More (Wo)Man Munchies

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and I've been testing some more recipes! 

Like many, I'm a fan of bite sized food. Not because I'm a lady and it's proper to have little nibbles, but because you can eat so much more of everything that way! Duh.

What can be better than steak an cheese? Adding bread, obviously. Add some football players for a bonus treat. Throw in some sauteed onions that just taste like candy and you have yourself quite the perfect bite... or two. This is a pretty easy recipe that has big flavor pay off and it's quite attractive... to match those football players. Yet another perfect game day food item, fill your plate with a few of these babies and you're golden. 

Cheese Sauce:
-2 tbs butter
-2 tbs flour
-1 cup whole milk
-Couple handfuls of your favorite cheese! (Always better if you use good melting cheeses- I used cheddar and provolone)
-1/8 tsp cayenne powder
-1 tsp dijon mustard 
-Slices Monterey Jack cheese for later on

1. In a small sauce pan melt the butter.
2. Once the butter is melted, throw in the flour.
3. Get a whisk out and whisk whisk whisk. Get the lumps out and constantly move it around for a few minutes. You want to cook the flour so that raw taste is out of there and it will turn a light golden color. 
4. After 2-3 minutes of cooking the flour, stir in the dijon mustard and cayenne.
5. Once everything is good and incorporated, Pour in the milk. Be sure to keep whisking. I don't care what Fergie tells you- these lumps aren't lovely. 
6. After a few minutes of stirring it up, the sauce should start to thicken!
7. Once the sauce is thick but still runny, take off the heat and melt in the cheese. (Consider shredding or chopping the cheese to help it melt faster and more evenly.) Salt and pepper to taste.
-Set the sauce aside for a bit.

-Chop up a sweet onion and a green pepper. Throw it in a pan and saute them up. Set aside.
-Get your favorite cut of steak and cook it to your liking. I was being a bit fancy and opted for filet, or as I like to call it, butter beef. What I do is sear it off in a cast iron skillet and pop it into a 400F oven for 12-15 minutes. Comes out a nice medium rare and is perfection. When your steak is ready, chop it to a slightly bigger size than the onions and peppers, then mix the steak, onions, and peppers together. Set aside.
-Slice a baguette into 2 inch slices.

Time to assemble!
1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicon baking mat.
3. Take a slice of bread- spread a good amount of the cheese sauce onto it. 
4. Top that with the steak/onion/pepper mixture.
5. Grab that sliced Monterey Jack cheese from earlier and place on right on top. 
6. Once you have all of he bites assembled, pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are golden and bubbly.

Now you can serve to your hungry football fans. None for those Seahawks fans though... juuuuust kidding, they can have some. Enjoy!

Another dish I have been obsessing over lately are nachos. BBQ chicken nachos are some serious business. Mine don't have a lot of frill and fuss, but they taste bomb every time. So simple and easy and cheap! If it wasn't for the darn chicken taking so long, it would take only minutes to whip up and eat. With this is a dish you can totally customize to your liking- go to town on the things, I'm a pretty plain Jane so feel free to go all out. Also I don't really use exact measurements, I kind of just throw on whatever : ) This recipe feeds a few people, but go ahead and double or triple it!

-4 chicken thighs (You can use breasts, but thighs are where it's at.)

-Dijon mustard

-BBQ sauce

-Tortilla chips

-Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400F

2. Lay out the chicken on a lined sheet pan.

3. Spread equal amounts of BBQ sauce and dijon mustard onto the chicken- salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Once the oven has come to temp, stick the chicken in for 30-40 minutes. Just make sure it's cooked. You can also fry these up in a pan, but it's less messy this way.

5. Wait and wait and wait for the chicken to cook. Once it's done, chop into bite sized pieces. 

6. In another lined sheet tray, put a single layer of chips down. I'm not a fan of overlapping because you want a little something on every chip! Not a nakend one hiding underneath a fully dressed one! 

7. Pour on a good layer of BBQ sauce.

8. Next sprinkle half of the chicken on top. (This is a two layer nacho dish here.)

9. Top with a layer of the Monterey Jack cheese.

10. Repeat steps 6-9. Then top it off with some more BBQ sauce. 

11. Pop these in the oven until the cheese melts and it's all gooey, takes about 10 or so minutes. But beware- these burn in a second, you must keep an eye on the nachos. Mine burnt a little, I was being careless. They still taste good though, don't worry. 

