Author: Brent Evans

Steak with Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter topped with Balsamic Roasted Red Onions & Thyme / Plus a Side of Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Mushrooms

Let’s just start with the meat being pricey. We both just got paid, so we were feeling really good about ourselves . . . maybe a little too good? Anyway, we got some really good meat.

There were 3 recipes (sorry), so, we definitely needed some beverage!

It was also Christmas time so we just had the local station on playing non-stop holiday music – 99.5 WJBR. Ho, Ho, Ho! Just like with all the recipes done here, simply click on the above title for the link of what was borrowed (adapted?). As always, I’ll lay out what we followed as well as any of the changes that were made along the way.

The Line-up (Ingredients)

STEAK WITH BLUE CHEESE & CHIVE COMPOUND BUTTER

• For the Steaks:
• 2 (1½ inch thick) steaks (New York strip, rib eye, flatiron or hanger steaks)
• Course kosher salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Grapeseed or other neutral oil for grill (yeah, I didn’t do this)
• For the Blue Cheese and Chive Compound Butter:
• ½ lb (8 oz) unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
• 2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons chives, fresh, chopped fine
• ⅛ teaspoon course sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 oz Blue Cheese

BALSAMIC ROATED RED ONIONS WITH THYME

• 3 large red onions (about 2 lbs / .9 kilos)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (60 mL plus 30 mL)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60 mL)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (about 8 sprigs or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ teaspoon course kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

SHEET PAN GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 pounds cremini mushrooms

Game Plan (Instructions)

STEAK WITH BLUE CHEESE & CHIVE COMPOUND BUTTER
1) Make the compound butter: Place the softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (if using a hand-held mixer, place butter into a mixing bowl) and beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add chives, mustard, salt and pepper. Beat on medium speed until everything is well mixed, 1-2 minutes.

2) Crumble in the blue cheese and gently mix until it’s incorporated. It shouldn’t be perfectly smooth, there should be a few small flecks of cheese here or there. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

3) Place the butter in the center of a sheet of parchment paper, wax paper or plastic wrap. Form a log by rolling the bottom half of the paper over the butter (roll it back and forth a few times until it’s the thickness you want), then roll it all the way closed. Twist the ends to seal and tighten the log (you can tie them with twine if you like) and refrigerate until hardened, about two hours.

4) Note: This recipe makes about 12 servings of the butter. The sealed roll will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months frozen.

5) Make the steaks: Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. If gas, preheat on high for at least 15 minutes ahead of time. Remove steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking so they come to room temperature. Season them liberally with course salt and pepper on both sides.

6) Rub grill grates well with oil. Grill steaks until medium rare, about 3-4 minutes per side (or however you like them done).

7) Remove steaks and immediately top each with a slice of Blue Cheese butter. Let it melt for 5 -7 minutes as the steaks rest. Serve with Balsamic Roasted Red Onions with Thyme.

BALSAMIC ROASTED RED ONIONS WITH THYME
1) Preheat the oven to 375ºF / 190ºC

2) Cut the onions in half vertically and then into ¼ inch thick slices (not paper thin or they’ll get mushy). Place on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, thyme, salt, pepper and ¼ cup balsamic vinegar.

3) Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes, turning once or twice, until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized. Remove from the oven, and while they’re still hot, pour over 2 more tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

SHEET PAN GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS
1) Preheat the oven to 375ºF / Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together butter, garlic, lemon juice, thyme and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3) Place mushrooms in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in butter mixture and gently toss to combine.

4) Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until browned and tender, tossing occasionally. Serve immediately.

So, in conclusion, the meal was delicious. All of it. BUT – the price paid on that meat? Well, we don’t believe it had anything really to do with it. We’ll game plan a little wiser next time and yes . . . there will be a next time for this meal!

Best Damn Instant Pot Ribs

My beloved Philadelphia Eagles just lost on this day when I came up from our downstairs of an entertainment area. Always bleeding green, I was obviously miserable. In turn, my wife made an attempt at helping me from my bird driven madness. She asked me if I was interested in helping with the ribs for dinner. And just like that – Game on!

