Steak Marinade and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

I have to start this post by saying Mr. Schwartz and I were very hesitant to marinate our steaks.  We are more of a salt and pepper and that's it kinda of steak eaters.  But, this marinade knocked our socks off.  The steaks were super juicy and the flavor was fantastic.  

Does anything go better with steaks than potatoes?  No, I don't think so.  This is my go-to roasted potato recipe.  It is easy, I always have the ingredients on hand and they make great leftovers for breakfast hash.  

Here it is, the perfect grilling duo. 

 The cast.  I forgot the dijon mustard.  That is why I don't take these pictures, I always forget something.

 Start by combining the oil

 Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

 There's that mustard

 Honey

 Tons of garlic.  Does anyone else have a garlic zoom?  I love this thing when I am making things that need lots of garlic and it doesn't matter if it has an even chop.

 A few shakes of red pepper flakes and that is all.

 Stir it up

 Place the steaks in a large zip top bag

 Pour the marinade over the steaks

 And try to get all of the air out of the bag, zip the top and place in the fridge until you are ready to grill.  I would suggest letting it marinade for at least an hour.

 Now on to the potatoes.  Quarter the red potatoes (after you scrub them of course)

 Chop up more garlic.  Why didn't I use the zoom…

 Add the garlic to the potatoes.

 Then do something naughty.  If you have a little jar in your fridge with bacon fat, add it to some melted butter.  If you don't have it--no biggie but this adds some awesome flavor.

 Add the melted bacon butter to the potatoes

 Chop up some parsley

 Add it to the bowl

 Crack a good amount of black pepper over the potatoes

 And a big pinch of salt

 Pour the potatoes out onto a large baking sheet in a single layer

 Into the oven they go.

 Grill the steaks to your desired doneness

 Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes, take them out, flip them around and back into the oven they go for another 15 minutes.

 Once the steaks are done, let them rest for at least 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute.

 Delish.

 Perfectly roasted garlic potatoes.

 Looks fancy.

 Yum.

Juicy.

Steak Marinade:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dijion mustard
4 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

Place your steaks in a large zip top bag and pour the marinade over the steaks.  Seal the bag and try to get as much of the air out as possible.

Put the bag into the fridge in a bowl or on a large plate.  Let marinade for at least 1 hour.

Grill steaks on medium high heat to your desired doneness.

Recipe modified from: here 


Garlic Roasted Potatoes 
1 lb red potatoes
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 stick of butter
1 small spoonful (about a teaspoon) of bacon fat (optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Wash the potatoes and cut into cubes

Melt the butter and bacon fat and pour over the potatoes.  Add the chopped garlic, parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Pour potatoes on a large baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, toss the potatoes and place back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Spicy Basil Chicken

I have to say, this is one of the easier recipes I have found for Chinese Take Out Fake Outs.  You may recall seeing a glimpse of this in my Pork Egg Rolls post.  It is so simple yet packed with so much flavor.  I would suggest trying it…like ASAP. 

Musical Selection: Drift Away by Uncle Cracker.  I heard this the other day and it just screamed summer day to me.  BTW it was 85 degrees in Minneapolis today, holy crap, it's May. 

Start with combining the sauce.  The base is soy sauce...

White sugar

Corn starch

Siracha…and stir the sauce up.

Next you will need to chiffanade the basil.  Sounds fancy but it is easy.  First stack up the basil leaves.  I like to put the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top.

Roll it up

And slice it very thinly.  There you go, you chiffonading master.

Onto the cooking.  First drizzle a few teaspoons of canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add 1/2 of a small onion. Let this cook for about 3 minutes.

Then add 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic.  Let this sauté for a minute or two while you work on the chicken.

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken to the skillet/wok.

Cook for about 6 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked aka no longer pink in the middle.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, stir to coat.

The last moment of cooking, add the basil.

Serve and top with additional basil. 

These Pork Egg Rolls really make the perfect partner.

Spicy Basil Chicken

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 small onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chi

Start by heating a large skillet or wok on medium high heat, add the oil.  Once the oil is warm, add the onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.  While the onion cooks, combine the soy sauce, sugar, corn starch and Sriacha sauce.

Add the minced garlic to the onion, sauté for about a minute. Chiffonade the basil.

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and season with salt and pepper.  Add to the wok.  Cook for about 6 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.

When the chicken is fully cooked, add the sauce.  Stir until combined.  Add the basil in the last minutes of cooking.  

Serve top with additional basil.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: here 

Ranch Pasta Salad

It's grilling season again! YAY!   You know what that means, trying to figure out what to serve with all that grilled food.  I am a lover of all things grilled but I do like a bit of freshness to go along side of it.  That freshness typically comes in the form of a salad and more often than not, pasta salad.  

I whipped up this easy pasta salad after work one night.  It was the perfect accompaniment to the grilled chicken breast Mr. Schwartz grilled that evening.  It also made a boatload so I enjoyed it for lunch for the rest of the week.  

You can easily adapt the vegetables in this recipe to clean our your fridge.  I also think turkey, salami or chicken would be a great substitution for the ham.  Let me know how if you try and modify it!  I'm always looking for new ideas.  

Musical Selection: Have You Seen the Rain by: Creedence Clearwater Revival.  When I was trying to figure out what song to use today my mom said "Can't go wrong with a Creedence song."  She is clever like that.

Start by hauling the dog bed into the kitchen, hand the dog a bone and get to work.

Okay, but for real, start by combining 1 cup of fat free Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup of Miracle Whip (I used reduced fat/fat free) and a packet of ranch dressing mix.  I think you could probably use regular mayonnaise if that is what you have on hand.

Either way, mix it up.

Give it a taste to make sure it is seasoned enough for your liking.  If not, add a little additional ranch seasoning mix.  This is fantastic ranch dip too by the way, you can use it for a vegetable platter instead of dressing on the pasta salad if you wish.

Cook up a pound of pasta, drain and let it cool.  When I need cool pasta I typically run cold water over it and drizzle it with a little canola oil so it doesn't get sticky.

Pour the pasta into a large bowl and chop up some veggies, ham and cheese into tini-tiny cubes.  I love all of the colors in this pasta salad.

Add a good amount of the dressing to start.

Mix it up and add additional dressing if needed.  Remember that the pasta will soak up the dressing as it sits.  Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least an hour before serving.

There it is.

Like a fiesta of colors and flavors in a bowl.  I think I'll make more today! 

Ranch Pasta Salad

1 cup Greek yogurt (fat free is great!)

1/4 cup Miracle Whip (fat free/reduced fat is great!) 

1 packet (+ additional depending on your taste) ranch dressing mix

1 lb pasta, cooked

2 large carrots

1 1/2 cups broccoli

1 cup ham

1 cup cheese 

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper 

Combine the Greek yogurt, miracle whip and ranch dressing mix.  Set aside. 

Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water, drizzle with a bit of canola oil so it doesn't stick.  

Chop the veggies, ham and cheese into bite sized pieces.  Combine with the pasta and 3/4 of the dressing mix.  Stir well, add additional dressing if it is too dry.  

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy! 

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz