Grilled Chipotle Steak Sandwich

Posted on May 24, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

 EASY RECIPE

This recipe would be great for a Memorial Day barbecue. I am using a Chipotle Vinaigrette as a marinade for the rib-eye steak and to make a spicy mayonnaise spread. The Chipotle Vinaigrette recipe is from  Mii amo Cafe’, located in the Mii amo Spa and Resort in Sedona, AZ, and their step by step recipe is reprinted here with their permission. To learn more about their resort, and Mii amo Cafe’ cookbook go to http://www.miiamo.com/mii-amo-cafe/ .

Chipotle Vinaigrette:

2          Chipotle Pepper Pods (canned with adobo sauce)

1tsp     Oregano

1/4      Yellow Onion (diced)

1/2      Bunch of Cilantro

1/2 C  Red Wine Vinegar 

1tsp     Dry Mustard

Dash    Salt

Dash    Pepper

1tsp     Adobo Sauce (from the can of Chiptole Pepper Pods) 

2 C       Thickened Veggie Stock  (add cornstarch to thicken) 

Add all ingredients, except veggie stock and cilantro, into blender.  Slowly add veggie stock while blending to emulsify.  After the ingredients are nicely blended add the cilantro and blend again briefly (do not turn the vinaigrette green).

For my my grilled steak sandwich portion of the recipe.  You will need:

1 lb       Rib-eye Steak

1            Ciabatta loaf of bread about 12 inches long 

1            Bunch Spinach

1             Red Onion

2             Avocado

               Havarti Cheese slices

               Olive Oil

1/2C      Mayonnaise  

Place the steak in a sealable plastic bag and cover with the Chipotle Vinaigrette (reserving some for later use), seal the bag, make sure the steak is nicely covered with Vinaigrette and place in refrigerator for 2 or more hours.

To the 1/2C mayonnaise add reserved Chipotle Vinaigrette (about 1/4C) and place in refrigerator.

Wash the spinach and slice the red onion and place in refrigerator.

About a 30 minutes prior to the time you plan to barbecue the  steak remove the bag with steak from refrigerator and let it rest on the counter.

Slice the Ciabatta bread in half lengthwise, and brush with olive oil.

Barbecue the steak about 4 minutes on each side, place steak on a plate and let the meat set up.  Next briefly brown the Ciabatta bread on the barbecue.

Cut the steak against the grain into thin slices.  

Peel avocados and slice thinly.

Assemble the sandwich as follows:  spread mayonnaise chiptole sauce on the bread, add a good layer of spinach, add the sliced steak, spread a little more mayonnaise chiptole sauce on the steak, add red onion slices, avocado, and finally, top with slices of Havarti Cheese.

Cut the assembled sandwich into 4 and serve each with sides such as green salad, baked beans, and potato chips. 

There you go, from an easy recipe you just created an awesome Grilled Chiptole Steak Sandwich which your guests are going to love! 

 AND STUFF

 
I have always loved air shows. When growing up my parents would take my brother and me to air shows at the Minot Air Force Base. I remember as a child watching in awe as the USAF Thunderbirds performed precision maneuvers in their brightly colored jets. Later we waited for an F-106 Delta Dart to do a fly by at a speed above the sound barrier. The air show announcer kept announcing how close the jet was getting and then, he instructed us to look to the east, and just then the Delta Dart jet burst silently into view and streaked past overhead, followed a moment later by the blast of the sound barrier and the roar of the engines. Back “in the day” things were a little looser in the world and if you were at a military air show in the geographical center of nowhere military jets were allowed to break the sound barrier at air shows, and man was that cool. I carried on the tradition of attending air shows with my wife and children.

One of my vaction ideas is the great air show held at the famous Top Gun School in Miramar, California. Nowadays, the planes are not allowed to break the sound barrier, and the shows are masterfully controlled to assure the safety of the crowd and the pilots.

