Polenta:

Ingredients:

1 cup dry corn grits

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

Bring water to a boil, add the corn grits, simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring, until the grits pull from the side of the pan. Stir in butter, let sit for at least 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate, cut into portions. Fry each portion in butter and/or olive oil on medium for about 4 minutes per side, or until just brown. Set aside.

Chunky Tomato Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 bell pepper, chopped

4 mushrooms, diced

2 carrots, sliced

6 large tomatoes, chopped (I like to use mostly red, with a few yellow or orange tossed in for variety)

2 tbsp tomato paste

8 fresh basil leaves, cut up

2 tsp oregano leaves

Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil, saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, mushroom,, & carrots for about 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomatoes, paste, basil, and oregano, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for at least 20 minutes, until the tomatoes break down. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Serve over a portion of the polenta, garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

*you can use any kind of onion, bell pepper or tomato that you prefer. You can also “eyeball” the measurements to your taste: more or less of each ingredient, etc. If you simmer the sauce for too long and it gets too thick, add a little water*

*this goes really well with hot Italian Sausage*

*mushroom lasagne recipe coming soon*

I taught my daughters how to make this today, and they asked me to write it down. Its all in my head and I just remember watching my Grandma Tillie and my Dad make it for as long as I can remember. I believe the only reason its called “Polish” is cuz of the meat.

Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil

4 carrots, sliced thickly

1/2 an onion, diced

1 small bell pepper, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 14 oz can of tomato sauce

3 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 tsp each: oregano & basil

3 bay leaves

salt & pepper to taste

1 or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced

Leftover meat from the freezer. I used some ribs and tri-tip, but you could use chicken, pork chops, ham, whatever you have handy. This is the Polish part!

Rigatoni noodles, cooked according to package.

Directions:

Saute the onions, bell pepper, and carrots in the olive oil for about 7 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the spices and cook another minute. Add the canned tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for about an hour. Now add the fresh diced tomatoes and the meat and simmer covered for another hour. If it seems thick, add water, beer, or wine to thin it out. I always check the spices at this point and usually end up adding a little bit more oregano & basil.

Serve over hot cooked pasta with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Steak Sandwiches on Garlic Bread w/ Provolone, Carmelized Onions, and Cilantro oil, served with Bleu Cheese Slaw

This was a super delicious summer dinner. A little bit labor intensive, but worth it. I adapted this recipe from Bobby Flay’s book, Grill It recipe. Serves 4.

Steak Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 16 oz boneless rib-eye steaks

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Sea salt & pepper

12 cloves roasted garlic (see recipe below), peeled, & mashed, seasoned with salt & pepper

12 slices French bread

4 slices provolone cheese, halved

Caramalized Onions (see recipe below)

Cilantro Oil (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. 15 minutes before grilling, remove steaks from the refrigerator and let sit, covered, at room temperature.
2. Heat the grill to high.
3. Brush the steaks on both sides with the oil, season with salt & pepper. Place on the grill and cook until brown and charred, 4-5 minutes. Turn over and grill 6 to 7 minutes for med-rare. (I like mine med-well, so I do it about a minute or two longer on each side)
4. Let steaks rest on a plate covered with foil, then slice.
5. While steak is resting, brush one side of each slice of bread with 1 tsp of the roasted garlic and place on the grill, garlic side down. Grill until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, turn over, top with the cheese, and grill for 30 seconds longer or until the cheese melts.
6. Place the garlic bread on individual plates, and top with some of the caramalized onions, a few thin slices of the beef, and a drizzle of the cilantro oil. Top with another slice of the bread, serve with the Bleu Cheese Slaw (see recipe below). Enjoy!!

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

12 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp EVOO

Sea salt & pepper

Directions:

Place the garlic on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with EVOO, salt & pepper. Gather up ends of foil in a “purse” and bake in oven or on grill at 300 degrees for about an hour.

Caramalized Onions

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

3 large Walla Walla onions, sliced

Sea salt & pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil & butter in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and carmalized, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. These can be made ahead, like I did, and then reheated before serving.

Cilantro Oil

Bunch of Cilantro leaves

1/2 cup EVOO

Sea salt & pepper

Mix the clinantro and oil in a cruet, season with salt & pepper. Let sit at room temp for at least an hour. Use within 3 days.

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt & pepper

1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

Directions:

In a glass bowl, mix together he mayo, bleu cheese, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Toss with the shredded veggies and chill for up to one hour before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of bleu cheese crumbles, if desired.

Saw this on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives and did my best to recreate it.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground sirloin
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 TBSP each: crushed garlic, oregano, basil flakes
2 TBSP ancho chili powder
2 cups water
Salt & Pepper
1 can red kidney beans
Red onion, diced
Bucatini pasta, cooked according to package (I’d use capellini next time)
Shredded Cheddar cheese ( I used white Cheddar)

Brown the beef in a large sauce pan, season with salt & pepper. Drain. Return to pan. Add a l tomatoes, spices, & water. Bring to boil, simmer for about 40 minutes or until it cooks down. Check seasoning and add more salt, pepper, & oregano if needed.

Layer in a bowl: Bucatini pasta, meat sauce, sprinkle of kidney beans, cheddar cheese, & onion. Serves 4

Tomorrow morning I am venturing into the city to submit my prawn dish and application to participate on Gordon Ramsay’s new show, MasterChef! I only just found out about it on Thursday and it was on a whim that I decided it might be fun. The first and most important question is: can I be gone for potentially 5 weeks????? My answer is: I will miss my dogs and my family. I only put the dogs first because I know that my dogs will miss me soooo much and my kids and husband will be fine without me. I’ll miss them so much, though. If I get chosen, I don’t really expect to make it too far, and I certainly don’t expect to be the last man standing! It just sounds like a great opportunity and I won’t know if I have a shot unless I try! So, wish me luck! I’m bringing my Chile-Cilantro-Lime Prawns. I did two presentations and am still undecided on which one I’m going with.

Well, its a new year and I wanted to start a new blog, so here I go! I only have a few New Years resolutions:

• Run more often and beat last years mileage (4-5 days a week)
• Eat more fruits & vegetables
• Drink less Diet Coke & wine
• Be a better parent, less of a friend
• Be a better friend, daughter, & wife
• Try to stop worrying about things that I can’t change
• Get back down to my goal weight (5 pounds)
• Get down to my new goal weight (10 more pounds)
• Keep my house clean and organized
• Less FaceBook & Farmville

Thats about it. Easy enough. I think the running part will be challenging, but if I really put my mind to it, I can do it. I like to run, I just never look forward to it.

We spent New Years Eve at the Inverness Valley Inn with the girls and the dogs last night. We had a nice quiet time. Dinner at the Station House Cafe. I had a little too much champagne, so I was feeling fuzzy this morning. I’m trying to relax a bit before my husband, Corey, and I head down to Half Moon Bay for his birthday. We’re staying at the gorgeous Ritz-Carlton! I’m soooo excited. Love that place!! We are going to have a great time! A walk on the beach, a drink in the bar, a little pampering at the spa, a nice dinner, and maybe even a run along the coast!

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be a good year. Oh! One more resolution: no more deleting my posts. I want to be able to write what I want and look back on it. I hope to make some new friends this year, too. And keep up with my old friends! xoxo

Cheers,

Shelley