Ham Steak and Potatoes served with Steamed Green Beans

Serves 2 adults and 2 children, or 3 healthy adult appetites
1 Ham Steak, pre-cooked (often smoked - yum! - check salt content because it can vary greatly)
4 medium sized potatoes, cubed
1 medium sized onion
2 Tbsp paprika (really you want enough to cover all of your potatoes but this is rough estimate)
1/2 Tbsp freshly ground pepper (more if you like it hotter)
2 cloves freshly minced garlic (or more or less, whatever suits you)
2 tsp Kosher salt
8 ounces frozen green beans
3 Tbsp olive oil (I keep a squirt bottle full of olive oil that has basil leaves and crushed garlic near the stove, I usually use it to supplement the flavor of whatever vegetable oil I use- yum!)

I cooked the entire main course in a single large skillet with raised grill on the bottom. Heat your oil in the skillet over a medium-high heat. Roughly chop the onions and get them on the heat so they can soften while you cube the potatoes. I peeled the potatoes, but that's your preference I suppose. After the onions have begun to caramelize (maybe 5 minutes) throw in the potatoes and toss them in the oil-onion mixture and along with the paprika, garlic, and black pepper. You can add 1 tsp of kosher salt to the potatoes at this time - the salt in the ham will season the food well enough but I couldn't help but put it in with the potatoes. Once the potatoes, onions, and spices have been thoroughly mixed, cover the skillet and let them cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Once the potatoes are softened (and delicious - go ahead and taste them!) carefully move the contents of the pan to one side. The idea now is to slide the ham steak into the pan and cover it with the potatoes. You might need to cut the steak into a few pieces, it's up to you. Remember, the steak is already cooked so you're really just heating it up. Scoop as much of the potato mixture onto the steak as you can, cover, and let it sit under medium to medium-low heat for 5 - 10 minutes.

Now would be a great time to steam those veggies (and break out a nice hot loaf of french bread and have a few buttery hunks while you're waiting). I use a makeshift steamer that is basically a large sauce pan and a wire-mesh strainer but to each his own. It's tough to time the steaming of the greenbeans because they don't take long. I like mine still crunchy so I tend to not leave them in very long. The key to yummy steamed vegetables, to me, is to season them when they come out. Here's what I do. I bring out my strainer and mist them with my little olive oil mister (that thing is awesome! One of the best $10 I ever spent). Then I simply sprinkle them with some fresh black peper and kosher salt and toss. Set them aside with aluminum foil on top to keep them hot and you're almost done!

Once the potatoes and meat are done, spoon out the potatoes and set the ham steak on a plate so it can rest for a few minutes. I'd say 2 minutes would be enough time, and again I cover it with foil to keep it warm after it has had a moment to come to terms with the cold plate.

Now comes the secret voodoo sauce that makes this such a great dinner. Even though the ham was already cooked, there is enough goodness left in the skillet to make a killer sauce. Throw it back down on the stove and grab a bottle of white wine vinegar (or a little bottle of white wine - we don't really drink wine but you can buy those little bottles of red and white wine with screw top lids at the grocery store, think wine cooler size, and keep them for cooking purposes) and pour it into the hot skillet to deglaze the pan. If you'd done it right you'll be treated to a nice hiss and lots of bubbling. Let that sit there exerting its furious righteousness for a few minutes until it thickens up and your kitchen smells like heaven. If you're lucky you'll have little brown bits of ham, onion, and garlic in there but no matter what is left it will be good. Uncover the ham and spread your sauce on top. We had just enough to cover the steak and give it a sultry glaze.

Serve it up to the fam and enjoy the fruits of your labor! Hopefully, like me, you'll find it was a very simple and delicious dinner that can be made with very little effort with food on hand. Let me know what you think!

Stuffed Chicken and Garlic Tomato Pasta

So tonight was one of those nights that I was trying to cook something quality without having much in the pantry/freezer. It's time to go shopping and we're running low, so I had to get creative. Here's what I ended up with:

Stuffed Chicken

2 cloves garlic (+1 clove for pasta dish)
1/2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Oregano
5 Tbsp Butter (Margarine)
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts


Garlic Tomato Pasta
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1 can peeled tomatoes
1 Tbsp Lime juice
1 clove garlic (+2 cloves for chicken dish)
Salt

Creating a garlic paste with the salt and garlic (this will also be used for the pasta side).
Mince the garlic as finely as possible and cover with a fair amount of salt. Use the flat side of a chef's knife to mash the mixture to a paste. I alternatively mash and mince, mash and mince, until I have a reasonable paste.

Make the stuffing.
Take about 5 Tbsp of butter ( I used margarine ) and place it on a plate. Mix in about 1 Tbsp of Oregano ( I used dried Oregano from the spice cabinet ), 1/2 Tbsp Red Pepper flakes ( the kind you might put on your pizza ), and the garlic paste.

Stuff the chicken.
I was using boneless skinless breasts but it would have been much nicer if they had been bone-in. Take a sharp knife and slice a 2 inch 'pocket' into the fat side of the breast. Spoon 1 Tbsp of the butter mixture into each breast, reserving the remainder for use during cooking. Season each side of the breast with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the chicken and cook uncovered about 5 minutes.

Prepare the pasta side.
Bring a full pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil (and watching the chicken to make sure it doesn't stick) open the canned tomatoes. Obviously, fresh tomatoes would be better but we're working with what we have on hand. Wash the tomatoes and quarter them, leaving one whole tomato for the chicken. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, lime juice, and garlic paste.

