Cooking Time Dilemma

Ever got confused how long you need to cook a certain type of meat, or what temperature is it supposed to be for the meat to be Well Done or Well Rare!?! (I know well Rare doesn't exist and that it's just rare but whatever!!!)

So I was doing some research on it and well the best site that I found that talked about it was at Recepetips.com It's quite extensive and should clear up all your questions. Perfect tool I tell you! For those of you who cant click on the link here is the actual address: http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t-129-/cooking-temperature-and-time.asp

So for those of you cooks out there who is looking for some great tips and well a perfect steak whether it be of meat or fish click away...But just don't forget to come visit us for some of our recipes.

ENJOY...and until next time!

Spinach Florentine Stuffed Salmon with Roasted Red Potatoes and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts Under A Creamy White Sauce

Ingredients:
Serves 2

1 pkg (2 per pkg) Spinach Florentine Stuffed Salmon patties, available at Trader Joe's ® (For those who do not have access to a TJ's, a similar recipe will be posted in the next few days)

For the Potatoes
2-3 small red potatoes per person, quartered
1/4 cup of parsley, coarsely chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp of lemon-pepper seasoning
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a pinch of garlic powder
1/2 tbsp of canola oil

For the Brussels Sprouts
1 pkg of Brussels Sprouts
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp of butter
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of lemon pepper seasoning
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

For the Sauce
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp of flour
1tbsp of butter
1 slice of American cheese (optional)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
pinch of garlic
a little less than 1/4 cup of parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions:

For the Potatoes

1. Preheat oven 375°F and line baking pan with foil
2. In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until potatoes are entirely coated with the spices
3. Bake potatoes for 20 -30 mins until fork tender.
4. Ready to serve

For the Brussels Sprouts (total cook time: approx 10 - 15 mins)

1. In medium heat, saute onions and garlic in butter until softened
2. Add Brussels Sprouts
3. Season with the salt, pepper, lemon pepper seasoning
4. Cook until Brussels Sprouts are soft
5. Ready to serve

For the Sauce

1. In a saucepan, medium low heat, simmer milk
2. In a bowl mix the butter and flour and add to milk. Whisk
3. add salt, pepper and cheese(optional) and continue whisking
4. Add parsley. Sauce will thicken and pour in gravy dish or over the meal as shown in the pic above.

For the fish, follow directions as is. Plate as shown above and is ready to eat...

Garnish with parsley and sliced Red Bell Peppers on the side.

Tidbit: The Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Red Potatoes can be a great side dish to any entree you are making!

Sweet and Spicy Lemongrass Shrimp with Green Beans

I totally made this recipe up and everyone loved it...my first attempt of using Lemongrass.

This recipe is for 1-1.5 lbs of shrimp

Step 1: Make the Marinade and marinate shrimp for an hr or so.

1 tsp of Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp of oyster sauce
2 tsps of soy sauce
2 light squirts of Sriracha hot sauce
1.5 tsps of lemongrass paste (readily available in the herb section of your grocery)
.5 tsp of garlic powder
.25 tsp of ginger powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Step 2: Make the sauce

Repeat all the ingredients above and add .25 tsp of rice wine vinegar. and let sit

Step 3: Make the Green Beans (aka Haricot Verts)

1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed of stem end

Fill a large high sided skillet with some water adding enough to be just shy of the of the pan by about 1 inch.

Place over high heat and bring up to a boil

Add a pinch of salt and the green beans

Cool for about 5 minutes, the beans should be still crisp.

Drain the beans and then shock them in a bowl of ice cold water and ice to stop from cooking.

Reserve the beans while you start the shrimp.

Step 4: Putting it all together.

In a hot skillet or wok, heat up a tbsp of oil and fry the shrimp for 1 to 2 mins per side. until pink. keep aside.

In the same skillet and left over oil at medium high heat, add 4 thin slices of fresh ginger, sliced scallions or quartered onions if you don't have scallions at home. Cook for a 30 seconds

Add sauce previously made.

Add 1 tsp of corn starch (diluted in cold water)

continue to heat, sauce will thicken. Add more water to make more gravy

Add shrimp and Green beans.

Cook for a minute or 2 and is ready to serve with Rice.

Tip: Can serve with Fried Rice

The New Ingredients In My Kitchen

Hi fellow food lovers....

I know it's been a long while since one of us has posted so I thought I would take the time to post one...So recently after having traveled to certain parts of Asia, I've been cooking a lot with Lemongrass and Merguez Spice mix; Two ingredients from different parts of Asia.

Lemongrass, also called Cochin Grass or Malabar Grass, native in India but is predominantly used in Burmese and Thai dishes. It has a citrus flavor which can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. The trick to using this ingredient is that you should use the bulb at the bottom of the lemongrass then peel and bruise it with a large kitchen knife. You can steep it to make a sauce or use in a stir-fry or make a lemon grass tea. Lemon grass is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for poultry, fish, and seafood.

Originally Merguez know as a sausage that originated in the North African region. It is usually made with lamb or beef. Its specific spices flavor the meat as tarty, spicy and red in color. It is popular in France, Morocco, Israel, Belgium, The Netherlands and the German state of Saarland. Down below is the list and measurements of ingredients that make up this spice blend. It is a great spice mix for when making lamb roasts, tagines, kabobs and sausages.

Merguez Spice Blend

1 part Cumin

1/4 part turmeric

1/8 part caraway

1/6 coriander

1/16 fennel

1/8 dried thyme (zaatar)

¼ sumac

1/4 sweet paprika

1/8 ancho chile powder

1/4 cayenne

1/32 black pepper

1/32 white pepper

1/32 pink pepper

Soon I will post recipes using these ingredients.