The post Air Fried Meatballs and Orechiette with Marinara Sauce appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>If I had you at the title of this blog post, Air-Fried Meatballs and Orechiette with Marinara Sauce, then prepare to fall further in love with the recipe and then it’s end result on a plate. That is if it even makes it to the plate. The inspiration from this recipe came from my sons’ cookbook Junior Chef Cookbook from Williams-Sonoma. My boys attend cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma, which I cannot recommend highly enough if you have children. The classes are very hands-on, fun, and the kids appreciate what they are eating as they’ve taken the time and pride to prepare the dish. This is one such dish my boys have helped me prepare and absolute LOVE to eat. We made a slight change to the meatball recipe by air-frying them as opposed to just baking them. This leaves the outside of meatballs with a crispy and crunchy texture and the inside moist and soft to the bite.
Williams-Sonoma will always and forever be one of my top resources for recipes and products. They can just shut up and take my money. HAHA! Some people try to convince me to find products and etc elsewhere. The truth is…sometimes I do get a second opinion and their pricing elsewhere if it is a more expensive luxury item. There are just some items I CANNOT pass up. Such item is their Bona Fortuna Marinara Sauce that I used for this recipe. I will not buy a bottle of Preggo ever again after trying their line of pasta sauces. Snotty much? When I love something, especially food, I want to make sure that I am eating the best flavors and quality in my food like that of any five star restaurant. People choose to spend their money on all sorts of things such as cars, shoes, clothes, salon care, and you know what? That’s fine with me. It’s called freedom to choose. I’d much rather choose to spend my money on making good and nourishing food for my family than spend it on myself or other things that I or my family do not need in excess. Each to his own. Live in peace. Do you people, and if it fancies you make this meal ASAP.
1.5 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 lbs ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp finely chopped basil
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp finely chopped oregano
5 cloves garlic
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bottle Bona Fortuna Marinara Sauce
1 bag organic orechiette pasta
1. To make the meatballs, in a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and the milk. Let stand for 10 minutes. Boil a pot of water for the pasta.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, cheese, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. Add the bread crumb mixture, and using clean hands, mix the ingredients gently but thoroughly. Scoop out 1 tablespoon portions of the meat mixture and roll into balls. Place on the air frying basket of you air fryer.
3. Cook the pasta for 13 minutes, or until al dente.
4. Warm up the marinara sauce in a small sauce pot and add additional freshly chopped basil. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes.
5. Air fry the meatballs for 15 minutes on 450 degrees Fahrenheit, until the meatballs are browned on the outside.
6. Pour the marinara sauce over the orecchiette pasta and add meatballs to serve.
7. Devour responsibly.
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]]>The post Shake Shack – Shack Burger appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>If you know me well, you’ll know that at one point in my life I lived in New York and you’ll also know that I lived for my Wednesdays at Madison Square Park to enjoy a Shake Shack – Shack Burger, fries, and a cold strawberry shake, while people watching. I first tried Shake Shack in 2004 and my life has never been quite the same again. Seriously, no lie. No exaggeration. I’ve always been a burger girl but this was where the buck stopped. Undoubtedly, a good burger is made of good meat. But the specific secret is in the way you cook the burger. Read below to find out this “juicy” secret. Here is the excerpt taken directly from Shake Shack’s brand new cookbook. Enjoy!
Okay, here’s our sacred cow!
Most likely the reason you have this book in your hands—our version of the great American cheeseburger. Like all deceptively simple things, it took us years to get it right, but now you can master burger perfection in five minutes. Makes 4
4 hamburger potato buns
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons Not Quite Our Shack-Sauce (recipe follows)
4 pieces green leaf lettuce
8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato
1 pound very cold ground beef, divided into 4 pucks
½ teaspoon Shake Shack Salt & Pepper Mix (recipe follows)
4 slices American cheese
1. Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat until warm. Meanwhile, open the hamburger buns and brush the insides with the melted butter. A soft brush is helpful here. Place the buns buttered side down on the griddle and toast until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate. Spoon the sauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of the lettuce and two slices of tomato.
2. Increase the heat to medium and heat the griddle until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Evenly sprinkle a pinch of our Salt & Pepper Mix on top of each puck of meat.