At Miramar they put on a show to be remembered. But in the morning I like to view the planes displayed on the tarmac. It is just amazing to walk around and examine up close just about every type of airplane that exists. The display includes amongst other aircraft,  WWII airplanes, Cobra or Apache Helicopter Gunships, the F-14 Tomcat, an F-18 Hornet, and even a B-52 Bomber likely flown in from my hometown. And I even got to walk up the ramp and through the cargo hold of the gigantic C5 Galaxy transport plane. One year they even had a stealth fighter on display with a rope around it so you could not get too close, and to make sure distance was maintained every so many feet an armed Marine kept watch.  

Viewing the static plane display would be enough for me, but the show just keeps building. Next they start the civilian stunt pilot show which exhibits the skills of amazingly talented civilian pilots.

And finally it is time for the military show to start. The military portion of the air show starts with the Army Golden Knights parachuting in freefall and then grouping together one by one to form a stack formation, which from the ground looks like each Golden Knight is standing on the Golden Knight below him.

 

The last Golden Knight trails the American Flag for presentation.  Finally, they break formation and each Golden Knight performs a standup landing on the designated dot right in front of the crowd. What an inspiring way to present the Flag.

After the Anthem is song, the show kicks into high gear as the Marines execute a full Air-Ground Assault Demo. The Demo includes: Harrier jets, attack helicopters, heavy lift helicopters carrying Marines, canons, and assault vehicles, and it is all executed in perfect precision. They even simulate bombing runs with pyrotechnics producing blasts so large you can feel the heat.

At the completion of the Demo the young Marines parade by the viewing stand on foot, or sitting atop tanks and assault vehicles to the nonstop ovation of the crowd.

At Miramar, the last event of the day is always the Navy Blue Angels who demonstrate the absolute ultimate in precision flying skills.

All too soon, the inspiring, and at times emotional, show is over and it’s time for the crowd of thousands to leave. While walking with the mass of people along well controlled paths, on the way the way to the parking area, I passed many young men and women Marines offering assistance and directions. I saw our servicemen and women up close. I saw their young faces, their proud focused eyes, and observed how well they conducted themselves. They are maybe 19 or 20 years old. And then it hits me, the show stopper is not the wonderful airplanes and complex equipment. No, the show stopper is the marvelous young men and women of the United States Armed Forces. We are so blessed by their devotion to God and Country.

While enjoying your Memorial Day barbecue, take a moment and join me in remembering our heroes.   

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

 

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Easy Steak Dinner For Two

Posted on May 18, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPES

This week, rather than presenting another recipe, I thought it would be fun to share with the new cook a super easy way to cook like a pro and prepare  steak like a fine restaurant. The following directions are for a dinner for two.

You will need two 8 oz. steaks (more or less depending upon your portion requirements). I like filet mignon and rib-eye. If you go with filet mignon have the butcher cut the steaks 2 1/2 inches thick, and for rib-eye have them cut 1 1/2 inches thick. When you get home if you see extra fat on the edge, cut it down to about an 1/8 inch. 

Take the steaks out of the refrigerator about an hour prior to the time you plan to cook them.  This is done so the steak will cook more evenly (center is not cold), and because it allows the steak a little time to sweat. The moisture can be blotted off with a paper towel.  Seasonings adhere better to dry steak.

Once you start cooking the steak it’s going to take maybe 19 minutes start to plating.  So, before you start cooking them you need to figure out the the time you will need for your side dishes so you can have everything done at about the same time. 

Example, if you are going to make mashed potatoes it is going to take a significant amount of time to peel them, bring the water to boil and cook them.  However, fresh vegetables, such as string beans, after being cleaned will cook quickly. 

So, if I was going to make the example side dishes I would first  peel the potatoes, and then place them in a pot with enough water to more than cover them.  The water will keep the peeled potatoes from discoloring while you do other prep work. 

Next I would wash and prep the vegetables cover them with wrap and place them in the refrigerator. 

