Simple Steak Marinades

This is a compilation of my go-to steak marinade recipes - have at it!


Quick Marinade
This is a simple marinade that works best when you're in a pinch. If you forgot to marinade the steaks, no worries! Just put them in a ziploc bag or covered casserole dish around the time you fire up the grill or preheat the broiler (of course, the longer the better, but this will do when you're pressed for time).

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cloves of pressed garlic

Marinade time: 30 minutes



Simple Marinade
My love of all things uncomplicated shines through in this recipe -- it's all about the basics. It's all about the spices with a hint of liquid - let the spices do most of the work!

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Optional: Cumin/garlic powder/paprika/etc.

Marinade time: 4-24 hours (the longer the better)



Spicy Marinade
This marinade is a great way to give a plain steak dinner huge flavor! I use this marinade on my cheaper cuts of meat.

• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 sliced jalapenos
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 5 cloves chopped garlic

Marinade time: 8-12 hours



BBQ Marinade
This marinade is great for grilling or broiling steaks, because the honey caramelizes with the bbq sauce with the flash of heat!

•  1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 can of beer

Marinade time: 24 hours




Comfort Food Marinade
I use this when I'm craving comfort food - think stew! The deep, rich flavors that come with slow-cooking beef are alluded to when you marry the flavors in a red wine-based marinade.

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Salt/Pepper
• 2 cups red wine

 Marinade time: 8-24 hours (the longer the better)

Balsamic-glazed Asparagus

Asparagus is an old fried in my kitchen - it sits beside our steaks and chicken thighs, gets mixed into our pastas and casseroles, and tonight it was sauteed with balsamic vinegar! Oh my, it was delicious (and so so easy).

Serves: 2
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of asparagus (about 10 stalks per person if they're small, 5-7 if they're thicker)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat a medium skillet to medium heat.  Chop off the tough ends of the asparagus and then chop the stalks in half. When the pan is nice and hot, add the asparagus and balsamic vinegar. Stir often and let it reduce for about 2 minutes.
2. Add in the butter and turn the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. 
3. Serve hot as a side for lunch or dinner!

 Hooray! Steamy Balsamic Asparagus!

Variations:
- add in crumbled bacon and blue cheese for a more filling and rich side
- use fig balsamic vinegar or other infused balsamic vinegars for a more sweet/savory kick
-  Crack in an egg when you add the butter for amped up scrambies!

Fried Rice

The BF and I live a few blocks from Chinatown, so it's really easy to indulge in Chinese food "classics" like this one - fried rice. Even the name warns you that it's not going to be healthy, but that never stopped us before. This is my take on fried rice without the whole super-fried part - I use less than a tablespoon of oil for this whole dish, which provided us with two large entree-sized servings plus leftovers. Of course, you can make this as a side dish but be warned, it's addictive!


Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 4 medium carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 3 green onions
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Optional: Chopped cooked chicken/beef/pork/shrimp

Directions:

1.  Pour 2 cups of water into a medium pot with the cup of uncooked rice and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside. 
2. While the rice is simmering you can begin to prep your veggies. Peel and dice the carrots (I like to slice them lengthwise in quarters then dice them up... kind of like chopping pickles!). Slice the green onions into thin rings and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Preheat a large frying pan to medium-high heat, then drizzle it with oil. Add the carrots + 1/4 cup of water. Let the water cook off, then turn the heat to medium and add the peas and corn. Once the carrots are fork-tender and the corn and peas have thawed, add the cooked rice to the pan. Slowly add a few splashes of soy sauce to keep the rice from drying out.
4. Hollow out a space in the middle of the pan (think volcano) and pour in the eggs. You're basically making scrambled eggs in the middle of your stir-fry without mixing them together yet. Continually stir the eggs, and as they harden start incorporating them into the stir-fry.
5. Optional: Now is the part where you'd stir in your cooked meat! Add the remaining soy sauce, give it all a good stir, then serve it up!

Enjoy!


PS If the whole egg thing seems overwhelming, just make loose scrambled eggs in a separate pan and plop them in towards the end - I just like to do them in the middle of the pan to save myself from a massive pile of dishes later on.

Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Garlic Sauce

I made my first rack of lamb last night, and it was delicious (don't worry, I have second opinions to back up my horn-tootin' self!).
This recipe is simple yet flavorful, which in case you haven't noticed is something I love.


