Easy Philly Cheese Steaks

March 23, 2014 by Elizabeth 2 Comments

Juicy bites of steak, sautéed with tender green peppers and onions, smothered in provolone cheese, and served on a fresh roll. Impressive enough for company, or quick enough to make on a weeknight, these Easy Philly Cheese Steaks are sure to knock your socks off!

To be honest, I had never tried a Philly cheese steak before a few months ago. Andrew mentioned them a while back, and I thought I would make them as a nice surprise for a special dinner. Who knew Philly cheese steaks would become one of my new favorites? But then again, what’s not to love about steak, onions, and green peppers covered in melted cheese, and nestled in a soft, white, little roll? Well, I guess nothing.

It has been quite an eventful week around here. While Andrew has been hard at work, the boys and I have been busy building huge lego towers, attending library activities, going on lunch dates, and running errands. James even learned to count to ten and say his own name this week, (“Jame”). We’ve also had a number of cooking lessons that have been more than successful. We’ve really been on a role lately! It’s so nice to have such great little helpers.

However, the BIG event that topped off our week, happened Friday night while I was feeding the boys an early dinner. I turned my back for a split second, and I heard James calmly say “Momma, pea!”. I quickly went to look up his nose, and sure enough, there was a huge, bright-green pea lodged firmly in his left nostril. (He has tried to put a pea in his nose before, but thankfully it wasn’t far, and I was able to just pop it out. I thought we were way past the “putting things in our nose phase”, but clearly I was wrong.) This time, however, the pea was really stuck. I could see it, but it wouldn’t budge. The strangest thing was that James didn’t even seem to mind! He just calmly finished eating his dinner, minus the peas that I immediately took away, and then even asked for seconds. William and I were much more concerned, though. Thankfully, I called the nurse and she told me that we could try a few different tactics to remove the pea on our own. When Andrew got home, we tried everything we could to pop it out, but it didn’t move. So, James and I grabbed our coats, and headed for a little Friday evening trip to Urgent Care.

I am still amazed at the fact that James remained completely unbothered by the giant pea that was stuck in his nose. All the way there, he kept saying “doctor”, and we had a long talk about how we do not put things up our nose. When we finally saw the doctor, he examined James and then told me that he could try to remove the pea using a bulb syringe to shoot air up his other nostril. He called for another set of hands to help hold poor James, and literally within about 5 seconds, the pea came shooting out of his nose! It was honestly kind of funny! James was totally fine, except he seemed a bit annoyed that he had to be held down. Thankfully, two hours and $25 later, James and I were able to return home, minus one green pea.

So, here it is. If you need the perfect meal to round out a crazy day, you’re in luck! An amazingly delicious (and pea-less) recipe. These Easy Philly Cheese Steaks are truly out of this world.

Easy Philly Cheese Steaks

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Yield: Serves 4

Easy Philly Cheese Steaks

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 green pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
4 hoagie rolls
7 slices provolone cheese (about 7 ounces)

Instructions

Slice meat into 1/8" thick slices. Then run knife through sliced meat again, to dice.
In a medium bowl, add steak and toss with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large cast iron, or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and green pepper. Stirring often, cook for about 8 minutes until veggies are softened but still tender. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Remove veggies from pan and place in a clean bowl and set aside.
Return pan to medium-high heat and add another teaspoon oil. Once hot, add meat and cook until browned and not pink, stirring often. (Pour off excess liquid.)
Turn heat to low, add veggies back to the pan with the meat, and stir. Lay sliced cheese over meat and veggie mixture and allow to melt. Stir to combine melted cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately on rolls.

http://elizabethshome.com/easy-philly-cheese-steaks/

Parmesan Crusted New York Strip Steak

January 6, 2014 by Elizabeth 1 Comment

Let me start by saying a belated “Happy New Year!”. I know everyone is saying it, but I just really can’t believe that it is 2014 already! I’m excited though, I have a feeling 2014 is going to be an excellent year around here.