Now the question is, how soon after the guest arrives do I want to serve the meal? This question triggers everything.  Since in my example I am making time consuming mashed potatoes, my timing solution is easy, cheat.  That is, I would time the potatoes to be cooked, mashed, and safely in the covered serving bowl about the time I expected the doorbell to ring. Now, I do not have to worry about the hardest to time portion of the meal.    Worst case scenario is I enjoy hors d’oeurves and wine with my guest a little too long and have to reheat the mashed potatoes. 

Lets cook the steak.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the steak on both sides with kosher salt and pepper.

Place a heavy skillet on medium high heat, and heat it until a drop or two of water evaporates in a few seconds.  Coat the skillet with two tsp of canola oil and place the steaks onto the skillet for two minutes each side.  When you turn the steaks use tongs so you do not cut the steak.

Put a huge oven mitt on your hand , and transfer the skillet with the steaks to the oven. If you want your rib-eye medium rare leave the skillet in the oven for about 9 minutes, if you are cooking the thicker filet mignon go about 11 minutes for medium rare. 

This is critical, first place hand into the biggest oven mitt in the world and then remove the skillet from the oven.  If you have an instant read thermometer check the temperature (medium rare 125 to 130; medium 135 to 140).  If the temperature is a little low do not worry as the steak will continue to cook while you let it rest covered with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes.

While steak is covered steam your vegetables, and if necessary reheat the potatoes. 

The steak will be perfect, the meal will be great, and you saved a small fortune by not going out to dinner.                                   

AND STUFF

So there I was in Maui, enjoying one of my great vaction ideas and all that paradise has to offer. Half awake, tanning by the pool, nursing a margarita, blankly staring at a visitor’s guide when all of a sudden I snapped to attention. There is a Vineyard on Maui! Coming from California and enjoying various wine areas, I concluded that this must be explored.

Game On.

But, at the get go there was a hitch. Tedeschi Vineyards at Ulupalakua Ranch does not have an address. Seriously. So, I got out the map of Maui and found it helpful. But the best directions are to be found at the Tedeschi Vineyards website ( http://www.mauiwine.com ).

The trip turned out to be a lovely drive on Route 36 and Route 37 which took us past farm and ranch land, through Upcountry, and to the small community of Keokea. Ok, this is critical piece of information, when you spy the Henry Fong Store in Keokea, there are 6 more miles to travel to Ulupalakua Ranch. The Vineyard is on the left side of the road.

The Tedeschi Vineyards grounds are beautiful and tranquil. The large lawn area is perfect for relaxing or having a picnic. But, let’s keep moving, there is wine to be tasted.

Quick history of wine in Maui: before there were grape vines, there were pineapples. So it stands to reason that initial efforts to produce wine, or at least booze, would be by means of the pineapple. And, yes indeed, Tedeshi Vineyards offers a couple pineapple wines to sample. So, I stowed away my snooty hat, and gave pineapple wine a try.

I liked the Maui Blanc pineapple wine in sort of a Sangria kind of way. It was sweet and fruity, but it did not scream pineapple. Okay, confession time, I bought a bottle and later, along with “She Who Must Be Obeyed” really enjoyed it with our barbecued shrimp dinner back at the condo. I doubt too many Vintners from France or California are going to try to steal the pineapple wine market, but I gotta tell you, when you are in Maui, overlooking the ocean, dining on a warm breezy evening, that little wine is good, real good.

We also sampled Tedeschi wine made from …. wait for it …. grapes  grown on the hillsides we drove past after leaving the Henry Fong Store. I tasted a very nice Merlot/Syrah blend labeled Ulupalakua Red. And, Sue tried an unoaked Chardonnay labeled Upcountry Gold. Both wines were fine, and resulted in purchases.

In addition to wine tasting and wine buying, we also enjoyed examining all the historical memorabilia in the rooms adjacent to the tasting room. The trip to Tedeschi Vineyards was fun, tasty, and should not be missed.

