Wednesday Inspiration

I know what I’m about to say might sound a little weird. Maybe even a little crazy. But I’m going to ask that you reserve your judgement until the end of this post.

*Deep breath.

Sometimes…..I shop for produce….at the Dollar Store. DUN DUN DUN!!!!!

OKAY. There. I said it.

I can feel you judging me through your computer screens!!!! But hold on. There is a point here.

Have you ever heard the saying, “if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck...it must be a duck?” I propose the same theory here. If I happen to be at the dollar store getting party supplies or whatever, and see produce that looks pretty much the same as produce at a more traditional grocery store…..well, is it the same? I’m going to go ahead and say yes. Just like I would at any other produce department, I give my selected veggies a good once over for discoloration, bruising or other unsightliness. And then I pay $1 for each of them. Which is almost always going to be a better deal than a grocery store.

In fact, I did a quick cost comparison. At Stater Bro’s you can get zucchini and yellow squash for anywhere between $2 and $4 per pound. At the dollar store, pre packaged bundles are $1. You do the math. And as long as there is some kind of dollar store type retailer near your home, you are saving both time AND money. That’s what I’m talking about!

Also, since most of you lovely readers out there live in Southern California like I do, I know most of you have Mexican grocers near you! In a 5 mile span from our house we have a Cardenas, Superior, Super King and an El Super. You want to talk about cheap produce? How does 5lbs of onions sound for .99???? Yes really. That’s an actual thing.

So get out there. Get to know your neighborhood grocery options better, and save some money in the process!

XOXO,
Marga

Veggie Tacos

In my entire life, I do not think I have come across a single person who doesn’t like tacos. Seriously. Think about it….Who wouldn't like a protein and some fat wrapped up in a carb? That’s good eatin’ if you ask me. It doesn't even really matter what the filling is. Beef? Yum. Chicken? Yum. Pork? Yum. Even the humble ole’ veggie can make a tasty little taco.

Even better, you can almost use any type of veggie for tacos. This is a great way to clear out your veggie bin in your fridge and use things before they spoil. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s why I started making these years back. It was probably a weeknight, I had no idea what dinner was going to be, so I scavenged through the fridge and came out with vegetables. Then we realized we had tortillas, and this little baby was born. Mike and I love these. We have them a couple times a month minimum.

I’ve made a bunch of different variations of this dish, and it’s always filling, nutritious and delicious. Here is my go to veggie taco recipe. Keep in mind, you can omit the potatoes for a less carby taco, this just happens to be a super awesome way to get rid of those last few potatoes in the 10lb bag you bought weeks ago and promised yourself you would finish!!

Veggie Tacos

Makes 6-8 tacos

1 medium onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, diced (whatever color pepper floats your boat)
2 medium zucchini, diced (yellow squash works too, like in the picture!)
4 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced (can omit if you want less carbs)
6-8 small corn tortillas
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tspn ground paprika
1 tspn oregano
¼ tspn ground cayenne
2 tspn seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper



Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In the meantime, prep all your veggies and throw them in a large bowl. Add all of the spices and olive oil. Toss well to coat. Roast the veggies for 45 minutes to an hour, or until they are starting to brown.

Turn your stove on to medium low heat and warm up the tortillas. Flip them once or twice with tongs so they don’t burn!! When the veggies are done, scoop a heap onto each of the tortillas. They also go really well with some non-fat refried beans. And of course you can top them with a sprinkle of cheese….our favorite with these is feta!! Gives it a nice little tang.

And these go really great with a glass of Sangria. Try it out, and just like with the tacos, use whatever fruit you have hanging out in your house. Easy peasy.

XOXO,
Marga

52 Weeks of Cooking - Week 5

The fifth week of the Reddit cooking challenge gave us the theme of Vanilla. Mike and I talked it over, and decided to do a more savory application for this challenge. Instead of doing cookies or some other type of dessert, we made a fancy ass salad with a delicious vanilla-pear vinaigrette.

I took the recipe from here for the dressing. It was super simple and the flavor was fantastic.

Not much of a recipe with this one, but here you go!

Fancy Salad w/Vanilla Pear Vinaigrette

Makes 2 big salads or 4 small ones

1 bag spring mix lettuce

¼ cup dried cranberries

½ cup walnuts

1 roma tomato, diced

½ red onion, sliced

Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette

In a saute pan, toast the walnuts until they are really aromatic and golden brown. Keep a close eye on them, one second they are toasted, the next they are burnt and completely inedible. I speak from experience!