Now, she picked the music of Anderson East via Spotify for our meal making sound. She loves this guy. At a concert in Baltimore, here’s a picture of her meeting Mr. East:

Anyway, the man can truly sing and thankfully there was a really long line of other people that followed for pictures with him. Otherwise, I don’t know how I would have gotten her out of that place that night.

Just like with all the recipes done here, simply click on the above title for the link of what was borrowed (adapted?). As always, I’ll lay out what we followed as well as any of the changes that were made along the way.

The Line-up (Ingredients)

• 1 slab of pork baby back ribs (1.5 – 2.5lbs)
• 2 tbs brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• BBQ sauce (about ⅓ cup of your favorite brand)

Game Plan (Instructions):

1. Remove membrane from the underside of the ribs by sliding a butter knife under the membrane and gently lifting it off. Use a paper towel for the best grip.

2. Mix all dry ingredients well.

3. Then, rub the dry ingredients liberally on top and bottom of ribs. Get the sides too.

4. Place trivet in Instant Pot and pour in the chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke.

5. Place ribs on their side on the trivet, curled around the inside of the Instant Pot with the top of the top facing outward. Secure lid, close vent, and pressure cook (manual on some models) for 28 minutes.

6. When cook time is complete, let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, the go ahead and release the remaining pressure.

7. Remove lid and carefully remove the ribs with tongs. Place ribs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

8. Liberally rub your favorite BBQ sauce all over the ribs and place under the broiler of the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce had nicely caramelized.

This was delicious and a clear cut winner for us. Another favorite part of mine was the leftovers – it wasn’t because it wasn’t enjoyed – we were just plain stuffed that night. In turn, I got to devour these meaty joys again later for an upcoming lunch – always a bonus. This is definitely a quicker and easier way to do some juicy, fall off the bone ribs in a much faster manner than cooking them up on the grill for hours.

Proscuitto Wrapped Cranberry, Arugula, & Brie Stuffed Chicken

Being a paperwork Monday, I was already home and it was one of those long, tedious days. Just when one fire is put out here, another one pops up over there. I simply wasn’t in the mood, but dinnertime didn’t care – it comes every evening whether you want it to or not. My wife is always the one that rallies the troops and gets the meal done for us, but not tonight because tonight was a Meal Challenge night, so I was all in. FYI – I do help on other nights – honest. It’s just that during the Meal Challenge dinners – I’m super helper! 🙂

The weekend prior I had made a run to the grocery store for us and initially couldn’t find the Arugula for this upcoming meal. However, we needed something else at some point for our Sunday night dinner and since I messed that one up too with missing something from the store, I ran out again in order to get this meal complete. This time, I found the arugula!

The Line-up (Ingredients)

3 chicken breasts
3-6 pieces of prosciutto
1/2 pound brie cut into thin slices
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup arugula

Game Plan (Instructions)

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Using a very sharp knife, cut a pocket in the middle of the side of each chicken breast from tip to tip. Cut just to the back of the breast, but not through the flesh. Make sure this is just a pocket, not cutting the breast in half.

3) Stuff a slice of brie, a handful of dried cranberries, and a third of the arugula into the pocket of each chicken breast. Wrap 1-2 slices of prosciutto around each chicken breast, “sealing” the prosciutto on the opposite side of the pocket.

4) Add the stuffed, wrapped chicken to a large baking sheet with plenty of space in between each one. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and roast the chicken for 12-14 minutes.

5) Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with potatoes and salad and enjoy!

Okay . . . now a side-note. We really did not think that this was a enough time for the chicken to cook, so we went ahead and put the chicken in the oven for the full 14 minutes. We honestly felt good that the 14 minute mark should do the job. Unfortunately, we were quickly proven wrong once we cut our wrapped delights in half. Back into the oven they went for another 10 minutes! Afterwards, the bottom was dry and everything was a little crispy on the outside, but we still dug in and enjoyed what resulted. To help this dish next time, both extra cheese and cranberries would have been good changes to administer.

