Delicious Dishes – Page 7 – Urban Suburban Mommy

Half-time chili for Super Bowl Sunday

Posted on February 6, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

There are a few Super Bowl foods that we can’t go without. This year I’m not able to go to the party for game day, but my boys love my chili, so I’ve whipped up a pot. I started it on Friday so that it will be ready for half-time on Super Bowl Sunday. Not that it takes 3 days to make, but we all know chili is one of those foods that gets better the longer it simmers. So throw the ingredients in the pot and come back every once in a while and give it a stir. If you are going to the party, just double the recipe.

What you need:

-2 pounds ground beef (your choice of lean, extra lean or medium)
-6 tomatoes or 1 1/2 cans tomatoes or 1.5 jar of tomato sauce (more if you like your chili thinner – you gauge, you can always add more as you prefer)
-1 can of kidney beans (white or red – my boys like the white ones and call them ghost beans)
– 4 heaping tablespoons of chili powder
-2 heaping tablespoons of garlic powder or 3-5 cloves of pressed garlic
-1 1/2 tablespoons salt
-2 tablespoons vinegar
-1 teaspoon ground pepper (white pepper is less spicy, black pepper is fine)
-2 tablespoons cumin
-1 teaspoon paprika

Optional:

-1 large onion, diced ans sautéed
-1 cup corn kernels
-1 diced red and/or green pepper (two peppers are fine if you love peppers)
-cayenne or hot sauce to taste

To serve:

-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
-1 container sour cream
-nacho chips
-hot sauce to taste

What you do:

Put all chili ingredients except beans into a pot. Bring temperature up to medium high and stir, stir, stir. Once it’s really starting to cook, drop the temperature down to low – just above minimum. Stir in the beans, put a lid on it and let it simmer.

You can leave it simmering for hours and hours – just pop in to stir it every little while. Each day you may want to add half a cup of water. There is a fair bit of liquid that will cook off, just stir. Each day just put it on the stove and simmer if you’re around.

Chili is ready to serve after an hour, and is really really good, but it’s even better on day two, and on day three it’s perfect! Leftovers are just so good. Eat a bowl on its own, or sprinkle cheese or top with a dollop of sour cream – or both cheddar AND sour cream. You can stir in the hot sauce to your preference, I leave out the heat because my 7 year old hates spicy food, though my 5 year old can pretty much eat fire (like mama!).

Enjoy!

Superfast seafood delight

Posted on February 2, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

You either like seafood or you don’t. My boys and I love almost anything out of the ocean – but my husband won’t have any of it. (Unless it’s battered, fried and served with chips and vinegar. So, basically, no seafood.)

Since the boys and I love seafood, I make this dish when the hubby is working late and we’re short on time. It’s so easy, fast and flexible on the variation of flavours you can create.

What you need:

– 1 pound of frozen mixed seafood (premixed bags available in the freezer section)
– 3 tablespoons butter
– salt and pepper
– 1 clove of garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– rice (here’s our fool-proof rice)

What you do:

Prepare rice and set aside. You can use plain rice or take this up a notch by making lemongrass rice, ginger rice or even curry rice. It’s easy to flavour rice, just add a teaspoon or two of your favourite spice to the water when you cook your rice. Or, if you prefer, toss the cooked rice with some soy.

In a frying pan over high heat, melt the butter and add salt, pepper and garlic. When it’s melted, add the mixed seafood. Most grocery stores carry bags of frozen mixed seafood. I always keep a bag in the freezer for this meal. Our mix has shrimp, mussels, calamari and octopus. Yes, my boys love all of these. You can pick your favourite mix.

There will be some water coming off of the frozen seafood. Let the seafood boil in it until the liquid boils off. You may want to turn down the heat when it’s almost boiled off, or watch carefully and keep tossing to ensure it doesn’t burn.

Top off rice with mixed seafood and serve.

This recipe is very basic, garlic goes with most seafood, but try different flavours:

Coconut curry: Substitute butter for coconut oil and add a heaping teaspoon of curry paste or curry powder to the mix.

Jerk seafood: I have a great jerk spice mix and add a heaping tablespoon to the mix. Note that frying cayenne can cause burning eyes and hurts to breath in, so watch carefully and don’t burn the mixture. I add the jerk seasoning when the liquid is almost boiled off and toss for 20 seconds before removing from heat and serving.

