Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter

Recipe #2 from my new grilled recipe challenge was the Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter from Pinterest.  This one will be a keeper!  It was unbelievably fast and easy, and had a great blend of smoky, spicy, and citrus flavors.  It's a good go-to recipe when you want a tasty steak, but don't have hours (or overnight) for a marinade.  There was about 10 minutes of prep work involved...maybe even less.

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter
Food and Wine

In a small bowl mix together:
     1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
     1 garlic clove, minced
     1 TB fresh lime juice
     1/4 tsp lime zest

In a small bowl mix together:
     1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
     1 1/2 tsp cumin
     1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
     1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Rub the spice mixture over both sides of
     4 rib-eye steaks*

Grill the steaks (about 6 minutes on each side, until slightly charred and medium rare**).

Top with the butter mixture before serving.

*I kind of gambled on the beef cut.  Last fall I purchased 3/8 of a cow, and so my freezer is stocked with beef.  Some of the cuts are more challenging to me, because I've never used them before....arm roast, cube steak, round steak, and rib steak, to name a few.  The original Pinterest user suggested rib eye steak for this recipe.  After doing a little googling, I learned that rib steaks are a lesser quality steak and should not be confused with the boneless, choice cut of rib-eye. Well, my butcher labels all said, "Rib Steak", so I was pretty darn sure I didn't have rib-eyes.  Since I had 5 packages of these (with 2 steaks a piece) I knew I needed to use them.  I was worried about them being tough, but was pleasantly surprised. While they weren't the best beef cut in the world, they were pretty darn good.  I'm wondering if the kosher salt rub helped tenderize them a bit.  Anyway, I'm so glad I tried them, and will gladly use that cut for these again.  If the "rib steak" was this good, I can't imagine how good they'd be with a rib-eye cut!

**Or to your liking!

Summer Goal: Weekly Grilled Pinterest Recipes

Yes, I love Pinterest.  Who doesn't??  Over the past several months I've collected dozens of recipes to try.  Many are scrumptious looking desserts which will likely never be tried, because, really....we just don't make desserts that much.  But main dishes for dinner?  That's a reality.  Especially grilled food...'tis the season!

So this summer my goal is to try at least one recipe from Pinterest each week (preferably grilled), and then post the recipes and reviews here.  I'm not sure which one I'll start with, or what order...but below are some of the recipes I hope to make this summer.

Do you have a favorite grilled chicken or beef recipe? Please share.... I'd love to know!!

Skirt Steak Korean Marinade from cHow Divine

RECIPE #6:  I kinda' petered out over the summer.  But I made these this week on 10/9/12.  Couldn't find skirt steak, so I just made some with sirloin. VERY good flavor. Will definitely make again. Also, I made the effort to find a good Mirin...not the Aji Mirin sold by Kikkoman. 

Grilled Skirt Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri from Sage Recipes

Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter from Food & Wine and  Serious Eats

***RECIPE #2:  Made the Grilled Chipotle-Rubbed Steaks on 6/21/12.  Oh, my goodness these were good!  Great garlic/lime flavor...but not overpowering.  Quick and easy to make at the last minute.  Will definitely make again!***  Click here to read my full post.

Spicy Honey Chicken from Our Best Bites via The Girl Who Ate Everything

***RECIPE #1:  Made the Spicy Honey Chicken on 6/20/12.  Overall impression:  Quite good.  Simple to make.  Will make again.  Not as spicy as I'd like...will kick up the spicy-ness next time.*****  Click here to read my full post.

Afghani Murgh (chicken) Malai Kababs with Cumin Flavored Rice from Look Who's Cooking Too
 

RECIPE #7:  Also made this in the fall, but, heck...I made it!  Good subtle Indian-type spices on the chicken.    For the rice I forgot to buy cumin seeds, so I used a little ground cumin in their place.  The rice also had a subtle flavoring. Overall, no fabulous, but a solid good.

Thai Chicken with Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Sauce from Food and Wine

Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs with Sweet and Sour Orange Dipping Sauce from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

***Recipe #5:  Made the Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs on 7/7/12.  Pleasantly surprised with the flavor punch from such a simple (and easy) marinade.  The dipping sauce was great when a dash of Siracha was added to it!  Definitely a winner!  Click here to read my full post.

