Grilled Flank Steak

It's finally warming up in Socal!  Yay!!!  So it's out to the grill for me. Time to dust off my Weber.  The first thing I decided to grill is my FAVORITE grilled flank steak.  This recipe is from my friend Debbie S.  She gave it to me forevah ago.  Before I had kids.  What-What!!!  Serious, Yikes!!!  I can't even begin to believe I have a recipe that's 24 years old,  let alone that it's still one of my all time favorite recipes. I love it because it's simple and just plain de-licious!  Nothing fancy, just the kinda something your mom would have made for you.  It needs to marinade overnight so plan ahead a little.  It's easy-peasy, home cookin delicious! If you're not ready for BBQ because the weather isn't cooperating, save this one for when summer just starts to call.

BTW...My son says I've been posting way too many baked goods, so... I'm going to try to work on balancing my posts, for the sake of family harmony..... 

Ingredients:

¾ cup canola oil

½ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons dried ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Marinade steak overnight in the fridge.

2. Remove steak from fridge and let sit out on counter 30 minutes while you prepare bbq grill.

3. Grill over medium high for about 8 -12 minutes per side until steak is cooked to desired doneness. (Most other recipes I've read call for steak to be grilled a total of 9-12 minutes.  This has always resulted in a totally super rare steak for me.  I like my steak MR.) 


4. Allow steak to rest for about 10 minutes then slice on the bias and serve!

Tamale Pie

When was the last time you had tamale pie?  It's been a really long time for me.  I don't know why. 
When I was growing up, this was my all time favorite thing my mom made.  I loved it when she served this for dinner! Well, this baby has gone back into my regular family dinner rotation!  This recipe is adapted from Texas Home Cooking.  Their version has green olives instead of the traditional black ones.  I love how that tweaks the taste memory of this dish.  The topping recipe of theirs used stiffened egg whites and was a whole lot more complicated than I was willing to put up with for a week night dinner.  It was good, but not significantly enough to make it worth it, so I went back to an original for a delicious, simple version; Better Homes and Gardens 1968 edition!

Btw... I'm sure you've notice the SU emblem on different parts of my posts.  I would sure appreciate you stumbling if you see a recipe you like.  I don't know why the emblem is coming up so many times or in seemingly random places but, eventually,  I will get to the bottom of that mystery and fix it!  Thanks everyone :) 
 

Tamale Pie: adapted from Texas Home Cooking and Better Homes and Gardens
serves 4

Ingredients:
FILLING:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
20 ounces ground turkey or ground beef
1 cup corn (canned or frozen is fine)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
3/4 cup beef stock
1/4  cup sliced pimiento stuffed-green olives
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoon salt-or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce-or more to taste

TOPPING:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water
1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic until they are soft, about 7 minutes.  Add the turkey and cook until there is no pink.  Add the rest of the filling ingredients and cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
3. Make the topping.  Place a small pan over over medium heat. Add in cold water, salt, and cornmeal. Whisk the ingredients together until the cornmeal absorbs all of the water and has thickened. Stir in the butter.  Drop the corn topping over the filling and then spread it out evenly.
4. Bake the pie in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw these cookies around Christmas time over at a blog called, The Girl Who Ate Everything.  I was dying to try them then but just couldn't get one more cookie into my baking schedule.  When St Paddy's Day approached, I thought hey, what about those delicious sounding Pistachio cookies.  Yay!  Low and behold, I baked up a batch, and boy am I glad I did.  First of all, these are "semi-homemade" so they're super quick and easy to whip up.  Secondly, they're really super, pistachio, yummy and with their soft green color they're perfect for St. Paddy's day.

  Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies:

adapted from Betty Crocker via The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 pouch (17.5 ounces) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1 box (3.4ounces) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cupSemisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add pistachios and chocolate chips and mix well.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won't be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

My New Favorite Chocolate Cake!

 All these years of searching for a fabulous, moist, tender chocolate cake recipe...dozens of cookbooks, hours of on line searches and guess what? It was right under my nose, or should I say, right in my cupboard all along.  Right there on the back of the Hersey's cocoa box.  LOL!  Well, let me tell you, this is one incredible chocolate cake.  It is my new, absolute favorite, chocolate cake of all times!

Hey! If you like this post please Stumble it. Thanks so much! I really appreciate your support!

Black Magic Cake: from Hersey's

serves 10

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk 

1 cup strong black coffee 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
   
2. 2 Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
   
3. 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired. Yields 10 to 12 servings. 

The Most Incredible Brownies

This is an incredible brownie recipe.  The brownies are thick, fabulously chocolaty and chewy.  The three most important characteristics for me in a brownie. They are also loaded with walnuts and chocolate chips and flavored with a hint of coffee. These are not only one of the tastiest brownies of all times, the recipe bakes a huge pan of them.  So, whenever you need to make treats for a large group, this is THE go to recipe.  I mean, come on.  Perfect on top of Perfect if you get what I mean!  This bit of brilliance in a baking dish comes for none other than, the amazing, Ina Garten.  I love her lots of her recipes, but this one, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her for!
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Incredible Brownies: from the amazing Ina Garten!


Ingredients:
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips-divided
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee (I use decaf )
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour, divided-1cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups walnuts, chopped

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan

2. Melt together the butter, chocolate chips (1 pound), and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.
3. Stir together the flour (1 cup), baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips (12 ounces) with flour (1/4 cup) to coat. Then add to the chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean.  Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.