Blackbean garlic sauce: If you’re a fan of blackbean garlic sauce, then you know the jar and have one in the fridge for just such an occasion. When the liquid is reducing, turn down the heat to medium and add two heaping tablespoons to the pan and mix well.

I think I’m going to look for a Spanish Paella version next. Give it a try and let us know what your fave is!

Ridiculously delicious French onion soup

Posted on January 26, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

My husband and I have this thing for French onion soup, and many date nights have been centred around trying new restaurants for their French onion soup. The best we ever had was on our babymoon in Vegas. Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio serves the most rich and hearty French onion soup with Gruyere and Emmentaler!

My version is a little homier and definitely a comfort food with a twist. If I stick with the more plain, stretchy cheese, my sons love this one. It’s delish and fun to eat.

What you need:

– 6-7 onions, sliced – Yellow, Spanish or Bermuda will work
– 4 tablespoons of butter
– 2 tablespoons salt
– cracked pepper
– big pinch of thyme (optional)
– 1 ounce of whiskey (cognac, brandy, rye or scotch will work) (or two ounces if you choose to drink one!)
– 1 pound beef, thinly sliced (often packaged as Chinese fondue meat)
– water
– French bread
– 3 cups of shredded Havarti (you can use Gruyere, Mozzarella or Gouda – mix in Jarlsberg or other Swiss cheeses – you can pick your favourite or mix)

What you do:

The soup needs to be made the day before as it needs a good 24 hours of simmering to really bring the flavours out. But it’s not a lot of work, just a lot of simmering.

Soup:

Slice onions into long, strips, not too thin or they’ll disintegrate. In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the butter on medium heat, really caramelizing them. The darker the better – though don’t let them burn. Add the water, filling the soup pot two inches below the top. Add the salt, whiskey, thyme and cracked pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then drop to medium low, allowing a very slow boil or simmer. Add half of the beef and leave it alone.

You’ll need to allow this to simmer for 24 hours, topping up with water as you lose some. Feel free to nibble on the beef – it’s so delicious – most of it will tenderize and break into small pieces. You may need to add salt and/or pepper, to taste.

Get ready to serve:

About an hour before dinner: Add the other half of the beef and continue to simmer.

15 minutes before dinner: Toast one to two slices of French bread for every serving of soup. With the rich, oniony broth ready, ladle into oven-proof bowls. Add toast to each bowl and cover with a very thick, generous serving of cheese. Put in the oven to broil for couple of minutes. Keep a close eye on this, you want the cheese to brown, but not burn.

The pieces of meat inside the soup are a hearty little treat, and my family loves this addition. This soup just keeps getting better, so save the leftovers for the following day.

If you don’t have oven-proof bowls, don’t worry, you can still make this. After toasting the bread, spread toast on a cookie sheet and cover with shredded cheese. Broil until the desired browning and then place them on the bowls of soup. Spoon a bit of soup over the cheese toasts to melt and moisten.

Mmmmmmmmmmm

Chef Mike Ward’s delicious and easy Bangers and Lentils recipe

Posted on January 19, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Fancy-Pants Bangers & Lentils with Red Pepper & Onion Relish

Chef Mike Ward’s Fancy-Pants Bangers & Lentils with Red Pepper & Onion Relish

A classic reinvented into something lighter with BIGGER flavour (and shhhhh, healthier), Bangers and Lentils with Red Pepper & Onion Relish is delicious and fast with a good serving of veggies.

What you need:

– 4 sausages (spend $ on goodies), works well with chicken too.
– tin of lentils
– cup of any stock (or water)
– 1/2 a carrot
– 1 onion
– Red pepper
– Bunch of thyme
– Dijon mustard (I love Maille)
– Balsamic vinegar (again, I like Maille)

What you do:

Sausages
Pre-heat oven to 450°. Sear sausages in hot pan with a splash of oil. When you’ve browned both sides, slide them into the oven for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile…

Lentils
In a pot, sweat off 1/2 finely chopped onion and 1/2 finely chopped carrot with a splash of olive oil. Add rinsed lentils, a heaped tablespoon of Dijon, stock, a few sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium heat until lentils suck up most of the liquids.

and…

Onion & Red Pepper Relish
In a pan, add thinly sliced 1/2 onion and thinly sliced red pepper with a very generous splash of olive oil. Sauté until brown. Add a tablespoon or more of balsamic. Reduce 30 seconds more.

Plate a generous mound serving of lentils on plate. Place sausages on top, then your lazy onion and red pepper relish. Dat’s comfort food baby.

Chef Mike Ward began his cooking career at the bright-eyed age of 17 in Sydney, Australia. Mike never believed he would one-day prepare meals for such clientele as Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, and Nicole Kidman. He has cooked in some of Sydney’s and Toronto’s most acclaimed restaurants: Zigolini’s and The Basement in Australia; Prego Della Piazza and Shark City in Toronto, and has owned and operated several catering companies. Throughout his career Mike has also shared his passion and experience through group and private cooking lessons allowing keen home cooks to develop their skills.

In 2000 Mike produced and directed an award-winning cooking/travel/lifestyle television series that have been viewed in over 40 countries. His great love of creating food content has taken him all over the world, writing, photographing and curating recipes and food related stories for highly respected print, online and television outlets. He serves as a consult to Centennial Colleges’ culinary department, and is also involved in many charities including Dancing with Parkinson’s.

@MikeWardTO

@mikedaniel21

Chef Mike Ward’s “Not yuck roasted cauliflower”

Posted on January 12, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

FEATUREDnot yuck roasted cauliflower chef mike ward

not yuck roasted cauliflower chef mike ward

Not yuck roasted cauliflower by Chef Mike Ward

We loved interviewing Chef Mike Ward so much we’ve gone back for second helpings! He’s got a lot of very simple and flavourful recipes that are surprisingly kid friendly, easy and fast enough for a busy family to add to the repertoire. Like this cauliflower. It takes 15 minutes and is not yuck. What more can you ask for?

“Even I can’t stand most cauliflower recipes,” this chef admits, “but this one will have you falling in love with this lowly sad little vegetable.”

What you need:

–Cauliflower, broken into florets (sprigs)
– Coconut or extra-virgin olive oil
– Grated Parmesan
– Salt & pepper
– Chili flakes (optional)
– Lemon or lime

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 425°. On a roasting tray, bust up a cauliflower. Drizzle it with the oil. Sprinkle it with Parmesan. Season it with salt, pepper and chili flakes.

Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, squeeze over lemon or lime and serve.

You’ll be blown away how much of a meat-like texture this roasted cauliflower dish takes on. It’s perfect as a rustic side dish, or as a hearty vegetarian main. For a vegan option, replace Parmesan with fennel.

@MikeWardTO

@mikedaniel21

The shrimp and sausage skillet – a 20 minute dish

Posted on January 3, 2016 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

The hottest (no pun intended) craze to hit the dinner table lately has been the skillet. It’s a one-pan flavour-infused meal that’s starting to show up on ever restaurant’s menu – and it’s so easy that you’ll fill your meal repertoire effortlessly.

Cure your best cast-iron and start chopping because Amanda, a mother of 5 and (and newly grandmother of 1 – congratulations!!!) from Texas, makes a mean Shrimp & Sausage Skillet. She shared this fast and easy recipe with Urban Suburban Mommy. And while she laughs off the idea of eating Paleo, she did take inspiration from a Paleo recipe she found recently on Pinterest. This dish looked so good we had to try – and share with you!

What you need:

– 1.5-2 sausages, sliced and pre-cooked
– 1 lb of shrimp (25 medium or 20 large)
– 2 cloves of garlic
– 3/4 cup green bell pepper,sliced
– 3/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced
– 1/2 yellow onion, medium, sliced
– 1 zucchini, sliced
– 1/4 cup chicken stock
– 2 tsp Old bay seasoning
– 1pinch red pepper flakes
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 3-4 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil

What you do:

Over medium-high, heat skillet with oil. Meanwhile, season shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning. Cook shrimp about 3 to 5 minutes, tossing around to cook all sides, until they turn opaque. Remove these from heat and set aside.

Cook onions and bell peppers in skillet with 2 tbsps of olive oil or coconut oil for about 2 minutes
Add sausage and zucchini to the skillet, and continue to cook for another 2 minutes, just until veggies start to break down. Add the shrimp back into the skillet, along with the garlic, and cook everything for about 1 minute.

Pour chicken stock into pan and mix through to moisten everything. Add salt, ground pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley and serve hot.

You can add this to a side of rice – like our fool-proof rice if you like. This skillet is full of flavour, with great protein and veggies. If you want to create a more exotic flavour you can opt to change up the spicing.

Consider:
Ginger and lemongrass for a taste of Thai
Coconut milk, turmeric and curry for an Indian craving
A burst of cumin, cilantro and chili powder for an untraditional Tex-Mex sizzle

You can use chicken, beef, pork, calamari, shelled crab or even tofu for your protein. Don’t be afraid to give your meats and seafoods a good sear before blending in the vegetables and broth. The cooking time is quick but you always want to make sure they’re thoroughly cooked before eating.

You can really play with the flavours of this and swap in whatever veggies you’ve got hanging around in your produce drawer. Eggplant, sweet potato, kale, turnip, just adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Enjoy, and let us know of any interesting skillets you’ve created! We’re all about this fast, easy and tasty dish!

Apple tartlettes – because I’m on a bake sale blitz

Posted on December 16, 2015 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Apple Tartlettes going into the oven

Any time there’s a bake sale I will ask my boys to pick what I make. This time the boys picked my Apple Tartlettes.

I love making these. Though they’re labour-intensive and just a little bit fussy, these are so delicious and full of fresh-baked goodness that I can’t refuse. They’re also a twist on the apple dumplings my grandmother used to make me when I was really little, so I relish the opportunity to enjoy making them for my boys – I just relish the opportunity very sparingly!

This recipe can actually be used three ways:

Tartlette

The tartlette option is great for single servings without needing a plate. Just like any tart or muffin, it fits into the finger food category.

The pie option is perfect for a party or a dinner – or even a pie-eating contest, but not for a bake sale. I don’t believe any bake sale item should require a plate or cutlery.

The dumpling option is perfect for a small number of servings because you really don’t want to be making the amount of pastry dough it takes to make a large number of dumplings!

Dumplings

What you need:

– 12 apples, peeled and cored (macs, empire, gala will all do)
– 4 to 5 cups of flour
– ice water
– butter
– salt
– 1 to 2 cups white sugar
– 1.5 tablespoons cinammon
– 1 teaspoon vanilla

What you do:

Prepare the pastry dough. In a cold bowl add 2 1/5 cups of flour, half a teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of butter. Take 2 knives and cut the butter into the flour. Imagine you’re using the knives like scissors and pulling them across so that they cut up the butter with every stroke.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfMq-uVm5vc&w=560&h=315]

It’s a technique that will leave you with flaky pastry, but if you’re not up for it, throw the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and let fly. You want to end up with a flour mixture that looks kind of like the texture of rough corn meal.

Now, tablespoon by tablespoon, add the ice water to the flour mixture, gathering and gently needing the water in. It won’t take more than a third of a cup or so of water, but try to use the least amount possible. When the pastry dough forms a dry ball but sticks together you know you’re there.

Wrap that ball of dough in plastic wrap and shove it in the fridge. It’s good to chill for at least an hour, but also fine to let chill overnight if you want to break this into two days.

While the dough’s chilling, get those apples peeled, cored and sliced. Slices should be about a centimetre wide – some more, some less. Add to the apples a teaspoon of salt and between 1 to 2 cups of white sugar. Depends on your sweet tooth. I like landing somewhere in the middle. Add the cinnamon, add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of flour (you gauge this by how wet the apples are, you don’t want the mixture to be too juicy, the flour will help that juice to set and gel).

Toss it all together with your hands, working the sugar/flour/cinnamon/salt concoction into the apples. Drizzle the vanilla over the mixture and toss a bit more.

Preheat the oven to 350° and grab your muffin tin or pie dish.

Now you’re ready to roll. Get the rolling pin, the pastry dough and a large cutting board or surface to roll on.

For tartlettes: take a third of the dough and roll out very, very thin. Each third of the dough should roll into about 10 tartlettes. cut the dough into 4 by 4 inch squares. Work them into the muffin tin, pinching the dough together as it folds back over itself. When it finishes baking, the crisped, folded edges look all fancy and artisany. Ensure the bottom is pressed down so that it provides ample space for apple filling! Fill each tartlette right to the top with apple filling, packing the apple mixture down. Apples will shrink back so you want them really full.

For pie: take half the dough and roll out to the diameter that will cover your pie tin. Dump apple filling in and spread smooth. Roll other half of dough into a circle, cover pie. Crimp edges. poke a couple of holes in the crust to let steam escape.

