Grilled Molasses Flank Steak with Watermelon Salsa

Being that I'm a mom of three, I don't really get much time for naps.  When the kids were preoccupied earlier this week, I tried to lie down on the couch for a quick shut-eye.  The kids' mom-is-trying-to-nap-so-let's-be-crazy internal alarm went off in full mode.  They started arguing.  They started building and destroying Lincoln Log buildings.  They started watching random Youtube videos.  Sigh.  I opened my eyes and pleaded with every shred of desperation I could muster that they could try to be quiet for just 15 minutes.  They were.  I slowly started to drift off into the blissful land of afternoon power nap.  Before lying down, I tucked my phone under my arm since my youngest has a bad habit of snagging my phone when I'm not looking to go onto Kids' Youtube.  I had been asleep for only a few minutes when I felt a tiny little hand slowly reach over my arm and ever-so-slowly start to pull my phone out.  Stinker!  I opened my eyes, and she smiled at me.  I asked what she was doing.  She said, "Hi Mom.  I'm just getting your phone so I could watch some videos real quick."  I gave her the phone in the hopes that I could doze off again, only to have my husband yell a question to me from the other room.  *Sigh*  Why do I even bother?

Now for this recipe.  I was really nervous making a fruit salsa to go over meat.  My husband can be a bit picky when fruit comes into play.  Fruit in muffins?  Nope.  Fruit in pies?  Nope.  Fruit in salsa?  Nope.  Not usually.  He tried this stuff and said that it was great.  He ate it over the perfectly tender steak and loved every bite.  I don't usually buy flank steak because it can be really tough.  Not this stuff!  It melted in my mouth even though it was a tad bit overdone for my taste.   When it's 110 outside, the grill tends to get a little hotter than other places.  Even if this recipe is not something that sounds good to you, give it a shot!  If nothing else, use the marinade on the flank steak and leave off the salsa.  It won't disappoint!

Grilled Molasses Flank Steak with Watermelon Salsa

photo source: Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Amy Wilson 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-molasses-flank-steak#

source: Grill Nation, by David Guas, pg. 176

Ingredients:

3/4 c molasses

1/3 c soy sauce

1/4 c canola oil

1/4 c lemon juice

2 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T fresh grated ginger (or 2 t dried)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 t dried crushed red pepper

1 2-lb flank steak

Watermelon Salsa:

1 c diced, unpeeled nectarine

2 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I cut this way down since no one in my family likes heat)

1 T sugar

3 T fresh lime juice

2 t orange zest

2 t fresh ginger (or 1/2 t dried)

2 c seeded and diced watermelon

1/2 c chopped cilantro

1/3 c diced red onion

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a baking dish.  Stir to combine.  Add the flank steak.  Cover it, and chill in the fridge for 4-12 hours.  

Prepare the watermelon salsa just before grilling the steak.  Combine the first six ingredients.  Stir to mix well.  Add the watermelon, cilantro, and red onion.  Gently toss.  Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Remove steak from the marinade.  Discard the marinade.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (400-450 degrees).  Grill the steak for 9 minutes on each side.  Remove and let it rest of 10 minutes.  Slice thinly across the grain.  Serve with the watermelon salsa.

I'm telling you!  This steak turns out fabulous!

Chili Colorado Burritos

My three year old is quite the little chatterbox in and out of sleep.  She goes on and on during the day, and when she's sleeping at night, she just can't stop.  Just this week, she cried out, "No!!  Not there!" and "Just go away!" all while she was out cold.  

Then, she was crying last night, and I go in there to check on her.  She looks at me with glazed-over, half-open eyes and said, "Why did you put my granola bar on the book shelf?!"  

Being that I was a bit out of it myself since it was 2:00 a.m., it took me a minute to realize that she had been dreaming.  I finally said, "Scarlet, I didn't put a granola bar anywhere.  I think you were dreaming."  

She responded, "uuuughhh" and went back to sleep. Kids.  They crack me up.

