Another Snowy Day

The weather forecasters really missed this one. We were supposed to get 1 to 2 inches of snow by the end of the day. Instead, we got 3 inches in about 2 hours. Oh, did I mention that it was during morning rush hour? My husband's normal 20 minute commute to work took 45 minutes, while my daughter's 20 minute commute to campus took a full hour. At least they arrived at their destinations safely, and for that I am thankful. White-out conditions caused some nasty accidents in the state, including a multi-vehicle accident with fatalities within sight of my son's house. And you still wonder why I don't like winter?

At least I have the luxury of being able to stay home most days. Ah, the joys of retirement.

And the snow from last week had just started to melt. At least I had been able to get out to fill the bird feeders the day before.

This seems to be a 'sticky' snow.

All right, I'm stuck inside once again, so obviously I need to cook something. Since my daughter and I were eating alone, I asked her for ideas for dinner. After some thought, she requested steak with Jack Daniels sauce and mashed potatoes.

Of course, her favorite mashed potatoes come from the store. She absolutely adores Yoder's mashed potatoes. The daughter doesn't like lumpy mashed potatoes, while I like to have lumps in my mashed potatoes. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that while growing up we often had instant mashed potatoes made from dehydrated potato flakes from a box?

I made an executive decision that in order to make a proper meal we would need some green vegetables. Ah ha! We have some leftover broccoli, carrots and celery from our Super Spread. I think a quick saute is in order.

But first, I have to make the Jack Daniels Sauce. Yes, I know that that is not Jack Daniels whisky. It's what I have on hand. My red wine vinegar was skanky, so I had to substitute white wine and cider vinegars. But hey, I was snowed in. I also subbed real garlic for the garlic powder. That should even things out, right?

My daughter asked me to make a triple batch so that there would be sauce for later.

That's it! No more tears! I'm getting out the chopper to finish off these nasty onions.







All of the ingredients go into the pot. Notice that the level of the liquid is just under 1 liter.

Now, the recipe directs you to bring the liquid to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Since I was making a larger batch, the actual time was more like 45 to 60 minutes. But that's okay. I wasn't going anywhere.

The sauce has reduced to a nice syrup.

I ended up with just 2 cups of the sweet/spicy sauce. My daughter is one happy girl.

I pulled out some veggies for yet the side dish. Here I have carrots, broccoli florets, green onions, celery, crushed red pepper flakes, canola oil and soy sauce. I think I can make this work.

The veggies cook quickly over high heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes nicely seasons the veggies. A splash of soy sauce is added at the very end.

I like my veggies to be crispy, so I made sure to pull them out before they lost their 'bite'.

And now it's time to cook the steak. I have a boneless rib eye steak that I seasoned with kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and olive oil. Both sides seared before the cast iron pan was pulled off the heat and a double layer of aluminum foil was placed over the pan. After several minutes, the steak was removed to a plate and allowed to rest with the foil over the top.

This was a nice meal for a snowy winter evening. I also had some tabbouleh left over from the day before.

The veggies were cooked just the way I like them. Tender-crisp, with a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes and the umami from the soy sauce.

The steak was cooked to medium-rare. The Jack Daniel's Sauce added just the right piquancy to the meat. The potatoes satisfied my daughter's craving for the creamy goodness of real mashed potatoes.

My poor husband doesn't know what he missed.

Chicken, Take Two

I have to admit to being rather apprehensive about today’s dinner. After spending last evening in the throes of an asthma attack after my reintroduction to eating chicken, I am wondering if I am up to potentially suffering with the characteristic shortness of breath, a painful pressure in my chest and a hacking cough again tonight.

The innocent(?) culprit.

But on the other hand, it would be best to see if I also need to steer clear of chicken stock. With that thought in mind, I am making Balsamic-Honey Marinated Pork Loin, romaine salad with some of the leftover Tomato, Cucumber and Onion salad from last evening’s dinner, and homemade stuffing with homemade chicken stock.

In the meantime, ignore the asthmatic woman and enjoy the recipes.

Balsamic-Honey Marinated Pork Loin

Burp the bag! Just burp it! Air in the bag defeats the entire purpose of marinating meat in a bag.

I dreamed up this recipe one afternoon when I was trying to come up with a new take on pork. The pork can be roasted, grilled or sauteed.

Balsamic-Honey Marinated Pork Loin

Pork loin
½ cup Balsamic vinegar
¼ cup Honey
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pepper
Salt

Place pork loin in large plastic zipper bag. Pour vinegar and honey into bag. Add garlic clove, dash of pepper and salt and seal bag. Turn bag to evenly coat the pork loin. Refrigerate and turn occasionally until ready to grill or bake. This can be marinated up to 8 hours before cooking. Discard remaining marinade. Cook the pork loin until the interior temperature is 145 degrees for medium doneness.

I have been puttering around in the kitchen today. I made a small batch of a certain famous Whiskey Sauce and while that was simmering away, I used the tomatoes from my garden that I had previously dried for a Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette for dinner tonight. After assembling the stuffing for tonight’s dinner, I made croutons for my daughter.

Speaking of the devil - I mean daughter – she just got home and proclaimed her eternal love for me because I made the croutons and the Whiskey Sauce. Disclaimer: eternal love may expire at any time without prior warning. Restrictions apply.

Homemade Croutons

This is an excellent way to use scrap bread that is leftover from other recipes. A firm bread works better than the usual white sandwich bread. I like to use Herbes de Provence (see recipe in the ‘Sauces, Marinades and Rubs’ section in this book. Herbes de Provence adds a light, fresh flavor to the croutons. Otherwise, any dried herb blend or your favorite dried herbs can also be used with great results. CAUTION: This is not a dish that can be put in the oven and forgotten. The browning will occur within minutes and there is a fine, but disgusting, line between brown croutons and burnt croutons. I never have any leftovers, since Kelley has decided this recipe is the best ever and eats them as a snack!

Bread, cut into a ¾ inch dice
Olive oil
Herb seasonings
Garlic powder, optional

Toss all ingredients together on a baking sheet or a toaster oven pan. Spread out evenly and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Watch carefully as this browns/burns quickly. A good tip is to toss the croutons once some begin browning and then turn off the oven before returning the croutons to the oven to finish drying/baking. Serve fresh croutons on your favorite salad and securely seal and freeze the remainder for another time.

The ingredients for the "Jack Daniel's" Sauce

Jack Daniels Sauce

Trying to find a suitable copy of a proprietary sauce can be difficult. I played around with a couple of different homemade versions of T.G.I. Friday’s Jack Daniels Sauce, until I was happy with the results.

½ tsp. garlic powder
1/3 cup red onion, finely minced
½ tsp. hot sauce
2 tbs. Red wine vinegar
¼ cups Jack Daniels whiskey
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup beef stock or broth
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and use as a sauce on any grilled meat or seafood. Refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Makes 1/2 cup.

The finished sauce

And the verdict is…. I am also allergic to chicken stock. Now I really need to rethink my menus. Please forgive me while I mourn (okay, cry my eyes out).