What did you do on New Year’s Eve? This year we had plans with friends to have an adult dinner (no kids) at our house, but they were sick and couldn’t make it. We were sad they couldn’t join us, but that didn’t stop us from cooking up the feast I had been preparing for two days.

(Most of this meal can be created the same day, but when you have two little kids around, you learn to do as much in advance as humanly possible to save your sanity). That’s one of my little secrets 🙂

So, think restaurant-quality, favorite gourmet steakhouse meal, and that was pretty much our NYE dinner. Seriously, it was just that good.

This recipe for parmesan crusted new york strip steak was inspired by one of our favorite steak houses in Atlanta, called Wildfire. That restaurant used to be one of our regular date-night spots where we could always enjoy a great meal. They specialized in delicious steaks, and featured a variety of crusts that you could order on top of your steak. Andrew just reminded me that we had tried most of the other crust varieties, such as the horseradish crust, mushroom crust, and even the blue cheese crust, but nothing came close to the goodness of the parmesan crust.

And so, with a little brainstorming, research, and experimentation, I present to you parmesan crusted new york strip steak. I mean, who wouldn’t love a tender, juicy, grilled steak with a cheesy, crispy crust seared on top? Amazing!

Parmesan Crusted New York Strip Steak

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Yield: Enough crust for 2 New York strip steaks

Parmesan Crusted New York Strip Steak

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (like Kraft consistency, but good quality)
4 cloves garlic (through garlic press)
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, mash butter with a fork. Then add bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic and salt and pepper and smash together until well combined.
Using your hands, roughly shape into a thick log. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and continue shaping until log is about 3 1/2" long and 2" round. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or freeze. (If frozen, let sit on counter for about 1 1/2 hours before slicing)
Once ready, slice log in half. Then cut each half in half again. And finally, cut each quarter in half one more time. You should end up with 8 even slices.
Once you have grilled your steaks, place 4 of the crust slices on top of each steak. Place steak in an oven safe pan, and broil for 2-3 minutes until crust is brown.

http://elizabethshome.com/new-york-strip-steak-parmesan-crust/

Note:
I love Trader Joe’s Imported Grated Parmesan Cheese. It has the perfect consistency and flavor for this recipe, and at a great price.

Szechuan Beef with Broccoli

March 7, 2013 by Elizabeth 2 Comments

One of my husband’s favorite meals is beef with broccoli. On one of our very first dates, probably date number 4, Andrew took me to one of his favorite Chinese restaurants, Szechuan Empire. He was so excited to share it with me and could hardly contain his excitement as he told me about his love for his all-time favorite Chinese dish. Before Andrew, this was not my usual Chinese dish, or even one that I had ever tried. However, I remember I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was.

I think it was a couple years back that I first got the idea to try and recreate Andrew’s favorite beef with broccoli at home. The first, probably six, attempts were yummy and did get eaten, but just weren’t quite there. It wasn’t until we filled our plates, and took our first bite of THIS recipe that we knew it was a winner!

Szechuan Beef with Broccoli

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Szechuan Beef with Broccoli

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs flank steak
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 heads broccoli, crowns only

Marinade:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
5 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the cornstarch, baking soda, sugar, soy sauce, water and oil, and whisk together. Slice the steak, against the grain, into thin strips (about 1/4" thick). Add the steak to the marinade mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Cover and refrigerate in bowl for 1-4 hours.
Wash and cut up broccoli into (a bit bigger than bite size) florets, and set aside in large bowl.
In a small bowl, add the flour and brown sugar and stir together. Then add the soy sauce and sherry. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in garlic, and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli, cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until "almost done". Return broccoli to clean large bowl.
Using the now empty pan, over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. When shimmering, add the beef and half of the sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through. Add the broccoli and the remaining sauce and stir together. Cook for 1-2 minutes more until the sauce is nice and thick.
Serve immediately over white or brown rice. Enjoy!

Notes

Be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce, otherwise the sauce will be too salty. If time allows, try to take the meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.

http://elizabethshome.com/szechuan-beef-with-broccoli/