Ribeye Steaks

One of the best parts about living in a college town in the middle of nowhere is the Ag department rocks. Not that there's super cool people or anything (I'm sure they're good people) but the fact that I can go buy two rib eye steaks as big as my face for $12, and they are really really good cuts of meat.
I went by the Ag meat lab picked up some rib eyes, a pound of (again really really good) bacon ($6) and a rack of lamb ($8) today and made this ->



I had some frozen sweet corn so I also made creamed corn as a side.

Deliciousness all around.

Now we're sitting on the couch, sipping coffee, listening to a Bob Dylan record and enjoying life all around while the rest of the kids are off enjoying the festivities of the day.


Ribeye Steaks with Caramelized Onion Sauce

Two Ribeye Steaks
1 Medium sized onion
1/2 cup of half and half
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of butter
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
Take a large, oven proof, non-stick skillet/sauce pan.
Thinly slice the onion (I used my mandolin I got for Christmas) and finely chop the garlic. Brown in 2 tablespoons of butter.
While these brown; pat dry the steaks with paper towels, pour the olive oil on both sides of the steaks, and liberally salt and pepper.
Turn up the heat a little bit.
Add the steaks to the pan, making sure they have good contact with the pan (scootch the onions around a bit). Brown on both sides for about 3 minutes on each side.
Take the remaining tablespoon of butter, cut into fourths and put on top of the steaks.
Place the pan in the oven till the done-ness is to your liking (I put them in for about 7 minutes for medium-rare).
Put the pan back out, remove the steaks, put on a plate and tent them with foil to rest while you make the sauce.

Onion Sauce
Turn the stove top to low heat.
Add 1/2 cup of half and half to the pan and stir constantly to avoid burning.
Add salt and pepper to taste. To thicken the sauce add a pinch of corn starch if you want to.

Serve on a bed of spinach, add the sauce, then the steaks.

OMG The Worst Meal for You Ever

Not too long ago John got it into his head that he must be the King of Chicken Wings. Not that he'd eat so many to hold a world record or anything, he just wants to slowly perfect his very own wing recipe. So a few days ago we set out to make chicken wings, because that's what you do in our house in a Sunday while the roommates sleep till 7pm.




Fried Chicken Wings and Fries

Two packages of "Wingettes"
1 Bottle of Louisiana Hot sauce
1/2 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp cayenne seasoning
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Dash of black pepper

This is supposed to be the REAL Buffalo Wing recipe from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo. The Sauce This makes enough for about 30 "wingettes".

Mix all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat until the margarine is completely melted.

Stir occasionally.

The Wings Fry the wings in a deep fryer set at 375 degrees F., using vegetable or peanut oil. I fry 15 wings at a time for 12-15 minutes. Drain the wings for a few minutes then put them in a bowl. After all the wings have been fried, pour the sauce over them, cover the bowl, and shake to completely coat the wings.

(recipe from big oven.com http://www.bigoven.com/18792-Anchor-Bar-Buffalo-Wing-Sauce-recipe.html)


The fries were just the frozen bagged kind. We cooked them in the oven then tossed them in the hot oil to get crispy, for a few seconds, after all the wings were done.

I think the oil got a little too hot, but over all they tasted like chicken wings. John says that he wants to try another base sauce or try to make his own since the Louisiana hot sauce made them taste a little funny.

Adventures in Curry

So I've had a bag of jasmine rice still on my shelf for about 6 months and last night I finally decided I needed to put some of it to use. John loves curry, and a staple to be made with jasmine rice is coconut rice. A staple to make with coconut rice is spicy curry!
So I went searching around the internet for some curry and coconut rice recipes. When all was said and done it didn't turn out bad, the curry just wasn't spicy enough. John said it best, "The recipe is for people who don't really like the taste of curry".
Next time I'll be using less sweetness and more curry powder.

(Sorry no picture this time, it came out all blurry and we ate before I realized what had happened)

Recipe via Cooks.com

Curried Orange Chicken
Makes 4 servings

1 (2 lb.) chicken, cut up (I used pre-cut tenderloins that were than cubed for faster cooking)
1/2 tsp. curry powder (soak those chicken pieces in curry!)
1/4 c. orange juice
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water
1/2 orange (peeled, sliced and quartered)

Sprinkle chicken with curry powder, rub into meat. Arrange chicken in small baking dish, skin side down.

Combine orange juice, honey, mustard in small saucepan, simmer until blended. Pour over chicken; bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over, continue baking 20 minutes. Remove chicken to serving platter; keep warm. (I cooked the chicken on the stove top to save a dirty pan and save time)

In small saucepan, combine cornstarch, water and pan juices. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add orange pieces, heat one minute. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with cooked rice.

Coconut Rice

Makes 4 Servings
2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice (note that other types of rice, such as brown rice, do not work for this recipe)
1 and 1/2 cups good-quality coconut milk
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt

Frittata!

Frittata is a really easy way to make eggs and is similar to an open-faced omelet. It's great when you want things like meat or veggies with your eggs, where a traditional omelet has trouble holding these things and still cooking properly.
In my frittata I put asparagus, onions and some left over sausage from earlier in the week.



Veggie and Meat Frittata
Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of asparagus, chopped
1/2 cup of onions, chopped (I really like onions)
Half a link of left over pre-cooked sausage, diced
3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Optional toppings:
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Tabasco
Rooster sauce


Pre-heat oven to 350

In an oven safe non-stick skillet, add butter and turn on stove top to a medium heat.
Let butter melt and stop bubbling. Add asparagus and onions. Cook till onions are translucent. Add sausage.
While these cook...
Beat eggs in a small bowl with milk, paprika, pepper, and garlic.
Pour eggs over meat and veggies.
Cook these together for a few minuets, till the eggs start to sit up. Stir with a spatula, also shaking the pan. Make sure to sweep around the edge of the eggs so it forms a nice uniform circle.
Put the pan into the oven for 7-10 minutes, till the eggs are cooked to your liking.
Cut into wedges and serve!

Other veggies or meat to try: Cooked bacon, drained spinach, mushrooms, green onions, cooked chicken, fresh garlic ( I didn't have any that's why I used the powder)

Side Note: I didn't add salt to the egg mixture because it can make the eggs go a little rubbery, add to taste after cooking is done.

This Will Not Be Food Porn

I don't have anything against food porn. I'm not a person who loves to just flip through pictures of food while drool drips on my keyboard. But I do like reading about food. I like learning about food and I really like to eat good food. Plus, I'm not very good a food photography, which to me is the least important part of a food blog.

This is my personal blog on food I make at home, for myself and my boyfriend and sometimes our friends. I'm not a "foodie" or someone who is a self-professed know-all of food. I'm just a 20-something who enjoys cooking and sharing when I find a good recipe. Comments are always welcome.