I made these for a game a few weeks ago for my dad. He told me he wasn't really a fan of nachos. Challenge accepted. I made these up, placed them in front of him, and they were gone. I think he likes nachos, well at least the ones I make.

Whatever you choose to make for the big game, just make sure it's something you and your guests will like and make sure it doesn't keep you in the kitchen the whole time! And of course, cheer for the right team *cough* Patriots *cough*.

Time to get my man's jersey out and get in the kitchen to prep. It's going to b a good game!

GO PATRIOTS <3

-Meaghan

Snow Day Eats

When it's forecasted to snow almost two feet and work is cancelled the day before, there are a couple things one must do:
1. Go to the store at least a couple days before, you don't want to get trampled getting your milk and loaves of bread. Apparently milk sandwiches are a big hit in these parts?
2. Position the cars correctly in the driveway for the plow. (This comes from growing up in a house where this was maybe the most important thing in storm prep and it will forever be instilled in my process.)
3. Stock up on wine.
There are a few more, but, priorities people, priorities.

Well when I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I was transported to The Wall, looking for white walkers and waiting for Jon Snow to come save me. Sadly, there was no Jon Snow to be seen. I'll look for him later.

I need a treat. And shoveling fuel.

-4 slices of your favorite bread
-2 eggs
-1/2 tbs cinnamon
-Pinch of salt

1. In a medium sized bowl, crack your eggs and mix them all up.
2. Throw in the cinnamon and salt and combine well. Cinnamon reminds me of Nesquik in the aspect that it seems to NEVER incorporate, just do your best.
3. Dip your bread, both sides, in the egg mixture and let that soak all up.
4. Put a frying pan on medium heat- put some butter in there and let it melt all up nicely.
5. Place the bread in the pan.
6. When golden brown on one side it's time to flip!
7. A couple minutes on the other side to cook the egg through and you're done!
-Top these French toast babies with whatever you fancy. I'm a simple butter and syrup kind of girl. So that's exactly what I did.

Is it possible for syrup to be sexy?

Some more snow day fun

   woops.

Some wine and a bunch of cookies later, the snow is finally starting to slow a bit so I think it's time to start thinking about getting outside and shoveling myself out of the door. Waist deep snow is an interesting thing, makes me long for the good ol days of those overall snow pants. 

I'm off to brave the elements and to keep looking for Jon Snow. I don't even care if he knows nothing, just look at him! Wish me luck.

-Meaghan

Let Them Eat Cake!

Anyone that knows me, knows I'm not a cake person... unless it's made of ice cream. I could take a bath in ice cream cake and be a happy camper. Anyway, enough of  what I like to do in my spare time, back to the cake. No, I'm not a cake person, but if Marie Antoinette herself told me I had to eat cake, this is the one I'd choose.

Behold: Citrus Pound Cake. (Queue the heavens opening, the seas parting, and the angels singing.)
This cake is so delicious, it's out of control. It's a pound cake so naturally it's diet! Not. It is, however, dense and tart and sweet and all things good.

I first made this cake for my parents. It was a frigid spring day and later that night I had to pick them up at the airport. Fresh off their Jamaican holiday, I somehow felt the need to be nice, not bitter, and bake something yummy for their return home to the cold. Even though I was quite jealous, I tried to find the silver lining of me staying in Maine... in the cold... I couldn't find the silver lining. So I chose to bake. This also was helping me stay awake, being stranded at the airport is never fun and I'm not thaaaat mean.

Cake:
-3 cups flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups granulated sugar
-3 sticks butter at room temperature (told you it was diet)
-5 eggs
-1 tbs each of lemon zest, lime zest, and orange zest
-1 cup Sprite (or 7-up or even ginger ale)

Glaze:
-2 cups powdered sugar
-Pinch of salt
-1 tbs each of lemon zest, lime zest, and orange zest
-1 tbs each of lemon juice and lime juice
-A little water if needed to thin the glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 325F
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time to incorporate nicely.
4. Throw the salt in.
5. Add the flour in stages so it doesn't get all over you and this is a lot of flour, your mixer needs time to adjust. Don't kill the mixer!
6. Add the Sprite.
7. Once the batter is smooth, you can add all the zest. Mix to combine and you're good to go!
8. Choose your pan- I go with the bunt every time. I think it looks pretty and it always reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. "You fixed it!"
9. Take that bunt pan and get up close and personal with it. Slather, and I mean slather, it with butter. Get into each and every space. When you can't possibly get any more butter in there, give it a good coat of flour. Shake it around and get rid of the extra. (This step is probably the most important- NOTHING is worse than making the cake and it getting stuck in the pan. Bunt pans especially are problematic for me.)
10. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan and flatten the top with a spatula.
11. Once the oven has come to temp, pop it in for about an 1 hour and 15 minutes. (I'd check after an hour- every oven is different. You basically want the cake tester to come out clean.)
12. While that bakes, make the glaze!
13. Preferably in a bowl with a spout sift the powdered sugar and salt. No one likes a lumpy glaze.
14. Add the lemon and lime juice and whisk until the mixture forms a loose paste consistency. You don't want the glaze too loose so if you feel yours is too thick, add a tea spoon of water at a time until you get the desired consistency. If for some reason you get a little too excited and add too much water, it's all good, just add a bit more sugar.
15. When the glaze is to your liking, add the lemon, lime, and orange zest. Combine well and set aside for later.
16. Once the cake is all done and smelling amazing- take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
17. After 15 minutes of torture take a serving plate, place it over the top of the pan, then flip the pan onto the plate. The cake should gradually fall from the pan without tearing the top. If you have to give it a little tap here and there, by all means, tap away.
18. Once you've safely removed this golden nugget of cake, let it cool until just barely warm to the touch. If you put the glaze on now while it's too hot, it will melt and get all weird.
19. Once the cake has come to about room temperature, get that glaze and have a party. Make sure to cover all of the cake so that every bite has some glaze. YUM. You can even do it in stages- put a thin layer on, wait a minute or so and then layer again.

Cut and EAT.

I'm obviously way too excited that it came out in one piece.

 







This cake is always best eaten right away, but if you have to wait, I guess that's fine too. And if for some reason you have any left over? Take a slice, put even more butter on it and crisp it up in a pan for a little snack or a sugary breakfast. If you're going to eat it as leftovers, might as well make it even yummier.

So I fetched my parents and had a little late night snack session. Between the three of us I think we ate at least half of the cake. I'm not ashamed to admit it- it's very tasty. I had to stop eventually because after all, I did have to be up in a few hours for work.

I got this original recipe from the Pioneer Woman- Ree (She's amazing and you should try all of her recipes.) She doesn't include the orange, but I like it so I added it. You can use any and all citrus with this one actually, it will taste great either way. Here's a link to the original:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/04/lemon-lime-pound-cake/

Enjoy!
-Meaghan

Tight Ends and Tasty Things

In honor of the Patriots making the playoffs and their crazy win against Baltimore that I'm still having a heart attack over- it's game day food! I'm not sure what was more exciting- the Brady/Edelman/Amendola play or Gronk almost losing his pants! Jokes aside, we came from behind not once, but twice, and the game went until the very last second... or 14 seconds? However you want to look at it, it was a nail biter!  

This is usually one of the busiest times for those poor pizza delivery folk. Solution? Make some good food yourself! The possibilities are endless with different foods you can whip up and show off to your friends- today I opted for some spinach artichoke dip. I've never made it before and I was having a hankering for that hot, gooey, delicious dip! As I just said though, I had no idea what I was doing. So after doing some research I came up with my own concoction. It was amazing by the way.

-1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
-1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/3 cup shredded Romano cheese
-8-10 artichoke hearts
-1 box frozen spinach 
-1/3 cup mayonnaise
-8oz room temperature cream cheese 
-1 tbs garlic powder
-1 tbs onion powder
-Salt and pepper to taste

1. Take out your cream cheese at least a half hour prior to making this- it will make things A LOT easier later on when mixing.
2. Preheat your oven to 350F.
3. Fully thaw and drain the spinach. Much like you try your hardest to squeeze into that favorite dress of yours- make the effort and be sure to squeeze all the water out of that spinach! 
4. Chop the artichoke hearts as small or as large as you'd like.
5. In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients (leave a little cheese for the top)- be sure everything is very well mixed, you want goodness in every bite!
6. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9x11 baking dish.
7. Pour the dip into the dish in an even layer.
8. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top for a golden crust- YUM.
9. When your oven comes to temperature, slide that dish right in there until the top is golden and the sides are bubbling- mine took about 10 minutes.
-So now your done... I know it's tempting, but please, wait until this cools a bit before digging in. Trust me, it's not pretty. Unlike myself, show some self control will ya?

