try this delicious and easy stir fry recipe made with Flank Steak, Broccoli, Yams, and homemade sauce. So simple and tasty and way healthier than Take out. This was so good on it's own we didn't even bother to make rice to go with it. For the full recipe visit http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Stir-Fried-Beef-Broccoli-and-Yams-352549.

Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard

Tonight's dinner, Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye Steaks with Creamed Swiss Chard, by Tyler Florence of http://www.blogger.com/www.foodnetwork.com, was inspired by a fresh batch of chard that came in our Dandelion Organic Delivery Box this week. For a full version of the recipe, please click on the link above.

I've never tried chard before tonight, and this was definitely the recipe to introduce it. It's not low calorie by any stretch of the imagination, but a worthwhile treat nonetheless to have on occasion. Besides, my sister and I have started wearing our Bodybug and Go-Fit calorie measuring armbands while we make dinner and clean the kitchen each night. Did you know that cooking your own meals is a workout in and of itself and can burn around 200 calories nightly just by eating in instead of out?

Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add one large bunch of fresh chard (rinsed, stems removed, and leaves chopped.) Blanch in boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes then drain and set aside to cool. When greens are cool enough to handle, squeeze excess water out with a paper towel.

For the creamed part of the creamed chard, place some whole fresh thyme, rosemary sprigs, and whole cloves of garlic in a sauce pan and cover with two cups of fresh cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue to cook and thicken while you prepare your main course (Ribeye Steaks).

For Cream, our local favorite is Twin Brook Creamery available at the Food Co-op and Haggens. The cream is produced locally in Lynden, WA without the use of artificial growth hormones. It also comes in fresh sealed recyclable glass containers which come with a refundable deposit. We also keep their skim milked stocked in our fridge and enjoy being able to purchase by the half gallon.

Once the cream base has thickened, remove the herb and garlic cloves, add the chard, and stir in about 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.


For the crumb topping, finely dice about a tablespoon each of fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and garlic cloves. Heat one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a small saucepan until butter is melted. Add herbs and garlic along with 1 cup of panko breadrumbs to the pan and toast until the breadcrumbs are a light golden brown color. Sprinkle on top of the creamed chard for garnish.

The main dish could not be simpler. Simply heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a couple of whole sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. The herbs will start to crackle as they infuse the oil with their flavor. Remove and discard the herbs from the hot oil before they burn.

Season the ribeye steaks with salt and pepper. Add to hot pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with breadcrumb topping also and enjoy!

Wowie-Wow-Wow-Wow!

There is an old Saturday Night Live sketch starring Christopher Walkin called "The Transcontinental" in which Walkin plays an unsuccessful ladies man where everything he does pretty much repels women. It is actually quite a brilliant sketch and if you have never seen it, well it's definitely worth a quick Google search and a YouTube viewing experience. The reason I bring it up now is because the catch phrase of the character is "Wowie-wow-wow-wow" and it is the first thing that pops into my head when I think of tonight's dinner. Let's just say, if my dinner were a lady's man, it would not be going home alone tonight, if ya know what I mean (wink, wink).

Tonight we decided to try Skirt Steak with Cipollini Onions from the Food Network website in honor of a fresh shipment of red cipollini onions from our Dandelion Organic Produce Delivery service. Please visit the website directly for a copy of the complete recipe.

Since the Community Food Co-op where we buy all our meat coes not carry skirt steak, we elected to go with a nice organic brisket instead since it was roughly about the size and shape we wanted.

Don, my dear knight in shining armor, got up early enough to prepare the slow cooker meal so that I didn't have to, and was even awake enough to remember to take pictures of the prep as he went. Good hubby! He started by coating the meat chunks in flour and then browning them on the stove top over high heat in small batches to avoid over crowding. When all the meat was done browning and nestled snugly in the crockpot, he set to work on the braising liquids.

While pan is still hot, add two cups of beef broth and one cup of red wine. Whisk well and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the brown bits. Cook until liquid reduces by half and then add to the crockpot. For the red wine, we chose the 2005 Chuckanut Ridge Madrona, a personal favorite of ours purchased from a recent wine tasting event. Chuckanut Ridge Wine Company outsources it's grapes from Yakima Valley and then processes their wines at their facility in Ferndale. You can sample and purchase their wines at their tasting room in Bellingham, which also offers live music several days a week.


Next add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, and about a pound of whole trimmed red cipollini onions to the slow cooker. Cover and cook over low heat about 8 hours. Just before it's time to eat, add 3/4 cup roughly chopped green olives and simmer another 20 minutes before serving. Recommended: Serve over cooked rotini pasta tossed in butter and parsley with steamed broccoli. This would also be delicious over egg noodles.