Now, onto these burritos.  If you're gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, lactose-intolerant, or on a diet, I'm sorry for tempting you with such gloriousness.  Good.  Grief....  These burritos are fabulous.  I didn't put a whole Anaheim chili in or any of the diced green chilies to keep the heat level down for my kids and acid reflux- cursed husband.  Even without those, there was enough heat from the adobo sauce and enchilada sauce.  These burritos are every bit as good as they look, and they come together in just 30 minutes!  The two times that I've made them, my husband salivated for a good two minutes before he snapped out of the tasty-food-alert-coma.  

You could use re-fried beans, add rice, use chicken or make any other modifications.  Anything would be delicious with this sauce.  

Chili Colorado Burritos

recipe and photo source: http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/11/smothered-chile-colorado-burritos.html

Ingredients:

2 lbs flank steak, or similar, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 10-ounce cans red mild or medium enchilada sauce

2 T adobo sauce

1 anaheim pepper, diced

1 15-ounce diced green chilies (I omitted this to keep the heat down for the kids)

2 t minced garlic

1 1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t salt

1 t cumin

1 T cold water + 2 T corn starch

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1 c shredded Mexican-style cheese

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the steak and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the next 8 ingredients into the pan.  Stir.  In a small bowl, combine the cold water and corn starch.  Stir until the corn starch is dissolved.  Pour the corn starch/water mixture into the skillet with everything else.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  

Pre-heat the over to 400.  

Down the center of the tortilla, put some black beans and a generous amount of the beef mixture.  I added a little cheese to this as well because you can never have too much cheese.  Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in a 9x13 pan.  Top it off with any remaining sauce.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  

Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas

I once read an article about recipes that were found on pinterest, and it listed the top five reasons why the pins for food are awful.  One of the reasons is all the crockpot recipes.  It said in the article, "It doesn't help that the Mormons give a crockpot away with every baptism."  I about fell out of my chair laughing.  I have been to several baptisms, and little does this lady know that we give out one for the baptized and we raffle off two others.  :)  I enjoy my crockpot, but I only use it about once a month.  This recipe was definitely one of the better crockpot recipes that I have done.  I mean, who doesn't like shredded beef tacos?  Besides my son... Who doesn't like them?  No one.  That's who.  The smell of the beef, peppers, and onions will taunt you all day long but it will be worth it in the end.  

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas
source: http://www.eatliverun.com/crock-pot-beef-carnitas-tacos/

2 lb flank steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

for spice rub:
2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

tortillas
chopped avocado
diced onion
chopped cilantro
cheese
chopped tomatoes
sour cream
Any other toppings you'd like

Sprinkle half of the rub on one side of the steak and spread it around.  Flip it over and repeat with the remaining rub.  Use it all up!

Place the steak in the bottom of your crockpot.

Top with the onions, peppers, and jalapeno.

Cook on low for eight hours.

After the time is up, remove the meat and shred it with two forks.  If you have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, put chunks of the meat in the mixer bowl with the paddle attachment and turn it on low.  Be prepared to have your mind blown.  It shred the meat perfectly within a minute.

Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Serve the warm tortillas with the beef carnitas and toppings.

This is really easy and really fast!  It's amazingly tender, too.

Mongolian Beef (P.F. Chang's copycat) and Sweet and Sour Chicken

I went to a small junior college in central Utah for my Associate's degree.  There sure wasn't a lot to do in that little town during my first year.  Luckily, I had some friends that were as crazy and immature as myself.  One night, we took my camcorder and went "Jaywalking" like Jay Leno through some apartments and asked students questions that they should know but didn't.  Another night, a friend and I wrapped ourselves in aluminum foil and ran across campus at midnight.   Another night, a bunch of us dressed up like Captain Underpants mixed with the style of Spongebob and had a wrestling match on an old mattress in the living room.  Oh, the good times of college. 

I think if there was a Chinese restaurant in that tiny little town with food like this, I would have had an I'm-going-to-nothing-but-shove-my-face-with-this-food for two years.  These two recipes blew the socks off my husband, which is saying something since he wears wool socks that go up to his knees.  

 These recipes are keepers!  There is no reason to go out an pay an arm and a leg for Chinese food with these recipes around.  They are just as good as any restaurant.

