Grilled Steaks with Ginger Hoisin Sauce

Welcome to this month's edition of  The Secret Recipe Club.



 
This month I was assigned to Jane's blog, The Heritage Cook. I was in foodie heaven looking through all of her recipes. Seriously, the list was so long and hard to narrow down! Her photos are beautiful, most of her recipes are gluten-free, and her writing style is so welcoming. The potato-loving side of me wanted to make her Fully Loaded Green Chile Potato Skins and her Creamy and Cheesy Potato Casserole. With me being a steak-loving girl, and my blog very much lacking in that area, I was also drawn to her steak recipes like her Grilled Steak Sandwiches with Portobello Mushrooms. It's no secret I am all about the grill during summertime. But ultimately I went her Grilled Steaks with Spicy Hoisin BBQ Sauce. I am obsessed with that Asian hoisin flavor and knew it would be a winner. 

And it was! PJ loved the sauce, and he isn't a fan of soy sauce usually. I LOVED it! I'll be making it for sure for grilled chicken, pork, steak of course... pretty much everything! 
This steaknpotatoeskindagurl says this one's a keeper.


*Note: Hoisin sauce can be found in most Asian aisles in the grocery store.























Grilled Steaks with Ginger Hoisin Sauce
adapted from The Heritage Cook

• 2 Ribeye steaks
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper for seasoning the steaks
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter for sauteing the onion

For the Ginger Hoisin Sauce:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 5 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons butter

Allow steaks to set at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rub the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Saute sliced onion with 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet until caramelized. 

Place steaks on a hot grill. Cook steaks for 5-6 minutes per side for medium. Brush with the Ginger Hoisin Sauce during the last few minutes of grilling, reserving additional sauce for dipping. Remove from the grill and let rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes. Serve steaks with the caramelized onions and Ginger Hoisin Sauce for dipping.





Next time I'm definitely making that Asian Slaw too!


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Linking up here.
   

Peace, and bacon grease!

Grilled Mushroom-Crusted Steaks

Happy Monday! 

And Happy Secret Recipe Club day!

This month I was assigned to Kate's blog, Kate's Kitchen. She and Connie are the cutest couple! It was so fun stalking them all month. I was intrigued by so many of their recipes, like their Steak Sandwiches with Creamy Shallots, Pineapple-Chili Margarita, and Baked Deviled Eggs. 

BUT.... me being a steak kinda gurl, had to go with their Morel-Grilled Rib Eye... only we didn't use morels because, honestly, they were $13!!! We used dried steak blend mushrooms instead.

Annnnnnd we didn't use rib eyes because PJ requested a filet (both of our faves) and this porterhouse was calling my name instead.

Morale (morel... get it?) of the story? You can use ANY steak and ANY kind of dried mushroom! 

(We halved the recipe since we only grilled 2 steaks, 1 for each of us!, but I kept the measurements below for 4 servings).

 

Grilled Mushroom-Crusted Steaks

adapted from Kate's Kitchen

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dried mushrooms (preferably morels)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 (1-inch thick) boneless rib eye steaks
  

Grind the dried mushrooms in a food processor.  

Mix everything but the steaks together to make a paste. 

Coat both sides of the steaks with the paste, pressing firmly. Allow steaks to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  

Grill on direct heat, turning once.  Remove the steaks from the fire and allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes to allow to rest.

Printable Recipe

We served these delicious steaks with the grill master Chris' Thai Chile Compound Butter. It was the perfect topping for the steaks... sweet, spicy, buttery goodness seeping into that charred perfectly-seasoned steak. 

What more could a steak lover ask for??

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Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Grilled Filets with Bourbon Butter, and a Guest Post

 
Hey friends!

I'm doing a guest post over at Christine's Kitchen Chronicles today! I was honored to be asked by my fellow Cincinnati food blogger and jumped at the chance.

I don't post nearly enough steak recipes, you know, me being a steaknpotatoes kinda gurl and all.

So head on over to Christine's blog to see what delicious steak recipe I'll be sharing. Here's a little hint...