Since this is a dip, you can stick things in it! A chip, bread, your fork... For this one I got a nice loaf of Italian bread, drizzled with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stuck it under a low broiler for a couple minutes. Yes, mine were a bit burnt, I must have been too busy trying to gather the skin from my tongue that I burnt off when digging into this bad boy right out of the oven. But doesn't like a little burnt toast? No big deal. Plus, you want the dipper to  be a bit crunchy so it can stand up to the dish, so it's a win!

*Warning* Because of the cheese combo used, this dish has quite the offending smell, but I promise it tastes a million times better than it smells! Just keep that in mind when you're stressing out about how the hot guy you invited to your party is wondering where the smell of dirty feet is coming from. 

                                                                        

Now I'll have to figure out something to make for next week, because Sunday it's onto Indy- bring it on you horses! I have to prepare my eyes for all the beautiful men that will be running around on my TV and I have to prepare my stomach for something else equally yummy : )

-Meaghan

New Obsession

As of late I've been a tad obsessed with mustard... Dijon to be exact. It seems I put it in and on everything. Specifically bread, steak, and onions at this time. Got your attention yet? 

It's Sunday, so that means I sleep in until 7... 8 if I'm lucky, get to the store, and get back and make something scrumptious and chill. Well on this day, things were a bit off. I woke up at an unheard of 8:30, there was snow and ice everywhere, and I had no motivation at all. After picking through the glacier that sat on my car- I was off to the store to get supplies. 

On the menu: a steak and cheese sandwich to end all steak and cheese sandwiches. Sounds simple, and it is, but the flavor is insanity. I'm dabbling a little in my own Tyler's Ultimate... Meaghan's Ultimate. 
The things you will need areeeee...

-1 8oz filet mignon 

-1 6 inch fresh roll of your choice

-4 thin slices sharp New York cheddar cheese

-1 tbs dijon mustard

-1 small sweet onion

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Prep the steak by patting dry with a napkin and season well with salt and pepper.

3. Place an oven safe skillet(cast iron is perfect) on a medium high heat. Throw a sliver a butter in there for some flavor. 

4. When your pan is screaming hot, carefully place the filet to sear quickly on both sides. Once flipped, place in the preheated oven for 15 mintes for a nice pink middle. 

**SNEAK PEAK**

omg.

5. While the steak cooks, slice the onion and throw into a skillet on medium high heat. You are looking for a quick saute on these to get some good color and flavor. Cook until crunchy and brown. 

6. Slice the roll through the middle like a hamburger roll.

7. Smear that baby with butter, dijon, salt, and pepper. 

8. Once your steak is done to absolute perfection, cover with foil and let it rest for a few minutes. 

9. With the oven still on 400F, put the bun in the oven and let it toast up- watch it though, don't let the baby bun burn. You're looking for a good light crunch- should only take a few minutes.

10. When your bun is good and toasted, time to start building the dream. 

11. Time to get a little Drake on this sandwich and start from the bottom- take the bottom bun, place 2 slices of cheddar, a layer of the onions, slices of your steak, and the final 2 slices of cheese- don't put the top on yet.

12. Change the oven to a low broil and stick the sandwich in there- still no top, let that broil do it's magic.

13. When the cheese is nice and ooey gooey, take it out of the oven and pop the top on. Now you can take a second and look at that pretty thing you just made. 

You're golden. 

This is a no frills, no fuss, perfectly, simple, and tasty sandwich. 

So after I stuffed myself like a Thanksgiving turkey, I did have a few leftover ingredients. Those went in the fridge for a later feeding. Well that later feeding is now.

So it's now Tuesday night and in between laundry, Entourage, and making some breakfast for tomorrow, I'm needing some grub. Light bulb- leftover steak, onions, and cheese... and obviously more dijon! I had some garlic pizza dough that was begging to be touched in the fridge. I grabbed it and worked my magic. Oven to 400F, rolled it nice and thin, some olive oil, dijon, salt, and pepper on the dough. On the rest of my cheddar went along with the filet and onions. Popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes. I'm telling you, this was a thing of beauty- golden, crispy, beautifully melted cheese, salty, meaty ugh. Just great. 

