Gorgonzola Steak and Potato Rosti

I made these two a few weeks ago. The potatoes are so yummy and soft and the steak is probably the best I have ever had. Ever since I made the steak Chris has been asking for it. It is literally that good!

I start with the potatoes since they obviously take a lot longer to cook. Peel and cube 3 medium potatoes.

Throw all the potatoes in a bowl and mix with oil, salt, pepper, parsley and Parmesan. Mix well so that all the potatoes are covered.

The recipe says to bake at 325 but I turn my oven to 350. Stick potatoes in a bread pan if you have one. It works fantastic!! Otherwise use a roasting pan. Bake for 40 minutes and BAM you have some fantastic potatoes that are perfect for a side dish.

Now on to the most amazing steak ever!!

Start by spooning Worcestershire sauce over both sides of the steaks and let them stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle garlic and pepper over the steaks.

Place steaks on a broiler pan. Now here is where I differ from what the recipe says. Its states to broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Now....maybe the person who made this recipe and I have a different idea of what medium rare is but 3 to 4 minutes and my steak was still moving and mooing. So we broiled our for 5 to 6 minutes and its about perfect! Pull the steaks out and sprinkle the crumbled Gorgonzola over the steaks and return to the oven for 2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

Now you have the secret to happiness in steak form AND fantastic potatoes! My work here is done! I know you will love these recipes as much as we do!! Enjoy! See below for recipes.



Potato Rosti


3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (grated)


Put the potatoes in a roasting pan. Mix the oil to coat all the potatoes. Mix all the rest of the dry ingredients together and then spread over the oiled potatoes. Mix well so that all the potatoes are coated in the dry mixture. Roast at 325 for 40 minutes or until they are cooked through.



Gorgonzola Steak


2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese


Preheat broiler. Spoon Worcestershire sauce over both sides of steak; let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle garlic and pepper over steaks. Place steaks on rack of broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source, 3 to 4 minutes per side, for medium-rare steak. Remove pan from broiler. Sprinkle thyme, then cheese over steaks. Return to oven and broil 2 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Gravy Pork Chops with Stuffing Biscuits

This is an oldie but a goodie. I found this recipe when I first started dating my boyfriend Chris and came to the startling realization that this man can EAT and recipes normal people make leave him hungry still! So I started searching for recipes that were yummy but also very filling. We both fell in love with this recipe. Just tonight we were discussing how it reminds us of Thanksgiving dinner. Its super quick and easy so a perfect week night recipe! It seriously hardly has any ingredients yet is SO good and fulfilling.

The recipe calls for bone in pork chops and while they do work better because they cook faster; I have used one without bones and they work just fine. Take 1 tablespoon of butter and melt it in a frying pan over medium high heat and stick your pork chops in. Cook the chops for 8 - 10 minutes (I do 10) and only flip them once. Basically you want them a nice golden brown when you are done. Once they are done browning place them in a baking dish and pour the gravy over the top of all of them.

While the pork chops are browning I always chop up my celery and onion used in the stuffing biscuits. I use more celery and onion than the recipe calls for. Once those are finished being chopped throw them into the same frying pan used for the pork chops. Cook the celery and onion for 3-5 minutes (I do 3) and then set them aside.

Next is the fun part! Making the amazing stuffing biscuits! Mix the Bisquick mix, sage and milk until blended. Then stir in the onion and celery goodness that you just cooked up.

Once everything is stirred together, take that amazingly yummy dough and plop a big spoonful onto each of your pork chops.

The recipe says to bake at 375 but I always set mine higher for this recipe. I find that the pork chops don't cook all the way through at 375 and I always have to put it back in for more time. And who wants to do that when you are hungry and waiting for dinner! I usually put mine at about 395 or 400 and that seems to work well. Once the oven is ready just pop those chopies in and let them bake for 20 to 25 minutes (I do 25). When they are done the biscuits should be a delightful golden brown and the pork chops should have no more pink.

This recipe is some serious comfort food. I am a happier person after eating this meal. Those of you who are foodies will know what I mean. I have to say while the biscuits are my favorite part, the pork goes so well with the biscuits that in reality I love it all. See below for the full recipe and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!!



Gravy Pork Chops with Stuffing Biscuits


1 tablespoon butter or margarine

4 bone in pork chops

1 jar (12 oz) home-style pork gravy

1 medium stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup Bisquick mix

1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves

1/3 cup milk



Heat oven to 375. Spray 13x9 inch (3 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12 inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until browned. Place pork chops in baking dish. Pour gravy over top.

In same skillet, cook celery and onion over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender; remove from heat.

