Stuffed Flank Steak

This past Sunday, Clay and I hosted a Mother's Day dinner for our moms. We had good company, good drinks, and great food! I found this recipe in a cookbook I have - Katie Brown's Weekends. We made a couple minor ingredient changes - including the addition of bleu cheese - crucial! Other than that, we didn't change much. You could definitely play around with the ingredients you use to stuff it though - there are a million options.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Flank Steak
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 zucchini, cut into strips lengthwise
6 oz button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 1/2 red peppers, roasted and cut into strips
1/4 cup Bleu cheese
Kitchen twine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (The original recipe calls for these amounts of herbs. I just eyeballed it and probably ended up using more)

Start by laying out your flank steak on a pan you can use to transport it to the grill. The flank steak needs to be butterflied (cut in half parallel to the cutting board almost all the way through). This is a little tricky to do yourself, and if you choose to go this route, be VERY careful. An easier option is to have the butcher at your grocery store do it for you.

* Tip - if you do ask your butcher, ask them to butterfly it width-wise, like a book, instead of lengthwise like mine was. This will make it easier to keep your stuffing inside the steak. You can make it work either way though.

Saute the zucchini and the mushrooms in a pan with a little olive oil until just tender. You don't want to cook them all the way here, because they'll continue to cook when you put the steak on the grill. You really just want to make them soft so they're easier to arrange on the steak.

Sprinkle the inside of the steak with salt and pepper, then begin by laying the zucchini as the bottom layer.
(Got a little help from the hubs one this one while I took the pics :) )

Next, arrange the mushrooms over the zucchini.

Then, top the mushrooms with the red peppers.

Finally, sprinkle the bleu cheese over the red peppers.

Fold the top layer of the steak back over the stuffing. Use the string to secure the edges of the steak and keep the stuffing inside while grilling.We used several pieces of string across the width, and also a couple across the length of the steak too.

Trim any extra string just above the knots. Rub the top of the steak with the chopped parsley and thyme. You can also add some salt and pepper here if you'd like.

Place the steak on a preheated grill, and cook for about 15 minutes on each side, or to your desired level of doneness. Cooking time will vary based on the size and thickness of your steak. Be careful as you flip the steak so as not to lose any of the deliciousness inside.

(We doubled up on the recipe.)

Remove from grill and allow to cook for a few minutes.

Cut and remove the string. Slice either into strips or into portion-sized sections, and serve.

Margarita Cupcakes

Margaritas just happen to be one of my favorite drinks, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe for Margarita cupcakes. I made them recently for a party and they were a hit! I have to admit I enjoyed licking the bowl after making them too. :)

Today, we're going to a Cinco de Mayo party, so I thought these would be the perfect treat to bring! The first time I made them, they were delicious, but I thought they could use a little bit more of a lime punch, so this time I added more lime juice and zest (as reflected in the measurements below). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 2 limes
4 tbsp tequila, divided
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used lowfat)

Tequila Lime Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp tequila
Pinch of salt

*One note about the icing - I made it according to the measurements listed here, and ended up with a lot of extra icing. I think this is because I whipped the butter for several minutes, aerating it and making it very light and fluffy. If this is how you like your icing, you could probably get away with using 2/3 or 3/4 cup butter rather than the full cup, making the same proportional adjustment to the sugar.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes at medium-high speed.

Set mixer speed to low and mix in the eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure mixture is well-blended.

Mix in the lime juice, lime zest, vanilla and 2 tbsp tequila.

 

The mixture will look almost curdled. Don't worry - this is normal.

With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with buttermilk in between each batch.

 

After the last batch of the dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and give it one last stir by hand.

 

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, and divide the batter between the 12 cups.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until tops of cupcakes begin to turn a golden color. (I checked mine after 30 minutes, and they weren't quite done, so I baked them for 5 more minutes. Baking time may vary by oven, so you'll just have to keep an eye on them.)

Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining 2 tbsp tequila.

While the cupcakes are cooling, time to make the frosting! Begin by placing the butter in the mixer bowl and whip at high speed for 3-5 minutes. Gradually add in the confectioners sugar. I would suggest reducing mixer speed to low, or you will end up with a big mess. As you can see from this picture, I learned that the hard way. Everything in the near distance ended up with a light dusting of sugar...woops! (Our dog, Chance, was loving it though...)

 Scrape the sides of the bowl, and add in the lime juice, tequila and salt. Mix thoroughly until light and fluffy.

I used a piping bag and tip to frost the cupcakes, but you can just as easily use a frosting knife or the back side of a spoon to spread the frosting on top of each cupcake.

Sprinkle the cupcakes with a light dusting of lime zest if desired.

 Top each cupcake with a lime wedge, and you're done!