But, one does not live by wine alone. So, prior to starting our wine adventure we did a little research to see if we could find a nice place to lunch in Upcountry. Our research paid off huge. As we drove down Rte 37 we kept a lookout for Rte 377, which would take us to Kula. There we found a gem of a restaurant known as Kula Lodge Restaurant. The restaurant is located 3,700 feet above sea level and offers unobstructed views of cascading landscape all the way to the ocean. The lunch menu was very good and the food excellent (for more information and great photographs go to http://www.Kulalodge.com ).

Maybe some time we will discuss another interesting wine by the name of Pink Catawba made from grapes grown on the islands of Lake Erie.  Point is, when travelling take time to explore local wineries, it’s fun and you never know what you will find.

Compare notes with your dinner guest. I bet you can come up with some wine tasting stories to enjoy over dinner. 

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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LOBSTER RAVIOLI WITH LANGOSTA SAUCE

Posted on May 12, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

The recipe this week is super easy for those nights when you worked late and you need to get something on the table without too much fuss.  If you have a few items on hand the following fun family meal can be put together in no time.  

1 – 9 0z Package of Trader Joe’s Lobster Ravioli (or such brand as is in your hood) 

8 oz Trader Joe’s frozen cooked Langosta (spiny lobster)  

For sauce you will need:

1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic diced

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/4 tsp dried basil

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup cream (could use milk to save a little fat)

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

Salt & Pepper to taste

In sauce pot saute’ the chopped onion in the olive oil, add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You want the sauce to reduce some so it is not watery when placed over the ravioli.

Thaw the Langosta in a cool water.   Drain and set aside. 

Bring large pot of water to boil, and when sauce has reduced to thicker consistency, place the ravioli into the lightly boiling  pot of water and cook for 5 minutes. At the same time place the Langosta in the sauce pan to heat them.

Plate equal potions of ravioli and spoon the sauce with Langosta over the ravioli. Top with some parmesean cheese.  And that’s it, enjoy your Lobster Ravioli with Langosta Sauce easy pasta great family meal. 

AND STUFF

I can remember breathlessly watching TV on February 20, 1962 as John Glenn, aboard the Mercury capsule Friendship 7, on top of an Atlas Rocket waited to blast off and become the first American to orbit the Earth. 

The Mercury capsule looked like a bell.  It held one astronaut, who assuming he survived the launch, and orbit, would re-enter the earth’s atmosphere with his back to a heat shield which on the exterior would burn red hot. Then, assuming the heat shield held, and the parachutes opened, the Mercury capsule would splash land in the Pacific Ocean. The exact location of the splash landing depended on many variables. So astronauts could expect to spend a fair amount of time bobbing in the ocean while the US Navy searched for and retrieved the capsule. 

(for more information go to  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/).     

Those were such exciting times. Where would all this end? President Kennedy had earlier announced that he proposed a program which would culminate with astronauts landing on the Moon.   

The next advancement came with the Gemini Program.  The Gemini capsule was a two man bell shaped capsule designed for extended space flights, and to practice space walks and docking while in orbit. The final Gemini flight was on November 15, 1966. (for more information go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Gemini )

The Apollo Space Program came next. It was being developed at the same time as the Gemini Program, so the first manned Apollo flight was scheduled for 1967. Only 1 year after the final Gemini flight!

The Apollo capsule was designed to carry three astronauts, and  a Lunar Module to the Moon.  Upon orbiting the Moon the Lunar Module would detach from the command ship, land on the Moon, blast off from the Moon, and return to re-dock with the command ship for the journey home.  

In 1967 the Apollo 1 flight ended before it started when during the countdown a fire erupted inside the capsule killing all three astronauts. Even with such a tragic start, the program continued and resulted in the first human landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

In the insignificant time span of 7 years, mankind went from orbiting the Earth to travelling to and landing on the Moon.

