A Slow Weekend

I slacked on my cooking a little this weekend. The plan was to have steak and twice-baked potatoes for supper Saturday, but a late lunch had us all feeling less than hungry. I had mixed up some marinade for my steaks earlier Saturday, so they got to spend the night soaking it up. Sunday afternoon I cooked them on the stove (I had planned on grilling outside, but the weather was icky) and they were REALLY good!
I got this marinade recipe from Allrecipes.com, and I will definitely be using it again!

Marinade for Steak I
(I used this amount for 3 smallish round steaks)
1/4c + 2 tsp vegetable oil
2 T + 1 1/4 tsp soy sauce
1 T and 1 3/4 t red wine vinegar
1 T + 1/2 t fresh lemon juice
2 3/4 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 t Dijon mustard
1/3 onion, sliced (I left this out)
5/8 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 t)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, and use to marinate your favorite meat. (I put mine in a zip-top storage bag with the meat and let it marinate for about 20 hours-- it did not overpower the meat at all)

I would even be tempted to alter this a bit and make a steak sauce out of it. It is THAT good!

Blueberry French Toast

I had quite a bit of the blueberry topping left from yesterday's mini cheesecakes, so I promised my son French Toast for breakfast today. I used some leftover French bread that I sliced about 3/4 inch thick and soaked in a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Then I just put the blueberry pie filling over the top. Yummy!

General Not Tso Spicy Chicken

My DH put together a basket for my Christmas gift that was loaded with everything from flavored coffees to bruschetta to flavored olive oils. Included was a bottle of Archer Farms General Tso Stir Fry Sauce. I decided to give it a try last night. It wasn't nearly as spicy as what we get at our local Chinese buffet, but tasty nonetheless. I will definitely be getting it again!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger

Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Place in a bowl with soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger; stir well and cover with plastic wrap. Put in refrigerator to marinate. (I put mine in for a couple of hours)

1/2 c cornstarch
1 - 2 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
1 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs

Combine cornstarch and spices in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs well, then add to the chicken. Add cornstarch mixture and mix well, being sure all the chicken is coated. Heat 1 - 2 inches of oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Fry the chicken in the oil, 7 or 8 pieces at a time until golden and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towels.
When all the chicken is cooked, either dispose of the used oil or get a clean pan out and add the chicken. Pour 1/2 bottle of General Tso's Stir Fry Sauce over the chicken and stir to coat completely. Cook over med-low heat until heated through.

I served this with rice and steamed broccoli and it was quite tasty!!

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Several months ago, I saw Paula Deen make a Lime Blueberry Tiramisu on her show and decided that I MUST make one. As ladyfingers seem to be an endangered species in this part of the world, I ended up with a can of blueberry pie filling that I had no idea what to do with. Today, Paula gave me another chance to give in to my blueberry cravings...Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts.



I did tweak the recipe just a bit, as I was out of 'Nilla Wafers and the amount of sugar she used seemed excessive. So here is the orginal recipe, and the recipe I used is as follows:

For the crust:
6 whole graham crackers
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter

For the filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

Topping:
1 (21-ounce) can blueberry filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a muffin pan. Lightly spray liners with a nonstick cooking spray. (they tend to stick to the paper sometimes) Crush the graham crackers in a food processor or zip-top bag, then add sugar and melted butter; mix well. Put approximately 1 tablespoon of crust mixture in each muffin cup, press down firmly. Bake for 5 - 8 minutes.



Meanwhile,beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla, beating well. Switch to low speed and add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.



Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow tarts to cool completely, then top with blueberry pie filling.



ENJOY!!

Best Ever Turkey Sandwich

This recipe was born when I was feeling creative last week!

Best Ever Turkey Sandwich

2 slices French bread, 1/2" thick
1T butter
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 - 2 TBSP Whipped Chive Cream Cheese
3 oz thinly sliced smoked turkey breast
1/4 c baby spinach leaves
1 tsp - 1 TBSP red pepper bruschetta
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat a nonstick skillet of med-high heat; add half the butter per slice of bread, and cook till golden on one side and just until warm on the other side. Spread the mustard on one piece of bread and cream cheese on the other. Layer turkey on the cream cheese, sprinkle with pepper if desired. Top the turkey with the bruschetta. Place the spinach leaves on the mustard-topped bread slice and put the two sides together.


This is my new favorite sandwich, without a doubt. It was my first experience with any type of bruschetta (which was the catalyst for this recipe's creation!) I had this along with some cottage cheese and sliced peaches for a quick lunch, and it was fantastic! Enjoy!