In small bowl, stir Bisquick mix, sage and milk until blended. Stir in celery and onion mixture. Drop large spoonful of dough onto each pork chop.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and pork chops are no longer pink in center.

Dandelions in the Garden and The Hidden Will of the Dragon

I recently read Dandelions in the Garden by Charlie Courtland. It is the first book in the series about the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Written from the perspective of her closest lady in waiting it is the historical fiction written about the descendant of Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler. Amara is the characters name who tells the story and I fell in love with her from the beginning. She is timid at first but really comes into her own in this story. While it is Elizabeth's story it is also Amara's. Elizabeth is strong willed, wild and stubborn where Amara is quiet and reserved. The more time Amara spends with Elizabeth though her wildness and willfulness rubs off on Amara. Elizabeth is forced to marry and takes Amara with her, it is during this tough time the girls bond is sealed for life. They go through hilarious situations that they get in to, finding love, hatred and sorrow and everything in between. Elizabeth loses it a little through out the book and punishes anyone who gets in her way or crosses her, quite violently. Amara is often times shocked at what goes on but is loyal nonetheless. I was totally drawn into the world of lords and ladies and arranged marriages and scandal. Its a wild ride and I couldn't put the book down. The story is quite dark at times and very descriptive as to the cruelties Elizabeth invokes on her subjects. Not for the faint of heart. I give it 5 stars.

I finished the second book The Hidden Will of the Dragon a few days ago and while this book was quite different from the first I still enjoyed it. This book was much darker and more strange. It really got more into Elizabeth sort of going off the deep end and getting into "experimenting". This books deals with more of the things that the rumors and legends came from. Elizabeth was known as the Blood Countess and she was rumored to be into vampire-ism. It was also said she bathed in virgins blood. Many people who went into her castle did not return. This book also covers Amara going through love and loss and really changing as a person. Rather than just be a spectator she becomes part of Elizabeth's plots. People around the two really start to realize how unbalanced Elizabeth is. I still love Amara's character in this book but Im not sure how I feel about Elizabeth. In the first I loved her spirit and determination but in the second book she is slightly manic and insane. Still a very good read and I was totally sucked in to the story and these women's lives. If you were unsure about reading the first one don't read this one. Its quite descriptive and gory. I also give this 5 stars.

Baked Oven Fries aka HEAVEN

I am a fry kind of gal. I would pretty much make a meal out of fries if I could get away with it and not weigh 700 pounds. I adore fries with burgers, meatloaf....yeah...pretty much everything goes good with fries. I am not a fry snob, I welcome all fries equally. Zesty, shoestring, steak, tater tots, sweet potato.....all fries are welcome! Every time I went grocery shopping I would at least by one or two bags of the frozen fries to save to make with an upcoming meal. Now there is nothing wrong with buying frozen fries, I think they taste great. Ignorance truly is bliss because I was perfectly happy with my freezer section fries.....UNTIL.....I found this recipe on Pinterest and my whole world was rocked. This may sound a bit dramatic....I assure you, its all true. Try the recipe and you will see. I literally do not buy fries anymore because this recipe is so good no store bought, frozen fry will stand up to it!!

Now....I will reveal the GLORY....continue reading....


First you want to peel and cut your potatoes. You want to make them...well....fry shaped! They by no means have to be pretty. Mine turn out all shapes and sizes and ya know what? They all taste amazing!

Once you get done chopping them into beautiful shapes, stick all your lovely little fries into a large mixing bowl and cover them with hot water. I have NEVER heard of doing this before but I researched and most people who make homemade fries do this. The reason for soaking them is to get as much starch as you can off of the potatoes. It prevents the fries from having a cottony, starchy texture. Who knew!? The recipe says to let the fries soak for 10-30 min. I have never made it the full 30 min. I usually let them sit 10 to 15 and this seems to work fine.

While you wait for the taters to soak grab a rimmed baking sheet and pour 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil on it. Tilt the sheet from side to side and evenly coat the pan with the oil. Sprinkle the pan evenly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain your potatoes. Spread the wedges out onto layers of paper towels. Wipe out the bowl and then return the potatoes to the bowl. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Arrange the potato wedges on the baking sheet in a single layer. I can honestly say follow that instruction. I cut too many fries one time and layered them a little and it was not OK. No layering people!

Time to bake!!!!
Heat your oven to 475. Cover the baking sheet tightly with tin foil and bake those puppies for 5 minutes.

Remove the foil at this point and bake for 15 -20 min until the bottoms are golden brown. You want to rotate the baking sheet after 10 minutes so the fries cook evenly. Using a spatula flip each fry but make sure to keep them in a single layer. Stick them back in the oven and keep baking for 5-15 min. I rotate the pan one more time during this last baking session just to make sure.