 Mongolian Beef
source: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html

2 t vegetable oil
1/2 t minced ginger or 1/2 t dried ginger
1 T minced garlic
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c water
3/4 c dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 c corn starch
2 green onions, chopped

Sauce:
Heat 2 t of oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the minced garlic and ginger.  Heat and stir until fragrant.  Don't let it burn!  Add the soy sauce and water.  Stir.  Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.  Boil it for a couple minutes or until thickened.  Remove from the heat.

Beef:
Slice the flank steak into 1/4 inch slices across the grain.  While you are slicing it, tilt the blade to a 45 degree angle to get wider cuts of meat.  Dip the slices of meat into the corn starch to lightly coat them.  Let the meat stick for 10 minutes.  This will help the cornstarch stick to the meat better.

While it is sitting, heat 1 c of oil in a large skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking.

Add the beef and saute until it is nice and brown.  Stir it a bit as you go to ensure even cooking.  After it is browned, 2-3 minutes, take it out to drain on a paper towel.  Dab it with the paper towel to remove excess oil.

Add the meat to the saucepan with the sauce in it.  Heat it over medium-low heat to heat through.  Add the chopped green onions, saving a few for garnish.

Serve with fried rice or cream cheese rangoons.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html

Chicken:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 c cornstarch
2 lg eggs, beaten
1/4 c canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 c sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  While it is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.  Place the cornstarch in a Ziplock bag.  Add the chicken pieces.  Seal and shake the bag  to thoroughly coat the chicken pieces.

Whisk the beaten eggs in a shallow plate or pie plate.  Dip the cornstarch-covered chicken into the egg mixture and carefully place in a single layer into the hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Flip to cook the other side just until golden brown.  It's okay if it isn't cooked all the way through since it's going into the oven for awhile.

Remove the chicken and put it in a baking dish, in a single layer.

Combine the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

Bake for one hour, turning the pieces a couple times during the baking.

After an hour, the sauce will be all sticky and perfectly coated on the chicken.

Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme

I have a confession to make.  When I eat a sandwich from Subway, Port of Subs, Jimmy Johns, or any other sandwich shop, I always get a bag of Cheetos.  They are my favorite kind of chip. In fact, growing up, I'm sure that every article of clothing and blanket I owned had a Cheeto smudge on it at some point.  Not only do I get the Cheetos to go along with the sandwich, but I actually put them on the sandwich.  There is something about a crunchy chip in a sandwich that just makes my heart all a-flutter.  Well, I saw this recipe, and I have never had one of these from Taco Bell; however, the fact that it had a little extra crunch in there was very appealing.  It's no Cheeto, but I figured a regular ol' tortilla chip would be good.  Sure enough!  I loved it!  This recipe was great.  It's like a Mexican Calzone thing.  An added bonus- You make it yourself instead of going to Taco Bell, where I'm pretty sure their "beef" isn't beef at all.  This is great for kids since you don't have to worry about every ounce of taco meat and shredded cheese ending up on the kitchen chairs when your four-year-old tries to pick up a regular taco.  It's all contained.  Nice!  I wonder if I could wrap up their toys in one of these things.  

 Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme
source: http://culinaryxcouture.blogspot.com/2012/02/homemade-crunchwrap-supreme.html

6 extra large burrito flour tortillas
tortilla chips
1 pound ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
sour cream
nacho cheese (I used Tostitos Salsa con Queso dip)
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes

Brown the ground beef in a skillet.  Drain the grease.  Add the taco seasoning according to package directions.

Place the large tortilla on a plate.

 Put about 1/2 c ground beef in the middle.

 Top with some of the nacho cheese.

 Put some tortilla chips on top of that.  If you have tostada shells, you can use those as well.

 Add a few dollops of sour cream.  Don't you love the word "dollop?"

 Top with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

 Fold up one of the sides and hold it in place.

 Fold up the next side.  Hold in place.

 Fold up the next side.  Seeing a pattern?  :)

 Fold and hold.

 Fold up the last side.  If you still have some in the middle that is not covered up, break off a piece of tortilla from another one and place it in the middle.

 See?  It'll be nice and enclosed.

 Maybe put  small plate on top of it until you are ready to toast is on the griddle.

Once you've folded them all, lightly spray a griddle or skillet with cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Place the Crunch Wraps onto the skillet, folded side down.  Cook until it is golden brown.  Flip and cook the other side.

