Simple and Delicious

I'll keep this short and sweet for tonight (the hubby and I have been ill most of the weekend and are just now starting to feel better). Tonight I made steak with whiskey and cream. I got it from a cookbook given to me for Christmas from my college roommate's mom. Best-Ever 30-Minute Cookbook is filled to the brim with fantastic recipes that are perfect for the beginner chef. I'm pretty sure it is a British cookbook just based on some of the names used for certain ingredients, but in every instance that I noticed that the American equivalent was present (weights and volumes are used as well for measuring which is nice).

We eat ours with some boiled potatoes (tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chives) and carrots. The hubby gets onions sautéed with mushrooms to top the sauce. It's his favorite steak now! Enjoy!

Pan-Fried Steak with Whiskey and Cream
Recipe by Best-Ever 30-Minute Cookbook

4 8-12 oz sirloin steaks
1 tsp oil
1 Tbl butter
1/4 cup whiskey (I used what was on hand, Jameson's Irish)
1-1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dry the steaks with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat a cast-iron frying pan, or other heavy pan, over high heat. When it is very hot, add the oil and butter. Add the steaks to the foaming butter, one at a time, to seal the meat quickly.
2. Lower the heat to moderate and continue to cook the steaks, allowing 3-4 minutes for rare, 4-5 for medium, or 5-6 for well-done steaks.
3. To test if the timing is right, press down gently in the middle of the steak: soft meat will be rare; when there is some resistance but the meat underneath the outside crust feels soft, it is medium; if it is firm, it is well-done.
4. When the steaks are cooked to your liking, transfer them to warmed plates and keep warm. Pour off the fat from the pan and discard. Add the whiskey and stir around to scrape off all the sediment from the base of the pan.
5. Allow the liquid to reduce a little, then add the cream and simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the cream thickens. Season to taste, pour the sauce around or over the steaks, as you prefer, and serve immediately.

Shop is Open for Business!

Just a heads up, I've finally got items listed in my shop! You can check it out here or pop on over to the other blog for updates and giveaways! I can't wait to hear what you all think!

Sticky Toffee Goodness!

A couple of months ago, my hubby and I went on our second honeymoon. We spent a couple days in Paris and then spent almost a week in Scotland. I'll be honest, Paris is absolutely gorgeous, and I'll definitely go back in the future, but Scotland is where I want to live. I was almost in tears having to come home. One of my favorite things that I ate while in the land of thistle and heather was Stocky Toffee Pudding.

 

It's another one of those "don't let the name fool you" kind of recipes. Puddings in the UK are actually more like a cake. This one is topped with an amazing caramel sauce. I also wanted to try and get it as close to the one I had by serving it with custard (I almost had a major FAIL on my hands when I accidentally boiled it while trying to get it into an ice bath; I rescued it with my food processor though). I got the recipe for the pudding off of All Recipes and the recipe for the custard from Better Homes and Gardens via Tastebook. Anne and Honey Mim, this one is for you!

 

Sticky Toffee Pudding
Recipe from All Recipes, adapted by me

 

1 3/4 cups dates, pitted and chopped (I used raisins since I forgot to pick up dates)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water to cover
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/8 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 stick and 1 Tbs butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl combine the dates and baking soda. Pour enough boiling water over the dates to just cover them. Allow to cool.
3. Cream the butter with the white sugar until light. Beat in the eggs and mix well to combine. Add the flour and date mixture (including water) to the egg mixture and fold to combine.
4. Pour the batter into one 8 inch round baking pan (I used a square instead). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool, slice and serve with warm caramel sauce.
5. To Make Caramel Sauce: In a small saucepan combine the brown sugar and heavy cream. Heat on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved; do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter is thoroughly melted. Use immediately (I out about 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce on the cake straight from the oven after poking holes all over the top for extra sticky goodness).

Stirred Custard
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

 

5 egg yolks, beaten

 

1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In a  heavy medium-sized pot use a wooden spoon and stir together egg yolks, milk, and sugar.
2. Cook and stir continuously with the wooden spoon over medium heat until mixture just coats the back of a clean metal spoon (temp should be 160F on a candy thermometer; do not allow to boil; also, don't rush this step or it will curdle). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
3. Quickly cool custard by placing the saucepan in a large bowl of ice water for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

What Do You Call This Thing?

Lately I've been feeling extremely tired. I don't know if I'm getting too much sleep or if it's because I've been eating too much rice. Tonight's meal certainly didn't help. I actually got this recipe from my sister who used to make this all the time for me when she lived with me. Nobody really knows what to call it. I just tell people that it's basically an enchilada bowl. White rice, black beans, chicken, enchilada sauce, and shredded cheese come together to make an easy and tasty dinner.

I bought the wrong enchilada sauce tonight which made it a more bland than I would have liked (silly mild masquerading as the hot). I also put way more cheese on it than normal, but that's because I had way too much shredded cheese lurking in my fridge that was gonna go bad (and that I kept digging into...WHAT??? Don't judge me). I'm off to slip into a food-induced coma. Please enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Bowl
Recipe by Honey Mim

1-1/2 cups rice, uncooked
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 small can red enchilada sauce (we use Old El Paso's hot)
1 can black beans (sorry I forgot to check the size for this and the sauce; just use a small can)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or use one the fiesta/Mexican blends available at the grocery store)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Meanwhile get the rice cooking in a medium-sized pot (remember: 1 part rice to 2 parts water so 3 cups in this case). Bring to a boil while covered, lower heat and allow to simmer about 10-15 minutes until tender and no liquid remains.
2. Cook chicken chunks with the enchilada sauce in a medium-sized pan until chunks are completely white and fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
3. In an oven-safe baking dish, layer the rice on the bottom. Add the can of beans on top of the rice and spread out then add the chicken and enchilada sauce. Spread the chicken mixture evenly and top with the cheese.
4. Place int he oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

New Blog and an Etsy Shop

For those interested, I've opened my own Etsy shop and have started a second blog dedicated to it. You can check out the blog here and the shop here. I haven't listed any items in the shop just yet, but I plan to have it fully operational by the end of the week. I'm so happy to finally be able to share this with all of you!