Internet Brain

http://www.damonleefowler.com/blog.htm?post=899685

Did this one tonight. I saw several recipes for much the same dish around the same time but this one caught my eye because it called for a cast iron pan. Since I now don’t have access to any other kind I wanted to try it to learn how to use them.

Basically: heat oil, season steaks, dredge in flour and brown on both sides, take steaks out and cook onions (I had a pepper so I threw it in). After onions are done, add 1tbsp flour and cook for 1 min before stirring in 1½ cup liquid and bring to a boil. Put the steaks back in, add some Worcestershire, take down to a simmer, cover and leave for 30 to 40 min or until the steaks are tender and the sauce is as thick as you want it.

It was a nice thick, dark sauce with a lot of flavor and went very well over rice.

http://allrecipes.com/howto/super-easy-stir-fry/

A really good step-by-step guide. I particularly like the lemon sauce.

1/4 cup lemon juice plus 1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
Combine all in a 1-cup measuring cup.

Glaze
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp chicken broth or water.

After everything is cooked, mix it together with the sauce
Finally, stir in the cornstarch mixture until juices become saucy and glossy. If the wok juices look too thick at this point, thin with a few more tablespoons of chicken broth or water

http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/2011/09/revolutionary-mac-cheese.html

I love Pinterest because it makes it easy to find new recipes but it is a time-suck.

Anyway, this is my new favorite mac & cheese recipe. I hate draining pasta and with this method I don’t have to. Just cook the pasta in the milk and add the cheese. I used a little mozzarella, and about half mexican mix and cheddar. No seasoning other than salt and it tasted great. It was a little grainy which the website says comes partially from using the shredded which gets coated in powder to keep it from clumping. Unfortunately I don’t have a good grater anymore so I’m stuck with pre-shredded.

http://www.quickneasyrecipes.net/philly-cheesesteak-stuffed-bell-peppers/

I tried this recipe this week for my grandmother who loves stuffed bell peppers but doesn’t eat rice, which most stuffing recipes include. She also doesn’t eat mushrooms so I left those out and substituted garlic powder for minced garlic.

She loved it and it really did taste like the filling in a philly cheesesteak sandwich. It was easy, just cut the onion and roast beef up; cook the onion until it’s nearly done then add the roast beef. Cut the pepper in half and clean it out. Add the filling until it’s overflowing and cover with another slice of cheese. Then stick it in a 400° oven for 15-20 minutes.

I went more toward 20 minutes and the cheese on top was more cooked than I prefer so I might try cooking it for 5 or ten minutes before adding the top cheese.

Very simple recipe off Pinterest.

You boil the potatoes, then toss them with olive oil and salt, spread it on a pan and stick it in a oven until it’s both soft and crispy.

I’ve done this twice. The first time I stuck with the recipe and it was amazing. The second time, I added some sliced carrots and they came out wonderful too. I think this method would work well with any of those root vegetables that take a while to cook. Thinking about putting a sliced onion in before it goes in the oven next time.

One problem though, I didn’t get enough oil on the vegetables and some of the potatoes stuck to the pan. If in doubt, spray the pan too. But they came out well enough that even my grandmother had seconds.

Tried a new recipe for mac & cheese. It was pretty good. A nice, simple technique. I used 2 cups of mild cheddar and about 1 cup of mexican mix shredded cheese. At first it tasted like grilled cheese sandwiches but after a while it blended to a nice milder flavor. Next time I might do half and half instead.