The last Apollo mission to the Moon left Earth on December 7, 1972 and returned to Earth splashing into the Pacific Ocean on December 19, 1972.   

The next advancement in space vehicles was the development of a reusable spacecraft which would be launched with the aid of multiple rockets, and return to earth as a huge, heavy, glider.  After re-entry the shuttle could be flown to various landing sites depending upon weather conditions.

Nine years after the last Apollo flight, the first manned Shuttle flight (Columbia) was successfully launched on April 12, 1981. Thereafter, a small fleet of Space Shuttles took turns taking men and women astronauts, along with vast amount of supplies into Earth orbit.  Although there were two tragedies during this program, for 30 years the Space Shuttle program provided humans unprecedented access to space, and the means by which to transport massive amounts of materials to build the International Space Station.

The final flight of the Space Shuttle is scheduled for June 2011.  

What’s next?

The concept had been to basically reinvent and modernize the splash in the ocean space capsule of the 1970s.  The new program was named Constellation.  When announced in 2004 by President Bush, he invisioned it being used in the short term to transport 4 passengers too the space station aboard the capsule, identified as the Orion Crew Vehicle.  Later, the Constellation program would take the Orion Crew Vehicle far beyond Earth orbit. The first operational manned flights were projected to occur in 2016, and a return to the Moon was projected for 2019.  If all went as planned, a variant of the Orion Crew Vehicle would travel to Mars by 2031. (to learn more go to http://www.universetoday.com/84501/nasas-first-orion-capsule-and-new-space-operations-center-unveiled/)

Unfortunately, the development of the Aires 1 Rocket, the new heavy lift rocket for use in the Constellation program was cancelled. Last year the entire Constellation program was canceled.  And, more recently the ongoing development of the Orion Crew Vehicle has been impeded as a result of a reduction in program funding.

The Orion Crew Vehicle will eventually be completed, and it will be launched by a yet to be designed rocket. But in the meantime, for the first time since I was 11 years old watching John Glenn blast into space, the United States of America after June of this year will not have the capability to launch even a single astronaut into space, not even low Earth orbit.

From American soil, the only space travel will be offered by Virgin Galactica.  Even though Virgin Galactica cannot yet orbit, it will have better manned flight capabilities than NASA (to book your flight go to http://www.virgingalactic.com/).

People of good will can debate the cost/benefit of the space program.  But, I would submit that for the time being, we most certainly have lost a program that inspired many to excel in the sciences. 

Eventually we will rediscover the drive and dream President Kennedy fostered in the 1960’s, and once again an 11 year old will watch and dream as the exploration of space begins anew.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Green Chiles and Cheese

Posted on May 5, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

Last Sunday I was driving back from my last ski trip of the year to Mammoth, when all of a sudden I had an idea for an easy chicken meal. I test cooked my stuffed chicken breast meal last night, and both “She Who Must Be Obeyed” and our youngest son thought it was great. So I think this is a low cost family cooking style meal that you will enjoy too. 

2 Whole skinless chicken breast filets separated into 4 halves

8 – oz bag of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 -4 oz can Green chiles diced

1 – 10 oz can Enchilada sauce

24 cherry tomatoes

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro for chicken (and a little extra for sauce)

2 cloves garlic chopped

8 oz chicken stock

1/2 White onion cut into wedges

1 – 15 oz can Refried beans

Loosely wrap plastic wrap around each half chicken breast so there is room for chicken to expand, and flatten with a rolling pin until about 1/4″ thick.

On each flattened chicken breast apply a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce,  add shreded cheese (not too much as chicken has to be able to roll up later), equal parts cilantro, garlic, and green chiles.

Roll the chicken breast up and secure each breast with 2 toothpicks.  Place rolled up chicken breast on an oven dish lightly oiled with olive oil.  Place in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Heat chicken broth in sauce pan.

