Philly Steak Sandwiches

A friend at work said he read my blog, I said "My blog?! It's kinda girly." He said "Yes, can you make a manly stew or something?" So here is my attempt to man things up a little.

I originally found this recipe on thenest.com (not manly). Turns out it's really good! Similar in style to the pepperoncini beef sammies I posted a couple of weeks ago.

(professional photo)

Philly Steak Sandwich

Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound boneless beef sirloin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 pound Swiss or provolone cheese, thinly sliced
4 soft hoagie rolls, split
Directions
1. Put the steak in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to firm up a bit; this makes it easier to slice very thinly. Using a sharp knife or meat slicer, shave the beef into ultra-thin slices, and then flatten it using a meat pounder.
2. In a bowl, combine the steak slices with the salt, pepper, paprika, and chili, onion, and garlic powders. Toss with your hands to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When the pan or griddle is hot, add the oil, onions, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Push the vegetables off to one side of the pan.
4. Add the meat, chopping it up a bit with tongs, and cook and stir until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix the vegetables back in and toss to combine with the meat. Divide the steak mixture into 4 long mounds in the pan or on the griddle, lay the cheese on top, and cook for 1 minute longer to melt the cheese. Pile the cheesy meat mixture into the warm rolls and serve immediately.

I modified it this week to try it in the crock pot. I used the same ingredients except I substituted the sirloin (manly) for a round roast (manly). I threw everything in before I left for work and when I came home it looked like this:

(my amateur photo)

I should have put the veggies in for the last few hours instead of the whole day but that was not an option for me. When we were ready to eat I put the meat on a hoagie bun with a piece of cheese and put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  I served this with cheesy potatoes (Josh's request) but they turned out weird this time and since I have the best cheesy potato recipe ever I refuse to show the dismal result. I'll do the cheesy taters justice in a future blog post!

Maple Glazed Pork Chops courtesy of Paula Deen

I have started a little Friday afternoon ritual (apparently). The last 2 Friday's I found myself watching The Food Network while waiting for Josh to get home from work. I have never really watched much of The Food Network because I always figured I couldn't keep up. Turns out it isn't that intimidating. I picked up 2 recipes to try. The first is this one (below) and the second is for mini beef wellingtons that I hope to give a try soon.

Here is Paula's recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops (with some modifications)

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons ancho chili powder (I used spicy Mrs Dash because I couldn't find my chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 (10-ounce) center cut bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick (I did not have bone-in chops)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup butter maple syrup (I found a sugar free maple syrup which made for a different consistency than Paula's)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Pecans, toasted and chopped, optional garnish (I did not do this part)

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about for 4 to 6 minutes.

In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the maple syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the maple syrup. Garnish with toasted pecans, if desired.

Paula served this with mashed sweet potatoes the difference being she said "Well, it calls for a 1/4 cup of butter but let's go ahead and use a 1/2 cup" and I said "Let's eye ball this, skip all the spices, and use a lot less butter." It seemed a lot healthier. I made sweet potatoes and regular mashed potatoes since Josh doesn't care for sweet ones. Both worked well. I'd give this recipe an A. Smelled great, tasted good, reasonable prep time, re-heated really well.  I give my attempt at this recipe a B.

Great eats from Pure Michigan

I think I'm going to have to try this! I just read an article on freep.com about the new cookbook released as part of the Pure Michigan ad campaign. Recipes and ingredients from the great state of Michigan. You can read more and buy it here.

Griffin was here

Chicken Fingers made healthy

This recipe has all of the special qualities I look for: ingredients I am familiar with, healthy alternative to a classic favorite, fits easily into a weeknight schedule.

I found this recipe from a blog I came across while searching for new recipes. I'm pleased to share this recipe with my friends. I do think this will be especially good for those with pint sized picky eaters in the house.

What you'll need
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded and cut into strips (I used the chicken tenders, half the work was already done)
1 cup low fat buttermilk (I made my own by using a Tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of milk)
Hot sauce to taste (I used about 5 or 6 shakes)
1 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian)

Mix the buttermilk and hot sauce in shallow dish. Put the chicken in buttermilk mixture and place in fridge for 1 hour.

 Preheat oven to 450* and warm a baking sheet
Pour breadcrumbs in a shallow dish

Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and coat with breadcrumbs

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and coat with non stick spray. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes; flip and bake until golden brown which is about another 6 minutes.

 I paired them with tater tots because I had some and it sounded like a good match. I'm sure they'd be good in a salad, served with veggies, or served as a sandwich.

I think I need to work on my photography skills...  Anyway, enjoy!

Chef JJ's Backyard BBQ

I spent 3 days in Indianapolis, IN on a work trip this week. One of the evenings we had a team building activity at Chef JJ's Backyard BBQ. It truly was a culinary experience!  Going into the week I didn't think I would have much to blog about because I'd be on the road but I was wrong. Here's a little recap of my experience...

As you walk into Chef JJ's you are greeted by your host who takes your drink order (and remembers your name for the entire night) and points you to your team's table. Then you're greeted by the Chef who explains the "game". Each team is tasked with making a salad, a flat bread pizza, and the proteins (steak, shrimp, and tofu in our case). The tables are all stocked with the necessary ingredients including spices, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, veggies, garnishes, dough, pizza sauce, lettuce, the meats, cutting boards, knives, aprons, plates, utensils and so on.  Side note: the chef prepares the appetizers (stuffed mushrooms) and the desert (mango bread pudding).

Once you get the lay of the land you're set to work. Teams are working against the clock and each other because the chef will judge taste of each prepared element.
(Keep in mind these pictures were taken on a smart phone so they aren't the best quality)

First the delicious mushrooms stuffed with garlic and pureed white beans of some sort. 

The team gets to work!

Now, my team won 1st place for presentation, but 3rd place overall. We lost by 2 points because we ate our salad and forgot to make the judge a plate. Oops.  This salad was delicious.

We decided to make 4 kinds of flat bread. 2 vegetarian (it was Ash Wednesday) and 2 with meats.

We did eat each part as it was completed then got to work on the next one. Next came the meats.

Our steak and veggies.

The tofu.

On the grill.

Hard at work.

Hot off the grill.

This was our finished product of beef, shrimp, and tofu. Presented quite nicely I might add.

The competition.

Last but not least (and most importantly)...

If you have a restaurant like this nearby I highly recommend getting a group of friends or family together and giving it a try. We all had a great time! This would also make a really fun rehearsal dinner experience with your wedding party.

Pepperoncini Beef

These sandwiches are extremely easy. We first had them at ski weekend for dinner on Saturday. Brittany and Andrew made them and she got the recipe from a friend who I don't know so can't give credit. I did find a version of it at allrecipes.com.

Basically here's what you need
1 (3 lb) beef roast (round or rump)
1 jar of pepperoncini (found in the pasta aisle near the Italian sauces at your grocer)
Put the roast and pepperoncini in a crock pot. Turn on low for 6-8 hours. I added some chicken broth for good measure (would have preferred beef, all I had was chicken).

Remove meat from crock put and pull apart with 2 forks. Return meat to crock pot. Serve meat on hoagie bun with provolone or swiss cheese. It may be a good idea to put the sandwich together then zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds to allow the cheese to melt.
Serves 12.

These are a big hit at our house. Very easy, quite tasty. Do not serve with Doritos it wrecks the flavor. I suggest serving with tater tots or french fries. This is kind of spicy, or flavorful, depending on your perspective. If you don't prefer food with a kick, I'd cut back on the amount of pepperoncini.

Let me know what you think!

(I grabbed this picture from allrecipes, it is not my own).