Turkey Chili
My award winning recipe (http://skyelaraes.blogspot.com/2009/04/winner-winner.html)! Enjoy with sour cream, green onions and/or shredded cheddar cheese.)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
½ lbs. ground turkey
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 14 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
Salt
Pepper
In a medium pot, heat oil under medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for about 5 minutes. Break up the ground turkey by hand and add it to the pot. Stir well. Add minced garlic and continue to sauté the ground turkey until it browns, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the kidney beans and tomato sauce. Stir well. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano and garlic powder. Stir well. Cover, stirring occasionally. Cook chili for an additional 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield 4 servings.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Recipe of the Week (45)
Roast Beef with Au Jus
Simple and easy for a Sunday dinner. Use the leftovers (if there are any!) for roast beef sandwiches or in a tossed salad!
1 3lbs. bottom round beef rump roast
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low salt beef broth
½ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat dry roast with paper towels. Season the roast evenly with salt and pepper. With a pairing knife, poke eight slits randomly on the top side of the roast. Slice the garlic cloves in half, lengthwise. Place the sliced garlic in the slits.
Place the roast on a heavy-bottomed roasting pan with a rack and roast it for about 1 ½ hours. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the roast and continue roasting for an additional 30 minutes or until the read on the pocket thermometer reaches 145 degrees.
Remove the roast and allow it to rest, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes. Remove the rack from the roasting pan and place the pan on the stove under medium-high heat. Slowly stir in the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the beef broth and allow the liquid to reduce to about 1 ½ cups. Slowly stir in the butter to the au jus. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Slice the roast thin and serve with au jus on top.
Yield 6 servings.
Simple and easy for a Sunday dinner. Use the leftovers (if there are any!) for roast beef sandwiches or in a tossed salad!
1 3lbs. bottom round beef rump roast
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low salt beef broth
½ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pat dry roast with paper towels. Season the roast evenly with salt and pepper. With a pairing knife, poke eight slits randomly on the top side of the roast. Slice the garlic cloves in half, lengthwise. Place the sliced garlic in the slits.
Place the roast on a heavy-bottomed roasting pan with a rack and roast it for about 1 ½ hours. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the roast and continue roasting for an additional 30 minutes or until the read on the pocket thermometer reaches 145 degrees.
Remove the roast and allow it to rest, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes. Remove the rack from the roasting pan and place the pan on the stove under medium-high heat. Slowly stir in the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the beef broth and allow the liquid to reduce to about 1 ½ cups. Slowly stir in the butter to the au jus. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Slice the roast thin and serve with au jus on top.
Yield 6 servings.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Recipe of the Week (44)
Apple Crisp
One of my favorite fall dishes! Serve with ice cream for desset or with whipped cream for breakfast!
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
½ cup all purpose flour ½ cup plain oats
½ cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a glass baking dish. Combine brown sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to the prepared dish.
Combine flour, oats, sugar and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour/oat mixture evenly over apples.
Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Yield 8 servings.
One of my favorite fall dishes! Serve with ice cream for desset or with whipped cream for breakfast!
1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
½ cup all purpose flour ½ cup plain oats
½ cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a glass baking dish. Combine brown sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to the prepared dish.
Combine flour, oats, sugar and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour/oat mixture evenly over apples.
Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Yield 8 servings.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tipping (repost)
Note: I wrote this article for Talk of Cleveland Magazine about a year and a half ago. In these tough economic times, properly tipping for great service is crucial!
It is a beautiful, summer evening and you and your date are enjoying a romantic dinner at one of Cleveland’s top notch restaurants. The place is beautiful and the service is impeccable. You share a shrimp appetizer. While your date has the pan-seared halibut, you savor the filet mignon, medium-rare, of course. For dessert, you have the lemon crème brulee, while your date enjoys a slice of strawberry cheesecake.
The evening is going great until the check arrives. Of course, you have more than enough money to cover the bill, but what about a tip? How much should you leave for the server who gave you great service? How do you show your appreciation for the flawless service you’ve received?
For members of the food service industry, especially servers, tips are very important. Many servers make less than $4.00 per hour, so the tips they receive help as compensation for the work they do. While giving a tip is not mandatory, it is considered proper etiquette to leave one.
Tips, which in some circles is an acronym for “to insure proper service”, is a social obligation in restaurants having traditional table service. In general, the customary tip for average to good service is 15-20% of the pre-tax bill. For exceptional service, a tip can range as high as 25-30% of the bill. So, for example, you have dinner at a restaurant and the bill is $100.00. If you received exceptional service, the tip should be $25.00, making the total $125.00.
Tips are very important to bartenders also. Generally, a bartender should receive $1-$2 per round. If you are setting up a tab, the tip at the end of the evening should be 15-20%, with a minimum of .50 per soft drink and $1.00 per alcoholic drink. And, obviously, the perks for tipping your bartender well are immeasurable!
Also, when you are using a gift certificate or getting a discount, tip off of the pre-discounted amount of your bill. So, for example, you have a coupon for 25% off of your meal at a restaurant. If your bill is $100.00, the tip should be from the $100.00 amount, not the discounted $75.00 amount.
So, “to insure proper service”, learn how to properly tip your servers and bartenders!
It is a beautiful, summer evening and you and your date are enjoying a romantic dinner at one of Cleveland’s top notch restaurants. The place is beautiful and the service is impeccable. You share a shrimp appetizer. While your date has the pan-seared halibut, you savor the filet mignon, medium-rare, of course. For dessert, you have the lemon crème brulee, while your date enjoys a slice of strawberry cheesecake.