4. Place the pucks on the griddle, seasoned side down. Using a large, sturdy metal spatula, firmly smash each puck into a 1/3-inch-thick round patty. Pressing down on the spatula with another stiff spatula helps flatten the burger quickly. Evenly sprinkle another big pinch of our Salt & Pepper Mix.
Shake Shack’s “smash” technique makes use of two spatulas, a large one for flattening the patty and another for assisting.
5. Cook the burgers, resisting the urge to move them, until the edges beneath are brown and crisp, and juices on the surface are bubbling hot, about 2½ minutes. Slide one of the spatulas beneath the burger to release it from the griddle and scrape up the caramelized browned crust. Use the other spatula to steady the burger and keep it from sliding. Flip the burgers. Put the cheese on top and cook the burgers 1 minute longer for medium. Cook more or less depending on your preference.
When the patty’s edges turn crisp and dark brown and juices bubble on the surface, use a spatula to scrape burger up. Use a second spatula to keep patty from sliding. Photo by Christopher Hirsheimer
6. Transfer the cheeseburgers to the prepared buns and enjoy.
Mix ½ cup kosher salt with ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper and use that mixture to season our burgers as they cook. You’ll see we call for a pinch or two of the mixture in every recipe.
Long ago we threw away the key to the secret recipe for ShackSauce; but we promise to get you really close with ingredients easily found in your kitchen.
Makes about ½ cup
½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon Heinz ketchup
¼ teaspoon kosher dill pickling brine
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1. Put all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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]]>The post A BIT OF NEWS… appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Well it is without question there is something going on. Something to be excited about and something to celebrate. So in all of my excitement and hormonal glory don’t think of taking any of my food or asking me silly questions because I am known to bite as of late. Ok…well maybe I won’t really bite you. But I might bite your food if it looks enticing enough.
Hey speaking of food let’s get back on that topic. The following is a menu of this nonsensical meal I’ve created that jives very little together….
Trofie Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Makes absolutely no sense at all together. I know. But it does to me.
I’ve kept you in suspense long enough.
My husband and I recently sat down and prayed on what should be our next steps with life and surrendered to whatever he has planned for us. Out of fear of three previous miscarriages, for a very long time, I’ve said no to the possibility to welcoming more children. Naturally that would all make sense and saying no would be so easy. Wrong. The response we received to our prayer was that this is a very good time to grow our family and we just needed to trust in God’s plan for wanting to bless us without questioning the end outcome. That’s a big deal of obedience. But I’ve learned that my way is never any good and that God’s way will always be the only way, every time there after. We have a bit of news… So after taking the next step and waiting we have found out that we are….
Yes, we are PREGO! We are grateful. We feel totally blessed. And we wanted to share our joy with all of you.
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]]>The post LIME CHURASCO TACOS appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Lime Churrasco Tacos
Ingredients
juice of 8 limes
sea salt
churrasco steak, butterflied and lightly piereced with a paring knife
warm corn tortillas
corn, tomato, avocado, mango, sour cream, lime juice, hot sauce, cilantro, salt, fresh cracked black pepper for taco toppings
Prepare
1. Place churrasco on cutting board and butterfly so you get two flanks with an even thickness.
2. Pierce lightly all over both pieces with a paring knife. This will allow the meat to absorb extra lime juice while marinating.
3. Place both pieces into a gallon sized Ziploc bag along with 1 tbsp. coarse sea salt and lime juice. Shake vigorously and let marinate for twelve or more hours in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat grill, remove steaks from marinade/bag, and grill for about 4 minutes per side on high heat over direct flames or until medium.
5. Remove steaks from grill, place onto plate, and cut diagonally into small pieces.
6. Place on a warm corn tortilla and top with desired toppings and devour responsibly!
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]]>The post ROAST FLANK STEAK ROLL WITH PORCINI AND HERBED BUTTER appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Roast Flank Steak Roll with Porcini and Herbed Butter
Ingredients
Stuffing
8 ounces porcini mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed and broken into rough pieces
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion , halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1 beef flank steak , 2 to 3 pounds, trimmed of fat and silver skin
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup lightly packed baby spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
Herb Butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Prepare
FOR THE STUFFING
1. Process mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped, about six 1-second pulses.
2. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides.
3. Add onion, table salt, and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until all moisture has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are deeply browned and sticky, about 10 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
7. Slowly stir in Madeira and cook, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen any browned bits, until liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Transfer onion-mushroom mixture to plate and cool to room temperature.