 There it is, folks!  A lovely, toasted Crunch Wrap Supreme.  I was multi-tasking while trying to cook, so it got a little too toasty on the top.  It was still delicious!

 Here is a quick picture of the inside.  It looks messy, but boy, was it delicious!

 Yum.  I loved this.

Beef Tacos (my new favorite!)

While I was growing up, my mom always made these delicious tacos.  They were simple but amazing.  She just browned some ground beef and seasoned it a little with salt and pepper.  Then, she took corn tortillas and fried them in oil for just a few seconds to soften them.  She served the tacos with sour cream, cheese, and Macayo taco sauce.  They don't sound like much, but they are a greasy, delicious mess of a taco.  My brother makes them and calls them "white folk tacos."  He and his girlfriend were hanging out with her family, and she said, "Let's have white folk tacos for lunch."  Everyone looked at her like she was crazy and asked what they were.  She explained it to them, and then my brother explained to her that he made up the name "white folk tacos."  

I hate to say it, but I like these tacos better than the white folk tacos.  Hopefully, I don't get ostracized from the family. The taco meat recipe had quite a few surprising ingredients, but I have come to realize that I should never doubt America's Test Kitchen!  They know their stuff.  The taco shells take some time to make, and you may weave a tapestry of obscenities while making them, but they are worth every second!   I crave these stupid little tacos more than a pregnant woman craves pickles.

Beef Tacos
source: America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook pg. 391

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 T chili powder (the meat was a little spicy for the kids using 2 T)
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 lb ground beef
1/2 c smooth canned tomato sauce
1/2 c chicken broth (preferably low sodium)
2 t cider vinegar
1 t light brown sugar
taco shells ( I made my own- see below)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until softened, about five minutes.  Add the garlic, spices, and 1 t of salt.  Cook for about 30 seconds or until it is fragrant.

Add the ground beef, breaking it up as you stir and cook it until it's no longer pink.  Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, vinegar, and sugar.  Stir until it's thickened, about ten minutes.

Here's a blurry picture of what you'll get.  Don't be fooled by the different ingredients.  It is amazing taco meat!  I will never use a seasoning packet again- ever!

 Here is a finished product of the mini taco shells I made.

 I used the small 4 or 5 inch tortillas because I wanted mini taco shells in the hopes that the kids would try them.  :)  I loved the small taco shells, but my husband likes it better when I use the bigger tortillas since it's easier to load up the taco.

Preheat oil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.  Test the oil by dipping a little of a tortilla in the oil.  If it sizzles, it's ready.

Using some metal tongs, hold one end of the tortilla.  Dip the bottom half of the tortilla into the oil and hold it in place with another metal utensil.  The bigger and wider, the better.  Hold it in place until the bottom is golden brown and stiff.

 Repeat with the other side.  Place the taco shells upside down on a paper towel-lined plate.  As a side note, this taco shells are a downright pain in the rear end to make!  I'm not going to sugar coat it at all.  However, they are so delicious, that I will make them again and again.  They taste so much fresher than the store bought shells- those things are atrocious.

 Get an array of taco toppings on a plate.  We used sour cream, cheese, lettuce, chopped tomato, green onions, and cilantro.

 Put some of that delicious meat at the bottom.

 Add some cheese shreddings.

 Add a little lettuce.

 Add sour cream.

 Top with tomato, cilantro, and green onions.

 Yum!

 I'm telling you- These tacos are amazing!

Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs

I've been on a kick lately for telling a story completely unrelated to the food.  Well, hold on to your hats because here is another story.  And since I am boycotting Facebook, this is my social interaction and my place to tell stories that might make you laugh.  When I was growing up, my oldest brother was a typical oldest child.  He would make all the rules.  He would flip a double-sided coin with my other brother and I and say that whoever got heads got to be the ruler and the others were his slaves.  Luckily, despite all the slavery I endured, they were both awesome older brothers that I still love and adore.  Well, the oldest one asked me to play Monopoly with him and his friend once.  I reluctantly agreed.  Well, as per usual, I am losing terribly and about to go bankrupt.  However, instead of letting me quit, he gets out a pen and paper to keep track of my debts.  I'm sure this was all great fun for him and his friend.  Not only did they tally my debt, but for every 1000 I was in the hole, I would have to make them "sammiches" or in his world, Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  I don't remember how many 1000s I was in debt, but I do recall making them quit a few grilled cheese sandwiches.  Now, my gameboard-hating husband busts out of nowhere last week, "I want to play Monopoly.  Can I go buy it?"  I reluctantly agreed.  We played that night, and sure enough, I was going down, down, down.  I landed on one of his huge monopolies with a hotel, and I declared, "I'm done."  He tried to get me to keep playing, but I said, "No sammiches for you!"  There is no way that I'm enslaving myself to making grilled cheese sandwiches for another monopoly-loving sammich-loving male in my life. 

