Teriyaki Flap Meat & Tri-Color Bell Peppers

We discovered flap meat at the market a couple of weeks ago. It's a cut akin to skirt, flank and hanger steaks (think carne asada and stir-fry) that is full of flavor, a bit on the chewier side, and priced just right. So far, we've been just grilling it, but the grills were out of propane today so I just cooked them on the stove top. The steaks were marinated in Yoshida's teriyaki sauce overnight. Add a little bit of vegetable oil and pan fry. I sliced up the meat after frying then returned the slices back into the pan to coat with teriyaki sauce. I had also gotten some beautiful bell peppers at the farmers market last Thursday and stir-fried those. In addition, we had corn and brown rice on the side. One trick to flavor the rice is to add some olive oil and whole cumin seeds. This was a very easy and tasty meal.

Shrimp & Shallots Over Spaghetti

This recipe I got from the packaging of Trader Joe's shallots. The result was very yummy. I bought some Chinese long beans from the South Pasadena Farmer's Market last Thursday and sautéed that on the side. We were gifted a mini deep fryer so I took it for a test drive with ready-made pork and shrimp mini spring rolls. The rolls actually came out less oily than they would've if I had fried them up in a pan. I can't wait to try more stuff in the fryer!

• 1 lb shrimp (peeled & cleaned)
• 4 shallots, chopped fine
• 1/4 lb melted butter
• 1/8 cup oliver oil
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (substituted w/ cilantro)
• 1 lb linguini (substituted w/ spaghettini)

Mix melted butter, olive oil, shallots, garlic, pepper, parsley and lemon juice in a bowl. Toss shrimp into mixture. (I also added a 1/3 bag of Trader Joe's langostino lobsters.) Heat skillet on medium. Pour shrimp mixture into skillet and sauté until shrimp turns pink in color. Serve over noodles.

The Crock Pot

I'm glad we have one of these things, even if it's a hand-me-down from my mom. Wednesday night, we got home later than usual because we met a real estate agent for our first home tour. Exhausted from the work day, we decided to take a nap before having dinner. Now, knowing Ken and the way he takes naps, it could be awhile before he's ready to get up. So I smartened up and prepped all the ingredients for a hearty spaghetti sauce (ready-made meatballs, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, marinara sauce) and threw them all into the crock pot. The sauce was ready for us by the time we woke up and the only thing that needed to be done was to boil the noddles. Talk about cooking while you sleep!

Orange Roughy Update

Just a small adjustment to the last recipe...add langostino (from TJ's) and shallots to the white wine reduction (with creme fraiche). To quote Ken, "This dinner was really awesome!" Trader Joe's asparagus risotto and spinach perfectly complemented the fish.

Lamb Center Chops & Asparagus Risotto

These were the rest of the chops from Costco and this time, I just marinated in olive oil and garlic, seared on both sides and put it into the oven for about 15 minutes. I made a red wine reduction sauce. As for the sides, I stir-fried the rest of the TJ's frozen asparagus risotto and spinach cooked in the lamb drippings with garlic. And of course, I only remembered about taking the picture after we ate our meal. This time, I even had the camera sitting on the table!

Orange Roughy

Costco has these packaged frozen orange roughy that make eating fish much more convenient than running out for fresh ones whenever you want any. My mom had gotten some and really enjoyed their taste. Orange roughy is a mild white fish and easy to prepare. I marinated it in olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro and onions (leftovers from taco night) for about 30 minutes, then baked them for about 30 minutes. I topped it with a white wine reduction and the remainder of the marinade, and served garlic green beans on the side. I should have also served this asparagus risotto from TJ's but forgot about. Ken really enjoyed the fish so it's a keeper, especially since we still have lots of it left. Note for future reference: Cook up an extra fillet because one wasn't enough for Ken.

Turkey Tacos

Seasoning packets do help a lot when you don't have the cupboard space for spices. We made turkey tacos with the leftover toppings from the previous Mexican meals. Although a little on the dry side, the tacos were juiced up again with the fixings. I ended up having one in a taco and the rest sans corn tortilla. I also stir-fried two chopped red bell peppers seasoned with cumin and chili powder (the few spices I actually have) to top the tacos...yum! This meal is a keeper.

Costco Chicken

This chicken goes a long way with all the leftovers we can get out of it. The first night, we removed the extremities and ate those along with leftover brown rice and green beans. Tonight, I cut up one side of the body, shredded up the meat, and made chicken tacos. On the side were a can of Mexicorn, corn tortillas, salsa verde, chopped cilantro and onion, and guacamole. Again, that creme fraiche came in handy and tasted great in the tacos. We plan on using the last half of the chicken body, along with the side ingredients, to make chicken quesadillas. I'm going to have to make sure to get plenty of veggies into this last dinner. That leaves us with the carcass. Should I save it to make chicken stock?

Briased Beef Short Ribs

I couldn't help but pick up these beautiful short ribs and the only thing I knew to do with them was to braise them so I combined a few recipes from trusty-ol' Food Network. A few months ago, we had lunch with some friends at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland and I ordered this fantastically rich beef ribs. The particular recipe was not similar, especially since I didn't cook them long enough and probably didn't cook them correctly. Since I braised them in red wine, I used some of the leftover wine to make a sauce with creme fraiche. At first, I tried to make gravy with the drippings but it turned into this congealed blob...definitely not at all appetizing. Ken liked the sauce, although it was too salty for me. The healthy parts of this meal were the green beans and brown rice. Ken liked the brown rice so that's what we're having from now on!

Anniversary Dinner

Ken took us to Raymond Restaurant last night to celebrate our first year together. The meal was so fabulous that I had to write about it even though I didn't cook it. For starters, we had Crispy Maple Pork Belly and the best Froi Gras I've ever had, and had a total out-of-body experience which I call foodgasm. For our main course, Ken had Buttered Salmon and I had lamb two ways: a braise shank with couscous in a Moroccan sauce and roast lamb rack with this amazing potato emulsion. To finish this indulgence, Ken had a Brownie Sundae and I had the Creme Brulee, which usually is the best I've ever had but the brulee turned out too thick and overpowered the rest of the dish. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience and we had a fabulous time!