Dips, Sauces, & Seasonings

Grilled Steak with Herbs

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I fell madly in love with Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food the moment I laid eyes on it. Even though it is sometimes a little pricey, I love to work in her wholesome, organic recipes where possible. A good friend of mine who lives in California was able to dine at her restaurant, Chez Panisse, last fall for her birthday and scored me an autographed copy of her 2nd cookbook, In the Green Kitchen, which I have spent equal time poring over.
One of my favorite recipes shows up in both of these books with very little variation. Try it the next time you’re grilling steaks and you’ll never go back to store-bought marinades or rubs again.

Mix together and rub into the steak:
3 Tbsp mixed chopped herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory or marjoram (I like to use at least 3 different herbs – more if I have them)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled or finely chopped (or minced)
1 1/2 tsp coarse/ Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh-ground black-pepper
Drizzle with:
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Let the steak sit for 1 hour at room temperature before grilling. My husband is the grill-master and likes to sear each side (for the cute little grill marks), then turn off the middle burners on our gas grill (where the steaks are lying) leaving on only the side burners to keep it warm enough to just barely cook. He likes a lot of pink and I’m convinced that’s the best way to enjoy steak.

Source(s): In The Green Kitchen and The Art of Simple Food (both by Alice Waters)

Creamy Italian Tomato Sauce

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Here’s another new recipe from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook that I reviewed here a little while back.  I’m not a big fan of red sauces, in general, so when I saw a creamy version I was very interested.  It’s got a nice flavor and is a perfect replacement for marinara or spaghetti sauce.  It also made a LOT.  I served my family a generous portion of rotini pasta and still had two quarts to spare.  Those went straight to the freezer for future meals.  My next adventure with this sauce will be to try it on pizza in place of traditional pizza sauce!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. dried basil
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
dash salt
3 (29 ounce) cans tomato sauce
7 ounces Gouda cheese
1 pint heavy cream

1.  Heat olive oil and butter in large pot over medium to medium-high heat.  Add basil, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, and salt and cook until onion is tender.
2.  Add tomato sauce and simmer over medium heat for at least 20 minutes.
3.  Cut Gouda cheese into chunks and add to sauce, stirring until melted.  Add heavy cream and remove from heat, stirring until well combined.
4.  Serve over pasta and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Source:  adapted from Worldwide Ward Cookbook

Buttermilk Syrup

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This goes great with the School Morning Pancake recipe. When my extended family was together for Christmas last year this became a quick favorite. Everyone was asking for the recipe. Definitely not a diet worthy recipe so what special occasion will this become a tradition for you and your family?

Buttermilk Syrup
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

1-Melt butter in a pot on stove-top.
2-Add sugar and buttermilk.

3-Whisk, and bring to a boil.
4-Take off of the heat.
5-Add vanilla and baking soda.

*Refrigerate any leftovers in a glass container. It will “set” and is much easier to warm back up by sticking a glass container in a pan full of water on the stove.

Source: Momzoo Blog

Sunday Pot Roast With or Without Gravy

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They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Time constraints also bring about “invention”. The browning of the meat step was omitted by accident while trying to get young ones dressed and out the door a number of years ago. The end result… the meat was more tender than when browned. I love it when an oops works out to your advantage.

This is our favorite Pot Roast and works well with beef or Pork.

To my friends who have asked for a good pot roast recipe. This one is for you.

Ingredients:
3# Sirloin Tip Roast or 3# of meat of your choice
Canadian Steak Seasoning
1 1/2# mini carrots – rinsed
5 medium red potatoes scrubbed and cut into 6Th’s – I use Red Skin Golden Potatoes
Garlic Powder
1 medium onion chopped or equivalent in dried onions
1 1/2 cups water

1. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray
2. Place roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with Canadian Steak Seasoning
3. Place carrots around roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and half of the chopped onions.
4. Place potatoes around roast in pan and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder and rest of onions
5. Add water
6. Cover and bake at 350 for 4-5 hours.