Oh, and while you're there be sure to check out Christine's delicious recipes... so many! I'm eyeing that S'mores Pizza with Graham Cracker Cookie Crust.


Peace, and bacon grease!

Ranch Taco Salad

Why yes, it has been 13 days since I last posted.

Gotsta get back on my game, people! I've got a month vacation from school until I start back up late August, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. And that means a lot of sleeping. But I promise to make more time for blogging.

The inspiration for this taco salad came from Taco Casa's taco salad with ranch. Then I saw Tina's recipe for Ranch Doritos Taco Salad and morphed the two ideas together. No thousand island dressing for me. Ranch dressing, though? This girl loves her some ranch.

Not gonna lie, I do prefer Taco Casa's ranch dressing to the bottled Hidden Valley ranch that we used. What the heck does Taco Casa use?!? I prefer our seasoned ground beef though to Taco Casa's low grade beef mush. Plus Taco Casa doesn't have all the extra goodies on there like onions and avocados and corn. And this uses realllll lettuce, not iceberg lettuce. And ranch doritos instead of regular tortilla chips. 

So there, take that Taco Casa!

Pile on the goods. Lettuce, tomatoes, corn, avocado, red onions, seasoned beef, ranch dressing, cheddar cheese. Whatever your little heart desires.

Eat and enjoy.

Ranch Taco Salad

adapted from Taco Casa's version + Mom's Crazy Cooking

• 1 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 lb ground beef cooked with Homemade Taco Mix
• 1/2 cup corn
• 5 oz (about 16) cherry tomatoes, halved and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced or diced 
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Cool Ranch Doritos

Layer ingredients beginning with lettuce, then beef, then corn, tomatoes, avocado, and onion. Top with ranch dressing and then cheese. Adjust measurements according to your liking, or add or exclude any ingredients you don't like. Serve with Cool Ranch Doritos.

Printable Recipe

How do you like your taco salad? 

Aka how should I be eating mine?  :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

Linking up here.

Sloppy Joe Squares

I've got a great recipe for you, and it's not difficult at all! Don't you love those kind? I sure do, especially on week nights. This recipe is a bit time-consuming, but doesn't require much effort to make. And the parts that take the most time - simmering and baking - are steps that don't require you to stand there and babysit it so you can go about your business and get other things done.

Yep, it's a sloppy joe.... in square form. I love this idea of turning sloppy joes into a casserole. You can skip the usual buns because the rolls on top make the 'buns' in this dish.

We made some changes to the original recipe, such as upping the onion amount, cuz we are onion folk. We added minced garlic, cuz, well, garlic makes everything better. We also didn't have any brown sugar so we just substituted Sweet Baby Ray's honey bbq sauce. And we also didn't have red wine vinegar so we used apple cider vinegar instead. The mixture, while cooking in the skillet, was a bit too liquidy since we used bbq sauce, so you may want to stick to the original ingredient and use the brown sugar instead of the bbq sauce (or cut back on the water). Since we didn't like how liquidy it turned out before simmering, I've kept the original ingredient of brown sugar in the recipe below. Top those bad boys with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream, and you're good to go.

Sloppy Joe Squares

adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cans of Pillsbury Big & Butter crescent rolls
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + more for garnish
• sour cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, melt the butter and then add in the chopped onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the beef and cook until browned. Drain the grease.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. In a 9x13 ungreased baking pan, roll out the first roll of crescent roll dough. Press into the bottom to completely cover and also press 1/2 inch up on the sides. Pour the hot sloppy joe mixture on top and spread evenly over dough. Sprinkle 2 cups of cheese evenly over the mixture, and then cover with the other roll of dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before eating.

Printable Recipe

We enjoyed this twist on sloppy joes. It was a nice way to spruce up the old tried and true sloppy joe recipe. If you want the more traditional sloppy joe, then check out this recipe!

Peace, and bacon grease!

Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

How can you make beef infused with parmesan and garlic even better? By drenching it in alfredo sauce, that's how! That's also how you can add an outrageous amount of calories. I don't think that would be anyone's goal, but if you don't mind the added calories then definitely make it like this!  :)

 

Is it bad when I have more sauce on my plate than anything else?

