New blogger site

I've moved my blog to word press and here's the addy.  I was having problems here so that's why I moved.


www.elainemassad.wordpress.com


I also just posted my Green Chili recipe.

Steak Au Poivre

I made this last night and it's definitely a keeper.  This was delicious and so easy to make.  This is usually made with filet mignon but the sirloin yields richer flavor and definitely at a lower cost.  I got this from The Chew and they have great recipes. 

3# Sirloin Steak.  Bought thin strips by mistake but I think it was better.
Coarse black pepper
Butter
2 Shallots - chopped.  I actually had 3 so chopped all of them. 
Minced garlic
Olive Oil - I actually used more butter instead of the olive oil.
1/4 cup Bourbon
1 tbs Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Half & Half

Aggressively season steak with salt & pepper on both sides.  Melt a tbs or so of butter in your pan over a medium-high heat. I used my cast iron skillet for this. Pan fry steak for 5-6 minutes or until medium rare.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the chopped shallots to the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes.  Add more butter or olive oil as needed.  Add the garlic and cook until soft and fragrant - about 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan with bourbon scraping up brown bits in pan.  Stir in mustard and more black pepper.  Reduce heat and add half & half.

Return steak to pan and baste with sauce.  Slice steak and top with sauce to serve.  I made some white rice or you could use brown rice seasoned with Tarragon & some Mrs. Dash All Seasoning. 

Crescent Sloppy Joes

Oh my goodness.  These are so good especially if you like sloppy joes.  The hardest part for me was wrapping them with the crescent rolls.  I used ground beef but you could use ground turkey if you wanted to make them a little healthier but why bother?  They're sloppy joes!!! lol 

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (1oz)
1 can (8oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8oz) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet. 
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp sesame seed - I didn't have any so I just sprinkled with olive oil instead

Heat oven to 375.  In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain.  Replace into skillet, stir in barbecue sauce; cook 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally until hot.  Stir in cheese.

If using crescent rolls, unroll dough, separate into 4 rectangles.  Press each into 8x4 inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.  If using dough sheet, unroll dough, cut into 4 rectangles.  Press each into 8x4 inch rectangle.  Cut each in half crosswise, making 8 squares.

Place about 2 rounded tablespoons beef mixture on center of each square.  Fold dough over filling, forming triangles; press edges with fork to seal.  With knife, cut small slits in tops for steam to escape.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Brush with with egg, sprinkle with sesame seed. 

Bake 11 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet.  Serve warm. 

Taco Soup

I made this last night cause it was chilly outside.  It really warms you up and it makes a big batch so you can eat it more than once a week.  This also freezes really well so you can pull it out anytime during cold nights if you don't feel like cooking. 

1 lb ground beef
1 diced medium onion
16 oz whole corn, pinto beans, kidney beans or veg-all - I had a can of veg-all so I used that.
2 can stewed diced tomatoes
Chopped green chili
1 pkg Ranch Style dressing
Ground Cumin - to taste
Red Chili powder - to taste

Brown the ground beef and diced onion.  I used a white onion but red or yellow would be fine, whatever you have in your fridge.
Add all of the other ingredients, stir and bring to a boil and then turn down and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  I simmered for about 45 minutes cause I feel it tastes better the longer it cooks. 

This would be great with cornbread but didn't have a mix so I sliced up some french bread and was great to use to mop up the juices. 

Chicken Calabacitas Pot Pie

I made this last night for the first time and was quite impressed with how it turned out.  I'm always a little nervous when I try a new recipe.  This made a huge batch so I froze 1/2 of it for another meal which will be really nice this winter.  I had bought some zucchini, yellow squash and corn from the Farmers Market last week.  The corn was on the cob so I just scraped it off since I didn't have any cans.  Also I didn't actually measure any of this but just eye balled it. I'm getting much better at that.

3 1/2 cup    Bisquick
2 cup          Milk
1 1/2 cup    Chopped Green Chili
4 cup          Sliced Zucchini
4 cup          Sliced Yellow Squash
2 cup          Shredded Cheese
2 cup          Cubed cooked Chicken
1 cup          Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cans        Corn
1/2 cup      Chopped Onion
1                Pie Shell - I always have these in the freezer and just put in a pan - no defrosting. 
                  Salt & Garlic to taste

Simmer squash, zucchini, onion, corn & chili.  Add Salt & garlic and cook till veggies are tender.

Add chicken, cheese & cream of mushroom soup (no milk added) until cheese is melted. 

Spread mixture into pie crust.

Make bisquick and spread over mixture.

Cook at 425 about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Once it's done I usually let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to set up.

And of course it's always nice to have a glass of red wine while you're cooking. 

Turkey Tacos

This is one of my favorite recipes.  It's also great if you have left over chicken.

1# Ground Turkey Meat
1/4 - 1/2 chopped Onion
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
Olive Oil
Shredded cheese - I prefer Mozzarella but you can use whichever you prefer.
Taco Shells

I use a deep skillet and drizzle Olive Oil 2-3 times around skillet.  Brown your Turkey Meat until no longer red, add diced onion & garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.  Next add your red Chili Powder and Cumin and simmer for another 5 minutes.  I have my taco shells in a pan and add the taco mix and then sprinkle with cheese.  I cook this at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

You can serve any side dish you want such as rice, vegetables or potato salad.  This time I had some brown rice and black beans so I mixed them together and warmed on the stove. 

Enjoy!!

Basil Pesto

I haven't posted lately cause I haven't really been cooking much since it's been so hot.  I picked some fresh basil from my garden yesterday and made this.  I do have to say it turned out the best attempt.  I do apologize cause I forgot to take pictures.  Here's the recipe. 

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts - I use sunflower seeds cause pine nuts are so expensive.
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil - divided
Kosher salt and ground black pepper - to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Angel Hair pasta or pasta of choice

Pull the basil off the stems, wash and shake dry.
Cook your pasta per instructions.
Combine the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add 1/2 cup of the oil and whirl until mixture is bright green and smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.
If you're using the pesto immediately, add all of the remaining oil and whirl until smooth. 
Drain the pasta and put back in the pan.  Pour pesto over the pasta, add parmesan cheese and stir until blended.

It's ready to serve and I like to make some bread with olive oil and dry basil sprinkled on it  and toasted.   

Enjoy and I promise next time not to forget the pictures.