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Hula Pie

On our recent trip to Maui, there was certainly no shortage of great food and drinks. Hula Pie seems to be a pretty popular dessert - it was on the menu at a lot of the restaurants we visited. After we tried it, we found out why. It. is. delicious. So I tried to make it myself, and although the scenery may not have been as good as it was sitting at an oceanfront restaurant with my toes in the sand, the taste was just as I remembered...amazing.

Ingredients:

9-inch chocolate cookie pie crust

1 half-gallon vanilla bean ice cream

10 oz macadamia nuts, chopped, divided

6 oz chocolate fudge topping, room temperature

1 shot espresso or strong coffee

Whipped cream

Allow the ice cream to soften. Scoop into a large bowl, add in 5 oz. chopped macadamia nuts and mix together.

Scoop ice cream into the pie shell. Shape and smooth into a dome shape.

Place back into freezer for several hours to allow the ice cream to harden. 

Combine fudge topping with warm coffee and mix until smooth.



Using a knife or the back of a spoon, spread the chocolate mixture over the frozen pie.



Place back in the freezer for about an hour, or until ready to serve.

When it's time for dessert, cover each slice with whipped cream and remaining chopped macadamia nuts, and ENJOY!

Source: Slightly adapted from a recipe found in Hawaii Magazine

Jambalaya

 Ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 chicken breast, cubed (about 6-8 oz) and sprinkled with salt and pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 oz turkey sausage, chopped
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (I used a mixture of green, red and yellow)
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove chicken from the pan and add in sausage. Cook the sausage until lightly browned. Add in onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, celery, and garlic.

 Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook until vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add in rice, and stir for 2 minutes.

 
Add in broth, paprika, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and red pepper.

When the mixture comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken, and cook until all liquid is absorbed.

 Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook about 5 minutes or until they're done. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Top with green onions, and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired.

 

Source: Slightly adapted from this Cooking Light recipe

A Valentine's Day Dessert

Looking for a dessert to make for your Valentine? Try these mini heart shaped cheesecakes with homemade strawberry sauce. I made them over the weekend and they turned out pretty well. I was kind of making them up as I went, so they weren't absolutely perfect the first time, but I added a few tips at the end of this post for how I would make them even better next time.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. package cream cheese (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
2 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
1 egg
2 refrigerated pie crusts
10-12 large strawberries
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp Creme de Cacao (optional)

Yields 20-24 mini cheesecakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Unroll pie crusts on a clean floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out until smooth. Here's where your art skills come into play....Carefully cut out heart shaped sections of the pie crust (they should be about 3-4 inches wide). If you have a large heart shaped cookie cutter, you can definitely use that too (or anything heart-shaped that you can use as a template).

Press hearts into greased mini muffin cups.

Using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp lemon juice until fluffy. Add in egg and mix until completely blended.

Fill each heart with the cream cheese mixture, about 3/4 full or so.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust turns golden.

To make the sauce, begin by cutting the strawberries into large chunks.

In a small bowl mix together remaining 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice with cornstarch. Combine strawberries, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice/cornstarch mixture, and remaining 1/4 tsp vanilla in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Stir in Creme de Cacao, reduce heat, and cook about 5 more minutes until the mixture turns into a thick sauce.

When the cheesecakes are done, remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Once cheesecakes and strawberry sauce have cooled, top each heart with a spoonful of sauce, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

A few suggested changes:
- I think next time I would make them in regular size muffin cups. The crust to cheesecake ratio was a little heavy on the crust and there wasn't as much cheesecake flavor in each bite as I would have liked. (The cooking time would likely need to be increased for the larger size.)
- Also, if you want to add a little kick of sweetness and hint of sparkle, try sprinkling a little sugar on the crust before baking.

Let me know what you think!

Spicy Southwest Chipotle Turkey Burgers

I think the warmer weather the past couple of days has put us in a grilling mood, because we were both craving burgers tonight. And what recipe in the Wiley household would be anything without a little spice? These were an experiment...that turned out to be pretty good if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:
10 oz. lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 1/2 tbsp Southwest Seasoning
1/2 large onion, sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 hamburger buns
1 avocado
1 tomato
Lettuce

Yield: 2 burgers
You can adjust the amount of turkey you use depending on your desired burger size.

Preheat your grill. While it's warming up, mix together the turkey, cheese, chipotle peppers, and seasoning in a medium sized bowl.

 
Form the mixture into two patties and grill for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked throughout.

While the burgers are cooking, saute the onion and yellow peppers over medium heat until tender and browned.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns. Top with lettuce, slices of avocado and tomato, and onion/pepper mixture. Add a little ketchup to make them spicy and sweet.

Southwest Seasoning

This seasoning is quick and easy and can be used on all sorts of things - poultry, fish, beef, pork, veggies, pretty much anything!

Mix together the following ingredients, and your southwest seasoning is ready to go:

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder