Steak Pizzaiola

This recipe is sooo good. And it’s pretty easy to make, if a bit messy. (Italian dishes are always so messy to make and eat). This particular recipe I got from Italian Food at About.com, and it’s called Don’s Steak Pizzaiola. I altered it a little to my liking. It’s a really good dish.

Steak Pizzaiola
Serves 6

2 28oz. can chunky-style crushed tomatoes
8 Tablespoons olive oil
6-8 large cloves of garlic, pressed well, or chopped lightly
6 slices very thin eye-round beef slices, 1/4″ thick or thinner
2 Tablespoons dry oregano
2 Tablespoons dry basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven, take 4 Tablespoons of the oil and heat. Add half your garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes, until it starts to turn brown (don’t burn!). Add the tomatoes and the basil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, while you prepare the meat.

In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the garlic cloves, dried oregano, and mozzarella cheese; mix and set aside.

Take the remaining olive oil and heat it up in a large frying pan. Add a few slices at a time, not crowding the meat. Saute the meat, browning both sides and cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove each slice onto a plate as it finishes. When all the slices are cooked, dispose of the greasy fat at the bottom. To the empty frying pan, add a little bit of the tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of meat slices (how many slices depends on the size of your frying pan; I add two at a time). Now spread a small handful of the garlic/oregano/mozzarella over the slices; sprinkle some of the grated cheese; add more sauce to cover. Repeat the layers until all the stuff is used up.

Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes or so. I shake the pan lightly to keep the bottom from sticking. (I have a glass tile/glass-top kind of stove, so cooking contents often stick to the bottoms of my pans).

This is a delicious meal with some vermicelli pasta and a green salad– nice and light but SO flavorful! Manja, manja!

Photo courtesy of the Leftover Queen.

Crockpot Manhattan Clam Chowder

This is a savory, wonderful chowder. It’s perfect for rainy summer days, or winter evenings. I don’t know if it will win you any Vegas vacations in a cook-off but it will definitely win the heart of your family! And it’s so easy on the budget, it’s amazing. My kids all love it, and it is so easy to make. My recipe is not very soupy- it’s got lots of chunky goodness. Make all your ingredients slightly smaller than bite-size. And this chowder is even better made a day before and heated up.

Like everything I do, this is completely customizable. If you like spicy chowder, add a dash of Tabasco sauce. Don’t like bacon or sausage? Use ground turkey sausage. Like more greens or yellows? Throw in some freshly chopped spinach or leftover corn. Just keep in mind that the more you add to your chowder, the more dilute the seasoning becomes. Always do a taste test before serving, and add salt or pepper or garlic powder accordingly. This is my tried-and-true chowder recipe.

Crockpot Manhattan Clam Chowder
Serves 6-9

1/2 pound of bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped
1/2 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
4 cans undrained, minced clams– save that juice!
2 28oz cans of petite, diced tomatoes
4 medium potatoes, diced into small cubes (I leave the skins on the potatoes)
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped well
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Tablespoon basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
Throw everything in the pot, including the clam juice. Stir a few times. Cover and set on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 8-9 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool off a little before serving.

This chowder is terrific served with garlic bread and a small, light salad.

Photo courtesy of LATimes.

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Simple Summer Meal Ideas

Now that it’s officially summer, we are all scratching our heads again this season, wondering what we’ve got for simple summer meals. Summer is a busy time of the year for me, and I have a few ideas up my sleeve. I thought I’d share.

1. Think salads!
Salads are great for the summer. We have a garden full of greens– lettuces and spinach of all kinds. It’s a breeze to pluck the leaves and toss into a salad bowl. I usually have just the leaves in a big bowl with shredded carrot. Any other veggies, i serve on individual plates at the table, for everyone to pick and choose to add to their salad: cucumbers; tomatoes; red onions; olives; cubanelle, red bell, and green peppers; chickpeas; crumbled feta cheese or other shredded cheese; raw snow peapods; shredded red cabbage; and more.

2. Grill those veggies!
I do a lot of grilling in the summer, but I don’t do meat as much as I grill the vegetables: white onion slices; eggplant slices; zucchini and yellow squash sliced lengthwise; leftover boiled potatoes, sliced; and more. I sometimes marinade my veggies in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar before throing on the grill. Yum!

3. Eat Greek style!
I love Greek food, and it’s perfect for summer dining. Serve plates full of lettuce greens, feta cheese, sliced grilled meat (like chicken or lamb) and olives. These combines with flat bread and some table fruits like grapes and watermelon make for a fancy, easy meal.

4. Stir Fry!
Stir fry meals are so easy. I slice the chicken or beef and saute in a large wok with a little olive oil and soy sauce. Once cooked, I throw in every veggie I can find– mushrooms, garlic, sliced carrots, fresh broccoli and cauliflower, and onions. I saute very quickly for about 10 minutes. Serve with hot rice (from the rice cooker) and it’s ready. This meal adapts well to frozen vegetables, too. I often dump a bag of frozen broccoli into the wok instead of chopping up the fresh broccoli. It’s still so yummy!

5. Make ahead meals!
I often make extra of a recipe and freeze it. This makes meals so easy– all I have to do is pull the meal out of the freezer or fridge, thaw it, and cook. I often do this with my Hybrid Lasagna (I’ve never frozen the meal, only refrigerated it), and my Wow Chow meatballs (which freeze very well). The meatballs are great– all you have to do is cook the meatballs in sauce, and boil water for pasta. Easy!

Summertime is when I get more creative with my meals, because fresh vegetables are plentiful. They are so versatile, and there are so many of them (and all so yummy!) that the possibilities are endless! Enjoi.

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