Skillet Beef Sroganoff

I prepared this dish on Wednesday evening and it was actually very good. This came from Cook's Country April/May 2007 issue which has gotten a lot of use from me. The sauce is very creamy and the brandy makes it rich and tasty.The leftovers are good, too. I'm not sure how I feel about cooking the noodles in the same pot, it does save on clean up, but it seemed to take longer for them to cook. The meat used in the recipe is called sirloin tips or flap meat. You pound the meat into an even 1/2-inch thickness, then cutting with the grain, slice the meat into 2 inch wide strips. Slice those strips against the grain, into 1/2-inch pieces.

Skillet Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 lbs. sirloin tips, pounded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
10 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 low-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup brandy
1/3 pound wide egg noodles
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice

Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef until well browned. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 1 tablespoon more oil and remaining beef.
Heat remaining oil in now empty skillet until shimmering. Cook mushrooms, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. (If pan becomes to brown, pour accumulated beef juices into skillet.) Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in broths, then brandy and return beef and juices to pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low until beef is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Stir noodles into beef mixture, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in sour cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

This recipe came from my April/May issue of Cook's Country, which has become my favorite cooking magazine. It's from the Cook's Illustrated people and the recipe's just seem to be more assessable and are recipes that I want to try out. Last night I made this soup since the weather was cooling off, it was creamy, cheesy and good. I served it with some warm crusty bread and a nice salad, which makes a great dinner in our house. I used ground chipotle pepper in my recipe instead of cayenne and topped it with a sprinkle of smoked Spanish paprika for extra color and taste. I will post the recipe as printed in the magazine.

Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stems peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, florets chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, plus extra for garnish
Salt and cayenne pepper

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broccoli stems and cook until bright green and just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, increase heat to medium-high and simmer until stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Add florets, cream and nutmeg and simmer until florets are tender, about 5 minutes.
Puree soup in 2 batches in blender until smooth, return to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat. Stir in cheddar until melted and season with salt and cayenne. Serve garnished with extra cheese.
Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat until hot, but do not boil or cheese will separate.

Dos Hombres-Rivermarket

Stacy and Tracey invited us to dinner last night. They wanted to go to Tarantino's, but we had just eaten there Saturday night, so we ended up at Dos Hombres. I wish we had just gone to Tarantino's, the menu is varied enough that we could have had completely different food(and much better food and much better service). Dos Hombres is just a so-so restaurant. The service is not that great and the food is very hit and miss. This was our third and probably last trip there.
Dan and I ordered beers because they do have a good house amber. The girls had already ordered the cheese dip and when it came out, it was not very warm. Dan and Tracey shared the Dos Fajitas and from the food leftover, it did not look like they enjoyed it much. I had the Cheese and Onion Enchiladas, which were okay, but the portion seemed a little skimpy compared to other Mexican places in town. Stacy had the Fajitadilla from the appetizer section. It was a large tortilla filled with steak and grilled fajita veggies, served with sour cream and guacamole. This was one of the better dishes on the table and a bargain, because it was half price.
The company was great, but the food just does not hold up to all the choices we have out there! Next time, we will take them to Senor Tequila, where the food is much better. Dos Hombres is located in the River Market at 528 Walnut.

Panera Bread

Hooray!! Panera is now open at 311 NE Englewood Road in the Creekwood Commons shopping center. The restaurant is very spacious on the inside, with lots of natural light and a fireplace. They have a nice outside eating area as well, which is always welcome in my opinion. We already bought a loaf of bread there last night, their 3 Cheese Bread, which was very good. I'm not typically a fan of chain restaurants, but Panera always serves up good food and the service is typically good. I look forward to many meals there.

Maple Plank Salmon

Last night I used a maple plank for my salmon. It imparts a subtler wood taste than either the alder or cedar, but it was just as good. I marinated the salmon for about 20 minutes in the juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 cup white wine and a clove of garlic coarsely chopped.

Before placing it on the plank, I sprinkled it with salt and pepper, fresh dill and more chopped garlic. I love using planks for salmon and really need to try and expand my horizons and use them for other fishes and meats.

I served the fish with some cooked carrots and this amazing couscous from Green Acres Market in Briarcliff Village. It is an Israeli Couscous with Edamame and Mint that you get from their deli counter. It's nice, light and refreshing and perfect served with fish.

Chicken Pizza with Roasted Garlic

Thursday night I decided make pizza, but I wanted something a little different from the norm. I made the crust, Semolina Pizza Crust from a past posting, then came up with the topping. I started by roasting a head of garlic in the oven, slicing off the very top, drizzling it with olive oil, wrapping it in foil and baking it for an hour at 375. Once it is cool enough to handle , I squeeze the head of garlic and the pulp comes right out. I mixed it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then rubbed that onto the prepared crust.

I then seasoned 2 skinless-boneless chicken breasts with Penzey's Pizza Seasoning and grilled them in my square grill pan until cooked through. I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and placed it on the pizza.

I then topped that with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan and baked it for 12 minutes at 450 degrees.

I drizzled it with a little more olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar that I had reduced down to a syrup before serving it.

Ron Gutierrez- Vocalist at Cascone's

Saturday night, I took Dan to Cascone's for his birthday. Not only did we enjoy an excellent meal, but we were treated to the incredible voice of singer, Ron Gutierrez. Ron preformed in the main dining room with a guitarist and did an awesome job. His voice is silky smooth and he has a varied repertoire. Our waitress told us he sang Pink Floyd's "Another Brick on the Wall" at his previous engagement there, I should have requested it. He was very enjoyable and if you get a chance to hear him, you should take it. He has a website www.rongutierrez.com, so check it out.

The dinner was great too. Dan had the Italian Flag Combo, which consisted of Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo($15.95). I had Johnny's Combo; Lasagna and Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Meatball and Mushrooms ($16.95). I started with the Chicken Pasta soup because I don't care for their salad any longer and the soup was very good. The entire meal was excellent, as always. They are located at 3733 N. Oak Trafficway KCMO 816-454-7977. Great food and music, you can't get much better than that.