FOR THE ROAST
1. Butterfly roast making sure to leave both sides with even thickness.
2. Season cut side of roast liberally with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Spread cooled stuffing mixture over interior of roast, leaving 1/2-inch border on all sides; lay spinach on top of stuffing.
4. Roll flank lengthwise and tie.
5. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
6. Rub roast with oil mixture and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
7. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
8. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking.
9. Add beef to pan and cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total.
10. Transfer beef to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and place in oven.
11. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 120 degrees for rare, 16 to 18 minutes, or 125 degrees for medium-rare, 20 to 22 minutes.
FOR THE BUTTER
1. While meat roasts, combine butter ingredients in small bowl.
2. Transfer tenderloin to cutting board; spread half of butter evenly over top of roast.
3. Loosely tent roast with foil; let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Cut roast between pieces of twine into thick slices.
5. Remove twine and serve with remaining butter passed separately.
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]]>The post RIBEYE STEAK SANDWICHES appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>In my mission to find lamb chops and duck breasts here in Elizabethtown, Kentucky I found a store called Marty’s Meats and More. I got really excited hoping that they’d have the meats I was looking for but they didn’t have any in stock. I was told they’d have to special order it for me and they are supposed to call me…I’m still waiting. While I was there the whole place smelled like grilled steak as the store owner was outside grilling rib eye steaks. I hear everyone coming in order the day’s special, which was the ribeye steak sandwich. I ordered one for myself and one for my husband along with some watermelon and we were both impressed. I had them add tomato, onions, lettuce, and A1 sauce for both. The funny thing was that I orignally asked the girl for ketchup. She looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language and then responded in the thickest southern accent I’ve ever heard, “You want ketchup on your steak?” So I said…well what else would I put on it? She said A1 sauce. Sadly, I had never tried A1 before so I had no idea what it’d be like…I took my chances. Why had I never been introduced to A1 sauce before? It is AMAZING!!! I love the citrus zing that it has to it. The ribeye steaks were nice and tender and fell apart as you bit into the sandwiches.
Make sure that when you purchase the ribeye steaks that you get thinly sliced ones. This makes it much easier to use as a sandwich. Also, ribeye steaks tend to be a bit on the fatty side so trim off any unwanted fat before grilling them.
Having thoroughly enjoyed this lunch I had to recreate it for dinner…with A1 sauce of course. My husband enjoyed these ribeye steak sandwiches so much he had three of them! I hope you enjoy this extremely simple but delicious tasting recipe!
Ribeye Steak Sandwiches
Ingredients
4 ribeye steaks (thinly sliced)
1 medium yellow onion
1 tomato
cheese of choice (swiss or muenster are really good)
A1 sauce
Kaiser buns
Prepare
1. The first step is optional…you can choose to marinate the ribeye steaks with A1 sauce for three hours before cooking to give the steaks extra flavor.
2. Fire up your grill to medium heat.
3. Season the steaks with salt and fresh cracked black pepper before grilling.
4. Grill the steaks for 3 minutes each side for medium done steaks.
5. Toast the Kaiser buns and place a steak on each bottom bun.
6. Top with A1 sauce, cheese, onion, tomato (or toppings of choice) and top bun.
7. Place A1 sauce in a small condiment cup to dip your sandwich…this stems mainly from my newfound obsession!
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]]>The post SIRLOIN STEAKS MARINATED WITH WORCESTERSHIRE AND DIJON appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Sirloin Steaks Marinated with Worcestershire Dijon
Ingredients
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
3 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
Prepare
1. In a shallow dish, whisk lemon juice, Worcestershire, mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Pierce steak all over with a fork; toss in marinade.
3. Marinate 30 minutes, turning once.
4. In a cast-iron skillet, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil over high until smoking.
5. Remove steak from marinade; cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
6. Rest, covered, 5 minutes.
7. In a saucepan, bring marinade to a boil; strain into serving dish. Serves 4.
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]]>The post Steaks with Kiwi, Orange Juice, and Nathan’s Mustard Marinade appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Steak with Kiwi, Orange Juice, and Nathan’s Mustard Marinade
Ingredients
4 New York sirloin steaks
5 kiwis, peeled
1/4 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons of Nathan’s Mustard
1 tbsp of Sicilian sea salt (grey sea salt works too)
Prepare
1. Peel and slice kiwis.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 2 minutes or until smooth.
3. Place four steaks in a gallon sized bag with the marinade 24 hours before grilling so that the steaks absorb all of the juices, thus yielding a better flavor.