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken from The Fresh Plate

***Recipe #3:  Made the Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken on 6/27/12.  It was OK.  The husband said, "Good", but it wasn't an earth-shattering amazing recipe.  Would I make it again?  Well, yes, because I made some for the freezer.  But I don't think it will make it into the regular rotation.***

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers from  Kitchenmeetsgirl.com

***Recipe#4:  Made the Honey-Lime Chicken on 7/4/12.  AMAZING!  The honey-lime-cilantro-garlic flavors came shining through with a kick from the Siracha.  Will DEFINITELY make this again.  Bonus...you can marinate the chicken and freeze it.  That's my kind of cooking!***  Click here to read my full post. 

Cilantro Thai Chicken from Artsy-Foodie

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Back to school time! I think all mothers (particularly those who are at home with the kiddos all summer long) should get the first day of school off for a huge kid-less party. Most of the moms I know, however, go back to school with the kiddos, as teachers, aides, college professors, etc. So there really wasn't anyone to party with yesterday!

Thankfully, our whole family of three share the same rhythm of the school year schedule, though I start a little later than the two of them. Brian's a chemistry professor, Katie's in middle school, and I substitute at local elementary schools. Once September hits us, life comes at us hard with school, studying, exams, sports, meetings, etc. It really helps to have some pre-made meals ready to defrost and cook.

So instead of partying by myself, I cooked. I've been cooking up a storm, trying to re-fill the freezer from the Big Thaw of '08. Over Labor Day weekend chicken was on sale at Albertsons...at the best price I've seen all year: $1.69 for regular boneless, skinless breasts OR $2.69 for the hand-trimmed ones. *I* get the hand-trimmed ones. It is SOOOOOOOOO worth it not to have to de-gunk all that chicken. I buy it and use it as is. It's a laborious chore that I am happy to pay someone else to do. I made three trips to the store, buying 30-50 breasts at a time.

What did I do with all that chicken? I stocked my freezer with:

• Barbequed Herb Mustard Chicken
• Sesame Chicken Bites (new recipe)
• Chicken in Asian Marinade (new recipe...all ready for stir frying)
• Chicken Sate
• Grilled Herbed Chicken (with fresh herbs from the garden)
• Jerk Style Chicken
• 2 C bags of cooked, shredded chicken (for enchiladas, casseroles, etc.)
• Bags w/4-6 chicken breasts in each (ready for new recipes)
• Beer & Brown Sugar marinade w/sirloin steaks (OK, not chicken, but found this at a decent price as well...)
  

I had planned to also make Cajun Curry Chicken and Chicken Kiev, but ran out of freezer space. Someday I need to figure out where I can fit a deep freezer chest. I could really fill that baby up!

Next post...the whole plan....so you can shop one day, prep the second, and assemble & freeze on the third.

Trendy cuts of meat

Have you noticed that flank steak is so darned expensive now?? When did this happen??

It used to be cheap, tough cut of meat. It was a staple in our house until the past few years when we've had to switch to sirloin when we want a decent cheap steak. Flank steak used to be under $4 a pound. Now it's usually $8-12 per pound. Occasionally I can find it on sale for $6.49. What made the price of flank steak soar?

I wondered if this was all just in my head, but after talking to my friend, Heidi, I found out she'd noticed a big difference as well.

Then tonight, when I was looking at the keywords used in search engines, I learned that for my entire year of blogging history, "flank steak marinade" is the number one thing that people search for when they come to my blog. Next is "steak marinades," "potato cheese soup," and then "steak marinade" (singular). There are three times as many people searching for "flank steak marinade" than regular ol' "steak" marinades.

What does this tell me? That somewhere along the line flank steak has become trendy. Huh. Who knew??

Steak Marinade

Last week I made four marinades from allrecipes.com for petite sirloin steaks. One of them was simply called Steak Marinade. Tonight I defrosted the steaks, which had been frozen in the marinade. I do love these quick and easy meals...it takes about 10-15 minutes to defrost a couple steaks in a sink full of hot water.

