This and That

1. Matt and I did meal planning and grocery shopping tonight that should last us through December 17 or so (with one or two quick produce and dairy trips in there).  Of the thirteen dinners we have planned, only five are things we've made before, so be on the lookout for some new delicious (assuming, of course, that they are indeed delicious) recipes.

2. First up on that list was Martha Stewart's Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage.  Matt says that his additions of red pepper and garlic as a base to the sauce, and his decision to double the sauce (we almost always double the sauce) and serve it over pasta makes our version Matt's Famous Chicken Cutlets with Prosciutto and Sage.  We both agreed that it was a make again meal.  Mitch concurred.  Basically, anytime that a meal includes prosciutto, it becomes a make again meal.

Martha's picture

Our picture.  I couldn't get a good picture of this meal to save my life. 
Plus, I was impatient and hungry, so I stopped caring about getting a good picture. 

3. I LOVE Nucky Thompson.  Is everyone watching Boardwalk Empire or what?  Is everyone else finding Nucky strangely attractive or what?  No?

4. Have you seen Baby June yet?  She's a cuteness.  That face!

5. Pretty sure the 'roid rage is gone.  Also, I think the 'roid rage had a lot to do with my being less than enthusiastic about returning to work today.

6. But today was pretty great.  I started reading The Great Gatsby with my eleventh graders and A Raisin in the Sun with my ninth graders, so that was nice.  A little bit of F. Scott is always good for the soul.

7. Oh, and just yesterday I heard this really cool radio program (what am I, 90?) about The Great Gatsby and its influence on American culture.  Great timing, NPR! (And you can listen below.)

8. An exchange (and evidence for why I will NOT be earning any teacher of the year awards anytime soon):

Me: . . .and there's a movie for the play, too.  It's got what's-his-name in it.  I don't know, what's he go by now?  Dude changes his name every year, it seems. . . 

Student: He's Diddy now.

Me: Changed his name again, Diddy?

9.  Matt says that a bowl full of leftover Butterfinger Halloween candy is not an appropriate snack.  I say Matt's not the boss of me.

10.  Why is Fletcher so cute?  That face!

Okay, well I'm off to either ellipt and then shower or to avoid ellipting and showering.  Or maybe I'll just eat some more Butterfingers and cuddle with the dogs on the couch.  Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll be awesome.  Happy day to you!

Guinness Steak

Matt and I decided that this week we will cook all new recipes (with the exception of Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta, which is on the menu for tonight).  We have all of these cookbooks, see, and it is just too easy to make the same things over and over again (Even if they are delicious.  I'm talking about you, Red Pepper Chicken).

So while Matt did [one of] his fantasy football draft[s] this weekend, I sat in the Lagoon with him and thumbed through the pages of some of our cookbooks.  We put together a little menu for ourselves, and headed to Publix (with every single slow and in-the-way person in Savannah--I thought I was going to start running people over with my cart).*

First up was last night's Guinness Steak.

You should know that Matt has a love/hate relationship with Guinness.  Love, because, well, it's beer.  Hate, because right after we left JMU, he and his family took a trip to Ireland.  They were in Dublin visiting the Guinness brewery at St. James Gate.  The brewery was on the way to the hotel, so instead of first going to the hotel to drop off their things, they went straight to the brewery.  The neighborhood didn't seem so shifty, so they parked on the street.  A fine young chap offered to watch their car, but they declined, opting instead to trust the good-natured Irishmen.  That was a decision that they quickly came to regret, when they left the brewery armed only with their gift shop t-shirts and the clothes on their backs, and found their car--broken into, empty.  Everything, gone.  The police tried to help out by giving them even more Guinness apparel.  Obviously, that ill-fated side trip ended up putting a damper on the family trip to Ireland.  Now, though, Matt's family can dress a small country with the amount of Guinness clothing they own.  **

Back to the steak.  This is actually one I saw on another blog, The Way the Cookie Crumbles, and emailed to Matt just a few days ago.  It was easy to make, used common, easy-to-find ingredients, and was really, really good.  We had it with Matt's famous grilled onions and parmesan polenta (also a first. . .mmmmmmm).  We both agreed that Guinness Steak goes in the "make again" column.

(We didn't eat the dog; I just can't resist it when he, as Opal put it, "sits on the couch like a person.")