Korean Chicken Bao

We went from one of the easiest meals that we’ve done during this challenge (Ranch and Dill Pickle Pizza) to definitely the most time consuming one. But – it was so worth it! There were plenty of time gaps with this recipe. During a couple of those moments, my wife and I went outside to watch the kids as they biked and skateboarded the streets of our neighborhood. However, when back inside, the meal prep music of choice was suggested by my wife. Through Spotify, we “enjoyed” K-pop to go along with the food that we were making. I’m fine with it. I get it. I can hear the hooks. In the end though, I very much needed my Rock music.

Just like with all the recipes done here, simply click on the above title for the link of what was borrowed (adapted?). As always, I’ll lay out what we followed as well as any of the changes that were made along the way.

The Line-up (Ingredients)

BAO BUNS

• 3 ¾ cups (450g) plain (all purpose) flour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp (equivalent to one packet or 7g) instant dried yeast
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (210ml altogether) warm water
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 tbsp olive oil

CHICKEN AND MARINADE

• 4 chicken breasts sliced into bite-size chunks
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic salt

CRISPY COATING

• 1 ½ cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• vegetable oil for deep frying – at least 1 litre/four cups

KOREAN SAUCE

• 2 tbsp gochuajang paste
• 2 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Game Plan (Instructions)

• Start by making the bao buns.
• Place the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl and mix together.
• Add the milk, warm water (activates the yeast) and butter to a jug and stir together until the butter melts. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture at first with a spoon, and then with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can do this in a mixer fitted with a dough hook.

• Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover (with clingfilm or a damp tea towel and leave until doubled in size – about 90 minutes – 2 hours).

• Meanwhile, start on the Korean Chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour.
• After the dough has proved (been aroused), tip it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. Knead the dough again and split into 20 balls. Place a piece of baking parchment on your work surface and roll each ball into an oval on top of the parchment, using a rolling pin – approx. 6cm x 9cm.
• Brush the ovals with the olive oil and fold each oval over, using a chopstick in the middle to fold over to leave a little space in the fold (so the oil is on the inside of the fold). Remove the chopstick and place each bun onto a small piece of baking parchment.

• Place the buns on the trays – still on the the baking parchment – as this will help you to move them later. Cover each tray with clingfilm or a carrier bag (ensuring the clingfilm doesn’t touch the dough – or it will stick) and leave to prove for a further hour, until puffed up.

• Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cups) of oil.
• Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.

• Once the oil is hot enough, add in 10-12 of the chicken pieces. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
• Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken.
• Meanwhile, put a large steamer pan on to boil. Working in batches, place the buns in the steamer (you can keep them on the baking parchment and steam for 10 minutes. I use a double layer steam pan – placing four buns in each layer. Once steamed, place on a warm plate.

• While the chicken and bao buns are cooking, make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
• Place all of the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss together to coat. You can leave the chicken chunks whole, or slice up if you prefer.

• Carefully open the steamed bao buns and stuff with the Korean chicken. Top with slices of red onion, cucumber, fresh coriander (cilantro) and sesame seeds before serving.

This meal was definitely a winner and we were both so proud of ourselves for having done it. Basically, it was one of those meals where you can’t believe what you are enjoying in your own house AND then to top matters off – you made it! Time was an issue though. It took all afternoon. However, as long as you have good company to share . . . you should just go ahead with making this meal sometime. Enjoy!!

Ranch and Dill Pickle Pizza

For this meal, we were discussing what to go with when I had a distant happy memory of pickles on pizza. Now, it certainly wasn’t an original idea or anything. Again, it was memory, since I had actually seen one of my former clients, Bill McCarty, on television explaining this delicious thought of Philly Dilly Pickle Pizza. Click here for that.

If you want to go and try it out for yourself, just go hit up the restaurant – Barra Rossa in Philadelphia, PA. Otherwise, my wife and I dug around on the web and found this recipe to play out for my meal challenge. Just like with all the recipes done, simply click on the above title for the link of what was borrowed (adapted?). As always, I’ll lay out what we followed as well as any of the changes that were made along the way.

Meal prep music was provided by Spotify with Vampire Weekend – yeah, a repeat offender. We really like them.

And, of course, there was beverage to warm things up.