For dumplings: take a handful-sized ball of dough and roll into a thick, rough circle about 5 or so inches in diameter. It doesn’t need to be perfectly round. Drop a good wad of apple in the middle of the circle. Pull up edges and crimp them together, then cup the dumpling in your hands and squish it all together, gently rounding like you would a meatball, so that the dough ball full of apple filling won’t leak and feels solid. Pop dumplings into muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Regardless of the option you choose, put it Into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown and the house smells like sweet apple happiness.

WARNING!! Do NOT eat straight out of the oven. The apples and the the sugar/flour/juice mixture that gels is steaming hot and will scald the inside of your mouth. Let cool for a good 15 minutes, and when Urban Suburban Daddy can take it no more, let him and the boys have one!

Drunken pot roast

Posted on December 13, 2015 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

I love pot roasts. They’re easy and look after themselves. If you’ve got all day, you can cook it slow and low for hours and hours, and it just keeps getting more tender and flavourful. If you’ve only got two hours, raise the heat and get it done. Up to you, it’s still and amazing dish, and leftovers are the best part!

What you need:

Roast:
– 1 roast 3-5 pounds
– 3 cups red wine
– 1 large Spanish onion or 2-3 medium yellow onions, chopped
– 12 – 16 white muhsrooms, halved
– 3 cloves garlic, sliced up
– 2 tablespoons butter
– Salt and Pepper to taste

Gravy (optional)
– 3 tablespoons butter
– 1/4 cup of flour

What you do:

Preheat oven to 250°. In roasting pan add the wine, onions, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Put in oven without roast, covered.

On medium-high in a big grilling pan/frying pan, melt the butter, season the roast with salt and pepper, and then sear the roast on all sides. This helps to lock in the flavour and juices. Place seared roast in the oven in the pot and cover.

Let cook for 4 to 5 hours. You can remove the cover for the last half hour to reduce liquid.

Remove from oven. Carve the roast into thin slices and then return them to the pot to soak in the sauce.

My boys love this dish and really like when I make some of the jus into gravy to go with the roast.

Gravy: Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium-high. As the butter starts to fry, add flour by the tablespoon and blend quickly. When it becomes paste-like, start ladling the jus from the roast into the paste, whisking together. Keep adding jus until you reach your desired thickness. We like our gravy thick.

If you’re short on time, you can raise the oven temperature to 350° and cook for about 90 minutes. Rich, full-bodied red wines work best for this recipe. If you don’t have red on hand, you can substitute with beer – the darker the better. Guinness or dark ale is perfect, but it will even work with lighter beers.

Bake sale – the one bowl wonder cupcakes!

Posted on December 8, 2015 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

For some, the words “bake sale” can create panic. Personally, I love baking, and I don’t often have the time, so bake sales give me the opportunity to indulge my inner Betty Crocker. I always ask my sons what they’d like me to make. We discuss whether they want cookies, cupcakes, tarts; we go over flavours and icings and sprinkles and details. This past weekend I’d not had the chance to go shopping, and with only 2 eggs, no butter, no fruits in the house and not much time, I altered my favourite chocolate cake recipe to work with what I had on hand.

So easy, this one bowl wonder will make you look like the Mommy of the Year! The flavour of the cake part is very chocolatey, but not too rich. Whipped cream instead of icing also cuts back on the sugar buzz.

What you need:

CAKE
– 2 cups flour
– 2 cups white sugar
– 3/4 cup cocoa powder or raw cocoa
– half teaspoon salt
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/2 cup vegetable, corn or canola oil
– 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (should not be fat free)
– dash of vanilla
– 1 cup hot decaf coffee
– 2 eggs
– cupcake liners

ICING
– 500 ml/1 pint carton of whipping cream/heavy cream (35%)
– 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup icing sugar (add to taste, I like to go light on the sugar for this part)

What you do:

Preheat oven to 325°.
In the bowl of your mixer, add all dry ingredients. Stir/blend well. Then add the rest of the ingredients. On medium, blend all ingredients together for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners almost completely full, about a quarter-inch from the top. Put tray in the oven. Bake small cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, large cupcakes for 22-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test that they’re done.