Usually defrosting with a cold water bath is recommended for food safety, but that would be for thicker meats that are going to take some time to thaw....like a whole chicken or turkey. You don't want food to be in the 40-140 degree range for more than 4 hours (the 4-4-4 rule). To cool/heat food back to food safe temperatures, food safety experts recommend that food should not be out at room temperature for more than two hours. That gives them the other two hours to chill/heat back to safe temps. Anyway...what I'm getting at, is that it is perfectly safe to use a hot water bath for a couple of steaks!

Moving on...

What I was most worried about was that this marinade would have a heavy A-1 Sauce flavoring...and I was right. A-1 is really not a sauce that I like at all. I can't describe what it is that I don't like, but I just think it's one of the worst flavorings for meat! I really don't get why it's so popular. So, while I liked this steak, I didn't love it. And it's probably not something I'll make again because there are so many other great flavors out there! But, if you're a fan of A-1 Sauce, you will probably like this.

Steak Marinade (allrecipes.com)

In a medium bowl combine:
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup steak sauce
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar salad dressing
4 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Add a couple steaks, marinate, and grill.

Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade

Ever since the Big Thaw of '08, I've been working on re-stocking my freezer supply of prepared food. Thanks to a couple good chicken and steak sales, both freezers are nearly full. This weekend I came across a great sale on thick petite sirloin steaks for just $2.79/lb. Needless to say, I stocked up!

We have our very favorite stand-by recipe for steak marinade, but I was in the mood to try some new flavorings. So I turned to allrecipes.com and found four highly rated steak marinades:

• Beer and Brown Sugar Steak Marinade
• Awesome Steak Marinade
• Steak Marinade
• Best Steak Marinade in Existence
  

Before adding the steaks I did a little taste test. By far my favorite was the Beer and Brown Sugar one. My least favorite was the Awesome Steak Marinade. It had too much A-1 sauce in it for my taste. However...I haven't tried it with the steak, so I'll report back once I do more than dip my finger in the sauce!

Since it was also my turn for our Four Family Meal Exchange, I also made this for three other families. We grilled them that night, and WOW! This recipe is a keeper!! It had the right mixture of sweet and salty, being flavorful but not overpowering. I think the key is that you 1) marinate the meat, 2) sprinkle the seasoning on top, and then 3) pour on the rest of the marinade. It's a couple extra (quick!) steps, but it works quite well.

Since the steaks just simply looked like grilled steak, I skipped taking a picture of the final product. But here is a snap of the ingredients I used. I would imagine the type of teriyaki sauce, seasoned salt, and possibly beer could easily change the flavor of the marinade. So below you'll see the specific brands that I used. You don't need to use these, but I promise you'll have a winner steak if you do!

Combine in a small bowl:
1/2 tsp seasoned salt (Lawry's)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine in a zip-style bag or plastic bowl:
1/4 C dark beer (Deschutes Black Butte Porter)
2 T teriyaki sauce (Soy Vay Island Teriyaki)
2 T brown sugar

Mix together and add:
2-16 oz sirloin steaks

Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes.*

Grilling instructions: Place steaks on a heated grill. Sprinkle the seasoning on the steaks. Grill on both sides, until they are cooked to your liking. A couple minutes before you take them off the grill, pour the rest of the marinade over the steaks.

*I marinated them for about 6 hours and it was quite good.

Chicken & Beef Sate

Last weekend I spent a lot of time re-stocking our freezer with prepared meals/meat. I made up several new recipes, including this one, which we made for our dinner tonight. Brian gave me a thumbs-up at the dinner table. We'll be making this again for sure. It was soooooooo good! I can't wait to taste it with beef, though I think I'll prefer the chicken. Brian said the peanut sauce would also be good with Buffalo Wings.

Chicken & Beef Sate
(Good Housekeeping, August 1996)

Slice into 1" thick strips:
2-2 1/4 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts -or- boneless top sirloin steak

In a medium bowl combine:
2 tsp lime zest
2 TB fresh lime juice
1/4 C soy sauce
1 TB fresh gingerroot, grated
2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Add meat strips to the above mixture and marinate for 30 minutes.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
In a small bowl combine:
1/4 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C very hot tap water
4 tsp seasoned* rice vinegar
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB light molasses
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more/less depending on preferred spiciness level)

Thread meat onto wooden or metal skewers, weaving it on accordion style. If you’re using wooden ones, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so the wood won’t burn.

Grill meat for 2-7 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.

