Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

This past holiday season Pete and I hosted our first Christmas dinner. We made our first prime rib. We did a lot of research online before picking out this Paula Deen recipe. We didn't want to mass it up because the cut of the meat was so expensive. Everything turned out perfectly. One thing we learned from reading the reviews of this recipe is no matter how big the cut of the meat we should still follow the cooking directions. We don't need to adjust the cooking time to the weight of the meat. 

Ingredients:

1 (10-pound) standing rib roast

1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Directions:

1. Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Rub roast with House Seasoning; place roast on a rack in the pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. 

3. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Leave roast in oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees F and reheat the roast. Important: Do not remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until ready to serve.

Slow-Cooked Carnitas Tacos

This is my all time favorite taco recipe. It's super simple and tasty.

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs or pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 large onion, cut into 4 pieces
1 avocado, halved, pitted, sliced
Fresh cilantro springs
Corn tortillas

Directions:
1. Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.
2. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board. Discard onion pieces. Using fingers, shred pork; transfer carnitas to platter. Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red bell peppers, if desired, alongside.
3. Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and tomatillo salsa.

Marinated Chicken Breasts

FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vinegar, like cider, balsamic, or red wine
3 teaspoons dried herbs, like thyme, oregano, rosemary, or crumbled bay leaf
2 tablespoons mustard, whole grain or Dijon
2 teaspoon garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, each about 6 ounces

Directions:
1. Put the vinegar, herbs, mustard, powders if using and oil in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Close the bag and shake to combine all the ingredients. Open the bag, drop in the chicken breast in the bag. Close and shake the bag to coat evenly. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.
2. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, under cold, running water, or in the microwave at 30 percent power for 1 minute at a time.
3. Heat a grill or grill pan. When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. You can also bake the thawed chicken in a 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro Stir-fried Spicy Eggplant

I found all the P.F. Chang's recipes online!

Ingredients:
1 lb eggplant, peeled, cut into 1" dice
1 lb ground pork
1 tspn garlic
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water to make a paste
Canola oil for deep-frying

Spicy sauce:
2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (or substitute oyster sauce)
2 tbsp Lite soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tspn chili paste
½ tspn ground bean sauce
½ tspn sesame oil

Directions:
1. Combine all Spicy Sauce ingredients and mix well.
2. In a wok, deep-fry eggplant at 350°F for 1 minute. Remove eggplant and drain on paper towels.
3. Meanwhile remove all but ½ tspn of oil from wok. On high heat, stir-fry garlic for 5 seconds then add Spicy Sauce. Reduce heat and let sauce simmer 20 seconds. Add eggplant and simmer for another 10 seconds.
4. Stir in cornstarch paste a little at a time until desired consistency. Serve immediately.

Salmon and Zucchini With Shallot Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (about 3), cut into thin sticks

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, sage, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat

3. Season the salmon with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

4. Add the zucchini and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Serve the zucchini with the salmon and vinaigrette

Soba Noodle Salad with Salmon and Asparagus

Asparagus season is here! I see fresh asparagus on sale every where. Here is a great dish you can make with it!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
Fine sea salt
5 1/2 ounces soba (Japanese-style noodles)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces wild salmon fillet, skinned
9 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 ounces baby spinach leaves (5 to 6 cups)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Soba noodles can be found in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets and at Asian markets.
Preparation
2. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Cook soba noodles in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well; transfer to large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat.
4. Heat vegetable oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with sea salt and pepper. Cook until browned but still deep pink in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plate; cool slightly. Wipe skillet clean. Add enough water to skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Bring to boil. Sprinkle sea salt over and add asparagus. Simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Add spinach and asparagus to noodles; toss to incorporate evenly. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Divide noodle salad among plates. Break salmon into bite-size pieces. Tuck salmon and avocado into noodles on plates. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and serve

Steak Picadillo Soft Tacos

This recipe was from the April issue of Bon Appetit. I love how simple it was to make it. To add some HEAT to the tacos I added some fresh jalapeno peppers.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 12-ounce strip of skirt steak
• 1/2 cup 1/4-inch squares green bell pepper
• 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1/3 cup halved drained pimiento-stuffed green olives plus brine from jar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 corn tortillas
• Chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Add to skillet; sauté 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plate. Add bell pepper to skillet. Sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with green chiles, olives, raisins, tomato paste, cumin, and allspice. Simmer until sauce is thick, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and olive brine.

2. Cut steak into 1/3-inch-thick slices on diagonal across grain. Add steak and any juices to sauce in skillet; toss to blend.

3. Char tortillas over gas flame or in broiler until blackened in spots, 15 to 20 seconds per side. Divide filling among tortillas. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.