Surf N' Turf: Filets with Cherry Port Sauce and Lemon Butter Scallops

Note: I forgot to add the crumbled bleu cheese to my steak *face palm*. It was still delicious but the bleu cheese would have added that extra special touch. 

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated at home and had surf n' turf for dinner. It was delicious! Here is the recipe:

Filet Mignon with Cherry Port Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 beef tenderloin steaks (8 ounces each)
• 1 cup dried red wine
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
• 1/2 cup diced onion

Instructions:

1. Add black ground pepper to both sides of steaks
2. Broil for 6-9 minutes until steaks reach desired donenes (We like medium-rare, so I broiled them for about 7 minutes on each side)
3. While steaks are broiling, combine wine, raisins, cherries, onion and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then cook until liquid is reduced by half.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, ground mustard, salt and water until smooth. Slowly stir this mixture into the saucepan. Bring to a boil and then cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. 
5. Pour sauce on top of steaks and sprinkle with bleu cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Lemon Butter Scallops

Ingredients:

• 1 pound scallops
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons parsley

For the lemon butter sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter on high heat.
2. Remove small side muscle from scallops. Rinse in a colander with cold water and then pat dry. 
3. Season scallops with salt and pepper.
4. Working in batches, add scallops to skillet in a single layer. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Scallops should be golden brown and translucent in the center. Set aside after cooking.
5. For the lemon butter sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add garlic to skillet and cook for about 1 minutes or until flagrant, Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve scallops immediately with lemon butter sauce. Sprinkle parsley on top of finished scallops. Enjoy!

Travel Life

In Tampa right now. How is my hotel room already so messy?!

Below is a pic of the room service I just ordered. Portobello sandwich and fries with a glass (or two) of pinot grigio. It was pretty good, but I can't wait to get back to NYC tomorrow and cook up some of my own food!

I will update when I get back to the city!

xoxo,

Sam

Fish and Chips in England

Meal Planning 101

I just recently got into cooking, so there are a lot of fundamental foodie skills that I need to work on. One of those skills is meal planning. When I first decided to try cooking dinner at home every night, I would never think beyond that day's meal. My routine went something like this: go on Pinterest to get ideas, go grocery shopping, make dinner, toss the leftovers and then repeat the process the next day.

Now I have realized that it is much more efficient to plan for the week ahead, not just that night's dinner. I have made Sunday my official Meal Planning Day. On Sunday, I scour the Internet for recipe ideas and make a comprehensive grocery list. I will search the Internet or use apps like RetailMeNot to find any available coupons. Then, I either go to the local grocery store or place an order on Fresh Direct. We usually get takeout on Sundays, so I don't have to worry about that night's dinner. And it feels great to have all of my shopping and meal planning done for the week ahead! I am free to concentrate on cooking--the fun part!

I know that most of my readers are cooking newbies like myself. So I drew up this simple list of ways to make your meal planning more efficient. Efficient meal planning is cost-effective, timely, and just generally makes your life easier. Ready to make a change for the better? Let's get started!

1. Keep a meal journal

Purchase a basic weekly planner for this.  Your meal journal should serve two purposes. One, you can use it to look back on past meals for inspiration. Two, you can use it to plan for the week ahead.

On a designated day of the week, search the Internet, cookbooks, and your own past recipes for the following week's meal inspiration. Once you have decided what you are going to cook each day, write up a grocery list of all of the items you need. Next, decide where you are going to get the items on the list. Some grocery stores might be better for certain items than others. Finally, get shopping! Having all of the items ready at your disposal is much easier than going out every time you realize you don't have a necessary ingredient. You will also save money this way.

Tip: try adding pictures of each night's dinner to your meal journal. It's fun to look back on what you ate a month ago or even a year ago!

2. Plan your meals around sales

Look at grocery circulars (either from the newspaper or online) to see what's on sale at your favorite grocery stores and plan your meals around that. Also,  try coupon-hunting apps like RetailMeNot and Ibotta to save even more money. This doesn't take much effort at all and it always makes me happy to know that I am saving money!

3. Try theme nights

As you may have noticed, I take pictures of each night's dinner. These photos are helpful in many ways. One way I use them is to determine if I am cooking something too frequently and need to branch out. Sometimes I will realize that I am stuck in a rut of cooking the same things over and over. One way I get out of this rut is by planning a theme night.

Most families have done a Taco Tuesday, but have you considered doing a Macaroni Monday or a Weiner Schnitzel Wednesday? Your theme could be a certain culture, like Indian or Italian. Or you could try Thanksgiving in June or a picnic in the dead of winter. The possibilities are endless.

4. On a diet? Check calories counts before you shop!

Meal planning and dieting go hand-in-hand. Research shows that people lose more weight if they plan their meals ahead of time.