Guinness Steak (The Way the Cookie Crumbles)


Ingredients
2 1⅓-pound flank steaks
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Coarse kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1¼ cups thinly sliced green onions (about 6)
1 12-ounce bottle Guinness (You'll only need six of those ounces.  Drink the other six.)
½ cup Worcestershire sauce***


Directions
1. Using sharp knife, lightly score flank steak about ⅛ inch deep on both sides in a crisscross pattern at ½-inch intervals. Place steak in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle steak on both sides with oregano and cumin and generous amount of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of steaks, rubbing oil and spices into meat. Add green onions, beer, and Worcestershire sauce, turning steak several times to coat both sides. Cover and chill at least 3 hours, turning occasionally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

2. Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Grill steaks to desired doneness, 4-5 minutes total per side for medium-rare, turning steaks ¼ turn after 1½ minutes to form crisscross grill marks, if desired. Transfer steaks to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks across grain. Transfer to platter and serve.


*Also, F you, Georgia for not selling beer or wine on Sundays.  Your silly rule  forced me to make a trip to Kroger this afternoon just for ingredients for meals.  While at Kroger, I somehow jammed my pinky toe against the wheel of the cart.  Now I have a big blood blister on my toe (and probably rabies), and shoe-wearing is going to be a bitch come morning.  I blame you, Georgia, and your asinine laws.

**When Matt returned from Ireland, he and I were talking on the phone.  Like a moron, I asked, "Ooh, did everyone there have Irish accents?"  Matt explained to me that they really didn't have Irish accents, since they watch so much American TV.  He was lying (obviously now), and I bought it. . .completely. 

***We used the last of our Worcestershire for this steak.  I told Matt we needed Morcestershire.  He shook his head, wondering perhaps why he married someone who believed that Irish people don't actually have Irish accents, and who makes such terrible jokes.

A Bolognese Recipe for You, from Cassie and Hugh

I'm obsessed with meal planning right now. Not only are we saving money (no trips to the grocery store for one thing that end with us spending $60), but we're enjoying a wider variety of foods.

We have a list hanging by the stove of meals to make, meals we have all of the ingredients to make. Last night, we tackled Hugh and Cassie's bolognese recipe.

The bolognese was f'ing amazing, and we made five servings for less than $10. Are you f'ing kidding me? That's cheaper than a Spicy Chicken Crunchwrap! (Per serving, of course. Nobody in their right mind would pay $10 for a Spicy Chicken Crunchwrap, unless it was a Diamond Spicy Chicken Crunchwrap. . .)

You'll need diced onions, celery, carrots, and minced garlic.

And some pancetta (1/4 lb. of Wilbur!)

Cube Wilbur.

Cook the onions for five minutes with some olive oil. (I was also pretty happy to make this meal because it afforded me the opportunity to use my beautiful gigantic blue Le Creuset dutch oven, this year's birthday gift from Matt's mom, who spoils me.)

Add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for another five minutes.

Add the pancetta and cook for another five minutes.

Then add your ground beef. Matt's really good from here on because it's no harder than taco night. (Which is not to bemoan Matt's cooking skills--he's not only master of the grill, but he makes about half of our meals now.)

Matt wanted to just eat this part with some, I don't know, tortilla chips.

But I convinced him to keep on keepin' on. He added the milk. . .

. . .and the wine. . .

. . .and all of the spices. . .

. . .and the cheese (can you spot a dog?)

. . .and the tomatoes and the tomato paste. . .

. . .until, finally, we had this.

He gave it a good stir.

And then we let it simmer for 45 minutes.

By the end, we had a little piece of heaven.

Seriously, we make some pretty good food. This bolognese, though, was in the top three. I'm going to make the bolognese fight Fresh Market steaks to see which one comes out on top. Then, I'll have a feast of the winner and the loser.

I think this one looks delicious; Matt thinks it looks like brains (also delicious).

Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings
Hands-on Time: 20m, Total Time: 1hr 25m
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ pound pancetta, chopped
• 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried
• ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan

Directions
1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat the oil.

2.Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.

4. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the beef and cook until brown.

5. Add the wine and the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes or until sauce is thick. Serve with cooked fettuccine. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Tip
Mix pasta and sauce together before serving so all the strands are evenly coated and the flavors marry.

I'm now planning on serving this to my family on Thanksgiving Eve. Cassie says I can make it in the afternoon and allow it to sit, during which time the flavors will blend even further, and then I can just heat it up when it's meal time.

I'm in awe. So so so so delicious, and it's cheaper than Taco Bell!