Crock pot directions:
1. Do the same as above through number 5
2. Cook on high for 7 hours or on low for 9-10 hours

Beef Gravy:
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp Beef Soup Base
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Place all ingredients in small sauce pan and turn heat to med high
2. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth while liquid is heating up.
3. Whisk as needed until liquid becomes thick and bubbly.

The gravy can be used two ways. Either add it to the pot roast and it will cook in the gravy – this works best in the crock pot and gravy will be a thinner sauce or use as traditional gravy.

This freezes well after it is cooked. Just place all ingredients together in a zippy bag or freezer safe container. Store for 6 weeks.

Source: A Jennie Original

Pizza Sauce

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During our first Christmas in NC we decided to change some of the “food traditions” a bit and start a “make your own shape pizza for Christmas Eve Dinner” tradition. Thus began the quest for a good pizza sauce.

After trying different commercially produced sauces and not finding anything that we really liked, I began to experiment. As they say… one of the “true secrets” to good pizza is in the sauce. This is our current favorite Pizza Sauce and is also a great dipping sauce for Pita and Bread Sticks.

I have included the “fresh” version and the “shelf stable” version – Enjoy!

Ingredients – fresh:
1 15oz can stewed or diced Italian Tomatoes
2 Roma Tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
6-10 fresh Basil leaves – chopped
10 fresh Oregano leaves – chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 tsp sugar or 1/2 tsp honey

Ingredients – shelf stable:
1 15oz can stewed or diced Italian tomatoes
1/4 cup dried Onion
2 tsp dried Basil
3/4 tsp dried Oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar or 1/2 tsp honey

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and Puree for 30 seconds to 1 minute
2. Spread on desired pizza crust

Source: A Jennie Original

Cafe Rio Goodness: Cilantro Ranch Dressing

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Hooray! Here’s your last installment for Cafe Rio’s AMAZING salad! So far I’ve shared the Pork Barbacoa, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Black Beans. Today I’m sharing their wonderful Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing. It is so good. You will not need any sour cream on this salad. This dressing does the trick. 

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeds removed

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That’s it!

So, now that you have all the recipes needed. Let’s talk about assembling this salad. You’re going to need a big plate. 🙂 First, lay out a big flour tortilla that’s been warmed. Then add the pork, then the rice, then the beans. Throw a handful of romaine salad on top. Next, you’ll see tortilla strips – I can find these in the produce section close to the salads and croutons. THEN top with this amazing dressing.

I assure you this will become a favorite in your house. It is in mine!!

Easy Tzatziki with Toasted Pita Crisps

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This is sooo good! I love the dill and lemon flavors in this. The key to this recipe is fresh ingredients!

2 (7oz) containers Greek Yogurt
1 Hothouse Cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/4 c. Sour Cream
2 TBS. freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1 TBS. minced fresh Dill
1/1/2 tsp. minced Garlic
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper
toasted Pita Crisps, recipe follows

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl, and grate the cucumber on a box grater.

Squeeze the cucumber with your hands to remove some of the liquid. Add the squeezed cucumber to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Serve with toasted pita crisps.

Toasted Pita Crisps:
8 pita breads
Good Olive Oil

*Heat your grill. Brush the pita with olive oil and heat on both sides until toasted. Slice pita into triangles and serve.

*I use my “George Foreman” grill for this recipe and it is perfect! Delicous!
Yeilds: 8 servings
Recipe: Ina Garten

Limey Guacamole

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If you like lime–you’ll LOVE this guacamole!  Over the past 3 years I’ve been on the hunt for the best guacamole recipe; this one is a combination of several.  The real secret to this guac is the fresh style salsa.  With the fresh ingredients already chopped and the flavors already mingled, it’s easy and unbelievably tasty!  


Ingredients:  
4 large, ripe hass avocados 
1 heaping cup of fresh salsa (with onions, and cilantro) 
   (I recommend Italian Rose from Sam’s Club) 
1 tsp. minced bottled garlic
2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1 T lime juice (I use bottled most of the time…but fresh is always best!)


1.  Peel and pit avocados, mash into a semi-chunky consistency 
2.  measure and add all other ingredients, stir until blended.  
3.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips! 


How to choose avocados for guacamole
How to peel an avocado