4. Grill your steaks to your taste and top with kiwi slices.
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]]>The post Chilean Empanadas appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Growing up one of my favorite passtimes with my mom was to help her cook in the kitchen. A recipe that was definitely one I looked forward to making then eating was empanadas. My mom has never really followed a recipe by measurements but more by a pinch of this, a bit of that…Cuban measurements, which is nothing short of a minor undertaking. She always made her empanada meat the same way she made her picadillo, which was wonderful then until one day our Chilean neighbors brought us a plate of their empanadas. First of all the dough was a bit stiffer and so much tastier! To my surprise the inside did not contain anything to the likes of picadillo. It did have ground beef but in observing further I could see hard boiled egg, julienned onions, garlic, and raisins and I could definitely taste tomato sauce, oregano, cumin, red wine vinegar, and something sweet.
About two years ago I developed this recipe to match what my neighbor’s Chilean empanadas tasted like. This recipe is the perfect of many comfort foods and is sure to make your tummy happy!
Chilean Empanadas
Ingredients
1 small package of lean ground beef
2 packages of 10 dough discs (La Fe from Ethnic frozen food section)
1/2 of a medium size yellow onion, julienned
3 garlic cloves, mashed and minced
1 small can on sliced black olives
3 hard boiled eggs
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 small package of raisins
4 tbsp pitted green olives (with manzanilla)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
EVOO
Prepare
1. Fill a small sauce pan 2/3 of the way full with three eggs and boil for 7 minutes.
2. Let cool for 3 minutes then rinse with cold water and peel egg shell off, place the eggs in a small bowl.
3. Heat a large skillet with 1 tbsp of EVOO on medium.
4. Place the ground beef in the middle and brown, bring down to low heat. At this time also preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Add the tomato sauce, onion, garlic, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, raisins, black olives, green olives, and cumin, and oregano and mix well with a wooden cooking spoon.
6. Add the hard boiled eggs and mash them up with the meat mixture.
7. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out each of the 6 puff pastries using the rolling pin, adding more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the pin and work surface. (Roll out to about 5 inches in diameter.
8. Place 3 tsp of the meat mixture into each dough and fold in half into a moon shape.
9. Using a fork press the edges closed (see photos).
10. Cover a cookie tray with aluminum foil, spray with floured baking spray, and place the six empanadas on the sheet.
11. Bake for 12 minutes, take out of the oven, let cool, and serve.
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]]>The post PUREED MALANGA appeared first on Florida Girl Cooks.
]]>Whenever I was sick as a child the magic word was malanga. My mom, Elba, would make the following Cuban recipe with a touch of TLC and no matter what ailment I was suffering from, it would instantly make me feel better. It’s my comfort food and it will surely become yours, even if you’re not sick! Feel free to call pureed malanga the Cuban antibiotic!
Pureed Malanga
Ingredients
1 flank steak (really thin)
2 chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
4 medium malangas
2 medium carrots
1/2 tsp Bijol seasoning
1 small bag frozen vegetables (carrots, peas, and corn)
olive oil
sea salt
Prepare
1. Place 6 cups of water into a large pot and heat on high, bring to a boil.
2. Place two chicken breasts in the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
3. Peel and chop the malanga into thin slices and chop all other vegetables.
4. Take the chicken out and place on a plate.
5. Place 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and fry the steak on medium heat. (3 minutes per side)
6. Place green pepper, onion, garlic, malanga, carrots, bijol, and frozen bag of vegetables into the boiling water. Allow to boil for 5 minutes longer then reduce the heat to medium-high.
7. Cook for 30 minutes and remove from heat.
8. Place the steak and chicken into the blender.
9. Scoop up the malanga mix into the blender leaving about 3 inches of room at the top of the blender. (This is to avoid spilling since the malanga mix is very hot)
10. Puree the first batch for 2 minutes and place into the second pot.
11. Puree the second batch for 1 minute and also place into the second pot making sure to mix thoroughly.
12. Mix in 1 tbsp of sea salt thoroughly and serve immediately.
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