It's Beef Week at Dinners for a Year -- Tenderloin Steaks with Espresso-Bourbon Sauce

I love beef. From a thick, juicy burger on the grill to a quick meal of beef and broccoli stir fry, a dinner including beef is very satisfying. I have teamed up with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association to post some lean beef recipes from their Beef It's What's for Dinner website and will blog about my family's Week of Beef.

Typically, beef has gotten a bad rap as far as being a healthy choice for dinner. Common complaints include:

"It contains too much fat."

"I can feel my arteries clogging already."

"I don't want to eat all those calories."

Actually, beef contributes to good health by providing many important nutrients. Today, beef is leaner than ever before. It fits within the guidelines for a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat. There are 29 cuts of beef that meet government guidelines for lean. Included on the list are many familiar cuts including flank steak, sirloin steak, and ground beef.

The first recipe I prepared for dinner this week was Tenderloin Steaks with Espresso-Bourbon Sauce. I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is that beef tenderloin is too expensive for a weeknight meal. My local grocery store regularly has beef tenderloin on sale, and I picked up just over a 4 pound tenderloin for about $25. I will be able to prepare at least 2 dinners my family of 5 and a few lunches for my husband from this sized beef tenderloin.

Beef tenderloin, either whole or cut in steaks, is a quick meal to prepare. Tenderloin Steaks with Espresso-Bourbon Sauce takes less than a half hour to prepare. With about 250 calories per serving and 3 grams of saturated fat, this recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, and zinc and a good source of iron. We also had sweet potatoes mashed with a little brown sugar and blasted garlic broccoli for dinner to add a couple servings of vegetables loaded vitamins K, C, and A as well as folate and fiber.

The sauce was the first part of the recipe to prepare. It came together very quickly with most ingredients already in my pantry.

As the sauce reduced, I prepped the steaks with a few grinds of pepper and grilled them them for about 6 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare. With the sweet potatoes mashed and the blasted broccoli ready, dinner was served.

We are a family of beef lovers and beef tenderloin is high on our list of favorites. This recipe received our highest rating as one that we would want to have again.

"The steak is so tender," said My Middle One.

The sweet and slightly salty sauce was delicious drizzled over the steaks.

"This steak is so good, I could just eat the steaks without the sauce," said my husband.

Then he proceeded to pour more of the thick, rich sauce over his steak.

The sauce added a smokey, sweet and slightly teriyaki flavor to the steaks that the rest of us agreed would be delicious on other cuts of beef. I will be making the Bourbon-Espresso sauce in the future. My only change to the recipe will be to double the recipe so I can store some in my refrigerator.

This recipe is one to get the family back to the dinner table. No need to take the family to a steakhouse. This recipe brings steakhouse quality and flavor right to your table.

Tenderloin Steaks with Espresso-Bourbon Sauce

from the website Beef It's What's for Dinner

4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 4 ounces each)
2 to 4 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper

Espresso-Bourbon Sauce:
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all sauce ingredients, except pepper, in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 12 to 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened and reduced by about half, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper. Keep warm.

Meanwhile press coarsely cracked pepper on both sides of beef steak. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 13 to 15 minutes for medium rare, turning once.

Evenly divide sauce onto 4 plates. Place steak on top of sauce.

Alternately, the steaks can be broiled for 13 - 16 minutes for medium-rare to medium, turning once.


Stayed tuned for 2 more lean beef recipes followed by a BIG giveaway at the end of the week.

Dark Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars



Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

All is right in the world when there are homemade cookies and milk. If those cookies include chocolate, have barely undercooked centers, and the edges are slightly crispy, you are reaching snack time nirvana.

Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Bars meet all of my perfect cookie requirements. The bars cut from the middle of the pan stay chewy while the ones around the edge of the pan have a buttery, crunchy crust. The only problem with these treats is that they disappear too quickly.

Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Bars
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until creamy. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan. Invert pan on a cutting board, remove parchment and cut into bars.

My Carnitas Recipe or Wow! Did You See the Size of Your Mom's Butt?

I am still searching northern New Jersey for authentic Mexican food. Looking for an Italian restaurant? There is one on every street corner. Craving a Dunkin Donuts latte? There is one next to the Italian restaurant on every street corner.

During our stint in Southern California, we were spoiled with all the Mexican restaurants. One frequent stop for our family was Sagebrush Cantina. The food was good, but not great Mexican. The attraction was that my 3 toddler kids and I could show up about 5 p.m. and get a table outside with chips and salsa and a margarita (on the rocks with salt please) and my husband would stop by after work. Before you call child welfare services, I will clarify that the margarita was for The Mom. The kids drank lemonade.