The Line-up (Ingredients)

1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
2/3 to 3/4 cup ranch dressing
2 small garlic cloves very thinly sliced
1 cup freshly shredded low-moisture mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
1 cup very thinly sliced dill pickles
dried dill for finishing
hot sauce for finishing (optional, but duh! – We added it!)

Game Plan (Instructions)

1) Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone/steel in the oven before you start preheating).

2) Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12-inch circle, then transfer it to an oiled baking sheet or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).

3) Spread the ranch dressing evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Scatter on the sliced garlic and mozzarella, then arrange the pickles on top in an even layer.

4) Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 6 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.

5) Remove the pizza from the oven, then sprinkle with some dried dill. Slice and serve. We used Frank’s RedHot – Original Hot Sauce, too!

We were definitely happy with the outcome of this meal. I was also fortunate enough to have a couple slices for the road the following day – it’s good cold, too! If we were to make it again, I’m not sure if there would be any real future changes to make. There could certainly be some other options: different pickles, try with pizza sauce, or even mix in some banana hot peppers. Bottom line though, pickles and pizza together are a win!

Instant Pot Sausage & Spinach Soup

Just days away from the first day of Autumn and there was already a slight chill in the air – therefore, soup was the chosen dinner for the night. We went with a favorite soup from the Olive Garden – Sopa Toscana. I was excited about the sausage. Meanwhile, my wife stated aloud, “The kids are gonna hate this.” In turn, we did have “Chicken & Stars” as back-up.

For my wife, Eva Cassidy’s album – Songbird – always reminds her of Fall, so that was playing via Spotify. Once the album was done, Spotify then picks similar music to continue your “theme”. Jamie Cullum was next, which shocked us both because in the beginning of our relationship, this album was a favorite of ours and had long been forgotten. The musical play was spot on for us, but back to the dinner prep.

As I always explain with all of the challenges, simply click on the recipe title for the link of what was borrowed (adapted?). I then lay out what we followed as well as the changes that were made along the way. I have to admit, my wife was kicking it into high gear for this one. By the time I would find a teaspoon or tablespoon, my wife had already eyed up the ingredient and added it to the pot. I did help though – I promise!

The Line-up (Ingredients)

2 tbsp of olive oil
1/4 stick (2 tbsp) of salted butter
3 large shallots, diced
2 lbs of Italian Sausage (sweet, hot or mixed), casing removed
1 tbsp of crushed garlic (we minced)
1 cup of sherry wine or a dry white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc)
5 cups of garlic or chicken broth
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of seasoned salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1.5 lbs of baby red (or white) potatoes, sliced into quarters with the skin still on – we used white potatoes and a skill shot is shown below
5-8 oz of baby spinach
5.2 oz of Boursin (any flavor and can be found in the deli/fancy cheese section of most markets and Costco) or 5 oz of a brick of cream cheese
1 cup of heavy cream or half & half
Crusty Italian or French bread, to dip in the soup

Game Plan (Instructions)

1. Add the olive oil and butter to the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting (hit “Start” after if using the Ninja Foodi). Once the butter’s melted, add in the shallots and sauté for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned

2. Next, add the sausage and break it down with a wooden spatula/mixing spoon until crumbled (like a ground beef) and sauté (stir & set) for another 35 minutes. Add the garlic about 1 minute after the sausage is cooking and stir it in

3. Pour in the sherry and let simmer for 3 minutes and follow with the broth, Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, seasoned salt and black pepper. Stir well

4. Lastly, add in the potatoes, top with spinach and DO NOT STIR (leave the spinach right on top as it will cook down into nothing). Secure the pressure cooking lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” or “Stop” and hit “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” high pressure for 10 minutes (it will take a solid 10 minutes or so to come to pressure due to the amount of volume in the pot). Quick release when done.

5. Stir in the Boursin (or cream cheese) until melded and then add the heavy cream or half & half

6. Ladle into bowls and serve with some crusty Italian or French bread

After the first taste, there was too much of a fennel flavor to the soup. In order to cut that taste slightly, we added some hot sausage. Did I think of this? Absolutely not, but I witnessed the difference it made and slowly my cooking skills expanded. The soup was good. We had leftovers and my wife & I enjoyed them during lunches at work. Will we make it again – no urgency there, but we again did like it.