Combine the spring mix, cranberries, walnuts, tomato, onion and dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Save the leftover dressing. The recipe makes a pretty fair amount and is just as good on a fresh salad the next day!

XOXO,

Marga

Smoked London Broil

Growing up in my mom’s kitchen, we ate a lot of pasta. And I’m 100% ok with that. My Italian heritage has made it possible for me to eat pasta all day, every day and be perfectly content. However, there were times when my mom would make some more meaty dishes. One that I remember in particular was her london broil, which was tender and delicious every single time. 

Now that I’m a grown up with my own husband to feed, I have a much better appreciation for my mom’s london broil. This is a piece of meat that is seriously easy to ruin. In fact, this cut of meat is actually flank steak or top round, depending on your butcher. Although it is commonly referred to as “london broil” the name really refers to the cooking method.

When you buy a london broil, you are typically buying a nice thick slab of beef. This type of meat deserves to be treated like a lady. Meaning, show her some respect and at the very least, give her a nice rubdown before the main event. Marinating london broil really helps boost the delicious meaty flavor. Also, when you cook it, you’re going to want to get your sear on. At least to begin with.

As with a lot of my culinary endeavors this summer, I ended up throwing this lovely lady on the smoker. However, the recipe is very similar for a normal grill. I also slightly adapted a recipe from Traeger Grills. They sent out this recipe in a weekly newsletter type deal and I could not resist giving it a try. And I am SO glad I did. It was a winner.

Smoked London Broil w/Bleu Cheese Butter

Serves 4-5

For the Marinade:

2-3lb london broil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp freshly ground black peppper
1 tsp sugar

For the Bleu Cheese Butter:

¼ cup bleu cheese crumbles
4 tbsp (½ stick) of butter at room temperature
1 tsp granulated garlic
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the bleu-butter together in a bowl, then cover it and put it in the fridge. This can be kept in your fridge for about a week. So it’s an easy make ahead.

Place all of the marinade ingredients except the meat in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Make sure everything is mixed together. Then place the meat into the bag and make sure the marinade is all over the place. Put the bag in the fridge, and marinate for at least 8 hours. I prepped this before work and then smoked it that night, but you could even marinate it overnight if you wanted to.

When you’re ready to get going, prep your smoker, and then lay the london broil on and smoke for an hour. When the hour is up, take the meat off the grill, and increase the temperature to 400 degrees. Place the meat back on the grill, leave for 7-10 minutes, then flip and repeat. In total, you’re going to grill for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your meat. When the internal temperature of the meat has reached 130 degrees, pull it off the grill, put half of the bleu cheese butter on top and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Awww yeah baby.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board, and cut it against the grain into thin slices. Cutting against the grain ensures that your meat will be tender to the bite. When you cut with the grain, you end up with stringy, chewy pieces... Not great. Place the slices onto a serving dish and crumble some extra bleu cheese on top. Serve it with the additional bleu-butter. Watch as your friends and loved ones inhale it. Voila.

XOXO,

Marga

Guinness BBQ Sauce

Today I have a special treat for you guys! My mom wrote up a guest post for us! She's sharing her recipe for BBQ sauce which I have been putting on everything. It's a real winner, and I have a big mason jar in my fridge just waiting to get some action. Enjoy this recipe, care of my mama, Rene!

Friends and family have been enjoying the bounty of delicious BBQ that Marga has been making in her Traeger Smoker this summer. To accompany these delicious meals, I have a great BBQ sauce recipe that I found on the internet a few years ago and adapted to our taste. This sauce has the right amount of smoke, heat, spice and the full body of the stout. It is not too sweet and is easy to put together, one pot, simple ingredients and in no time you have created a BBQ sauce that will have you grilling, smoking and putting it on all your summer favorites. So enjoy!

Credit: www.thebeeroness.com

Guinness Stout BBQ Sauce

2 bottles Guinness Stout or  Extra Stout
4-6 tbsp brown sugar, to taste
2 tspn Salt
 ½ to 1 tspn cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp chili powder
2-4 minced cloves of garlic
½ cup worcestershire sauce
4 cups ketchup
2 tspn liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Store in refrigerator and enjoy with beef, pork and chicken.

XOXO,

Marga (and Rene!)