However, maybe if I could convince him to let me go into debt to make this spaghetti and meatball recipe, I'd be willing to give the game another try.  I love spaghetti and meatballs- especially when it is sauce and meatballs from scratch.  Good grief.  This was a great recipe.  It's actually two different recipes from the food network.  Thanks Emeril for the sauce and Tyler Florence for the meatballs.  You're both grand!  These meatballs are behemoth.  They are about the size of your fist and baked while covered with sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Angels I have not heard on high, but I'm pretty sure that if these meatballs could sing, I'd be hearing them loud and clear while singing heavenly praises.  I'd say this recipe is worth every minute it takes to make it.

 Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs
source: meatballs- Tyler Florence and sauce- Emeril Lagasse

ingredients:
meatballs:
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 t parsley
1/2 c milk
2 slices firm white bread, crust removed (I used regular bread and toasted it a bit to dry it out)
3/4 lb ground beef
3/4 lb ground pork
1 egg
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
mozzarella cheese

Sauce:

1 T olive oil
3/4 c chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t crushed pepper (don't omit this!)
1 t dried oregano
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t basil
1/4 t ground black pepper
28 oz whole peeled tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
3 T tomato paste
1 c water
1/2 t sugar
1/4 c parmesan cheese, freshly shredded (you can use the store-bought sprinkling stuff, if you'd like)

For the sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and black pepper.  Cook for about five minutes. 

Pour out the whole tomatoes in a bowl and squeeze to break them into smaller pieces.  Add these, the tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan with the onion mixture.  Stir.  Add the water, sugar, and parmesan to the pot.  Bring to a simmer then lower the heat to medium-low.  Let it simmer for 45 minutes while you make the meatballs.  Stir it occasionally. 

For the meatballs:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Add the onion, garlic, and parsley.  Saute for about five minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 While the onions are cooking, place the firm white bread in a bowl and cover it with milk.  Let this sit for about 5-10 minutes. 

 After it has sat for awhile, squeeze the excess milk out of the bread.  Place the bread aside and dump the remaining milk.

By the way- this was so hard for me to do.  Soggy bread has got to be one of the grossest feeling things in the world. 

 Place the two kinds of meat  in a large bowl.

 Add the onion mixture, the squeezed-out bread, the egg, the Parmesan cheese, and the salt and pepper.  Mix well

 Here is what it will look like once it is all combined. 

 While you form the meatballs, heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  You can see here how gigantic the meatballs are.  They are about 3-4 inches in diameter.  Brown them on all sides in the oil-taking about 10 minutes of cooking time.  Be very careful with them!  They are tender little guys and can fall apart easily.  I flipped mine gently using two forks. 

 Once they are browned, place them in a baking dish. 

 Top them with some sauce and mozzarella cheese.  I wish I would have used more cheese.  You all know how much I love cheese.

 Bake them (covered) in the oven for about 15-20 or until they are cooked through. 

 While they are baking, cook the spaghetti noodles (to al dente).  Drain.  Dish up the spaghetti noodles, top with some sauce.

 Place a couple huge meatballs on top of that. Sprinkle with parsley and fresh Parmesan.  I was all out.  :(

Serve with a Cesear salad and French bread.  Who needs to eat out at an italian restaraunt when there are recipes like this around?  One last thing... The best way to finish off a delicious Italian meal is to end it with Spumoni ice cream.  If you've never had Spumoni, may the Lord have mercy on your soul.  It is amazing!  They serve it at "The Old Spaghetti Factory" and it is delightful.  I served it after this meal, and we all devoured every last drop. May you be able to do the same.