Ingredients:

• 1 rack of lamb, frenched (your butcher can do this if it's not already packaged that way) 
• 3 cups red wine (Shiraz/Malbec)
• 2+6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, dried thyme

Directions:

1. Marinate the rack of lamb in a gallon-sized ziploc bag with 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 chopped garlic cloves for at least 1 hour (overnight would be great!!!). 
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a roasting pan by coating it with foil and drizzling canola oil on the base. Place the rack of lamb fat-side-up in the pan. Season generously with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and thyme, and 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary. You want to form a crust, so don't be shy about seasoning! Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how well done you like your meat (30 minutes is a deep pink but not red).  Tent the rack and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
3. Meanwhile, pour the remaining wine and  the garlic in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce, about 1/4 of the amount of liquid that you began with. 
4. Slice the rack of lamb apart by using the bones as a guide, top with a hearty spoonful of the red wine garlic sauce, and enjoy!

 

Soy Sauce Roasted Chicken

This is a simple yet utterly delicious way to liven up a roasted chicken! It's so ridiculously easy to prepare, and the flavor pops! Serve this with garlic roasted asparagus, fried rice, ginger garlic veggies, or any other "Asian" inspired sides.


Ingredients:

• 1 roasting chicken
• 4 cups soy sauce

 Directions:

1. Place the chicken in a gallon-sized zip-loc bag. Pour in the soy sauce and marinate the chicken for at least 12 hours (the longer the better, I marinated mine for 2 days!). 
2. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Foil and lightly grease a roasting pan (or 9x13" casserole). Place the chicken breast-side up in the dish and roast in the lower third of the oven for 15 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 F and roast for an additional 50-60 minutes*.
3. Let it sit for 10 minutes before carving, then serve!

 * Note: Keep an eye on your chicken as it roasts, some ovens run hotter than others. The chicken should be a dark golden brown when it's finished. You want the chicken to be sitting just a little lower than the direct middle of the oven for best results!

Key Lime Pie

For Easter I decided to make a key lime pie, committed to bringing it to the BF's family dinner, and instantly realized that I've never made it before. I usually like to play around with new recipes, but this time I decided to pick a recipe and stick to it to avoid a disaster.
I chose Martha Stewart's Key Lime Pie, and it is beautiful! Tomorrow we will eat it, so I'll get feedback that I can add in later. I was really happy with how easy this recipe is, and I think it will be a perfect Easter dessert!

The recipe was pretty straight forward and I didn't have a hard time finding any of the ingredients which was nice. I knew that I could use regular limes if I didn't come across any Key limes, but I got lucky and stumbled upon a bag of Key limes in a nearby grocery store. For a "first time" recipe, I am so glad I chose to follow this one!

Tips and Suggestions:
I baked the pie crust then reduced the oven temperature before prepping the filling to ensure enough time for the crust to cool. 
Get yourself organized before you start! Locate the zester, the juicer, the whisk, the wire rack! Melt your butter! Make sure you have graham cracker crumbs on hand! 
Make this well ahead of serving time! I baked my pie a full day ahead.

Ingredients

•  1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix the butter, crumbs, and sugar with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Press the mixture into a 9" pie plate (I use glass pie plates!) and bake for 12 minutes. Cool the crust on a wire rack -- cool it completely before filling it!
2. Decrease the heat of the oven to 325 F. Whisk the milk, yolks, lime juice, and zest in a medium bowl, then pour into the crust. Bake for 15-17 minutes (I baked it for the full 17 minutes) and then cool completely on a wire rack. 
3. Let the pie sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving for optimal flavor, and serve with whipped cream! 

Pork Enchiladas with Queso Fresco

I have been on a slow-cooked pork kick lately (say that five times fast!) and tonight I made pork enchiladas for dinner. It's a simple dinner that looks and tastes like it requires lots of hard work, which is always a great thing in my book. Plus, enchiladas are easy leftovers!


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb pork blade
• 1 can of beer 
• 1 can of coca-cola
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pack of corn tortillas (about 10-12 tortillas)
• 3 cups enchilada sauce (3 cups water+ two dried mix, or 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (or full fat ricotta if you can't find queso fresco)
• Cumin/Cayenne/Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. About 7 hours before you want to be sitting down to eat, start cooking the pork. Prepare the pork blade by finely slicing it (you're basically pre-shredding the pork to save time and a big mess later) into little inch-long strips. Place it in a slow cooker and pour the coca-cola and the beer on top. Add your desired seasonings, then cook over high heat for 6 hours. 
2. When the pork has finished cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F. 
3. Pour the milk into a pie pan or something similarly deep/wide. Dip a tortilla in the milk, then spoon about 2 tablespoons of pork into the middle. Roll it up and place it seam-side down in a large baking dish. Don't worry about making it pretty--these babies will basically melt apart while they bake. 
4. Once you're finished filling the casserole dish, pour the enchilada suace evenly over the enchiladas. Top with the queso fresco and bake for 25-30 minutes until it's all bubbly and melty on top.
5. Serve hot with your favorite Latin sides, such as guacamole with corn, salsa, sour cream, sliced black olives, beans, rice... the list goes on! 

Enjoy!