Did Someone Say Shrimp Sauce?

October 17, 2016October 16, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

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During our recent sabbatical, my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to eat out quite a bit, thanks to the gracious gifts of our church family. One evening we ventured out to a local Asian restaurant that we hadn’t been to in a very long time. The meal we ordered was a mixed meat grilled on a hibachi and served with a side of Shrimp sauce. The meat was great. The vegetables were flavorful, but the shrimp sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD! We ~~doused~~ added it to every bite!

Last week when I was making beef stir fry at home, the memory of that glorious sauce popped into my head and I Googled it in search of a recipe. I was shocked at the simple ingredients that are used to make the sauce. I had every ingredient on hand! This meal was so good, and it made me happy to be whipping it up in my own kitchen!

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Let me share with you the way I make my stir-fry and then I’ll add the simple recipe for the shrimp sauce.

Stir Fry
½ lb. your choice of meat – chicken, beef or shrimp
2 Tbl. Oil

In a wok, stir fry the meat until it Is cooked through. Remove meat and cover to keep warm. Add a little more oil to the wok and cook vegetables of your choice, starting with the vegetables that take longer to cook, then adding the other vegetables a bit later. The list below is the order I add my vegetables.

Zucchini
Red, green or yellow peppers – I like to ad a variety of these
Snow peas
Onion
Stir fry until crisp-tender.
In a small bowl, mix:
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbl. Corn starch.
2 Tbl. Soy sauce

Add this mixture to the vegetables and stir to thicken. Add meat and stir to cover with the sauce.
Serve with Shrimp sauce.

Shrimp Sauce
1 Cup Mayo – I used reduced fat
¼ cup ketchup
1 tbl sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. If you can make it an hour ahead and refrigerate it, the flavors will combine even better. I served mine immediately and it was still delicious, so don’t let that hinder you!

We won’t have stir-fry in the future without this sauce, I can promise you! This is great with any Asian food, so whip this up and dunk away!

If you could recreate any restaurant food you’ve had, what would it be?

With love from my country kitchen,

Sunday Dinner

The Best Sunday Roast Beef

April 11, 2016April 9, 2016 RefreshHer18 Comments

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Coming home from Sunday services to a home cooked meal that greets you with wonderful, enticing aromas when you walk in the door is a gift from heaven. Everyone is starving and no one wants to wait for long meal prep. It’s great to have a sure-fire way to cook a meal so it will be ready to eat when you get home. I have a solution for you!

Roast Beef platter

This recipe has been my favorite way to cook a roast for lots of years.Also, if you’re not great at making gravy, this recipe is a blessing because it makes its own gravy! You could use any variety of beef cuts – Chuck Steak, round roast, whatever is on sale. The technique is the same, but you may just need longer cooking times for larger pieces of beef.

Here’s the recipe:

Sunday Roast Beef Dinner
Roast beef
Oil
Carrots – However many you need for your group
Potatoes – ”
Lipton Onion Soup
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Water or broth

Directions: Add a couple tablespoons of oil to a shallow pan and sear the meat (cook at high temperature just to brown and caramelize a crust on the meat.) You could even do this part the night before!
Place roast and vegetables in a crock pot.
Spread undiluted soup over roast, icing it like a cake!
Sprinkle Onion soup over the mushroom soup and vegetables. Add a cup of water or chicken or beef broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serve meat and vegetables with the gravy in the crock pot.

You’ll be the woman of the year for anyone who eats this meal with you! It makes the meat flavorful and moist! Sunday dinner problems are solved. You’re welcome! 😉

What did you have for Sunday dinner yesterday?

With love from my country kitchen,

Lunch · Main dish.

Balsamic & Dijon Chuck Roast (& Soup with Leftovers!)

February 29, 2016February 27, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

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When I have a busy day ahead of me and don’t want to have to be fussing much in the kitchen for supper, I pull out the crock pot! I love a roast cooked in the slow cooker, because it’s so tender and moist!

This Chuck Roast is so flavorful, thanks to the Balsamic Vinegar. It gives it a depth of flavor that is rich and delicious! It made for the perfect meal on a busy day. I added a slaw on the side, and that was it! Dinner was complete with only about 15 minutes of prep! Here’s how I did it…

Balsamic and Dijon Chuck Roast

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
4 pounds Chuck Roast
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 cups beef broth – I added water and chicken stock b/c I was out of beef
1 bag Baby carrots
1 pound very small baby potatoes, white or red
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Season chuck roast well with salt and pepper, add to pan and brown well on all sides (a few minutes a side). Remove roast and set aside.
Add chopped onion to drippings in pot and reduce heat to medium. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, increase heat to medium-high and boil until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 4-5 more minutes. Stir in Dijon.
Transfer onions to a crock pot.
Set roast on top of onions in pot. Pour in 2 cups broth and add thyme. Place potatoes and carrots around roast in the liquid. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until very tender.

