Not your average egg salad!

So with all this "you have to eat" more (Doc's orders) you'd think I was happy go lucky about it right? Not so much, my imagination at times gets stretched, and the brain cells hurt. But sometimes, the memories come back, of weird but tasty dishes I've made in the past. I'd seen in restos around salads which have hot bacon grease poured on them, and I cringed at the thought, but realized, "taste". I was also told to eat more eggs, which sadly, I can only do if they are farm fresh. Thankfully, the Lord provided, and I know a little place where I can get them. All this to say, sometimes, a wedding of flavors, temperatures, and textures can lead to a satisfying crunch that won't leave you empty, but full-yet-not-overly-so. So here's MY take on "Egg Salad". Not sure how well this would spread on bread tho. ^_^

YUM! quick and simple!

Romaine lettuce, 4-5 leaves
10g cheeses mixed (I used very finely shredded mozzarella and baby parmesan)
15g garlic roasted almonds
4 grape/cherry tomatoes, quartered (the colored ones are so tasty)
2 large eggs, pan fried until yolks are barely set, chopped coarsely (if you don't like runny, cook them til the yolks are solid)
2 tsps Renee's Ceasar dressing light.

I was going to add chicken or beef, but it would, in my opinion, have been too much.

Chop Romaine in bite size pieces.
Add tomatoes, almonds, cheese, and dressing.
Mix wel.
Make sure eggs are chopped "apart" (that there's not this little piece that's holding the whole pile together :)
Add to the top of the salad
Decorate with a pinch of almonds and cheese.

The heat of the eggs will melt the cheeses a little, and make the salad that touches the eggs a little bit wilted. But when you get that bite with both hot and cold in it, its oh so good. This made me a little bowl, and I'm full, had my proteins (I'm outta eggs tho.) and I can go back to bed.

Enjoy, Cyncerely :)

Cesear Salad - an old classic, with a different twist.

Yep. Its official, back on the salad kick. So I'll be posting salad recipes (probably - depending on my ability to get my hands on salad lol!) for the next little while!

Here's the deal. I like cheese. I like meat. I like salad. I like almonds. I like croutons, but they are fattening (I said the F-word. omgosh!) I like ceasar dressing, and refuse to compromise on taste/quality (that's where the cals add up!) And I don't eat bacon. So, basically, we'll have salad, with ceasar dressing. I've been told this is very good, and very filling. (that was when I made it with croutons... :) you can use croutons, if you like.

I use Romaine lettuce, and unlike a "real" restaurant who think you have a shovel for a mouth, I cut it in BITE SIZE pieces. Nothing gets my goat (baaaaa!) more than eating salad that is in HUGE chunks. I use Romaine for 2 reasons. Apparently, it has more nutrients than head lettuce, and if you get it fresh (and if its from the garden, when it hasn't bolted yet), then its actually pretty tasty. The other reason is, its the only salad my dad will digest (come to think of it, me too... at times).

So, here we go :) for the main ingredients (aka veggies and cheese does NOT count as a veggie!) just go with the flow, I'm putting the gram measures just cause I was bored and have them. (take a look at this, and tell me you'd not try a little bit of this yummy salad!)

15g sliced almonds (if you have time and wanna get fancy, toast them in a pan with a little garlic juice)
10g finely shredded skim milk mozzarella (I use my newfangle round cheese grater thingy. it rocks - pictures to come!)
5g baby parmesan also finely shredded
about 8 leaves of romaine lettuce (this was about 150g for me), cut in bite size piece. IF you are eating it right away, you CAN use a metal knife, if you are making the salad for later, use a plastic salad knife.
5-6 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
10g of finely sliced red onion, (ok, so 2-3 slices, to taste)
2 tbsp Renee's ceasar salad dressing LIGHT (or your favorite light salad dressing.)
115g blade steak, sliced thin and in bite size pieces.

other add-ins: shrooms (of course), chicken (warmed up oh man! its AWESOME!), croutons (I used the almonds as a healthier replacement), peppers (EWEEE!), anything that's in your fridge that is still edible, olives, pickles... :)

Chop salad, put in bowl.
Add onions, other veggies, mix well.
Add salad dressing, mix well so that all veggies are covered.
Add steak (or meat(s)) on top, mix gently.
Add cheeses and almonds, mix VERY VERY gently. Serve, and devour!

Its fast, simple, and easy. I've made HUGE mega bowls of this stuff this winter, and got crazy with all the stuff I'd put in, and it was SO darn good. The best part is, you can make it once, and eat many times ^_^

I'll have pics up shortly. Enjoy!

Baked Steak and Cheese croissants

Attache ta tuque! as we'd say in French (tie your tuque - put your hat on and hang on...)

