Abby's Steak Marinade

My youngest daughter likes to cook, like her mom. I usually give her pointers, but this past Mother's Day, she presented me with the very best meal I have EVER, EVER had... BAR NONE! I had some of the best New Potatoes, Grilled Corn on the Cob (In the Shucks, something I hadn't done!), and Grilled Orange Slices (HEAVENLY!), but oh, my the very best thing of all was this beautiful Sirloin Steak, cooked to Medium Rare, just the way I love it, not to rare, not to well, just absolutely perfect, and I mean... oh, so tasty! I am not a person who likes a marinade, but Abby totally changed my mind, I kid you not. This is her recipe. She got some pointers off the internet and took it and did just what her Momma always told her to do.. she gave it her own twist, but she won't tell me what she did. So, I give you her recipe. One or more of the ingredients is her own addition. I now refuse to eat anything that isn't marinated...proof that you never are too old to learn and to change!

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and pour over steaks. Abby and I use gallon sized bags to marinade our steaks. No reason to dirty up a dish. I may get all misty eyed, but this gal makes a Momma proud. I mean, I am NOT a dish washer and I just adore that she thought of putting it into a baggie!

Marinade for at least 30 minutes. I have left the steaks in this marinade for as long as 4 hours and they were good, too!

For your steaks, cook them over hot coals or on a gas grill with wood chips. I think it is sinful to cook with just propane, since you might as well cook it in a skillet for all the flavor that adds, lol.

If you don't know how to check for doneness, here's a good guide...

Rare---open your hand, but just naturally.. not stretched taut... now, feel the flesh on that thick pad between your thumb and wrist? That is what it feels like to touch a rare steak...

Medium--- close your fist and tuck your thumb under your index finger... touch the pad... voila! Medium.

(for med. rare, just go in between these two. I usually do 7 minutes on one side, rotating halfway through to create hash marks. Then, flip them and do 5 minutes, rotating halfway through. I do this on steaks from 1-1/2" to 1-/4")

Well done... untuck that thumb! Now, feel the webbing between the thumb and forefinger?

 WELL DONE...

My Newest (and Favorite!) Pot Roast with Gravy and Onions

1-3lb Chuck Roast
2 Medium Sweet Onions, cut in half, root to top and thickly sliced
3T Minced Garlic, or 4 cloves, sliced or pressed
1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
Veg. or Olive Oil to coat bottom and up to 1/2" of either a Dutch Oven or a Cast Iron Skillet

1. Mix Flour, salt and pepper and garlic in large, flat bowl, and coat roast in this mixture on both sides and up the sides.
2. Heat oil in Skillet or Dutch Oven, and add Roast, cooking until browned on each side.
3. Transfer roast to a Slow Cooker and set on High.
4. Prepare onion and on medium low heat,  stirring with a wooden spoon, to get the "bits" of brown off the bottom of the pan, and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute for about a minute. Pour this mixture over Roast, oil and all, unless there is a great amount of oil left. If you have too much oil left, put about a half cup of it in with the meat and onion/garlic mixture.
5. Pour Beef Broth over this and cover.I know this sounds like it isn't enough liquid, but it will be, since the meat will give off it's juices and they will meld together to form this incredible thick broth, which you will use to make a gravy to put over the meat and maybe some mashed potatoes.

 Cook on High for about 4 hours and turn down to low, or cook on low the whole time, if you aren't going to be around.
6. When you are ready to make gravy, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the liquid,transfer to a pot and allow some of the caramelized onions to remain in it. This is NOT a smooth brown gravy. Instead, it resembles the gravy at Cracker Barrel that comes if you order their brown gravy or pot roast...

7. Take about a third of the liquid and whisk in 3 Tablespoons Self Rising flour, until it becomes a paste, and slowly mix that into the liquid in the pan. Constantly stir this until it becomes thick and either light brown or dark beige... this will NOT be the color of the gravy you make using those instant packages.

If it is too thick, add more meat juices or some water. If too thin, whisk more flour in, making sure to incorporate it well. Nothing tastes worse than mashed potatoes topped with flour!


The roast, if cooked thoroughly, will be falling apart, so use a large spatula to remove it from the slow cooker. Let it stand for about ten minutes. I usually take it out and let it stand while I make the gravy. It should pull apart to serve.
Goes beautifully with Mashed Potatoes!

Fajitas

One boneless, skinless chicken breast per person, OR  skirt steak, sliced into thin strips.
The rule is 4 ounces per person, more or less, depending on the appetites.

Sliced bell peppers, either green or a mixture of colors
Onion, cut into strips, to taste (I usually use three peppers to one onion)
Shredded cheese.. If you want to go strictly authentic, use queso blanco. I like shredded Monterrey Jack/Cheddar blend
Sour Cream
Homemade or bottled salsa
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Anything you put on them in a restaurant can be put on 'em at home.. I hate guacamole, but my family loves it, so... in it goes. You are going to put these out in jars, or in Ramekins, so get what your family likes...

Flour tortillas, wrapped in foil.
I put my cast iron fajita skillets into a 300 degree oven while I make the fajitas, so I wrap the tortillas in foil and put them in the oven as soon as I start cooking the chicken.