Serve with the Spicy Peanut Sauce.

If you want to freeze this recipe, fill 2 separate freezer bags with the meat/marinade and the peanut sauce**. Defrost and prepare as mentioned above.

* I did not have seasoned rice vinegar on hand. The regular rice vinegar worked fine, but I’d like to try the seasoned kind to see how that would taste.

**I successfully froze the meat/marinade, but did not try freezing the peanut sauce. It seems like it should freeze well. If not, it’s quick and easy to make just before serving.

Flank Steak Roulade

This is another dish inspired by a visit to Entree Vous, one of the many meal preparation kitchens. These flank steak roulades, or pinwheels, not only taste great, but they have such a nice presentation on a platter.

One of the most challenging parts is getting the flank steak thin enough to roll. I pound and I pound and I pound. I simply do not make any progress. If the steak is too thick, it won't roll easily. So, taking tips from my chicken habits, I simply slice them in half horizontally. Not only does this make them thinner, it gives me another working surface!

Rolling and tying can be frustrating unless you go into this project knowing you will lose some of your filling. No need to fret. Just stuff it back in there the best you can. It's also a given that no matter how long you cut your cotton string, it won't be long enough. Don't bother starting over. Just tie it off and start again. It may not look as pretty as a professional chef's, but in the end a knot is a knot is a knot.

Flank Steak Roulade

Pound (or slice) a flank steak so it's about 3/8" thick.*

Spread on top**
1/2 C- 1 C Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 C fresh spinach
1/4-1/2 C chopped green onions
1/8-1/4 cup roasted red peppers

Roll up into a long, skinny log, and tie closed with cotton twine.

How to tie it all up? I've found it easiest to cut off a really long piece of common household cotton string. How long? 4-5 feet or so. Seriously. Place one end of your steak roll under the mid-point of the string. Tightly make your first tie. Then let one piece rest on the meat, and wrap the other around. When the two ties meet on top, twist around, and bring the other string around the roll. Each time you come up, pull tightly, twist the strings and continue. (If that confuses the heck out of you, here are some great directions on tying food logs together with pictures!)

Pour Worcestershire sauce over the roll, and sprinke cajun seasoning over the meat.

Place in a baking pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Bring the temperature down to 350 degrees, cooking for 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the beef is 165 degrees. (Grilling instructions below)

To freeze ahead: Place in a simple (non-zip) bag. Flash Freeze. Then place in a zip-loc bag, removing as much air as possible (or vacuum pack). Place back in the freezer. Thaw (about 24 hours) before cooking.

*Flank steaks are usually thickest in the middle. To cut thin, angle your chef's knife so you are skimming off the thickest part of the steak. Cut with the grain.

**The amounts can vary depending on your taste. I find I don't really measure...I simply spread out the ingredients on the steak.

Sadly, all of these flank steak rolls were part of my freezer disaster last night. So, I cooked them up today, and am hoping that they taste decent once they're re-frozen, thawed, and heated.

I will say that straight out of the oven they were pretty tasty! (After taking the steak rolls out of the pan, there was plenty of tasty drippings. I mixed this with some plain, cooked steak slices -another freezer victim- and served them up for dinner as well.)

Added the evening of 7/21/08: Yesterday I cooked up all but on of the rolls. Tonight, since I was grilling for our "Eat the Meat" gathering, I thought I'd try grilling these to see how that would work. To grill them, I cooked each side (4) on high for a couple minutes each to sear them, retaining the flavor. Then I turned the heat down to medium and just cooked them until they were done to my likeness. I lost track of how long they were on the grill, but it had to be at least a half hour or so.

Flavorwise: I preferred the grilled version to the baked. The ends weren't as dried out, and the cajun flavoring was more subtle. My neighbor, Stacy, who was over, preferred the oven version. She liked the stronger, saltier flavor that the meat absorbed as it was cooked in the drippings.

Marinated Flank Steak

This understated title and simple marinade makes a killer steak. This has long been one of our summer favorites. In fact, I'd say this steak might just make our Top 10 Favorite Dinners list, if we ever got around to creating a list. Every time we serve it at a BBQ, the guests gush over this one. It's soooooo easy, and sooooo good. Only recently have I started to freeze it ahead of time, so all I have to do is defrost, grill, slice, and enjoy!

