Cassie’s Ruminations

Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak

This recipe is slightly adapted from Ree’s recipe on The Pioneer Woman. I used a flat iron steak rather than a flank steak, a bit more garlic, grated the garlic and ginger rather than mincing, and grilled it outside rather than in a grill pan. It was very flavorful and we enjoyed it quite a bit. We had sautéed zucchini and yellow summer squash and a freshly baked little loaf of honey wheat bread for sides.

Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak
Serves 4

For the marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sherry
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 heaping tablespoons grated ginger
6 cloves minced garlic
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
The rest:
1 flat iron steak (about 2 lbs)

Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a large zip top bag. If you measure the seasame oil first, the honey will slide right out of the measuring spoon thanks to the lubrication. Place the flat iron steak in the bag and seal, squeezing out as much of the air as possible. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Take the steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to start grilling. Preheat the grill to medium low. Grill the steak for about 30 minutes total time, flipping halfway through.

Posted in Beef, Food, Grilling | 1 Comment »

Grilled Pork Chops

This was an easy dinner that hardly qualifies as a recipe. I bought some center-cut bone-in pork chops on sale, sprinkled them liberally with Montreal Steak Seasoning, and put them on the grill over medium low heat for about 20 minutes total, turning halfway through. I also put some fresh corn on the cob on the grill, husked completely so I’d get the nice browning directly on the kernels. Some baked russet potatoes (400 degrees F for about 1 hour 15 minutes) and a tossed green salad rounded out an excellent, simple meal.

Posted in Food, Grilling, Pork, Potatoes, Sides, Vegetables | 2 Comments »

Product Review: Ball Park Grillmaster Deli Style Beef Franks

First, a quick note. I am not paid for any endorsements. Ball Park has no idea who I am. This is just me recommending a product that I tried and liked.

I saw these Ball Park Grillmaster Deli Style Beef Franks on sale in the grocery store and decided to pick them up. We grilled them up for lunch and were very impressed. These have a great flavor, perfectly seasoned and meaty. They’re a far cry from your average hot dog, and I’d highly recommend them for your next casual grilling event!

Posted in Beef, Food, Grilling, Product Review | 2 Comments »

Fish Tacos

These were a nice light meal, satisfying without being too heavy. They’re reminiscent of the tacos we could get in San Diego and that are popular along the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.

I’m submitting these to Joelen’s Foodie Films: Tortilla Soup event.

Fish Tacos
Serves 2

For the fish:
1 lb fillets of mild firm white fish (I used swai. Mahi mahi, cod, or halibut would also be good)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp chili powder
½ tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

For the rest:
1 can chili beans (I like Bush’s) or black or pinto beans
1 cup shredded cabbage
8 small corn tortillas

Season the fish on both sides. Heat the oil in a large skillet and cook the fish for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. The fish should be opaque and flake easily. Remove the fish to a plate and sprinkle with lime juice.

Heat the beans and the tortillas and assemble the tacos as desired.

Posted in Beans, Food, Mexican, Seafood | 1 Comment »

Fried Gyoza

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings, usually stuffed with some combination of meat and vegetables. This recipe is adapted from the excellent World of Dumplings by Brian Yarvin. They were very tasty. Next time I think we’ll steam them, though, to save a few calories. Not that it matters much when the two of us polish off the entire batch for dinner 😛

I did not make my own gyoza dough as the recipe recommends, though I might attempt that next time. I had a leftover pork tenderloin in the fridge from making pork burritos two nights ago, and I ground that using my Kitchen Aid mixer grinder attachment rather than going out and buying ground pork. I often prefer to do that anyway, as you end up with a higher quality, leaner meat. I also cooked the filling first, as I would definitely prefer not to risk raw meat in the finished dumplings. I bought a little gyoza press at my local H Mart for two bucks, and it made forming the dumplings a breeze!