This one is something I threw together a couple of years ago, and its perfect when you have leftovers, not a lot of cash, and/or you want something totally scrumptious! It serves well at a party, if you care to share, or you can make a pile of them, and stuff your face, you can make ONE (I dare you!) or more... whatever turns your crank :) The crunch of the baked/toasted flaky croissants, the flavor of the beef, the just-right moistness of the shrooms, and of course, the garlic flavoring are piled high with ooey-gooey cheese that just doesn't quit. Take a look! YUM!

too bad we don't have scratch and sniff monitors! :)

A couple of notes:

I use/make a "lazy woman's tin baking sheet", with a doubled up sheet of foil, why? Take a look at the pictures, you'll see, its also easier to pop off the melted cheese, and its a breeze to clean. (keep away from puppies that would reach your sink or trash lol!)

For those who get food-triggered migraines, here's a tip when using onions... The center rings of the onions have the most concentrate of sulphur, (the lovely stuff that for ME, triggers migraines if I overdo it (and yes I love onions!) so, remove the center rings, quite simple. Purple/red onions for me seem to be less traumatic, as they are not as strong. If you were to remove the little "skin" on each layer, that would help, but that would also be insane so... this short-cut works... give it a try, nothing to lose.

I added garlic directly to the croissants. It adds flavor and tang, and this is something I do if I feel I'm coming down with something.

When slicing the croissants, use a bread knife please. Really, it’ll make all the difference in the world!

I ran out of olive oil, so I’m using peanut oil, and I hate it. I just do. So, use olive oil, does not burn as fast, and it tastes better. ^_^

So here we go, as usual, prep your ingredients, and get ready to cook!

Ingredients:

4-6 croissants – depends how much of the mix you pile high on it ;)


3 large shrooms, sliced thinly


1 lb (or so) boneless blade steak


1/8 tsp of salt and a tad less of pepper (unless you like pepper)


1 tbsp sodium reduced soy sauce


3 tbsp parmesan (optional)


2 cups or so of Mozzarella cheese, shredded.


2 slices of onions, chopped coarsely


2X 1 tbsp of oil.

Slice beef thinly, in 1/2 “ pieces. Remove the gristle and stuff as you go, or cook it, and treat the dog/cats.

In medium bowl, add sliced meat, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well, put aside (you’ll be mixing the meat here and there, as you’re cooking the other stuff).

Heat wok, when nice and hot, add 1tbsp oil, heat oil, add garlic and onions. Stir fry quickly for about 1 minute, add meat.

Note: because of the soy sauce, there will be an excess of juices, just keep stir frying away for about 3 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink. But don’t over cook, remember this stuff still has to bake!

Push meat to one side of wok, add oil, and then shrooms (lazy woman’s way of cooking/blending the shrooms with meat) and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Turn heat off.

Slice croissants.

Take a large section of foil, fold in half, and fold sides up to form a lip. If you’d rather use a cookie sheet, or whatever be my guest :)

Place croissants on foil sheet

Add a bit of garlic (this is optional – but it makes a difference, IMHO!)

Add a thin layer of cheese (to glue the meat you know…)

Using a slotted spoon (or a spatula like I have, “drain” the meat mix, as much as possible, or else, your croissants will be soggy. (eweeee)

Add the meat mixture, try to distribute evenly. (see pictures)

Add the cheese on top, parmesan first if you’re using it.

Now, if like me, you forgot that foil is NOT rigid, use a splatter screen, deftly slip it under your homemade foil thingy, and pop it in the (toaster) oven for about 15 minutes.

I toasted it for 2 minutes to brown the cheese, but stomach won over pictures. (sorry). You can use broil if your oven has that function, but KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON IT!

Use your trusty splatter screen, and pull that baby out! Can you smell it? YUM!

Using a pizza cutter, cut each croissants piece in 3, (easier to eat), and place on a plate.

Devour I mean, enjoy, with a cold drink (I like a cold Pepsi when eating this dish. ;)

In the pictures, I show how much meat mixture I have left, as I only made 1.5 croissants. It was very difficult NOT to just eat it up (and anything dropped on the floor was swooped on by the dog and the cats!) BUT, I was strong! Its in the fridge, for later!

Now, this dish can be made with any meat, so long as its cooked thoroughly. I’ve done this with Deli meat, but I don’t recommend it. The idea to cook from “scratch” is to get away from the nitrates and all the stuff they pump into pre-made foods… You can add peppers if you like (cough cough), or whatever you like. These babies are best served piping hot. YUM!

the pictures are not in order for all the steps, but I'm sure you can get the idea :)

ingredients... (missing onions in this pic)

mmm... garlic

croissants, sliced with a bread knife. please don't slice your hand, like I did. @_@

lazy-woman's baking sheet (see results of cooked food, you'll see why I favor these)



red onions are the mildest, sweetest. at the top right, you see the "center" rings. I remove these, as I personally have found, after much experimentation, that doing so lessens the risk of a migraine being triggered. :|



mixing the meat mix.

add a bit of garlic on the croissants. this is optional, but what a difference!

you don't have to use just this cut, use what's on sale, especially if its Sirloin ^_^

See? THIS is why I use the foil lining instead of a cookie sheet. just ball it up, and recycle or throw it out (where the dog can't get to it!)

its also easier to get to those crusty bits of cooked cheeze on there. mmmmm....

lazy man's way of cooking the shrooms, just move the meat, pop the shrooms in there, give it a fry for a minute, then mix it all up!

like so.

remember not to burn the garlic, otherwise it will be bitter (and it will STINK if your house!) and if your fire detector is as sensitive as mine, it'll go off.

the juices are normal, this is due to the soy sauce, and meat juices.

mmm... can almost smell it!

after making 1.5 croissants, this is what I had left of the meat mix. I had enough left for another 3.5 croissants AFTER this.

I desperately fought the temptation to get the chopsticks out, and pig out, but the croissants baking helped me make the right decision. I chucked a piece to Dewey... (and another to Jazz...)

ready to roll! :)

I'm scatterbrained at the best of times, and foil is not rigid. so, I used my splatter shield (dollar store find), and VOILA! carrying plate!

when adding meat to croissants, you will need to quickly drain the juices... otherwise, soggy mess.

garlic, check. cheese, check. meat, check. hehe!



adding a fine layer of cheese helps to glue stuff on there... you know, can never have too much cheese!



mmmmm.... very shortly, my tummy will be singing praises...



The Results...  yummy, crunchy, satisfying gooeyness.



HURRY DARN YOU! HURRYYYYYY!

Enjoy! :) Cyncerely, Cyn

Steak, mushroom and cheese flatbread pizza - oh Y.U.M.!

Here's a recipe that is not only (COET (cook once eat twice), but fun to make, and even funner to eat (all mesy and goey and yummy!) One of the reason its a COET, is, if you can behave and not wolf down the whole thing in one sitting (if you're single and are not sharing with the dog that is...) then you might have some left for dinner. But even if you DO eat it all, its cool! I bought a large steak, and included in this recipe, you prep the steak for the pizza, but also for tonight's (or even tomorrow's) dinner! (I mean, everything is out, and "dirty" anyways right? so why not?

I've added the "step by step" pictures at the bottom (I've not figured out how to do this all fancy schmancy yet).

I'll be posting a link shortly on how to easily and tear-free-ly chop onions in 2 minutes flat.

There are 2 warnings for this baby.

First, if you put (like me) a LOT of mushrooms, your flat bread will be a little (but not too much) soggy (the juices get absorbed by the bread (excuse me while I drool!) you can actually see the juices in the pics above.

2nd, I put in the recipe that the garlic on the flat bread is optional, actually, its not. Seriously! It packs such a punch of flavor, that I say, try it, you'll like it.

Lastly, the mushrooms and tomato in this recipe can easily be switched up for your faves, but this IS a shroom and steak pie, so, lets get cooking with Cyn shall we? ^_^

flat bread steak and shroom and cheese pizza
(COET! Cook once eat twice)

I would say, this feeds 2-3 people at most. It really depends on the size of your flat bread, and also how many pieces you eat. I had (blush) 4 of the squares, no problem, but then I eat ah, larger portions ^_^.

 What you need...

• flat bread (found in bread/deli section) (Costco has AWESOME deals on these.) Due to shrooms (and steak) "sweating", I don't recommend raw dough. (I will try this with my own homemade dough, and bake it first (like a flat bread) and will post results. WHEN I get to it!1-2 cups mozza cheese
• 200 g mushrooms (8 med-large ones)
• (steak, I bought a 1-lb boneless blade steak - its what was on special)
• 150g steak, sliced thin and small
• 300g steak, sliced thin and in 2 inch pieces (this is for dinner)
• 1 small tomato, sliced and chopped
• 1 small onion coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil (times 3, so 6 tbsps in all)
• 2 tbsp garlic minced (optional- not actually, its not. you HAVE to try this!)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (sodium reduced)

marinades for steak mix

• 2 tbsp oil (not taken from above measures)
• 1.5 tbsp sodium reduced soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
• pinch salt and pepper
• tiny squirt of hot pepper sauce (optional - try it. mmmmm.)

prep work. I do all my prep work, including marinades, before I get going. It makes life MUCH easier!

• slice 150g steak  thinly and in small pieces(freeze partially to make your life MUCH easier! the only problem with this is, you need to let it come back to room temperature before working with it. So, just be forewarned.)
• slice 300g steak in thin 1.5-2" pieces
• mince/chop onion
• slice mushrooms thin or thick so long as you are consistent.
• slice and dice tomato. (I have a "slap chop" no I don't use it.)

• in small bowl, put 1.5 tsp of steak marinade, add 150g of steak, mix well.
• in another small bowl, put the 300g steak, and rest of marinade.
• Important, do NOT stick the beef in the fridge! You'll be cooking it in about 10 minutes!)

• heat wok/pan.
• add 2tbsp of oil ONLY when its nice and hot.
• add garlic and soy sauce, stir fry til garlic is lightly brown (2-3 minutes)
• add shrooms, and stir fry well, for about 4-5 minutes. If you're using a wok,
• the shrooms will get a nice crispy edge. YUM!

remove from heat, put in a bowl.

(some people wash the wok at this point. I didn't bother, adds flavor, and I hate doing dishes so...) ^_^

• put wok back on, let it re-heat up, and add another 2 tbsp oil.
• add 150g steak, stir fry quickly, and lightly. The trick here is NO overcooking, (this is the pizza steak, so it'll finish cooking in oven). when its still a tiny bit pink, dump it in a bowl. 
• put wok back on, add rest of oil when its nice and hot, and the 200g steak, stir fry quickly, and to desired doneness (I like my meat med-rare). Again, the wok will impart a nice crispy texture to the meat. YUM! After you've put the pizza in the oven, take the leftover beef, and put in a container. You can use this with anything, (I will be making stir fried hong kong style noodles - and I'll post the recipe too!) Sub, sandwhich, even in a thick beef soup! its all good! Oh, and you can freeze it too! (like, for ... another pie? ^_^)
•  Preheat oven to 350.
• Take flatbread out of bag - mine smelled weird, until I realized I'd grabbed a cheese flat bread (for a minute there I was looking for my uncle's old socks! or worse, Dewey's paw prints (my dog has cheetos feet)
• sprinkle a little bit of olive oil on it, don't soak it (you may wish to put a paper towel underneath as these things as I learned, have little pinprick holes in them!)
• spread the 2 tbsp garlic evenly over pizza. (honestly, after eating some, I'd put more... not more than 3 though)
• put a fine layer of cheese on there
• slap the beef on top, taking care to drain it with a spoon, if its juicy
• (don't throw out that juice!) spread it out evenly.
• add the mushrooms/garlic mixture, again, draining, (mushrooms ARE watery after all ;) I did not use the whole lot of my shroom mix, so I dumped it, and the rest of the beef juice in with the 2nd batch of steak :)add rest of cheese.
• add the tomato, spreading it out evenly
• if you like, add parmesan cheese (LOTS of it.) 
• Open oven door. Please be careful NOT to burn yourself (like I did today!) and take pizza, minus paper towel, and put it directly on the grill (also make sure your grill is clean - its the same grill you use for toasts - uh, I use a large toaster oven) :) (this would work in a regular oven too) 
• bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned lightly, and bubbly. 
• take out with tongs, and slice, and serve... enjoy!

This was, so far, the BEST pizza I ever made. I even shared with Dewman! BUT if you do choose to share with your furkids, please remember, this has garlic in it, and some puppies react badly to it. (just like some dogs react badly to ham, or chocolate). Some say its poison for them (yet its in most dog food (shrugs). I threw him the crusts, and he caught them on the fly. :)

If you DO make this please leave a comment, and tell me how you liked it, or what you changed in it.

God Bless, Cynthia

Piccies... (pictures)


Steak Marinade, yeah looks yummy (not!)



Slice steak thin, and fairly small, this is a pizza, NOT a sub ;)

Stir fry onions, garlic until fairly soft (I'd say brown, but its kinda hard with soy sauce in there)

SHROOMS!

Stir  fry pizza beef (the 150g) until med-rare

Cook until nice and browned.

See? like this. you want steak, not shoe soles. :)

Zee flatbread de pizza!

Add a LITTLE bit of olive oil.

Then LOTS of garlic.

Add fine layer of cheese

drool... add the meat

Then the shrooms

Pile on the cheese BUT, keep away from the edges... (well, not too too close to the edge.)

This is what I had leftover of the shroom mix

Add tomates!

with Parmersan on top (fresh if you can afford it!)

Evidently, I can't right now. ugh. it truly is NOT the same

Stick it in the pre-heated oven (do not burn fingers!) I cook my flatbreads directly on the grill.

Wanna piece of this?

This is the 300g of beef, plus the leftover shrooms. Goin' in the fridge for tomorrow's noodle fest!

What the flat bread looks like, kinda (well the packaging) and the size

(giggle) look at those juices! It soaks up in the flat bread, and oh, its delish!

This is the only hot sauce I will use. :)



Final product? Sure smells good in here, we need scratch and sniff monitors or something!