Craving some Mexican food, I decided on Carnitas for dinner. The slow cooked pork is shredded or cubed and crisped up in a hot oven. It is delicious in tacos, burritos, quesedillas, or just about any Mexican entree you want to put it in. Most recipes call for a slow cook in a dutch oven. Not in the mood to stick around while my Carnitas cooked, I opted for a crock pot method.

Slow cooking of the pork began early in the morning. Into the crock pot went a pork butt seasoned with cumin, salt, and pepper, a bottle of beer, a couple sliced onions, some cubenelle peppers, whole garlic cloves, and a sliced orange for the 9 hour cooking time.

As my son descended the stairs to the kitchen at about 7 in the morning, he was greeted by my husband exclaiming, "Wow! Did you see the size of your Mom's butt?"

With a curious and slightly disgusted look on his face he replied, "Uh, no."

"I mean the pork butt your Mom just put in the crock pot," my husband clarified.

Still with a grossed out look on his face, he said, "No Dad. I haven't seen Mom's butt."

After some online research, I discovered that pork butt is not actually the butt of a pig. It is part of the shoulder. But isn't it more fun to say pork butt than pork shoulder?

The pork butt spent the day in the crock pot. It really is not a pretty sight.


It is removed from the pot cooled slightly, shredded and put on a large baking sheet with the peppers and onions. A couple cups of the cooking liquid were drizzled over the top followed by 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The resulting pork was both crispy and melt-in-your-mouth good.



The Carnitas was served with fresh salsa, black beans spiked with cumin, salt, and freshly ground pepper, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, salsa verde, and warmed flour tortillas.



An added benefit of making a 7 pound pork butt for Carnitas is that there are bound to be leftovers. Is it almost lunch time?

Carnitas
1 (6 to 7 pound) bone-in pork butt or shoulder
salt
pepper
cumin
2 medium onions, sliced
3 cubenelle peppers, sliced in long strips
1 orange, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bottle of beer

for serving --
flour tortillas wrapped in foil and warmed in oven
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
black beans
fresh salsa
salsa verde

Generously sprinkle the pork with salt, pepper, and cumin. Place the onions in the bottom of the crock pot and top with pork. Add the peppers, orange slices, garlic cloves, and the beer. Set the crock pot to low and cook for about 9 - 10 hours or until the pork shreds easily.

After the cooking time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the pork from pot and cool slightly before shredding in bite-sized pieces. Discard any fat and bones. Place pork on a large rimmed baking sheet along the the peppers and onions from the pot. Pour about 2 cups of the cooking liquid over the pork and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. Some of the pork should be browned and crispy while some is juicy and tender.

Remove from oven and serve with flour tortillas, shredded cheese, black beans, and salsas.

Pomegranate Coke

When you are a food blogger, companies want to send you their products to promote on your blog. The marketers for these companies are smart people. Who doesn't want something for nothing? While most mailboxes these days collect dust, junk mail or the statement for your dwindling retirement account, a few freebies packaged in a cardboard box are a welcome site.

A couple weeks ago, I received 8 mini bottles of POM WONDERFUL juice. The first reaction of my household was how cute the 8 ounce bottles were. No Thank You Boy was amazed that I received the juice for free.

"You mean they just sent it to you for nothing?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes they did," I replied.

The bottles sat on a shelf in the garage for a week or so. I really didn't give them much thought. I drank one mixed with seltzer water one day and the remaining 7 bottles still sat there.

Then The Husband found the bottles. He grabbed a Coke and a bottle of POM WONDERFUL juice and poured them over ice.

"Wonderful!!" he exclaimed. "This is better than a Cherry Coke."

And voila. And new drink sensation was born. I reserve the rights to this new drink combination. I can see it now. I'm going to be a millionaire.

And here I am writing on my blog about those little, free bottles of POM WONDERFUL juice I received in the mail. I even provided 3 links directly to the company's site.

I told you those marketing people were smart.

Peanut Butter Bread

I like being home alone in the morning. Still in my fuzzy pink robe, the only sound is the occasional barking of Shadow and Trixie as kids pass our house on the way to the bus stop.

Some mornings are filled with hustle and bustle. There is showering (the last one probably is without hot water), lunch making, feeding 2 hungry dogs after persistent nudging by cold noses, and waiting for the perfect pair of jeans du jour to finish drying in the dryer. The result is an exit of the 5 of us as we head to school and work.

