So let's start. :) The other night I made a family favorite (my cousin, Kari still dreams about it I think.). It wasn't anything new but is always a meal that just hits the spot. And even better - it's soooo inexpensive, which also makes it a great meal to serve for company!
It's a marinated roast/steak! I haven't tried it with a roast...we just buy the small marinating steaks from the grocery store. They are between $3-$6 each usually. My husband and I can nearly polish off two ourselves so keep that in mind if you are serving it for a group bigger than that.
Here is the recipe - this is not an original me recipe and I haven't made any alterations (which is a bit unusual). This was found on allrecipes.com (and excellent resource) and first tried by my good friend, Karma.
Marinade:
3 cloves of garlic, minced (I use the black & decker handy chopper plus - I seriously think this is a kitchen essential)
1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of veg oil (use the same Tbsp for the oil and ketchup, doing the oil first...the ketchup just slides out of the spoon!)
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
**Poke meat with fork (I actually make slices on each side with a sharp knife) and marinate. You can do it for 20 minutes or 2 hours - a great recipe for something quick too!**
Place on BBQ for a few minutes on each side. The rarer the better (to a point of course). Then slice - on a diagonal...my husband says it tastes better that way. haha The *only* downfall of this dish is it does get cold quickly. So keep that in mind and try to have all other dishes ready.
I also made caesar salad, baked potatoes with carrots, and garlic bread. I make my own caesar dressing (I make most of my own dressings) and it is truly TO DIE FOR!!! I have two recipes that I'll share though - one I grew up with my mom making (delicious) and one my dad has found and perfected since. For this meal I did the second one.
Caesar Dressing #1 (my mom's)
In a blender:
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup of evaporated milk (pretty much the whole small can)
1 cup of olive oil (add slowly while blending the other ingredients)
2 glops of mayonnaise (or miracle whip)
1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (I don't usually add it to this recipe)
*Keeps about a week*
SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS
Caesar Dressing #2 (found online but perfected by my dad)
In a bowl - and mixing after the adding of each separate ingredient:
1 medium clove of garlic, minced (using the handy chopper again)
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch of salt (I pretty much never add salt to recipes, so I omit this)
1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (don't worry - it doesn't taste fishy)
1 tsp dijon mustard (the real stuff...I use French's in the glass jar)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Pour ingredient into blender and add:
1 large coddled egg (yolk only)**
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I usually use the bottled stuff)
about 3 Tbsp parm cheese (give or take depending on how you like it...I'm a cheese addict, the more the better)
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (miracle whip)
Add 1/3 cup virgin olive oil while blending.
**To coddle an egg....Gently drop into boiling water (enough to cover it) and *cook* for 30 seconds. I usually do a minute just to be sure. Crack and pour out white part, adding just the yoke to the blender**
Pour over washed, romaine lettuce (I usually rip mine...but sometimes use my lettuce knife...**using a metal knife on lettuce causes it to brown**) with croutons.
SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS
Then for the garlic toast. I buy the french loaves for about $1 at the grocery store and cut them in half lengthwise (to get two halves, the top and the bottom).
Mix in a bowl:
5 Tbsp butter softened (or margarine - that's what I use)
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced (again with the handy chopper)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
salt and pepper to taste (I don't add these...but would only add the pepper if I was going to)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I don't usually do this...but it's great either way)
Spread mixture on bread and bake in oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes. I like to broil for the last few minutes but have been known to forget and end up with some pretty crispy, pretty black garlic toast. *eeks*. I prefer to do this in the oven as it's less time consuming than the stove. But either way will work! Then slice (as shown) into individual serving slices.
SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 5 STARS
The carrots and potatoes...I cooked the potatoes in the microwave (making several cuts in each so there would be no potato explosion. lol) for about 5 minutes total (2, 2, 1).
I peeled and cut the carrots and steamed them just enough to make them a litle bit soft (otherwise they won't cook thoroughly in the oven and will still be too hard). When the potatoes were cool. I cubed them (bit-size) and mixed them all into a baking dish (corning ware is a beautiful thing) with a drizzle of olive oil. I sprinkled garlic salt and just a smidge of seasoning salt. Put them in the oven to bake (the time doesn't really matter....maybe 20-30 minutes I guess).
SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 3.5 STARS
(they were good...but not knock your socks off good...although I make this regularly because it's a nice side dish and it uses up our potatoes)
I thought I would try something a little new this meal....I took the leftover marinade and turned it into a gravy for the carrots and potatoes. My only recommendation is that you DON'T TRY IT!!!
haha...I thickened it with water and cornstarch (1 cup of lukewarm water with a few Tbsp of corn starch...add to the boiling marinade and stir until thickened) which was great. But the taste was too strong....great for a marinade but not straight. I was excited when I thought to do it....but I will not be venturing there again. LOL
SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS RATING: 0 STARS
Let me know if you try any of these and what you think....It would be fun to compare your experiences too. Oh and don't worry, not every post will be this long....and I apologize to my photography friends for having to endure the less than *seriously scrumptious* photos of the food....I know I need a better camera. but for now - just be grateful you get photos ;)
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