Once you have drawn up your grocery list, Google each item to find out the calorie count. If the calorie count is higher than you were expecting,  research lower-calorie alternatives. Or simply make the next meal a light and healthy one to make up for your splurge. It's okay to cheat once in a while!

5. Rotate favorites

If you're cooking for someone other than yourself, ask them what their favorite dishes are and make a master list of ten or twenty recipes. Don't forget to include your faves on the list too! This master list will be your "go-to" list when you have no idea what to make for dinner. Rotate between the meals so everyone gets to enjoy their favorite entrée.

6. Keep staples on hand

You don't want to spend hundreds of dollars at the grocery store every week, so it is important to keep your kitchen well-stocked. Take note of the foods and spices you find yourself using constantly and make sure to always have them in stock. Here are some of my staples: chicken breasts, olive oil, Smart Balance, shredded cheddar cheese, bell peppers, diced onions, minced garlic, paprika and good ole' Frank's Red Hot Sauce.

7. Use leftovers strategically.

I used to just throw away all of my leftovers, thinking I would forget about them and they would start to smell if I saved them. Now I realize that I should take full advantage of leftovers in order to save money and cut down on trips to the grocery store.

It's important to package leftovers correctly so they stay fresh as long as possible. As soon as I store the leftovers, I make a note in my meal journal of when the product should expire and then try to work my future meals around that. I often push other planned meals back a day to make sure I use the leftovers first.

These are just a few easy ways to get started with meal planning. Got any other tips? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 4 medium bell peppers
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups hot salsa
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or taco-blend cheese
• 1 tablespoon Mexican chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is no longer pink and onions are translucent. Stir in Mexican chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika. Add the black beans and salsa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove stems and seeds.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add peppers to boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
5. Place bell peppers hollowed-out side up on an ungreased 13'x9' baking dish. Fill peppers with 1/2 cup meat mixture.
6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Top with diced tomatoes and cheese. Put back into oven for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

Crockpot Pot Roast

This past week has been super busy. We just moved into our new apartment and are still getting settled in. I wanted to cook dinner last night but knew I would not have much time later in the evening as there was plenty of unpacking and organizing to do. I made this simple pot roast in my Crockpot. It worked out great--I put the Crockpot on at about noon and the roast was ready by dinnertime at 8. This dish is perfect for those nights when you just want to "set it and forget it". If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Ingredients

• Boneless Beef chuck roast (about 2-3 lbs)
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 lb red potatoes, sliced into quarters
• 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place potatoes and carrots in slow cooker.
2. Cut roast in half.
3. Combine mustard, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, garlic salt, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the roast.
4. Place roast in slow cooker. Top with diced onions and beef broth.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats

I served my zucchini boats with a side of spicy Jambalaya-style rice.

Chicken enchiladas are a favorite dish of mine, but typically they are so unhealthy. I decided to create an alternative to the Mexican favorite and came up with this easy zucchini recipe. I served this dish to my family and they actually liked it more than regular chicken enchiladas! Try it out and let me know what you think. I like my sauce to be super spicy, but feel free to tone it down by leaving out a few of the spices to suit your preferences. Leave a comment here or tweet me at @kitchen_sams using the hashtag #LetsTalkFood. I hope you enjoy this simple but decadent dish as much as we did!

Ingredients

For the spicy enchilada sauce:

• 1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 4 tablespoons chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2/3 cup low-sodium organic chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the zucchini boats:

• Four medium zucchinis
• 8 ounces cooked and shredded chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 cup shredded chedder or taco-blend cheese

Instructions

1. Let's make the enchilada sauce first! In a medium saucepan, spray olive oil cooking spray and turn on medium-high heat. Add minced garlic to saucepan and saute for about 30 seconds.
2. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle chiles, salt and pepper, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Add water to another medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while you complete the next two steps.
6. Now it's time to make those zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scoop out the insides of the zucchini, leaving the zucchini about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Don't throw away the insides of the zucchini! Chop them into small pieces and put aside for later.
8. Drop the hollowed-out zucchini halves in the boiling water. Cook for one minute and then remove. Set aside.
9. In a large pan, heat oil. Add minced garlic and chopped onion. Cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.
10. Add chopped zucchini, cilantro, shredded chicken, cumin, oregano, chili powder, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for about 7 minutes.
11. Place 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large lasagna dish.
12. Add zucchini halves on top of the enchilada sauce.
13. Fill each zucchini half with chicken mixture. Press down firmly.
14. Top each zucchini with 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese on zucchini boats.
15. Cover with boil and bake for about 30 minutes.
16. Top with more cilantro and sour cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!