Other things Dijon is perfect for you ask? A layer in some puff pastry, black forest ham, and cheddar. Slather some chicken thighs with Dijon, bake at 350F for 40 minutes- great for a salad! Mix with mayo and finely chopped garlic and it makes a great spread for sandwiches. Mix with BBQ sauce and it makes a killer grilling condiment! What it boils down to is that you can do anything with it, it's mustard! 

Perfect ending to the day- now it's time for some more Entourage before New Girl starts! Nick and Jess, am I right?

-Meaghan

First Day of the Year...

...Might as well eat pasta!

Well it's the first day of 2015 and people are like "I'm going to the gym!", "I'm eating my veggies!", "I'm not going to be such a gossip!". Let me tell you, none of that sounds very appealing to me at the moment. I'm tired, hungover, and tired... I know, I said it twice. I want to lay on my couch, watch Entourage, and eat. So far this year, I've done everything I said I was going to do- yessss. So dinner time is coming around and I want to be cooking something yummy, pasta it is!

Pasta is easily my favorite meal. Ever. It's so easy, simple, cheap, and versatile! I have a few tried and true dishes that always do the trick. I'm kind of a pasta snob- don't make a face, you know you are too. So to preface my post, I usually only like to cook with Barilla pasta and if I'm using a jar of sauce as a starter, it's Ragu Traditional. Anything else, Im not all that interested. 

Just call me Maria Von Trapp because here are a few of my favorite things!

Angel Hair with Oil and Garlic:
-1 lb angel hair 
-5 large cloves garlic
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tbs butter

1. Fill a large stock pot with water, place on high heat, and wait for the boil.
2. When water is at a rolling boil- throw a handful of salt to season the water, then toss your pasta in. Stir frequently so that is does not stick together.
3. While the pasta is cooking away, chop the garlic finely.
4. In a small skillet on medium high heat, pour in the oil, butter, and garlic. 
5. It's important to watch the garlic- you don't want it raw, but too burnt is not a good ime either. Once you see the garlic on the cusp of turning golden, take off the heat and set aside, it will continue to cook.
6. Once your pasta is done to your liking, drain well.
7. Return the pasta back to the stock pot or a serving bowl, mix the oil/butter/garlic into the pasta, and enjoy!

Tip to the wise, two garlics cancel each other out so... if you want to make this for a date night you're in the clear!

Linguine with Stew Beef:

I'm not a huge fan of meat sauce, I think it changes the flavor of the sauce too much. But when I do have meat sauce, it has to be stew beef. This sauce cooks so long it makes the beef breakdown in amazing ways and infuses the flavor like crazy. Unlike chicken or even ground beef, this thickens the sauce and gives it a deep flavor that's hard to match. I usually bring this one out in the colder months, very good comfort food for the cold New England nights!

-1 lb linguine 

-1 lb stew beef

-1 large jar of your favorite pre made pasta sauce 

-1 medium sweet onion

1. About 4 hours prior to the time you'd like to eat, break out a medium sized sauce pot. 

2. Dice your onion.

3. Pat the stew beef dry and season with salt and pepper.

4. On medium high heat in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, carefully place your stew beef into the oil. You're looking to get a good sear on the meat- not looking to cook it all the way through. Brown all sides of the meat and remove from the pan for now, set aside. 

5. Put a few more drops of oil in the pan and throw the onions in there to saute up.  This will also loosen up any of the yummy little bits left over from the meat.

6. Once the onions are soft and translucent, set the heat to low.

7. Place the stew beef back into the pot with the onions as well as your jar of sauce. 

8. Mix thoroughly to incorporate the ingredients and throw a lid on it.

9. Let the sauce simmer for 3 hours stirring frequently- this will stick like nobody's business! *Side note, this is a messy dish, the sauce splatters everywhere- just clean up as you go.

10. Once the meat has gotten tender and the seasoning is to your liking, give it a good stir and remove from the heat- keep the cover on.

11. Bring a large stockpot of water to boil.

12. Once you've got a good rolling boil going, add salt to the water to season.

13. Throw the pasta in the water and cook to your liking or follow the directions on the box if you're unsure.

14. For the last few minutes of the pasta cooking, put the sauce back onto the heat to heat through again. Remember to stir!

15. Once the pasta is done, drain well and add the sauce. *I suggest not adding the stew beef to the pasta as it will most likely fall apart on you. Add the stew beef after plating.

This one is a good one to eat in your best and most comfortable pajamas... not that I have or anything. It's just a good dish to get cozy with.
Now I want ice cream. Great. 

-Meaghan