Remove oven dish and add chicken broth, cherry tomatoes, onion, and extra cilantro around the rolled up chicken breasts.  Place oven dish back into the oven for an additional 30 minutes, basting the chicken breasts every now and then. Check temperature of chicken and when done remove from oven and cover with foil.

Heat refried beans.

Plate a chicken roll on each plate, next to it place a few cherry tomatoes, onion, and spoon or two of sauce.  Next add refried beans covered with a little mozzarella cheese.

For an added treat, consider making Spanish rice per package instructions.

And there you go, you just made a killer stuffed chicken dinner with only two pans to wash!             

AND STUFF

Here we go again. Gas prices are over $4.00 a gallon!  Just like back in 2008 when the price of gas rose to an average of $4.11 everyone is talking about purchasing brand new itsy bitsy more fuel efficient cars. So, I wondered if I should dump my 2006 Highlander and purchase a more fuel efficient vehicle.    

My Toyota Highlander has a six cylinder engine, automatic transmission, and air conditioning.  My SUV gets about 17 MPG city and 23 MPG on the highway.  It easily transports 5 people and all their gear for skiing, golfing, or going on a picnic. I can go to Costco and load “a truck load” of bulk household supplies into my SUV.

The SUV has about 60,000 miles on it, and assuming it continues to receive regularly scheduled maintenance, it being a Toyota, it should have more than 60,000 miles to go before any major mechanical issues arise. The loan on my SUV is paid, so my monthly cost to operate the vehicle for the next 5 years will be limited to the cost of gas, oil/service, and tires.

On the other hand, because of the pain I experience every time I fill my  SUV up with $4.00 or more per gallon of gas, I think about how nice it would be to reduce the pain at the pump by purchasing a more efficient car. I did a little research and calculating to see just how much pain could be erased at the pump by such a purchase.

 A mid-range priced Honda Civic costs about $21,000.00. The Civic gets 28 MPG city and 39 MPG highway.  The monthly payment for the new Civic would be around $396.00 ($21,000 loan for 5 years at 5%). In addition to the monthly car payment, operation costs would include gas, oil/service, and tires.

The new car is smaller and less useful, but it does get 37% more MPG in the city then does my SUV!  So, that would effectively reduce the cost of travel from $4.00 a gallon to $2.52, thus putting $1.48 per gallon back in the my wallet.

But, if my math is correct, savings on the new fuel efficient car would not kick in until after I purchased  267 gallons of gas each month  ($1.48 savings per gallon x 267 gallons  = approximately the $396 monthly car payment).  And as the new fuel efficient car can travel  7,476 miles around town on 267 gallons of gas (28 MPG x 267 gallons), that would mean a whole lot of driving before I actually saved any money .  I don’t drive that much, and as much as I love cars, I hope I never drive 7,476 miles per month!

So considering the fact that I own an old, but paid off, Highlander it does not seem to make economic sense to go out and buy an itsy bitsy car to “save money” on gas when I would have to buy tons more gas to actually pay for the cost of the efficient car.

No, instead of spending lots of money to save a little money, I think I will keep the old SUV and just drive smarter. Instead of making a trip every time I think of something I need to do, I will try to avoid single purpose trips. My goal will be to plan multiple purpose trips prior to firing up the “monster truck”. So now, rather than simply going to the grocery store, I will plan multipurpose outings, such as going to the bank on the way to the dry cleaners and then hitting the grocery store on the way home.  Without doing the calculations, I have to believe that one trip with multiple stops uses a lot less gas than leaving the house multiple times on single purpose trips.

I also am trying to save gas by leaving the “tank” in the garage and walking to nearby stores and restaurants. My goal is to eliminate, to the extent comfortably possible, miles traveled in my SUV, to save on the time I have to feed the one armed bandit, (gas pump, not slot machine).

If my plan works, I will effectively get the benefit of a more fuel efficient car without incurring a new monthly car payment!

I’ll bet that while you are sitting with family and friends enjoying my Stuffed Chicken Breast dinner you can come up with other easy ways to save on gas!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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