What's that smell? |
My humble attempt at a cooking blog. Email me any great recipes you have. I'll try them out and if I like them, I'll post them here. Proper credit given, of course. angelasangle@gmail.com |
I wanted to link some recipes for a romantic dinner I made a few weeks ago. I don’t have any pictures of mine, but here are some from the original recipes. This dinner was perfect. My husband’s favorite cut of meat is a rib-eye. I had never made it before, but Alton Brown’s instructions were easy to follow. And the steak came out perfectly medium-rare. The mashed potatoes are my own recipe (really, it’s just regular mashed potatoes) and I thought about making something a little fancier, but my husband loves them. Next time, I will turn the heat down on the ginger and garlic (for the asparagus), it got a little blackened, but still delicious. And the apple crisp was amazing, but it was A LOT for 2 people. Especially, after such a big dinner.
It’s nice to go to a restaurant and be waited on, but sometimes that isn’t always feasible. You can still enjoy a romantic time at home and enjoy the same dinner you would get, but for half the cost. Isn’t the clean-up worth it to put a little romance back into your evenings?
Rib-eyes are marbled with fat and therefore require very little seasoning. Some salt and pepper is really all you need. If you feel like you want a marinade for it, use something simple like soy sauce, garlic, and pepper. You don’t want your marinade to compete with the natural flavor of the steak. If you don’t have an cast iron skillet, get one, it’s a must for perfect steaks.
Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. (You should never put a cold iron skillet into/onto a hot over/burner. Let it warm up with the over or burner.) Bring steak(s) to room temperature.
When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.
Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)
Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.
Mashed potatoes are a forgiving dish. Most recipes are suggestions and the ingredients should be adjusted for your taste. You can also replace some of the butter with more heart-healthy options, a butter substitute or even non-fat sour cream.
Mashed Potatoes for Two
Cut potatoes into cubes, put in pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Let boil for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your cubes. Drain potatoes and dump back in empty pot (the warm pot helps dry out the potatoes so you don’t have a bunch of starchy liquid in your mashed potatoes). Mash the potatoes with a hand masher. Add butter, salt, and pepper. Blend. Add milk a little at a time, until the potatoes are a desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
I love asparagus. I never like it as a kid, but now I can’t get enough (a tip for those who have never tried it with an adult palate). It is so easy to cook. You can throw a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on it and pop them in the over for 20 minutes. This recipe is more of a stir fry. The ginger and garlic blend nicely with the strong flavor of the asparagus. Also, you cut it into 1/4” pieces, which is nice if you have someone who doesn’t like asparagus a whole lot.
Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus (you can snap the end of one, line it up with the rest, and cut them at that same spot), then cut spears into 1/4 inch slanting slices. Place wok or heavy skillet over high heat (depending on your stove, I would go for medium to medium-high heat); when hot, add oil. When oil begins to heat, add garlic and ginger and stir once; then add asparagus and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add water; cover and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp to bite (2 to 3 minutes).
Every time I pay $6 for an apple crisp in a restaurant, I always think how easy it would be to make it at home (and cheaper). This recipe was simple, not too many apples to peel, and came out smelling wonderful. I put it in as we were sitting down to eat and it filled the whole room throughout our dinner. I scooped a little caramel ice cream on top and it was so good, I almost forgot there was no waiter. Apple crisp is a perfect combination of opposites. The apples are soft and the top is crispy, the cinnamon is spicy and the sugar is sweet, the ice cream is cold and the apple crisp is hot, it covers all the pleasurable feelings your mouth has to offer.
Place apples in a buttered 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter. Mix until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is nicely browned. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.