Marinade
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all these ingredients... the lime juice does NOT taste right if you use concentrated juice. It takes 1 to 1 1/2 limes to make that amount of juice, and is well worth it.

Slice one breast per person into strips, place in a gallon bag, pour marinade over this, and place in refrigerator for at least one hour, no more than four... overnight tends to turn this marinade into pure lime juice, and the chicken gets bitter.

Drain the marinade off the chicken, and saute the strips in a cast iron skillet. This just takes a few minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan and pour in the onions and peppers, stirring them until they get hot. Remember, your skillet is hot and will cook the peppers as you present the food, so don't get this part over done.

Once the pepper/onion medley is cooked, lightly salt it, put the chicken or steak on top, and serve on the heated fajita pans, OR serve family style right in the skillet you used to cook the food in.

If you do prep work ahead of time, this meal is less than 15 minutes from fridge to table..

Use any leftovers to make Fajita Chimichangas. The recipe for them, Pico de Gallo, and Homemade Salsa with chips are all on this blog.

This meal is filling, tasty, and everyone can make their fajitas the way THEY like them, with their favorite fillings.

If you wanna go all out, throw some re fried beans, lettuce, etc on a plate, add some Mexican or Spanish rice, and you may never eat Mexican anywhere but home after this.

Pork Chops

6 Large Pork Chops
1 cup Self Rising Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Onion, very thinly sliced ( I mean VERY thinly sliced, here folks)
1 small can of mushroom slices, drained well
2 envelopes Brown Gravy mix (any brand that makes a cup per packet, or 1 2-cup envelope)
2 cups water
1/2 to 1 cup oil

Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and dredge pork chops through it. Cook chops in  skillet, until breading has browned. While the pork chops are cooking, mix the gravy mix and the water, line a roasting pan with foil, and scatter half the onions and half the gravy over the bottom of the foil lined pan. Put chops on top, put the rest of the onions on top. Bake for twenty to thirty minutes at 350.

I know, I know, you've had this recipe with variations before... but this is simple, doesn't use cream of mushroom soup or lots of other incidentals... the only think I change is NO MUSHROOMS in mine.. but its just easy, and tastes like you slaved away all day.. it only takes about 45 minutes from walking into the kitchen until you are eating,and most of that time is spent in the oven, so you can help the kids with homework, walk the dog, start the laundry, or just chill out for a few.... you'll get some much deserved praise and you won't feel guilty about the frozen lasagna you gave 'em last night...

Chicken Fajita Chimichanga

You can see the peppers, chicken and onions inside,and the Cheese Sauce and Pico on top!

Spoon about a tablespoon refried bean into a very thin layer in a burrito sized flour tortilla, and scoop left-over Chicken fajitas (left overs from a restaurant, your own recipe, or try mine on here) on top. Fold the sides in and the longer sides up and over each other, secure with toothpicks, and deep fry in oil heated to 350 degrees, until browned.

Top this with guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, or white cheese sauce. Mine, pictured above, has white cheese sauce, heated with homemade pico de gallo, and poured over the fried chimichanga.

Some people put tomatoes in their fajitas... I don't like cooked tomatoes, never have, so I don't use them. In addition, the juice in a tomato may cause spattering in the process of deep frying the chimi, so try to drain the veggies as much as possible before deep frying. I do love a white cheese sauce with pico de gallo, so I microwave the sauce, put in some pico, and pour it over the chimi... yummy, yummy, for the tummy!

Chicken Fajitas

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I use EVOO)
4 Teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (mesquite is wonderful with this!)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients for marinade.
Heat oven to 300 degrees and heat fajita pans or a large cast iron skillet, to serve sizzling fajitas.

Thinly slice 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, put into a zippered gallon sized bag, and pour marinade over it. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is even better.

Thinly slice a large onion and bell pepper. If you use red and yellow, it is really a pretty presentation.

Take chicken out of the bag, and stir-fry it in a skillet, until done. Put some olive oil in the pan you cooked the chicken in and saute' the veggies until they are tender-crisp.

Arrange onions on the bottom of the fajita pans or the skillet. Bring them to the table, sizzling. Serve with warm flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and Pico De Gallo or salsa, guacamole, rice and beans... whatever you like...

This recipe makes 3 heaping fajita pans, enough for six people... enjoy!

Simple Homemade Calzone or Pizza Sandwiches

Frozen Pizza dough, thawed ( I found mine pre made in the freezer section at Walmart for less than $1.50 - enough for three small or two regular sized calzones)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Pepperoni Slices

Additional Ideas :
Pre Packaged Italian Sausage Sprinkles, onions, real bacon bits, or fried bacon pieces, olives, mushrooms, bell peppers,diced.. whatever you like in a pizza

Homemade Marinara Sauce (or a jar of pizza sauce works fine)

Olive oil

Thaw the dough, divide into 2, 3 or 4 smaller balls, roll out into desired size.
Put cheese, filling ingredients on one side, leaving about 1/4 -1/2" for sealing...
Fold the other side onto the filled side, crimp the edges, Sprinkle very lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese,and bake at 400 degrees for 10 -12 minutes, or until desired shade of browning is reached.
Remove from oven, let cool for 3-5 minutes, serve with warmed Marinara or Pizza Sauce for dipping...