Carrie’s Sweet Life

When we were at the grocery store last I picked up a brick of blue cheese, it was my first time having “fresh” blue cheese and I was very excited to use it on a good recipe. I thought this would be the perfect recipe.

And oh my was I right!!! This had the tangy flavor of blue cheese, but with the red meat it evened out perfectly. Adam who is not a HUGE blue cheese person loved this dinner.

Mushroom-Blue Cheese Tenderloin (From: Taste of Home Dec/Jan 09 issue)

• 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
• 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 beef tenderloin (3 1/2-4lbs)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. ground pepper
• 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed beef broth undiluted

Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 c. (4oz) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain and discard marinade. Rub the beef with garlic and pepper; place in a shallow roasting pan. Add broth to the pan. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 45-55 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute until tender. Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce and caraway seeds; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in onions; heat through. Serve sauce with beef.

I love me a good steak, but sadly am normally less then impressed with the ones we cook at home. This recipe changed that all for me. And I have to say Adam was right, I HATE spending a bunch of money on steak when at the store so we normally get something cheaper… yea not always the smartest option, these were rib-eye that were on a GREAT sale at the store, Adam quickly grabbed two.

These were AMAZING!!! Wonderful flavor, very tender, and the crusting, oh the crusting. I have been sitting thinking what else I can use it on since making it. The red wine sauce was a great way for us to use up some wine left by guests, that we wont drink.

We choose to put the wine sauce on the plate and top with the steak then a small drizzle on top, next time we would do all on the bottom, it kind of soaked into the bottom of the steak this way.

I cannot rave about these enough, DELICIOUS!

Blue Cheese Crusted Steaks with Red Wine Sauce (From: Epicurious)

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled Maytag blue cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 1-inch-thick filet mignon steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallot, and thyme. Sauté until shallot is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth and wine. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Blend cheese, panko, and parsley in small bowl to coat cheese evenly with panko. (Sauce and cheese mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.)

Preheat broiler. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to rimmed baking sheet; reserve skillet. Press cheese mixture onto top of steaks, dividing equally. Broil until cheese browns, about 2 minutes. Transfer steaks to plates.

Pour sauce into reserved skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Boil 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around steaks and serve.

We had our wedding reception at a great little spot called Chateau Lamothe, we loved the location and have back many times to visit. We love the owner Doris.

As soon as my mom sent me this recipe I knew I had to make it, and figure who else then my mother in-law and sister in-law to invite down. We all went and saw Julie & Julia and have wanted to try it since. I would like to try Julias recipe sometime too so I can compare.

Beef Bourguignon (Adapted From: Doris LaMott)

• 2 fl oz Bacon Grease (from 4oz  Bacon for the garnish)
• 4 lbs beef, eye of round or chuck
• 2 T Minced Garlic
• 1 t Salt
• 1/2 t coarse black pepper
• 2 C Red wine
• 3 C Chicken stock
• 3 C. Beef stock
• 1 lb Carrot chunks
• 20 white pearl onions
• 1 lb Small whole fresh mushrooms
• 4 lb Potato Spears (cooked & seasoned)
• 4 oz Bacon Pieces
• 2 loafs French Baguette (to serve with)

Trim beef & cut into large pieces 1.5″ cubes. Dry meat thoroughly, so it will brown. Cook the bacon you will use for garnish and use this oil to brown the meat and remove from pan.

Heat oven to 300, stir in wine, stock and seasonings to meat. Let simmer for 3-4 hours.

Add in onions, mushrooms, and carrots and leave on stove with cover on to stay warm.

Turn oven on to 300 and simmer for about 2 hours until veggies are tender. Pour over potatoes top with bacon and serve with a piece of french bread.

I love meatloaf, Adam and my dad say they don’t like it. I went with this recipe anyway as Adam has eaten my normal meatloaf and told me he likes it so I was hoping to sway my dad as well Well they both took seconds and said they liked it! Success.

I personally didn’t love it, it was good but not as good as this one. I think in the future I will use that recipe and use bacon on top as it gives it great flavor.

Meatloaf (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 1 cup milk
• 6 bread slices
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 8 to 12 thin bacon slices

Tomato Gravy

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Dash or two of hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350.

Pour the milk over the bread and allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, seasoning salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the eggs.

With clean hands, mix until the ingrdeients are well blended.

Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat from the meat to drain.

Lay bacon slices over the top tucking them underneat the meatloaf.

Next make the tomato gravy: Pour the ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and dry mustard, and splash in hot sauce.

Stir the mixture until well combined.

Pour one-third of the tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 45 minutes then pour another one-third of tomato gravy over the meatloaf. baked for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with remaining tomato gravy.

I asked for Pioneer Woman’s cookbook for Christmas and was lucky enough to get 2 copies. I returned one but ofcourse kept the other and paged through and found many recipes I want to try. Another great thing is it has pictures of every step, which is the way Adam likes to cook so maybe he will make more meals

This was the first recipe we tasted out of it. Sadly Miss. Maddy had other ideas of us eating a hot meal and was having a rough night so by the time we both got to eat ours were cold and it wasn’t as good, but the flavor was good and I am guessing it would be excellent hot. We plan to make it again when we can guarantee we will be able to eat it hot.

Chicken Fried Steak (From: Pioneer Woman Cooks)

• 3lbs cube steak
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk, plus 2 cups for gravy
• 3 cups flour, plus 1/2 cup for gravy
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for seasoning the steaks and gravy
• 3 teaspoons seasoning salt
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat, egg and milk mixture, and flour mixture.

Pound the cube steaks until extremely tender  and cut the steaks into smaller pieces if they are larger than 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place the prepared steaks in the first dish.

Beat the eggs and 1 cup milk in the second dish with a fork.

In the third dish, combine 2 cups flour with the seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper.

Lightly season a piece of meat with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Then, dip the meat into the milk and egg mixture on each side to coat. Place the meat on the seasoned flour, turning to evenly coat both sides. Dip the meat in the milk and egg mixture once more to coat, then the flour mixture once more to coat completely. Place the prepared steak onto a rack on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining steaks.

In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet, heat one-third cup oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is sufficiently heated, fry 2 to 3 pieces of meat at a time Cook on one side until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes, then flip over and fry until the other side is golden, another 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed.

Remove the steaks to a paper-towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all of the meat is fried, adding a little extra oil if needed. Set the steaks aside in a warm place while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, pour the grease from the skillet into a heat-proof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add one-fourth cup of the grease back to the pan, discarding any remaining grease.

Sprinkle one-third cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden brown paste, or “roux.” You want the roux to attain a deep, rich color. If the paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the right consistency is achieved.

When the roux is golden-brown, whisk in 2 cups milk, then wait for the gravy to come to a slow boil. The gravy will thicken gradually, but if it seems too thick at first, add a little milk as needed, whisking to combine. The total cooking process should take 4 to 5 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper as desired, tasting to ensure that it’s seasoned adequately.

Place the warm meat on a plate and drizzle over the gravy as desired.