French Onion Salisbury Steak over Cheese Toasts

As promised we will bring you 2 recipes this week.  These recipes come to us from Cuisine at home magazine.  We picked out the warm, hearty French Onion Steaks & Cheese Toasts.  Really this is just a new version of Salisbury steak but the sauce base is on French onion soup. I am not a big onion fan but hoping this dish will win me over.  We are going to pair this with a Gunflint Red Wine from Cannon River Winery…. (it is one of the ingredients)…Cheers!

French Onion Salisbury Steak

For the Steak –

1 ¼ lb. ground chuck

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

2 Tbs. minced scallions

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. flour

For the Sauce –

1 Tbs. Olive oil

2 cups sliced onions

1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. tomato paste

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

¼ cup dry red wine

¾ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp dried thyme

                Cheese Toasts

                Minced fresh parsley

                Shredded Parmesan

• Combine ground chuck, ¼ cup parsley, scallions, salt & pepper.  Divide evenly into 4 portions & shape into ¾ to 1 inch thick oval patties. Place 2 Tbs. flour in shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 tsp flour.
• Heat oil in pan over med.-high. Add patties, sauté 3 minutes each side or until browned. Remove from pan
• Add onions & sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic & tomato paste; sauté until paste begins to brown, 1 minute.  Sprinkle mixture with reserved flour; cook 1 minute.  Stir in broth, wine salt & thyme.
• Return meat to pan; bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low cover, & simmer for 10 minutes.

• Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion sauce ladled over.  Garnish with parsley & Parmesan.

Cheese Toasts

4 slices Italian baguette, cut diagonally, ½ inch thick

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temp.

½ tsp minced garlic

Pinch of paprika

¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 Tbs. shredded Parmesan

• Preheat oven to 400 & place bread on baking sheet. 
• Combine butter, garlic & paprika; spread on one side of each slice of bread.  Combine cheeses & sprinkle evenly over butter.  Bake until bread is crisp & cheese is bubbly, 10 – 15 minutes.

Tupps Tidbits ~  You can wait till the sause comes to a boil to put the toast in the oven, both will be done at the same time.

 

Well this dish winned me over!  It was so elegant & the taste was unbelievable. The patties were moist &tender.  Both are KEEPERS in our home!

Shrimp Po’boys

It has been a very warm start to our summer.  It makes me think of my favorite Beetles tune….Here comes the Sun...Do to do to...Here Comes the Sun….. have had some extremely hot days.  We found a new healthy (non deep fried) recipe makeover for Shrimp Po’boys that will not heat up the house & sounds delicious.  I am hoping the crunchy slaw will make the sandwich worth every bite.

Shrimp Po’boys

Cooking Light Magazine, July 2012

Slaw:

3 Tbs. canola mayonnaise

1 Tbs. minced shallots

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. prepared horseradish

¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)

¼ tsp. grated lemon rind

1 garlic clove, minced

2 ½ cups packaged cabbage/carrot coleslaw

Po’boys:

1 Tbs. cornstarch

½ tsp. grated lemon rind

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground red pepper

1 large egg white

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

4 (2 ½ oz) pieces French bread baguette, split & toasted

3 Tbs. stone-ground cornmeal

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

8 (1/4 inch thick) slices tomato

1. To prepare the slaw, combine first 9 ingredients in medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add coleslaw; toss to coat.  Cover & chill.
2. To prepare the Po’boys, combine cornstarch & next 4 ingredients (through egg white) in a medium bowl; whisk until blended.  Add shrimp; toss well. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, stirring once.
3. Hollow out top & bottom halves of bread, leaving a ¼-inch-thick shell.  Place torn bread in food processor; process until very fine crumbs form.  Set aside ½ cup breadcrumbs; reserve remaining breadcrumbs for another use.  Combine ½ cup breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and black pepper in large zip-lock bag; seal & shake to combine.
4. Remove shrimp from bowl; discard marinade.  Add shrimp to breadcrumb mixture.  Seal & shake to coat.
5. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add shrimp; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.
6. Arrange ½ cup slaw on each bottom half of bread. Top with one quarter of shrimp & 2 tomato slices.  Cover with top half of bread.

Tupps Tidbits ~ you could easily make the slaw ahead of time to cut back on the hands on time… make sure you use a non –stick skillet for this one…also, I liked the fact that you use the ground up insides of the bread to coat the shrimp.

I know it has lots of ingredients & instructions but it was worth it.  The shrimp is actually marinated, breaded, & then seared in a hot lightly oiled pan to save the fat/ calories over a deep fried version.  We both liked the Po’boys & the shrimp had a nice crispy coating. It is definitely a “KEEPER”!   Oh & if anyone really reads this blog, besides Sean’s mom, we did miss a week & will make it up to you next week with 2 recipes in one!

Tangy Shrimp & Scallops

Lost up in the cubbard was a bottle of Neumann’s Own low fat sesame ginger dressing.  Not knowing what we could cook with it we were starting searching.  The recipe we came across listed to cook a stick of butter per pound of scallops…..hmmm… not sounding so healthy but that lead us to the recipe below & still the bottle of Newman’s own is untouched.

