Definitely as the heat wave continues salad or cold soups are what I have been craving. Every so often I make something that I am truly excited about how it turned out. This  is how I felt about this recent Steak Salad. I think I told just a few people, about 10 just how excited Iwas about it!  I know it might seem like a lot of work, but I was able to accomplish everything in under an hour- I had a lot of things cooking at the same time. Unfortunately, I don’t per say have real measurements I just used what I had and tried to have equal portions. Also since I don’t have a grill I broiled my NY Strip steak for about 4 ½ minutes on each side. It did not have that beautiful grilled look but still tasted delicious!

Steak Salad

1 Head of Red Lettuce

1 Red Bell Pepper Roasted

1 Bunch of Asparagus Roasted (cooked in broiler)

1 Sautéed Yellow Onion

Fingerling Potatoes Roasted with Rosemary

Steamed French String Beans

1 Pound of Steak

1 Tomato chopped

Extra- I roasted a garlic bulb to either be added to the salad or used on the bread.

Vinaigrette

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Dijon Mustard

Before mixing all the ingredients together I cooled them all except the steak was served warm.

Yes, it has been a while since I have written…I have been thinking and cooking but just not writing. Well, with these two entries (Maple Blueberry Muffins/ Blueberry Pancake Cupcakes) I am back. Although, the season is a little early for tomatoes this past weekend’s heat and my burn definitely made me think it was summer time. It is always nice to find things that can be made in advance and be able to bring a full meal together. Recently, I was cooking dinner and I wanted to try my hand at slow roasting tomatoes knowing that they could cook all day while I was cleaning my apartment and reading the paper. This was something that was easy to prepare in the morning and by the afternoon my apartment was smelling like I had been slaving away in the kitchen all day.

Oven temperature 225

Tomatoes
Garlic (finely Chopped)
Basil (Chopped)
Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Cut tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. (I lined it with foil for easy cleaning.) Evenly distributed the thyme, basil, and garlic over the tomatoes. Drizzle with oil and top off with salt and pepper.
Now you can run out the door for the day and return to a fragrant home with a delicious side!

1 Pound of Ground Pork
1 Pound of Ground Beef
1 Pound of Ground Chicken
1 Large Yellow Onion (Chopped Finely)
½ Green Pepper (Seeded and Diced)
3 Eggs
2 Cups of Bread Crumbs
1 Cup of Milk
8 Gloves of Garlic (Chopped Finely)
¾ Cup Toasted Pine Nuts (Slightly Chopped after Roasting)
1/3 Cup of Chopped Parsley
1/3 Cup of Chopped Oregano
1/3 Cup of Basil
Zest of one Lemon
2 -3 Teaspoons of Pepper
4 Teaspoons of Salt
¼ Cup of Olive Oil

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes and then add the green peppers and garlic and cook down for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer Onions, Peppers, and Garlic into another bowl and let cool a little. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together and add the herbs, lemon zest, and pine nuts. In another bowl add the bread crumbs to the milk together and let stand for a few minutes. Then remove bread crumbs from milk and squeeze milk from them (discard milk) and add to egg mixture. Finally mix everything together the Meats, Onions, Eggs, Salt and Pepper. Make sure well combined, I think best to just use your hands to combine.
Shaping the meat balls depending on the size I think easiest to just use a large ice cream scoop and scoop meat into balls and place on a baking sheet to prepare for cooking. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and cook meatballs for about five minutes making sure to cook all sides. Remove meatballs from pan. (At this point a froze most of the meatballs to have at a later date) To finish cooking cook meatballs in your desired tomatoes sauce for about 20 minutes. And make sure to watch it!

In search of a comfort food, one that I believe remains at the top of my list would a tomato sauce. I thought this would also be a good way for me to economize and bring lunch to work, One thing to remember with some sauces is I think they taste better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to meld together. So I went out and decided to make and Tomato Eggplant Sauce with a base of white wine instead of vegetable broth. Funny how as I child I would cringe at the sight of an eggplant and can’t say how many times I can remember my mother saying to me “Oh, would you just try it, you can hardly taste the eggplant.” Now, I love eggplant.

¼ Cup of Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves (Finley Chopped)

½ Pound of Eggplant (Finley chopped)

1 Bell Pepper (Seeded and Diced)

3 Small Tomatoes Chopped (about 1 ½ Cups)

1 -2 Tablespoons of Capers *

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped Basil

½ Teaspoon of Oregano

6 oz. of Tomato Paste

1 Cup of White Wine ( If need more liquid can add more wine or use a vegetable broth)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large skillet heat olive oil and garlic once oil has heated add the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and capers. Cook over look heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook with lid for stirring occasionally for 40 to 50 minutes. If the sauce becomes to think add more liquid.

*I really like capers and get excited when I think they will work in a recipe but I definitely put about 3 tablespoons in my sauce and can say the capers became over powering.