Though the recipe calls for flank steak, we've also made it with sirloin, and will be trying it with chicken soon.* Flank steaks used to be a bargain cut, but in the past few years I've had a hard time finding it under $7 per pound. Since petite and top sirloins (even good, thick cuts) go on sale for $3.49/lb. frequently, we've been making more often with the sirloin. Last week, however, I found flank steak on sale for $4.49/lb. and bought eight steaks. I would have bought more, but I'm really running out of freezer room! I marinated four and made something else (see tomorrow!) with the others.

Marinated Flank Steak (San Francisco Encore)

1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C honey
1/4 C dry white wine
1/4 C thinly sliced green onions
2 TB grated onion
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ginger

1-2 flank steaks

Combine all ingredients, except the steak/s. Pour over the steak and marinate overnight. Place the steak on a hot grill & cook 4-5 minutes per side, basting with the marinade. Slice thinly on the diagonal & serve.



< ----- 4 flank steaks, 6 chicken breasts ready to freeze






* While the chicken wasn't bad, it wasn't all that great. This is definitely best with beef.

Pinwheel Flank Steak

I have a tried and true marinade for flank steak, so I've been in a rut with this cut of meat. Trying to cook out of the box (literally!), I tried this new recipe from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer.

Though the cookbook doesn't come with pictures, three things drew me to it: 1) great reviews on Amazon, 2) the recipes list single & multiple ingredient lists, and 3) the dinners looked tasty! This is the first recipe I've tried from the book. (It's hard when my "To Try" cookbook of clippings & computer print outs has at least a hundred recipes in it!!)

I made this recipe in triplicate, because I was fairly certain we'd like it (we did).

Pinwheel Flank Steak (single recipe)

Pound to a 1/2" thickness*:
1 beef flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds

Combine marinade:
2 C red burgandy wine (I used a big ol' bottle of Gallo)
1/2 C finely chopped green onions
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Pour the marinade over flank steaks, and marinate for 3-4 hours.

Fry until almost done, but not crisp**:
1/2 lb. bacon


Combine the rest of the filling:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 C minced fresh parsley
1/4 C finely chopped onion***

Remove the meat from the marinade, and score the steak on both sides.**** Spread the filling over the meat, and add the strips of bacon lengthwise on the steak. Roll up the steak, starting with the shorter end. Tie with a cotton string at 1/2" intervals.***** Place the steak in a freezer bag, along with a little of the marinade.****** Remove as much air as possible from the bag.


To cook:

Partially thaw the steak. Cut into 1 1/2" slices, and lay flat until completely thawed. Use toothpicks to hold it together if necessary. Grill over medium heat (5-7 minutes per side) or until desired doneness.

*Yeah, that didn't happen. I pounded with all my rheumatoid arthritic might. It was about 3/4" thick, and worked just fine.

**I like my bacon crispy and done. So I cooked it completely, and crumbled it into the mixture. It worked fine. Next time, I would still cook it completely, but I would keep it in whole strips.

***My onion was from my freezer stash. See those white clumps?? Those are the frozen onion pieces.

****OOPS! Forgot to do this step.

*****Don't get too hung up on how you make your ties. It will work out.

******You have to realize this is from a freezer cooking cookbook. If you want to eat it the same day, I recommend putting it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so, as it will be more solid for easier slicing.

My notes: My favorite way to prepare flank steak remains with my tried and true marinade from San Francisco Encore. However, this was a nice change of pace. It has a nice presentation, and I'd definitely make it again. I'd add a bit more garlic, but I tend to add a bit more garlic to nearly everything.

The cookbook also lists a Fresh Mango Salsa to serve with the pinwheel steaks. I did not make the sauce, but will list the recipe:

Fresh Mango Salsa

In a non-metal bowl, combine:
1 large ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/3 C finely diced red onion
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 1/2 t finely minced garlic
1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
1 T finely grated lime zest
1 small jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and minced
1/4-1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t sugar (or to taste)

Cover tightly, and chill from 30 minutes - 4 hours.

Just before serving, add:
2 T fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Freezer Meals/Batch Cooking

Freezer #1 (kitchen)

It's that time of year again...Back to School. And with that comes the need to have some meals ready to go in the freezer. Many years ago I tried "Once a Month" cooking. Brian and I would get a bunch of recipes ready in one day. Later I perfected it to "Twice a Month" cooking, which was much easier.