Dress the chicken
After 5 minutes in the frying pan, flip the chicken breasts. Brush the remaining stuffing on top of the breasts. Make sure the butter covers the entire surface as it melts. Let the chicken cook for about 8 more minutes.

Finish the pasta
You should have a nice rolling boil now, go ahead and cook the angel hair. It cooks fast, it should only take about 2 minutes. You want to remove it when it is still 'al dente', it will continue to cook when you remove it from the water. Don't wash the pasta. Toss the pasta in the bowl with the tomato mixture and set it aside. Go ahead and throw in a scoop of butter too ( makes everything better )

Finish the chicken.
Just before you take off the chicken, very thinly slice your remaining tomato and lay a slice on each breast. Let the tomato 'sink into' the breast during the last moments of cooking and remove. Let the chicken stand for a few moments and serve with the pasta.

Voila! Sorry I didn't get any pictures, we were starving! All in all, it was a nice way to throw something together with what we had on hand. I thought the lime juice and tomato blended really well to give the pasta a nice, bright flavor.

*Aimee's comments*
Surprisingly, Aimee really liked the dish. She thought it would have been nice to serve with some bread. It was a bit heavy on the garlic but not to an extreme. Much less, and it would have been bland.

Burgers Anyone?

Inside Out Bacon Burgers

I stole the idea for this from a show on the Food Network called "Guy's Big Bite." The host, Guy, used different ingredients, but the basic method is the same. As you'll see, there are many different ways to make these.

Ingredients

1 pound of 80/20 Ground Chuck, thats 80% beef/20% fat
1/4 pound of Bacon
1/2 of a Sweet Yellow Onion
2 Slices of American Cheese
Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps

Start out with a little EVOO in a skillet. While that heats up, dice the onion. Make sure you dice it pretty small, because they are going inside the burger. Toss the diced onions into the skillet, and get your bacon. Slice the bacon into pieces about an inch long. Toss the bacon right in with the onions. Don't worry too much about separating the bacon, they will separate while they cook.

Take the beef, and mix it in a bowl with about a tablespoon each of the Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder. Once its mixed up nicely, divide the beef into four equal sections. These will be your four burgers. Once the bacon is nice and crispy, take and the onions out of the pan and onto some paper towels. Blot the grease off as much as possible and let it sit for a few minutes. That will help the bacon crisp up. Now to make the patties. Take one of the quarters that you made, and break it in half. If you have a little dish, or even a mayonnaise jar lid, it will help to make nice patties. Put some wax paper in your dish to help get the burger out, and place half of the meat into it. Spread it out to make a nice patty, with a little dent in the middle. Take some of the bacon and onions and place them right in the middle of the patty. Next, take a couple pieces of the cheese(I used half a slice each burger) and place it on the bacon.

Take the other half of the meat that you have for that one and form it into a patty and place it on top of the other patty. Like a bacon, onion, and cheese sandwich, but using beef instead of bread. Take the whole thing out of the dish or lid or whatever you used, and pinch the edges shut. It should now look like a regular burger, albeit kind of thick. Do this for all four burgers, and then onto the grill. Top however you like.

Garlic, Red Wine Vinaigrette Marinated Pork Chops

Ingredients
1 Clove of Garlic
Onion Powder
Parsley
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Cracked Red Pepper
Lemon Zest
Celery Salt
Paprika
Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Boneless Pork Chops

Steps

Dice the clove of garlic and mix drop it into a bowl. Take about one tablespoon of each of the Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Lemon Zest, Celery Salt, Paprika, and Oregano and add them to the bowl. Next, add about 3 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar. Add the salt, and both peppers to the mixture to taste. Make sure you always add salt to vinegar before the oil. This gives the salt time to start breaking down. Lastly add about 6 tablespoons of EVOO. Whisk it all together and then place the pork chops in the marinade. Toss them around in the bowl to make sure they get fully coated. This makes enough marinade for about 8-10 chops. Let sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes. Cook however you like. I used a George Foreman, but you could use a regular grill, or bake them.

Pan Roasted New York Strip with Italian Red Potatoes

Ingredients
2 Steaks, I used New York Strip, but choose what you like.
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a red onion
4 or 5 Red Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps
First I drizzled the steaks with a little EVOO, about a teaspoon each side. I then rubbed them with a mixture of the Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder on both sides as well as the edges. I placed them between some wax paper, and gave them a few good whacks with a mallet.
Second, I minced the three cloves of garlic, diced the onion, and cut up the potatoes. I sliced them like thick potato chips, but you could also just cut them into quarters.
Next, in the bottom of a pan, or glass baking dish, spread out the garlic and onion as evenly as possible.
Place the steaks in the center of the pan, and put the potatoes around them. Drizzle the whole thing with some EVOO. I used about 3-4 tablespoons.
Sprinkle the potatoes with the Italian Seasoning, to taste. Don't worry if it gets on the steak. Italian Seasoning is strong, so be careful not to use too much. I like garlic a lot, so I also hit the potatoes with the garlic powder.
Put the whole thing in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, depending how you like your steak. About 17 minutes for medium on a thick steak. You may need to take the steak out a couple minutes before the potatoes, depending on how thick you cut the potatoes.
When done, place the steak and potatoes on a plate and you are good to go. I served mine with a side of Texas Toast. I also picked out some of the roasted garlic from the pan, and smeared it over the steak.