London Broil and Orzo

Last time I was at the grocery store they had a sale on London Broil - buy one, get one free. So I got two. Now my problem is that I usually don't think about what to make for dinner until I'm at work, so needless to say, this one wasn't marinated.

Instead I used a dry rub that I threw together that consisted of dried oregano, salt, pepper, McCormick's steak seasoning and garlic powder. Instead of using the broiler, I pulled out the George Foreman grill that we got for Christmas, and put it on there for approximately 17 minutes until it was medium. Then let it sit for 5 minutes, and slice. It was pretty tender, and had good flavor, but I can't wait to marinate the other one, and see if that's better.

I also made orzo for the second time last night. I followed the instructions on the box, using chicken broth instead of water (bring it to a boil, add orzo, cook until it soaks up all the broth) and then mixed in two wedges of Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese, and some leftover peas from the chicken pot pie. It was so yummy, but Josh isn't a big fan. So I steamed some broccoli for him and didn't push my luck!

Pictures of the Pot Pie

Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie!

Tonight is our 5th Anniversary of the day we started dating, and I'm making my boyfriend's favorite meal that I make - chicken pot pie.

Like most things I make, it's simple and you can change things up a bit depending on what you like. Also, as you will start to notice, I don't measure things very often.

1 package pre-made pie crust
1 lb chicken, diced (I use the tenders so they are easier to cut up)
3 potatoes
2 handfuls of baby carrots
2 slices of onion, chopped up into tiny pieces
1 8 oz can of chicken broth
1 8 oz can of cream of chicken soup

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix chicken, potatoes, carrots and onion with chicken broth and cream soup.
Place 1 crust in the bottom of a pie pan, add filling. Top with second crust.
Cut a slit in the top of the pie crust for venting.

*I always place the pie pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow so that my oven stays cleaner.

Bake for 40 minutes, checking potatoes and carrots to see if they are done.

Some people say to cook the chicken before adding it to the mixture, but I have never had a problem with the chicken being undercooked, only the potatoes.
I also steam some peas and add them to my servings after the pie has been cooked.

Tonight I am going to finally get a few pictures of this to post, since it's one of the dishes I make at least once a month.



Source: Tweaked this recipie from Real Simple magazine.

Vanilla, oak and... eucalyptus?

For my 25th birthday, some good friends of the family gave me a bottle of wine from one of their favorite vineyards in New York State. It's not a fancy wine, which shows that they know me, but it's very flavorful, and went great with our Valentine's Day dinner of filet mignon, ranch roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli.

The wine is from Wagner Vineyards -their DeChanuac, a medium bodied with aromas of peppers and eucalyptus plus hints of vanilla and oak. Enjoy it with hearty fare such as venison and beef.

I recommend it and Wagner's Vineyard to anyone in the Finger Lakes region, and I'm looking forward to having a glass tonight!

Roasted Ranch Potatoes

This is one of my boyfriend's most requested dishes, and so easy to make!

Serves 2 people who really, really like them!

4 potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1/2 cup Crisco cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk HV Ranch mix and oil together, and pour over potatoes in 9 x 13 inch pan. Stir until potatoes are evenly coated with ranch and oil mixture. Cover with foil.

Roast for 30-40 minutes depending on potato chunk sizes (Until potatoes are soft.)

See how easy that is?

I also want to thank my mother for this recipe. I'm not sure where she got it from, or if she just made it up. All I know is that we really like it.

starting a cooking blog

Since my boyfriend has recently started raving about some of my recipies to his co-workers, and I have been lurking (and occasionally posting) on a cooking board, I thought this might be a good way to keep track of the recipes that I make/invent so that I don't have to remember them off of the top of my head. I will post pictures when available, but I usually don't take pictures of my food since it tastes much better than it usually looks.

But that is the next challenge - learning to plate food so that it looks as appetizing as it smells!

I also want to inform anyone reading this blog that the love is usually the most important ingredient in my food, and the fuzz, well, I do my best to keep that out of the food!