Ingredients:
steak (filet mignon cut preferred!)
fresh rosemary
worcestershire sauce
kosher salt

1) Leave the steaks out on the counter for a little while to get the meat closer to room temperature.
2) Dry off by placing a paper towel below the meat while dabbing with another one on top.
3) Salt the meat, add fresh rosemary, and the pour some worcestershire sauce on it and press in firmly while ensuring full coverage.
4) Grill on medium heat for about 4min/side.

Ingredients:
fresh linguine
olive oil
garlic (8-10 cloves)
basil
sun-dried tomatoes
baby bella mushrooms

Start off by getting a large pot of water boiling. While you’re waiting for that to happen, chop up some garlic (I like using way too much) and basil and toss it in a pan w/ a generous amount of olive oil. Chop up the baby bella mushrooms and throw them in w/ the basic and garlic (at this point I added some more olive oil to top off the mushrooms. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. If you’re using fresh linguine (which I highly recommend) it will only take about 3-4 minutes to cook so it’s probably good to be just about finished w/ the toppings before you throw it in. Scoop out pasta for each portion and then top w/ the awesome stuff in the pan. This was pretty simple, fun to cook, and wicked tasty!

Ingredients:
1/3 bag of salad (spring mix is pretty good)
1 avocado (sliced)
goat cheese (creamy or crumbled)
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Mix. Eat.

When I’m not cooking (most of the time) I’m living off of stuff found in the freezer section of Ralph’s. My latest addiction is Chung’s Veggie Spring Rolls.

The spring rolls come with a kind of sweet & sour sauce that is pretty good, but I was in the mood for something more spicy. If you cook a jalapeno in w/ the spring rolls and then mix that with a good amount of soy sauce you’ll have some easily made spicy dipping sauce.

Douse the frozen rolls w/ olive oil to get a crispy shell when baking.

These are the best wings because they are made with the best sauce. If you haven’t tried any of the sauces from the allspicecafe go there now and buy them all! I usually make these with the Caribbean Spice as it is the mildest and a good warmup to non-hot sauce lovers. For a more potent batch, try either the Chipotle Garlic or the Cayenne Habanero (now with a XXX option!).

Ingredients:
3-5lbs. of fresh chicken wings
1 bottle of hot sauce from the allspicecafe

Grill the wings to perfection (this is usually a smokey endeavor as the wings are full of fat the burns off on the grill – make sure your neighbors aren’t quick to call the fire engines). Put the grilled wings into a bowl and pour in 1/2 to 1 full bottle of hot sauce (depending upon how many wings you have and how hot you want it to be). Move the wings around in the bowl with a wooden spoon until you have good sauce coverage all around. Enjoy! (and get some napkins)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1lb carrots, peeled & cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1lb parsnips, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 onions chopped
1 12-ounch bottle of Guiness Stout
1lb rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups beef stock or canned broth

Heat 1tbsp oil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 of beef to Dutch oven and brown well, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to plate. Repeat with remaining 2 tbsp. oil and beef in 2 more batches. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to Dutch oven and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Return beef and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven. Add Guinness stout and enough beef stock to cover meat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Add vegetables to stew and simmer uncovered until beef and vegetables are tender and gravy thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat over medium high heat before serving.)

Thank you Gerri Gilliland!

Steak (see previous entry)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (via cooks.com)

Ingredients:
2 lb. peeled and diced potatoes
1/2 to 1 head garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream, half&half or milk

1) Cover potatoes with water sufficient to cover in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.

2) Drain potatoes and set aside. Return empty pan to heat and add butter, leaving until butter melts. In a separate pan, bring cream or milk to boil (do not allow to curdle; remove from heat immediately when it starts to boil).

3) Mash the potatoes, beating in the butter and half&half, cream or milk, mashed garlic, and salt and pepper, until potatoes are smooth and fluffy.

Ingredients:
8 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1. Mix together seasoning ingredients and rub into each side of steak.

2. Grill steaks on a large frying pan over medium-high heat; press down on steak with spatula or tongs to sear the edges.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and return to a boil, then lower the heat so that the liquid simmers. Add the apples, walnuts, raisins, Grand Marnier, orange and lemon juices, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool.

Serve in a side bowl with turkey or any preferred holiday dish.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of stouffers stuffing (turkey or chicken flavored)
1 large onion
1 stick of butter
olive oil
3 cups of water

In a large pot heat up olive oil and saute diced onions until browned.

Add stick of butter and when melted, pour in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Pour in two packages of stuffing; mix well and cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and then serve.