Cooking
I'm from Northwestern Pennsylvania. Within driving distance from Pittsburgh.
Ask anyone from PA, and they'll tell you the state should be divided in two, down the middle.
Because the West and the East are so very different.
The main cities for comparison are Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The Burgh is very much a blue-collar, working-man's town; Philly (the former capitol of the US) is a bit more...high falutin'.
While I can't really think of too many foods, nationally known, that would spotlight Pittsburgh (pierogies aren't necessarily native, although there is Iron City Beer!), everyone's heard of the Philly Cheese Steak.
Even when I was still a carnivore, I didn't really consume much beef. It just wasn't my thing...I preferred chicken and turkey.
And the few times I did eat a cheese steak, it was courtesy of Steak'ums! Not exactly authentic.
But Matt...Matt likes a good cheesesteak.
It's not the sort of thing we make. For starters, there weren't any meat substitutes out there for sliced beef.
But last week, while shopping, Matt and I noticed something new in the freezer section, where all the 'fake foods' are kept.
Morningstar Farms now has two new ' Meal Starters'; a 'chicken' strip, and a 'steak' strip.
Surprised, we figured it was worth a try. And Matt's had a chunk of sirloin kicking around in the freezer, so cheesesteaks suddenly appeared on our menu.
Finely sliced onions are cooked down till soft. Add to this your thinly sliced beef (or 'steak' strips); cook until done. Toss in some (I'm kind of embarrassed here) Velveeta (!) chunks; continue cooking until cheese is melted.
Fill a good roll with the meat and cheese.
Matt was very happy to have it, and we were both impressed with the flavor and quality of the 'steak' strips. Good texture, and the 'meat' comes already seasoned; very nice.
To go with, it seemed only appropriate that we fry up some potatoes, right?
Thanks to the mandoline, we had nice, crunchy fries (soaked in an ice bath for a while first). That quick blast from the boiler kept them crisp.
A fun, filling meal...
Looks like those new Meal Starters may open up some new doors for us.
Don't forget; Blog Party#4: The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition is coming soon! There's no such thing as a too early submisssion! Entries can be left in link format here, in the comments, or you may email them to me at thehappysorceress at gmail dot com.
Hope to see you there!
- Chili Steak Wraps
We're hitting one of my newer culinary heroes, Donna Hay, pretty hard this week. Saturday night, it was this easy & spicy wrap. Honestly, it took as much time to chop ingredients and assemble as cook the beef. That easy. Tortilla (we had some super-sized,...
- Worth The Repeat
Matt insisted we'd make this before; it wasn't until I actually took a bite that I had that 'oh, yeah...I remember this! moment. Apparently, we have made these Nigel Slater Steak Sandwiches. But with a sandwich this good, we didn't mind...
- I Hear That Potato's One Hot Tart...
First, I have to say: Galactica rocks! I can't wait for next Friday's finale, and at the same time...I don't want it to be over. Sigh... Enough of that. Back to the food. Friday's menu was a Steak Sandwich and Chile Potato Tart with roasted...
- Retro Dinner: Chateaubriand With Bearnaise Sauce, Herbed Roasted Potatoes, And Popovers
Saturday night, another retro meal for Matt. Once again using this book (and wow...am I getting my mom's money's worth), I served up organic beef tenderloin, cooked the way Matt likes it (rare), with a rich, creamy, sauce. Matt said it was a...
- Satay For Two
Tuesday's dinner, which was supposed to be Monday's, (are you still with me?) a quick and easy Beef (and Fake Beef) Satay. Strips of beef (or Morningstar Farms Meal Starters) marinated in brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger, then quickly cooked...
Cooking
Not from Philly Cheesesteak
I'm from Northwestern Pennsylvania. Within driving distance from Pittsburgh.
Ask anyone from PA, and they'll tell you the state should be divided in two, down the middle.
Because the West and the East are so very different.
The main cities for comparison are Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The Burgh is very much a blue-collar, working-man's town; Philly (the former capitol of the US) is a bit more...high falutin'.
While I can't really think of too many foods, nationally known, that would spotlight Pittsburgh (pierogies aren't necessarily native, although there is Iron City Beer!), everyone's heard of the Philly Cheese Steak.
Even when I was still a carnivore, I didn't really consume much beef. It just wasn't my thing...I preferred chicken and turkey.
And the few times I did eat a cheese steak, it was courtesy of Steak'ums! Not exactly authentic.
But Matt...Matt likes a good cheesesteak.
It's not the sort of thing we make. For starters, there weren't any meat substitutes out there for sliced beef.
But last week, while shopping, Matt and I noticed something new in the freezer section, where all the 'fake foods' are kept.
Morningstar Farms now has two new ' Meal Starters'; a 'chicken' strip, and a 'steak' strip.
Surprised, we figured it was worth a try. And Matt's had a chunk of sirloin kicking around in the freezer, so cheesesteaks suddenly appeared on our menu.
Finely sliced onions are cooked down till soft. Add to this your thinly sliced beef (or 'steak' strips); cook until done. Toss in some (I'm kind of embarrassed here) Velveeta (!) chunks; continue cooking until cheese is melted.
Fill a good roll with the meat and cheese.
Matt was very happy to have it, and we were both impressed with the flavor and quality of the 'steak' strips. Good texture, and the 'meat' comes already seasoned; very nice.
To go with, it seemed only appropriate that we fry up some potatoes, right?
Thanks to the mandoline, we had nice, crunchy fries (soaked in an ice bath for a while first). That quick blast from the boiler kept them crisp.
A fun, filling meal...
Looks like those new Meal Starters may open up some new doors for us.
Don't forget; Blog Party#4: The Gang's All Here: The Holiday Edition is coming soon! There's no such thing as a too early submisssion! Entries can be left in link format here, in the comments, or you may email them to me at thehappysorceress at gmail dot com. Hope to see you there!
- Chili Steak Wraps
We're hitting one of my newer culinary heroes, Donna Hay, pretty hard this week. Saturday night, it was this easy & spicy wrap. Honestly, it took as much time to chop ingredients and assemble as cook the beef. That easy. Tortilla (we had some super-sized,...
- Worth The Repeat
Matt insisted we'd make this before; it wasn't until I actually took a bite that I had that 'oh, yeah...I remember this! moment. Apparently, we have made these Nigel Slater Steak Sandwiches. But with a sandwich this good, we didn't mind...
- I Hear That Potato's One Hot Tart...
First, I have to say: Galactica rocks! I can't wait for next Friday's finale, and at the same time...I don't want it to be over. Sigh... Enough of that. Back to the food. Friday's menu was a Steak Sandwich and Chile Potato Tart with roasted...
- Retro Dinner: Chateaubriand With Bearnaise Sauce, Herbed Roasted Potatoes, And Popovers
Saturday night, another retro meal for Matt. Once again using this book (and wow...am I getting my mom's money's worth), I served up organic beef tenderloin, cooked the way Matt likes it (rare), with a rich, creamy, sauce. Matt said it was a...
- Satay For Two
Tuesday's dinner, which was supposed to be Monday's, (are you still with me?) a quick and easy Beef (and Fake Beef) Satay. Strips of beef (or Morningstar Farms Meal Starters) marinated in brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger, then quickly cooked...