Fried Gyoza
Makes about 30 dumplings
Serves about 4

1 pound ground pork
1 cup savoy cabbage, finely chopped
1 green onion stalk, finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

gyoza wrappers

Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and brown the pork, breaking it into small pieces. Add the cabbage and onion, stir to combine, and cook until the cabbage is wilted. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and cook for another minute to let the flavors meld. Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Open the package of gyoza wrappers and cover with a damp towel. Working one wrapper at a time, place the wrapper on the gyoza press, wet the edge all the way around with water, place a scant tablespoon of filling in the middle, and close the press firmly to seal. Cover finished dumplings with a damp towel as well.

When all dumplings are sealed, heat about 1/8 tsp of a neutral oil such as canola or safflower over medium heat in a large skillet. When the oil sizzles when a drop of water is flicked in, carefully add 6-8 gyoza to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry for about 1 minute on each side or until nicely browned. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Serve hot with dipping sauce. I make a dipping sauce with equal parts of soy sauce and white wine vinegar with a generous sprinkle of ground ginger and a few drops of sesame oil.

Forming and cooking the gyoza:

Posted in Asian, Food, Pork | 2 Comments »

Roasted Tomato Salsa

This was my first attempt at making salsa. My workplace will be having a salsa contest for Cinco de Mayo, so I have to get a killer recipe in place 🙂

This was loosely based off of several recipes that I found online at some point or another. I think it was too heavy on the chili powder. I used 1 tbsp this time, and will reduce it to ½ tbsp next time, as written below. Roasting the veggies really adds a nice smoky component to the salsa. This is a medium spicy salsa. If you’d like it hotter, leave more of the membrane and seeds in the chiles or add more of the adobo sauce. If you really want it fiery, substitute a habañero for the jalapeño.

I’m submitting this to Joelen’s Foodie Films: Tortilla Soup event.

Roasted Tomato Salsa
Makes about 5 cups

2 lbs small tomatoes on the vine (e.g. Amarosa or Campari)
8 cloves of garlic, separated but unpeeled
1 jalapeño pepper
1 anaheim or hatch chile pepper (or any other large-ish mild green chile)
1 chipotle in adobo sauce with 2 tsp of the sauce
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tbsp dark chili powder (I prefer Gebhardt)
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar

Preheat the broiler.

Cut tomatoes in half and place them cut side down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Remove the stems from the jalapeño and the anaheim and cut them in half. Remove the seeds and most of the membrane, leaving more in if you like it spicier. Place them cut side down on the baking sheet. Also place the garlic cloves on the baking sheet.

Broil the veggies for 5-10 minutes or until the skins are nicely charred.

Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until somewhat smooth and well combined. Taste and add more lime juice, salt, sugar, and/or adobo sauce as necessary to get the flavor just to your liking.

Serve with tortilla chips or as a condiment with your favorite Mexican meal.

Posted in Dips Spreads Sauces and Condiments, Food, Mexican | 2 Comments »

Easter Meals

For breakfast I fried some eggs and deli ham and put them on toasted sourdough english muffins. A quick and filling breakfast. We also hard boiled some eggs, but no pictures of those.

For dinner, we had prime rib with some boiled potatoes and roasted broccoli, much like our Christmas dinner.

Posted in Beef, Breakfast, Eggs, Food, Holiday Cooking, Potatoes, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Happy Birthday Emma!

Emma, our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, was born one year ago today. She’s grown and changed a whole lot, and we’re loving watching her learn. She got a new felt rope bone to shred and some Frosty Paws after dinner to celebrate.

Put down the camera and give me that toy!

This new toy is fun to chew!

Tug with me!

Mmmmmmmmm, ice cream!

Posted in Corgi | 1 Comment »

Strawberry Shortcake

So, what to do with macerated strawberries and buttermilk biscuits? Make strawberry shortcake, of course!

Posted in Desserts, Food, Fruit | No Comments »

Macerated Strawberries

This is a good way to perk up less than stellar berries or to make good berries even better. It gives them a nice extra sweet punch and draws out the juices to make a delicious syrup. These refrigerate well and go great with biscuits, yogurt, granola, or even ice cream 🙂

Macerated Strawberries
Makes 2 quarts

4 lbs whole strawberries
1 cup white granulated sugar

Cut off the stems and any mushy or white bits of the berries. Slice and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and stir to combine. Let sit for at least half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Posted in Desserts, Food, Fruit | 1 Comment »