When Katie was born, however, I stopped doing that. For years, Brian would come home asking what was for dinner. "Uh...ummm....," I'd mumble as I searched the fridge, freezer, and pantry.

Last year I started getting more organized with our meals. First I started cooking multiple batches of favorite recipes. I'd make one to put in the oven, and then one for the freezer. Then I started the Meal Exchange. Around that time I discovered Dream Dinners, Entree Vous, and other meal prep places. These were fast and fun...but a bit more expensive to do frequently. It did, however, make me realize that I could (and should) be purposely making more foods ahead.

So, while I don't have a strict schedule, I do try to keep the freezer full of a variety of meals. Below are some of our favorites. In the next few months I plan on making each of these so I can take photos of them, to add to the recipes. But I love the recipes so much that I just wanted to post them sans pictures!

Freezer Door #1 (kitchen)

I make a lot of marinated steaks/chicken breasts ahead of time. I put out four ziplocks...add the marinade ingredients assembly line style, and then put the meat in the bags. Then they go in the freezer. I thaw them and just put the meat on the grill.

MARINADES FOR MEAT

Cajun Curry Chicken (Better Homes & Gardens)

Mix the ingredients in a baking dish. Add the chicken pieces, and mix so they are all covered by the sauce.

1/3 C honey
3 TB water
3 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB margarine
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice.

If you like REALLY spicy foods, you can add up to 1 more tsp of Cajun seasoning and up to 1 more tsp of curry powder.

Note: This sauce freezes well. To freeze it, simply place the chicken breasts and the sauce in a zip-loc bag.

Grilled Herbed Chicken (San Francisco Encore)

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Marinade:
½ C olive oil
½ C lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1 TB rosemary, fresh & chopped
1 TB tarragon, fresh & chopped
1 TB sage, fresh & chopped
1 TB oregano, fresh & chopped
1 TB chives, fresh & chopped

Marinate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. While grilling, brush frequently with the marinade.

To freeze it, simply place the chicken breasts and the marinade in a zip-loc bag.

Marinated Flank Steak (San Francisco Encore)

1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C honey
1/4 C thinly sliced green onions
2 TB grated onion
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ginger

1-2 flank steaks

Combine all ingredients, except the steak/s. Pour over the steak and marinate overnight. Place the steak on a hot grill & cook 4-5 minutes per side, basting with the marinade. Slice thinly on the diagonal & serve.

We also use a lot of petite, and top sirloin with this recipe, as there are often good sales on those cuts of meats.

To freeze it, simply place the meat and the marinade in a zip-loc bag.

Barbequed Herb-Mustard Chicken (Sunset Magazine)

Combine:
Family Size
½ C dry white wine
2/3 C canola oil
3/8 C white wine vinegar
2 T onion, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp pepper
1/4 C spicy brown mustard

(Group Size....the quantities above X 4)
2 C
2 1/3 C
1 ½ C
1/8 C
2 T, 2 tsp
1 T, 1 tsp
12 cloves
2 tsp
1 C

Chop into 1" cubes: 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (16-24 Group Size)

Marinate the chicken in the sauce at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Place on skewers, alternating with chunks of:
peppers (red, yellow, green)
onion
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
zucchini

I freeze the uncooked chicken with the sauce and add the veggies fresh.


OTHER FAVORITE FREEZER FOODS

Stuffed Shells

Sauce
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
28 oz can tomatoes w/puree
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil, crumbled

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat; add garlic. Saute 2 minutes or until golden. Add tomatoes; break up with spoon. Add pepper, salt & basil; mix. Reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

Filling
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 ½ packages (15 oz total) chopped frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed very dry
3-4 oz (1/2 a jar) roasted red peppers, drained & chopped
1 C (4 oz) shredded fontina cheese
½ C grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

12 oz jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained

In bowl, combine filling ingredients & mix.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13 x 10" baking pan. Spoon filling into shells; arrange in prepared pan. Top with sauce. Cover. Bake 30 minutes or until hot.

8 servings. Per serving: 427 calories, 22 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat, 76 mg cholesterol, 904 mg sodium.

You can freeze the filling -or- you can fill the jumbo shells and flash-freeze them before placing them in a zip-loc bag. Sometimes I freeze the sauce with the stuffed shells, and sometimes I don't!

Lasagna with Pesto (San Francisco Encore)

1 lb ricotta cheese
1 ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
½ C minced fresh parsley
½ C minced green onion
½ tsp minced garlic
1 egg yolk
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp marjoram
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

1 pound lasagna, cooked, rinsed in cold water and drained.
Pesto Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a shallow baking dish. Combine all the ingredients except noodles and Pesto Sauce. Blend well. Taste and correct seasonings. Spread some of the filling over each lasagne noodle. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Stand vertically in the baking dish in a single layer. Spoon Pesto Sauce over the top of each roll. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through. Serve immediately.

To freeze this, you can freeze the filling-or- the individual rolled up lasagne pieces. If you freeze the pasta, place the rolls on a cookie sheet and flash-freeze before you put into a zip-loc bag.

Pesto Sauce

Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce
(San Francisco Encore)

Preheat oven to 350̊.

Heat in a frying pan:
1/2" of oil
Fry just until soft, about 5 seconds on each side:
12 corn tortillas
Lay flat and drain on paper towels.

Combine the following:
4 C cooked shredded chicken
2 C shredded Jack cheese
1 7 oz. can diced green chilies
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Spoon ½ cup of the filling down the center of each tortilla. Cover with 2 T of Tomatillo Sauce. Roll up the tortilla to enclose.

Lay tortillas, seam side down, in a 10 x 15 inch baking pan. Bake, covered, approximately 15 minutes or until hot.

Bake uncovered, until cheese has melted.

To serve: Spoon 3/4 C of Tomatillo Sauce onto dinner plates. Set 2 enchiladas on each plate.

Top with:
shredded lettuce
dollop of sour cream

Garnish with:
lime slices

Tomatillo Sauce (San Francisco Encore)

Heat in a large saucepan:
6 T oil (3/8 C)

Add, and cook until soft:
2 medium onions, chopped
1 7 oz can diced green chiles
26 oz. (2 13 oz. cans) tomatillos, drained
1 C chicken stock
3 TB fresh lime juice
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt

Simmer 25 minutes over low heat. Taste and correct seasonings. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth.

Uncover and sprinkle with
8 oz. shredded Jack cheese

You can freeze the enchilada filling by itself, or you can fill the tortillas, and flash-freeze them before you place them in a zip-loc bag. The sauce should be frozen separately (in a freezer bag) because it will make the enchiladas too mushy.

Chinese Postickers
To freeze these, fill the dough, then flash-freeze before placing in a freezer bag.

Kid Friendly Food

Most of the things I usually cook have dozens of ingredients. Sometimes it's hard for me to do things the easy way. It's rare that I'll make something with just 4 ingredients, but this recipe is one I loved from my childhood. I've made it for Katie, and it is one of her favorites. I'm almost embarrassed to post it, because well...it's so plain and simple, yet it's VERY kid-friendly.

The ingredients: a bag of shell noodles (cooked), grated cheese (2-3 cups of grated colby, cheddar, etc.), 2-3 regular sized tomato soup cans, and about a pound of cooked ground beef. There really isn't an official recipe. You just prepare the above items, place it into a baking dish, mix it up, and heat until the cheese is melted and it's hot throughout. I usually cook it for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

What do we call it? Sadly, we've never given it a name beyond "Shells". Which is really confusing when Katie requests "Shells" for dinner and I get excited thinking she's wanting my yummy "Stuffed Shells" recipe (will post that sometime in the future...it's delicious!). This happened a month or so ago. I went ahead and made several batches of Stuffed Shells (had to have some to put in the freezer for future dinners), only to have a semi-disappointed child who wanted "Shells" for dinner....

As soon as we went through the planned meals that week, I went ahead and made her what she wanted: Shells.

Katie's "Shells" are a little different though. She's a vegetarian (has been for over a year now). So in place of ground beef I add the soy "meat" to hers. I've used both the GimmeLean tubes and the Gardenburger bagged kind, and both seem to work.

Anyway, if you're looking for something quick, easy, and kid-friendly, you might want to try it.