Honey-Curry Potatoes 31 May 2009

Honey and curry may seem like an odd combination, but it works.  Just a bit of salt right before you eat them accentuates the sweetness perfectly. Found on Recipezaar.

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• ¼ cup margarine
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• 8-10 potatoes, diced into ½ inch chunks

Directions

1. Bring honey, margarine, curry powder, and dry mustard to a boil in a pot.
2. Let it boil until it rises to nearly top of pot.
3. Immediately take off burner and set aside.
4. Place potatoes into a large bowl, pour honey-curry mixture over and mix well with potatoes.
5. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer.
6. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes.

You can also make this with chicken.  To do this, use a few less potatoes, and slice them instead of dice them.  Mix the potatoes with most of the honey-curry mixture, then place in a 9×13 baking dish.  Top with chicken, pour the rest of the honey-curry mixture over the chicken.  Cook the same.

Roast Beef with Balsamic Glazed Vegetables 28 May 2009

From the roasting issue of a cooking magazine.  I had never used fennel bulb before this recipe, and fell in love with it afterwards.  Made this for my family for Christmas eve this year.

Ingredients

• 3 lb. rump roast or top round roast, trimmed of excess fat
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper (freshly ground is best)
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium bulb fennel, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 lb. baby red potatoes, halved

Directions

1. Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°.
2. Brush the beef with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and 1 Tbsp. of the vinegar.
3. Season the beef all over with 1 tsp. of the rosemary, 2 tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper.
4. Toss the onion, fennel, and potatoes with the rest of the vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
5. Spread the vegetables over the bottom of a 9×13 pyrex dish.
6. Nestle the roast, fat side up, in the middle of the vegetables.
7. Roast the beef until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the beef reads 125°F for medium-rare, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours.
8. Take beef out of the oven.
9. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
10. Stir vegetables and continue to cook until browned and tender, about another 10 minutes.
11. Slice beef and sprinkle with salt.

Alton Brown’s Fajitas 28 May 2009

We saw this on Good Eats a few nights ago and had to try it.  Turned out to be the most flavorful fajitas I’ve ever had.  Recipe is slightly changed to equipment and ingredients I have.

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 4 green onions, washed and cut in half
• 2 large cloves garlic (or 4-6 small)
• 2 limes, skins removed, cut into quarters or smaller
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into equal pieces to fit in your pan (you can use another type of steak, but make sure it is cut very thinly, ¼ inch works best)
• peppers & onions (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients up through brown sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour over steak in a large plastic bag, remove as much air as possible and marinate for 1 hour (at least) in the refrigerator.
3. Place a large skillet on medium-high heat, let sit several minutes until hot.
4. Lay steaks flat in heated pan, cook 2 minutes on each side in as many batches as necessary.
5. As you remove the meat from the heat, place it in a double-thick packet made from aluminum foil.  Let sit for about 15 minutes once all meat is cooked.
6. Deglaze pan if necessary (or use a new pan), then cook sliced peppers and onions in the pan while meat is sitting.
7. After meat is done sitting, remove and slice across the bias.  Place back in foil packet to store until serving. (If meat starts to cool off, toss the foil packet in the oven on the lowest setting to keep warm.)

On Warm Weather and Ice Cream 27 May 2009

Since the weather has been nice lately, and often even warm out, I have been having cravings for ice cream.  It’s a natural thing for me to have in warmer weather, and I do enjoy a good ice cream.  That being said, I bought some Turkey Hill brand Root Beer Float ice cream at the grocery the other day, and it is AWESEOME.  Between the two of us, we ate almost half a 1.5 qt. container after dinner last night.  I love root beer floats, and the problem I have with them is that it’s often a pain to get the elements to mix.  This ice cream solves that problem.  As soon as you open the container it smells like good root beer.  I am most pleased.

Pizza Fondue 26 May 2009

This recipe is from a cookbook I’ve used a lot, but I can’t seem to find it so it must be one my mom has.  I’ll give proper credit if I can find the book.

Ingredients

• 1 16oz. package process cheese spread loaf, cut into small cubes
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
• 1 28oz. jar spaghetti sauce
• ½ cup dry red wine or beef broth
• 1 loaf Italian bread cut into cubes, or large croutons (for dipping)

Directions

1. Mix cheeses, spaghetti sauce, and wine in cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high heat 45-60 minutes or until cheese is melted.
3. Stir until cheese is smooth.
4. Turn heat to low setting.
5. Serve with bread cubes or croutons.