Tangy Shrimp & Scallops

http://www.tasteofhome.com/

28 uncooked large shrimp (1 -1/2 pounds), peeled & deveined

28 sea scallops (about ½ pound)

½ cup butter, cubed

7 tablespoons lemon juice

5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 to 2 teaspoons garlic power

1 teaspoon paprika

• Place shrimp & scallops in a large resealable plastic bag; set aside.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and paprika.  Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute or until butter is melted.  Stir to blend; set aside 1/3 cup for basting. Pour remaining marinade over shrimp & scallops.  Seal bag & turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
• Drain & discard marinade. Alternately thread shrimp & scallops on skewers. Grill, covered over medium heat for 5 -8 minutes or until shrimp turns pink & scallops are opaque, turning once & basting with reserved marinade.

Tupps Tidbits ~ make sure your grill is not too hot & watch you minutes so you do not over cook (like I did….Opps!)

We both loved this dish & thought it would make a great meal for company.  We served it with a nice lettuce salad & fresh fruit for dessert but garlic toast & pasta would make it an awesome meal as well.  We can not wait to make it again & again…Definitely “KEEPER”!

Crunchy Trail Mix Bars

One of our favorite summer weekend activities is camping.  This recipe sounds like it could be a new added camping treat.  My only worry is Yogi might steal our picnic basket!

Crunchy Trail Mix Bars

www.eatbetteramerica.com

4 cups Multigrain Cheerios cereal

3 cups trail mix

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup margarine or butter

2 Tbs all-purpose flour

½ cup c light corn syrup

Grease 13x9 inch pan with shortening, or cooking spray.

 In a large bowl, mix cereal & trail mix; set aside.

In 2-qt sauce pan, melt margarine over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar, flour & corn syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour mixture evenly over cereal mixture; toss to coat.  Press mixture in pan.  Cool 10 minutes. 

Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

Tupps Tidbits ~ stir frequently to avoid burning & when pouring the sauce over the cereal mixture be careful not to burn yourself

I am not really sure how these can be healthy or “eating better” after adding the margarine, sugar & corn syrup but does it really matter when they taste so good? They are definitely a KEEPER…..we will be taking these on our next hike but kept secure and away from any bears.

Rocky Road Parfaits

This looks like a quick easy health summer dessert.  I am hoping they taste like a peanut buster parfait from Dairy Queen without the added sugar and fat.

Rocky Road Parfaits

 www.Kraftrecipes.com                

1 pkg. (1.4 oz) Jell-o Chocolate Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding

2 cups cold fat-free milk

½ cup thawed Cool Whip Lite Whipped Topping

12 Jet-Puffed Miniature Marshmallows

2 Tbsp. Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts, chopped

Beat pudding mix & milk with whisk 2 min. Spoon ¾ cup into medium bowl; gently stir in cool whip until blended.   Spoon remaining pudding into 4 (6oz.) parfait glasses or dessert dishes; top with cool whip mixture.  Refrigerate 5-15 minutes.

Top with remaining ingredients.

Tupps Tidbits ~ Parfaits can be assembled ahead of time.   Prepare as directed, but do not top with marshmallows/nuts.  Refrigerate up to 6 hours and top with marshmallows/nuts just before serving.

The parfaits were wonderful, so good I had 2!   You could add some mini chocolate chips on top for added chocolate……Definitely a KEEPER in our book!  Yummy!

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

When you have a busy day & it is also hot & humid outside a crock pot recipe is your best solution.  It is so nice to put everything in the pot in the morning & it is magically done for supper.  Once again, this recipe comes to us from co-workers, Marcia & Tony Wilson.  You could serve it over rice, in tortilla shells or on buns.

                              

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

2 pounds (32 ounces) chicken breasts, boneless & skinless

1 cup salsa, homemade or purchased

1 cup petite diced canned tomatoes (choose low-sodium)

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 cup onions, diced fine

½ cup celery diced fine

½ cup carrots, shredded

3 tablespoons sour cream, reduced fat

Directions

Place chicken in slow cooker.  Sprinkle taco seasoning over the meat then layer the vegetables & salsa on top.  Pour half cup water over the mixture, set on low & cook for 6-8 hours.  The meat is cooked when it shreds or reaches an internal temperature of 165F.  When ready to serve, break up the chicken with 2 forks then stir in sour cream.  Makes eight 1 cup servings.

Tupps Tidbits ~ if you have a large crock pot you could easily double this recipe, it will  also freeze well for left over’s but I would recommend not mixing in the sour cream if going to freeze it

We did not have celery to complete this recipe but it turned out wonderfully with out it.

This reminded us of the slightly seasoned shredded chicken you would find at Carlos O Kelly’s.  We are going to make this a “KEEPER”!

Bourbon Chicken over rice - without the Bourbon!

This is a good recipe to make in the heat of the summer since it only requires the stove top. Ironically it comes to us from the web site www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

Bourbon Chicken over rice -  without the Bourbon!

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders (12 to 15)

2 tablespoons oil

1 tsp garlic

¼ cup apple or pineapple juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:      

• Cut your chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces with some clean kitchen scissors.
• Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once it is hot pour 2 T oil into it.
• Add your chicken to the pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• In a medium size bowl combine garlic, juice, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, soy sauce, pepper flakes, and cornstarch.  Mix well.
• When the chicken is nice and brown pour the sauce into the pan. Stir it around to cover all the chicken pieces
• Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pan with the lid at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape.  Let the baby simmer away for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking period.

Tupps Tidbits ~ if the sauce gets a bit too thick, simply add a tablespoon or two of chicken broth/water

You could serve this over white or brown rice.  We both definitely enjoyed and will make it again. It was easy and quick to make.  It is a KEEPER in our home.