On the mornings of my days off from personal cheffing, I savor a cup of hot coffee with a smidgen of sugar and a splash of of half and half with a freshly baked muffin, slice of quick bread, or chunk of coffee cake while reading the daily newspaper. I read it cover to cover. Stories about the lost dog found 50 miles away, the latest restaurant review that I tear out and put in my "Must Try" pile, the horoscopes, the trade between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, and the impending rise in gas prices. I love the newspaper. It will be a sad, sad day for me when the inevitable happens and newspapers are only online.

I am partial to sweets that are on the less sweet side. Peanut Butter Bread is just the not-so-sweet sweet for me. Lightly toasted and slathered with butter, my 15 minutes of morning quiet makes me happy.

My morning time seems like an indulgence in our busy world. But who doesn't need a little break every once and a while.


Peanut Butter Bread

makes 1 loaf

To add piazza to your bread, top with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips before baking.

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add eggs and milk and mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the peanut butter mixture. Beat well.

Bake for 50 - 55 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before unmolding.

Roasted Bacon and Parmesan Stuffed Chicken

Winner winner chicken dinner.

With chicken making an appearance at our dinner table about twice a week, I am always trying to serve it in different ways. I never really have a taste for chicken. It is not one of those foods that I crave. That is unless it is a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken with biscuits and mashed potatoes topped with peppery gravy.

I have been experimenting with chicken on the bone lately because when roasted, it yields a much juicier piece of meat than boneless, skinless chicken breasts. With the right ingredients and preparation, roasting a bone-in chicken breast with the skin is an easy dinner time entree that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. Roasted Bacon and Parmesan Stuffed Chicken results in chicken with extra crunchy skin and a flavorful topping of crisp bacon, sharp Parmesan cheese, and a slight hint of a traditional bread stuffing flavor from the seasoned bread crumbs.

Armed with this simple recipe, you'll be sitting down to a delicious chicken dinner in less than an hour. Just don't let on to anyone how easy it was to prepare.

Roasted Bacon and Parmesan Stuffed Chicken

4 servings
4 bone-in with skin chicken breasts
4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine bacon, cheeses, and bread crumbs. Gently loosen the bottom portion of the skin on each breast. Place about 1/4 of the cheese and crumb mixture under the skin. Place the chicken on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
.
Roast until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 35 - 45 minutes. Spoon pan drippings over the chicken and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Fish -o -Filet



Fish-o-Filet

Lent began this past Wednesday and so begins a yearly Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays. I usually don't crave a juicy burger draped in melted cheddar with sauteed onions except for on the Fridays of Lent. I could give into my craving, but my Catholic guilt would set in.

Growing up in a large family with 5 siblings, we rarely had fresh seafood at dinner time. One exception was our yearly outing to Parks Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida while on the family Spring Break trip. After the 22 hour car ride through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida all the while eating Oreos, ham and cheese sandwiches, and those little individual boxes of sweet cereal, my parents splurged on a "fancy" seafood dinner for our family of 8. I always ordered the basket of deep fried shrimp.

During my college days, my Lenten Friday night dinner was many times a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish with fries and a Coke. Not the most nutritious meal, but it fulfilled my Catholic eating restrictions during the Easter season and hardly dented on already limited money supply.

I created a somewhat healthier baked version of the Filet-O-Fish including a sweet pickle relish and mayonnaise based special sauce and melted American cheese. I originally was not going to include the American cheese in my recipe, but was pleasantly surprised that the memories of the Mickey D's Filet-O-Fish Fridays came flooding back when I took my first bite.

Bake up a few Fish-o-Filets tonight. You won't be disappointed.


Fish-o-Filet

serves 4

1 1/2 pounds of fish fillets. Good choices are halibut, cod, pollock or blue snapper
Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup panko
olive oil

for special sauce -
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
squeeze of lemon juice

4 sandwich buns, sliced
4 slices of American cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

Cut the fish into 4 pieces and generously sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Set aside. Place flour, egg , and panko in three separate shallow dishes. Dip each piece of fish first in the flour, then the egg, and lastly the panko. Place the coated fish on a tray to let the coating set for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the heated baking sheet. Place the panko-coated fish on the sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and are lightly browned. Place the bun halves on another baking sheet and put a slice of American cheese on each of the bottom bun halves. During the last minute or 2 of baking time, place the buns in the oven to warm and just melt the cheese. Remove fish and buns from oven.

To make special sauce, combine mayonnaise, pickle relish and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.

To assemble sandwiches, place a piece of the fish on top of the bottom bun with the melted cheese. Slather the top of each bun half with the special sauce and place on top of the fish. Enjoy!