How To: Cook the Perfect Steak

You ever wonder how your steak gets that perfectly caramelized exterior and perfectly juicy center when you order it from a steakhouse? Well, I have a little secret, its not as hard as it may seem. Follow these simple steps and you will be cooking the best steak of your life just in time for Valentine's Day.

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients
6 steaks (I used NY Strip, but all shell type steaks will work the same)
Salt, to season
Freshly ground black pepper, to season
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Season both sides of each steak with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Be sure to season from high above so to evenly distribute the seasonings.

Heat oil in a large skillet until it is very hot.

Place steak into the oil and cook 4-5 minutes. Do not flip until the bottom side is brown and caramelized.

Once flipped, let it be until the 'new' bottom side has a thick brown caramelized coating.

While steak is browning, turn oven to maximum broil. Place steaks on a broiler pan and place in the oven on the second lowest rack. Broil for 6 minutes, flip and broil for an additional 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let steak rest on the pan for at least 10 minutes. This lets the steak soak up all those delicious juices.

Serve steaks alongside your favorite side dishes (see: Crispy Cheesy Bacon Potatoes). Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala Roll-ups

I have proclaimed my love for Chicken Marsala once before (See here). It really might be one of my most favorite dishes ever. This recipe is just me shaking things up a bit.

Recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breast, thin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 large yellow onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 cups grated cheese (I used Parmesan)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop the yellow onion.Mince the garlic

Heat olive oil and melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and onion becomes translucent.

While onions are cooking, slice your mushrooms.

Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook for 5-8 minutes or until tender and light brown. Add 1/4 cup of Marsala wine to the skillet and turn up the heat to high. Boil for 5 or so minutes until most of the wine has evaporated. Remove from heat once they are ready.

While mushrooms are cooking, shred all your cheese!

Lay out the chicken cutlets and top with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture and then a handful of the shredded cheese. Roll up the chicken and secure closed with a toothpick. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Once all the chicken has been prepared, sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of the chicken. (This step is optional but the breadcrumbs give it a nice, little crunch once browned in the oven.) Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is white and the juices run clear.

While the chicken is in the oven, it is time to prepare the Marsala gravy. If you have any leftover mushrooms once you have stuffed all the chickens, bring them back over to the stove. Add beef broth and remaining Marsala wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil for 8-10 minutes until the mixture has significantly reduced and has become thicker.

If your gravy needs to be thicker, mix together flour and butter in equal proportions. Add a little bit to the sauce at a time, being sure to continuously stir so that it does not form clumps. This will help add thickness to your gravy.

Once the chicken is finished, remove from the oven. Serve with the gravy and enjoy!

The Best Spinach

We all know it is important to each our green vegetables and this is a great way to get your servings up. Spinach is so versatile and can accompany a range of meats, chicken, seafood, you name it. This recipe is so simple and can't be beat. Even the most picky of vegetable eaters will quickly come to love this spinach.

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients
32 oz spinach or baby spinach leaves
1 large head of garlic
4-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Note: It takes a lot of dry spinach to make only a regular sized portion of cooked spinach. With that in mind, if you are looking to serve a number of people, you may need to cook the spinach in batches depending on how big your skillet is. If that is the case, be sure to divide up the ingredients appropriately.

In your largest skillet, heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Finely chop the garlic and add to the oil.

Toss the garlic in oil until coated and cook about a minute until fragrant. Add the spinach into the skillet. You may need to pat it down with your hands to fit it all in.

Allow spinach to cook in oil for 2 minutes without moving and drizzle the remaining oil on the top leaves. Using tongs, flip your spinach so the dry leaves on top are now on the bottom of the skillet.

Continue to cook until all spinach is wilted, about 4-5 minutes. (Can you believe how much that shrunk?!) Remove from skillet to a serving dish. Serve alongside your favorites and enjoy!

Peppers & Onions Fried Rice

Do you ever get tired of the same, plain rice dishes? Well this is a simple way to spruce it up. Sauteed peppers and onions have a strong aroma that bring a punch of flavor to this dish. You are going to love this dish because it is an easy way to add dimension to any weeknight meal.

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
1 large yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice and cover; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 35-40 minutes until all water is absorbed and rice is soft. While the rice is cooking, cut the peppers and onion into a medium dice.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the vegetables and saute on medium-high heat.

Cook until vegetables are tender.

Once rice is cooked, add to the skillet with the vegetables. Mix well to distribute vegetables.

Season with garlic salt and pepper. Continue to cook until rice becomes becomes crispy and fried.

Remove to a serving dish. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

What is a Super Bowl without plenty of buffalo sauce. These little buffalo chicken sliders are the perfect size for a game day treat. Serve them alone or alongside an assortment of your other favorite snacks. A few of my other Football Sunday favorites are chili cheese fries and warm spinach and artichoke dip. What are your favorites?

Recipe yields 10-12 sliders

Ingredients
1 lb thin chicken breast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
12 slider rolls

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup hot sauce

Blue cheese dressing
Shredded carrots
Chopped celery
Shredded lettuce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set up your prep station by mixing the flour and half the spices in one bowl; the eggs and hot sauce in a second bowl; and the bread crumbs with the other half of the spices in a third bowl.

For each piece of chicken, coat with the flour mixture, then dredge in the egg mixture, and finally cover with the bread crumb mixture. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and cook for an additional 8 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, prep all your toppings. Shred your lettuce and carrots and chop your celery.

Melt your butter in the microwave until completely liquid. Stir in the 1/2 cup of hot sauce.

Once your chicken is done (browned and crispy), remove from the oven. Dunk your chicken in the hot sauce mixture and shake off any excess. Arrange on your slider bun.

Add lettuce, carrots, celery and a dollop of blue cheese dressing. Top with your second bun to finish off your sandwich.

Serve alongside chips or carrot and celery sticks to stay on the healthier side. Enjoy!