I combined two different recipes to make this dish - Laurie's Parmesan Meatballs, and Jenn's Alfredo Sauce. As soon as I saw that meat-a-ball (in my fake Italian accent) recipe, with only four ingredients, I knew I had to make it! And I was also instantly drawn to Jenn's alfredo sauce because, to put it simply, I love any kind of sauce. While we did make her whole recipe for the Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce once before, I wasn't too successful with the stuffed chicken part. While it tasted good, it definitely didn't look like it was supposed to. But that's another story. However, I knew that I would be making that alfredo sauce again and again. And these meatballs seemed like the perfect opportunity to use that sauce again.

 

So I figured that meatballs go well with pasta, and we had some fettuccine in the cabinet, and fettuccine is often used with alfredo sauce. So there we had it. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce.

I wish I had more of a clever name for this. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine Alfredo? Parmesan Meatball Afredo? Alfredo Parmesan Meatballs? Parmesan Alfredo Meatballs? It could be called so many things, but scrumptious is definitely one of them.

This homemade alfredo sauce puts the store-bought jarred to shame. And I know because I cooked another casserole last night that called for jarred alfredo sauce and it's just not the same. I just kept thinking the whole time how a homemade alfredo would have knocked it outta the park! Particularly this alfredo sauce! And it's not even difficult to make.

 

As you can see, we served this with some garlic bread for a quick and easy side.

Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

• 1/2 a package of fettuccine, cooked according to instructions on package

for the meatballs - adapted from Cookin Up North

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Mix and shape into 10 meatballs. Spray a greased pan with cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

for the alfredo sauce - adapted from Jenn's Food Journey

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Let cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle in cheese a bit at a time until melted and smooth. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. Do not let it boil!

To serve, put some cooked fettuccine on a plate, top with meatballs, and then pour sauce over top. Or you can mix some sauce in with the pasta first then top with meatballs and pour more sauce over top.

Printable Recipe

And it's been way too long since I've linked up at any parties lately, so I'm back to it!

 
Linking to:

What's Cooking Wednesday 

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Show Off Your Stuff
Real Food Wednesday 
What's On The Menu Wednesday
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
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Foodie Wednesday

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Drooling yet?


Peace, and bacon grease!

Patriotic Taco Salad

I know I am bringing this to you after the 4th of July. And I apologize. But I didn't make it until the 3rd and haven't gotten around to posting about it until now. So make it for the 4th next year, or for any other patriotic holiday! Or just make it minus the flag presentation.

You could arrange the beans (or olives, if you use those) in the shape of stars if you like. I thought that was too much work, so I just piled them in the top left corner. The half-assed way to do things!

I would recommend using more chips for dipping if you are eating leftovers the next day, because the chips in the taco salad get soggy by then. But if you are eating it that day then you should be fine. You can also prep and assemble everything for the taco salad ahead of time if need be, and just serve with chips when ready.

Patriotic Taco Salad

adapted from Taste of Home

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained (save some for star garnish)
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 recipe Homemade Taco Mix
• 3 cups Tostitos chips with a hint of pepperjack, plus more for dipping
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• sour cream for garnish, if desired

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in the water, tomato paste, and taco mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Drain all liquid.

Meanwhile, microwave black beans in a bowl according to directions on the can.

Place 3 cups of tortilla chips in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Spread beef mixture evenly over top. Then add the drained, heated beans, but leaving some to make the stars garnish. Cover with lettuce. Add beans to top left corner, making stars. Spread cheese evenly over top. Then arrange tomatoes to make stripes on top. Top each portion with sour cream, if desired.

Printable Recipe

It was tasty, I'll tell ya. We really enjoyed this meal. The flavor of the meat was nice, since I used a homemade taco mix. It did need some kind of sauce to moisten it up a bit, that's why we added the sour cream. Ranch dressing would also work. You can't go wrong with taco salad, can you?

Peace, and bacon grease!