It is a bit of a process I know however it is SO worth it!! My fries got a little dark this last time when I took this picture (I blame the wine) but normally they turn out a tantalizing golden color.

You have been imparted with the power of the fries! Go forth and make delicious fries for all!
Recipe below:



Baked Oven Fries

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges

5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided use

3/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste


Preheat the oven to 475. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on a layer of paper towels or clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5-15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

 

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

I haven't posted in SO long!!!! My apologies! I got really burned out and life has a funny way of sorta just taking over and getting in the way. But I have been missing my blog and documenting my cooking and reading! And I'M BACK!! I have been cooking this entire time and I feel as though I have become quite the chef! I got on Pinterest and find most of my new recipes on there now. I have found some amazing recipes!! I feel I have grown in my cooking abilities and stretched myself as far as the recipes I will try. I always prepare these new recipes and think I have to share this with everyone its delicious! So....here we are. Today I am going to be covering buttermilk chicken tenders. They are as yummy as they sound. Who doesn't like things cooked in buttermilk?? I made these tonight and quite frankly I wanted to eat them all not share any. They were very good!

First off....the recipe calls for "chicken tenders" I personally couldn't find any that weren't already breaded so I bought a bag of chicken tenderloins and those worked perfect! I also somehow missed the fact that the recipe called for the chicken to marinade over night so I just let mine sit for maybe an hour. Seemed to work fine though! For your marinade you want to combine 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp paprika.

Rather than combine all this in a dish and let it marinade the recipe says to mix it all in a large Ziploc bag. I used a gallon sized bag and found that this worked really well. Stick your chicken in the bag after mushing all the marinade ingredients together and stick it in the fridge while you get the breading ready. I stuck mine in a glass baking dish just in case the bag leaked. No thanks on the salmonella mess in my fridge!

The breading is super simple which is one reason why I love making breaded chicken tenders. Very simple, tastes awesome! For the breading combine 1 1/2 cups of of flour, 1 "heaping" (I thought this was funny ha ha!) tsp of salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp paprika and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Whisk it all together in a large bowl until blended, then add the 3 tablespoon of buttermilk and stir with a fork until clumpy.

Are you ready to fry up some chicken tenders?! Lets do this!

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade and place them in the flour mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so the clumps stick! Set your breaded chicken tenders on the foil covered cookie sheet.

At this point I grabbed my baking dish that I used to keep spills from happening and lined it with paper towels. This was my cooling/ draining dish for the finished chicken tenders.

Add vegetable oil to a large high sided pot until level reaches about 3/4 inch. I am really bad with measuring stuff like this so I just kinda eye balled it. When it was high enough that it would almost entirely cover my tenders is when I stopped pouring. Heat over medium high or high heat depending on your stove. My stove runs hot so I used medium high. Once the oil is ready, using tongs, place several pieces of chicken in the pot. Make sure not to touch them together or you will have glued together chicken tenders! Trust me, I know...ha ha!

Let them cook for 3 minutes before flipping them and allowing that side to cook for 3 minutes. Once done on both sides use the tongs to pull the chicken tenders out and place them in the paper towel lined dish and let the oil drain off. After pulling the tenders out I cut them open in the centers just to make sure they were cooked entirely. You can never be too careful with chicken! Fry up the the remainder of your chicken tenders. I recommend eating them pretty quickly after frying. Cold fried food is never fun as most of us know. I served mine with a little bowl of Ranch and a little bowl of yellow mustard mixed with honey.

Now that wasn't too hard was it?! Doesn't take too much time so its perfect for a meal during the week! I made enough that there was left overs since the boyfriend loves taking the recipes I make for lunch the next day. Hope you enjoy!! Please see below for complete recipe.





Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders


2 lbs chicken tenders

3-4 cups vegetable oil, for cooking


For Marinade:

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika


For Breading:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 heaping tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tablespoon buttermilk



1. Combine the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Seal the bag tightly and smush it around to ensure chicken tenders are evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in dish in case of leaking and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

2. Make the breading by combining the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined, then add buttermilk and stir until evenly clumpy.

3. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Remove chicken tenders from the marinade and toss into flour mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to meat. Set breaded tenders on prepared baking sheet.

4. Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set aside. Add oil to large, high sided pot until the level reaches 3/4 inch. Heat over high heat until oil is shimmering. Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side (3 min) then flip and cook second side until also golden brown (3 min). Set cooked tenders on baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches. Serve hot.