The evening is going great until the check arrives. Of course, you have more than enough money to cover the bill, but what about a tip? How much should you leave for the server who gave you great service? How do you show your appreciation for the flawless service you’ve received?
For members of the food service industry, especially servers, tips are very important. Many servers make less than $4.00 per hour, so the tips they receive help as compensation for the work they do. While giving a tip is not mandatory, it is considered proper etiquette to leave one.
Tips, which in some circles is an acronym for “to insure proper service”, is a social obligation in restaurants having traditional table service. In general, the customary tip for average to good service is 15-20% of the pre-tax bill. For exceptional service, a tip can range as high as 25-30% of the bill. So, for example, you have dinner at a restaurant and the bill is $100.00. If you received exceptional service, the tip should be $25.00, making the total $125.00.
Tips are very important to bartenders also. Generally, a bartender should receive $1-$2 per round. If you are setting up a tab, the tip at the end of the evening should be 15-20%, with a minimum of .50 per soft drink and $1.00 per alcoholic drink. And, obviously, the perks for tipping your bartender well are immeasurable!
Also, when you are using a gift certificate or getting a discount, tip off of the pre-discounted amount of your bill. So, for example, you have a coupon for 25% off of your meal at a restaurant. If your bill is $100.00, the tip should be from the $100.00 amount, not the discounted $75.00 amount.
So, “to insure proper service”, learn how to properly tip your servers and bartenders!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recipe of the Week (43)
Oven Barbecued Chicken Breasts
Enjoy that great barbecue flavor anytime of the year!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups bread crumbs or panko
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Sweet-N-Spicy barbecue sauce (recipe below) or a bottled barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. Add the bread crumbs, thyme and garlic to the skillet, stirring constantly until the bread crumbs toast slightly. Remove the skillet from the heat and place the toasted bread crumbs in a large shallow dish to cool.
Place a sheet of foil on a sheet pan. Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and brush the barbecue sauce on both sides of the chicken. Using tongs, toss the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, coating them generously.
Place the coated chicken breasts on the foil-lined sheet pan. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Serve the chicken with a light cole slaw and a whole grain baguette.
Yield 4 servings
Sweet-N-Spicy Sauce
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1½ cups ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Salt
Pepper
In a large pot, simmer the apple cider vinegar and ketchup under medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar, molasses and liquid smoke to the vinegar/ketchup mixture and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil under medium heat. Add red onion, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers and garlic to the skillet. Sauté vegetables until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the vinegar/ketchup mixture. Place mixture into a blender or food processor. Puree the mixture until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
Enjoy that great barbecue flavor anytime of the year!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups bread crumbs or panko
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Sweet-N-Spicy barbecue sauce (recipe below) or a bottled barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. Add the bread crumbs, thyme and garlic to the skillet, stirring constantly until the bread crumbs toast slightly. Remove the skillet from the heat and place the toasted bread crumbs in a large shallow dish to cool.
Place a sheet of foil on a sheet pan. Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and brush the barbecue sauce on both sides of the chicken. Using tongs, toss the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, coating them generously.
Place the coated chicken breasts on the foil-lined sheet pan. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Serve the chicken with a light cole slaw and a whole grain baguette.
Yield 4 servings
Sweet-N-Spicy Sauce
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1½ cups ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Salt
Pepper
In a large pot, simmer the apple cider vinegar and ketchup under medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar, molasses and liquid smoke to the vinegar/ketchup mixture and simmer for an additional 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil under medium heat. Add red onion, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers and garlic to the skillet. Sauté vegetables until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables to the vinegar/ketchup mixture. Place mixture into a blender or food processor. Puree the mixture until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Recipe of the Week (42)
Grilled Beef Kebabs
Very simple and easy dish! As an alternative, try using chicken, shrimp or lamb.
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 lbs. top round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt
Pepper
2 large red onions, quartered and sliced
4 oz. cherry tomatoes
2 large red peppers, cut into 1 inch slices
2 large yellow peppers, cut into 1 inch slices
12 wooden skewers (12-inch)
Soak skewers in water for at least 1 hour prior to using.
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a glass bowl. Set aside.
Season the meat well with the salt and pepper. When skewers are properly soaked, thread pieces of steak and the vegetables on the skewers, ending up with a total of 8items on each skewer. When the kebabs are complete, line them in a deep dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the kebabs.
Preheat the grill to a medium-high temperature. Grill the kebabs to the desired doneness, about 4 minutes on each side for medium. Remove and serve with couscous or brown rice.
Very simple and easy dish! As an alternative, try using chicken, shrimp or lamb.
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 lbs. top round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt
Pepper
2 large red onions, quartered and sliced
4 oz. cherry tomatoes
2 large red peppers, cut into 1 inch slices
2 large yellow peppers, cut into 1 inch slices
12 wooden skewers (12-inch)
Soak skewers in water for at least 1 hour prior to using.
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a glass bowl. Set aside.
Season the meat well with the salt and pepper. When skewers are properly soaked, thread pieces of steak and the vegetables on the skewers, ending up with a total of 8items on each skewer. When the kebabs are complete, line them in a deep dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the kebabs.
Preheat the grill to a medium-high temperature. Grill the kebabs to the desired doneness, about 4 minutes on each side for medium. Remove and serve with couscous or brown rice.
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