If (and that’s a BIG if) you have any leftovers, you’ll want to make this soup for tomorrow’s lunch! I had about 8 oz. of meat left, as well as carrots and potatoes. It made a hearty little pot of soup the next day!!! Most of the work was done already in the crock pot – it’s just a matter of adding some bouillon and seasonings!

I’m not going to be able to give you measurements for this soup – it all depends on how much you have leftover to put into the pot! Just “eye ball it”, adding enough liquid to make it a hearty soup.

Balsamic Beef and Veggie Soup

Shredded Balsamic Chuck Roast
Cooked carrots and potatoes from last night’s supper
Drippings from roast
Beef Bouillon – or Beef broth
Water – To mix Bouillon ( I added half water, half chicken stock)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until heated through.

I’m not sure what was better – supper or the soup the next day! You try it and let me know which you like best!

With love from my country kitchen,

Main dish.

Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie

February 15, 2016 RefreshHer4 Comments

Shepherd's PIe1

Shepherd’s pie is an old dish, made as a way to use up leftover roasted meat. The traditional pie started out being called a Cottage Pie, then as the meat inside was often lamb, the term Shepherd’s Pie began around 1877. Now the pie is made with either beef or lamb. The pie is was lined and toppedwith mashed potatoes.

A less expensive and updated version of Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground beef instead of the more expensive cuts, and adds sour cream and cheese to the potatoes. This is no less savory! It’s comfort food at its height of comfort!

I made this last week when I was visiting my parents. Biscuits and a salad were added to complete the meal. It was a perfect winter supper! Here’s the recipe (as I remember it!).

Ingredients:

4 med-large potatoes
1/3 Cup Sour cream
1/4 Cup milk
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 pound ground beef
2 Tbl. Olive oil
1 large onion
1 large carrot, diced
2 Tbl. Tomato Sauce
2 Tbl. flour
1 cup water
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash, adding sour cream and milk – enough to make them creamy. Add grated cheese Set aside.

In skillet, add oil, onions and carrots. Cook until tender. Add beef and crumble and brown meat. Add flour and mix in. Add tomato sauce, water. Stir to combine. Add spices. Simmer until liquid reduces by half.

Spoon Meat mixture into an oven-proof casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Using tines of a fork, make a pattern in the potatoes. This will help them brown. Place in 400 degree oven and bake until golden and bubbly.

Has anyone made Shepherd’s Pie? I hope you’ll try this version! This would make a GREAT Wintery day supper!

With love from my country kitchen,

dinner in 30 minutes · Main dish. · Pasta

Hearty Dinner in 30

January 18, 2016January 18, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

Stroganoff

Last week we (by “we” I mean my husband!) grilled steaks outside on the coldest, windiest day of the week! We love our beef and we will cook it at all personal costs! Ha! Forget the idea of every being vegetarian!

While we had the grill fired up, I decided we’d do two steaks and have one for another night. I used the leftover meat for Beef Stroganoff and it was so delicious! I couldn’t find my old recipe, but pretty much had it in my head. Here’s how I made it:

1# Beef, cut into strips – **(Mine was cooked, so I added it in at the end to warm it up.)
4 Tbl. butter
1 Onion, sliced
1 C Fresh Mushrooms
2 – 3 Tbl Flour
1 Can Beef Consume’
1 Cup Sour Cream
Bag of Egg noodles

Boil noodles. In the meanwhile, melt butter in skillet. Add meat and cook ’til browned. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until tender. Add flour and stir to combine. Pour in consume’ slowly to combine with flour mixture.. Cook over medium heat to thicken. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Stir. Warm on stove just until hot. Pour over cooked noodles.

The picture on the top right is the mushrooms, onion and consume’. The picture below it shows the sour cream being added. The picture on the left shows the creamy mixture after the sour cream is stirred in.

This is such a great fast meal. I love it because it’s not your typical pasta and red sauce quick meal. It’s hearty and full of flavor. Add a salad and a roll and supper is on the table in half an hour!

Any other meat lovers out there?

Happy Monday!

Love from my country kitchen,