Pour whipping cream into bowl of mixer. Start beating on medium-high and add icing sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form and keep their shape. Don’t over-beat the cream or you really will end up with butter. (BTDT)

Once cupcakes are completely cool, use a teaspoon to drop a dollop of whipping cream on each cupcake and smooth it out with back of spoon. You can get fancy with an icing bag, but spoon method is quite easy. Finish the cupcakes with a pinch of sprinkles, some chocolate shavings, some cookie crumbs, a cherry, or any other garnish you have.

Word of caution, if you use sprinkles, the colours bleed into the cream within a few hours. Whipping cream will last at a bakesale, but isn’t as hearty as thick icing, so these can’t stay out all day.

Who am I kidding, they rarely last on the table for more than a few minutes before they’re sold out!
I like to label the ingredients, and I look like a pro walking in with my handy dandy cupcake briefcase.

Rib steaks on the grill

Posted on November 21, 2015 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Luckily my boys share my palate and prefer a wide variety of foods and flavours, but my husband is a real ‘meat-n-potatoes’ kind of guy. One of his favourites is steak – rib steak to be precise.

When we first started dating I couldn’t cook a steak to save my sanity, but over the years he’s taught me a thing or two about preparing meat, and I’m now an accomplished barbecuer and meat-maker. I don’t know if there’s an award for that, but this steak recipe he taught me does deserve a medal. It’s simple and flavourful. We’ve been to some of the finest steakhouses, and I think this steak is every bit as good (though I do prefer someone else doing the cooking!).

What you need:

– two steaks (or however many you want to make)
-salt
-fresh pepper
-garlic powder
– mustard powder
– olive oil

What you do:

Lightly drizzle a bit of olive oil all over the steaks. Crack fresh pepper (to taste) over the steaks. My guy is a real pepper lover so I go heavy on the pepper. Sprinkle salt liberally. Spread a pinch of garlic powder sparingly. Sprinkle mustard powder liberally. (I think the secret is in the mustard powder.)

Lightly rub the spices and oil in, flip and do the same to the other side.

You can cook these right away, though the flavour just grows more delectable by the hour if you let it sit. I like to prepare these 24 hours ahead.

Preheat the grill. Throw the steaks on. We like them medium rare to medium, so we do about 6-7 minutes per side. I like to do a quarter turn every 3 minutes so that I have perfect grill marks on the steak.

I prefer my steaks “Chicago style,” which is basically charring the outside very lightly. I do this by turning up the heat on the barbecue at the very end, and letting the flames flare up as I gently press on the steak, releasing some of the oil onto the flame.

Plate the steaks and let them sit in their juices for 3 to 5 minutes, then serve.

That’s it – 6 basic ingredients, 7 minutes a side, char it and let it rest before serving.

It goes great with brussels sprouts, Caesar salad, potatoes, corn, squash – anything really. This steak is delicious and hearty – and so easy.

Enjoy!

Garlic shrimp pasta with hearts of palm

Posted on November 10, 2015 by urbansuburbanmommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

I literally made up this dish tonight because I didn’t feel like cooking and really didn’t have time to cook. I even cut a few corners because I did had some leftover spaghetti in the fridge, so this even qualifies as a great leftover meal. But, of course, you can boil your pasta and give it a go. The dish turned out pretty tasty. It may just be added into the rotation.

What you need:

-Pasta – whatever type you choose – I used spaghetti (cooked)
-A bag of frozen cooked shrimp (freezer section of the grocery store – usually about 30-40 pieces)
-Can of hearts of palm
-Tomato sauce
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2-3 tablespoons garlic, chopped (I stock the readymade kind)
-3-4 tablespoons margarine or butter
-Salt & pepper to taste
-Italian seasoning

What you do:

Take your cooked pasta out of the fridge (or make a fresh batch). Portion is up to you, I based this dish for about 2 people but I had leftovers.
Open your bag of frozen shrimp and place into a bowl of lukewarm water.
Chop up your hearts of palm (quantity is up to you).
Take a saucepan, heat to medium, pour in olive oil and spoon in garlic.
Let the garlic cook for about a minute or so.
Drain the shrimp. Add to the saucepan.
Spoon in the margarine.
Add your salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Cover with a lid and let cook for about 4-5 minutes.
Remove from heat.

To serve:

Plate your pasta.
Spoon some shrimp and liquid onto your pasta.
Add hearts of palm.
Add a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce.
Toss and enjoy.

This dish took me 10 minutes to make. Enjoy!

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