Flank steak & the best carrots ever

(click picture to enlarge)

I'm on a cooking kick (This is what I do while I hibernate during the winter).

So, here's a recipe for a marinated flank steak with red wine, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms & bacon, and a side dish of maple glazed carrots with walnuts that knocks our socks off!

Ingredient list:
Flank Steak
Balsamic Vinegar
Red Wine
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Pepper/Salt
Sliced Mushrooms
3 - 4 slices of thick bacon, chopped
1 Tablespoon butter

Baby carrots
Walnuts
Catalina salad dressing
Real maple syrup or brown sugar (either works)

Step 1.
In a plastic bag, marinade the flank steak with equal parts balsamic vinegar & red wine, 2 cloves crushed garlic, a splash of olive oil and ground pepper. It doesn't take a lot, use just enough to surround the meat in the bag. Let marinade for 3- 4 hours, all day, or overnight if you want!

Step 2. Before you start to grill the steak, prepare all the other pieces of the meal. Start the carrots cooking in a small amount of water, slice some mushrooms, cut up 4 pieces of bacon. (I served mashed potatoes with this meal too)

The meat & glaze is fast cooking so I get everything ready to go.

Step 3. All of this is going on at once:

Steak:
Remove from marinade. Salt/pepper. Grill for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side. I usually use my indoor grill pan, but outside grilling is great too. After 5 - 6 minutes per side (if you like rare or medium rare), put the steak on a plate & cover with foil.

Glaze for Steak:
While the steak is grilling -- In a skillet, saute the chopped bacon, add the mushrooms. When finished, let them drain on a paper towel (There shouldn't be a lot of grease from the bacon, but if there was, I would remove most of the grease from the skillet). In the skillet, add about 1/3 cup of the red wine, 3 - 4 Tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar and 1 Tablespoon butter (honestly, I never measure, but just pour in the liquids until it looks like enough - you don't need a lot of this glaze - it is rich!). Bring to a bubble, scraping up any browned bits from the skillet; it will reduce quickly. You can add a little more wine, or pour the juice from the steak plate in the skillet as well. Pour into a gravy boat or small dish that you can pour it out of.

Carrots: When the carrots are almost done, add a squeeze of the Catalina dressing(a light Tablespoon) & about a Tablespoon of maple syrup (I've made this with maple syrup or brown sugar - either turns out well- a little sweet, a little tangy). Bring to a boil & add a handful of walnuts just before serving and stir until the walnuts are glazed and warm.

Step 4. Get it all to the table:
Slice the steak in thin strips across the grain of the meat. Top with bacon & mushrooms. I fix plates before drizzling with the red wine glaze (because the boys don't like as much of it as I do). Salt & pepper as desired.

I'm not sure that my rambling explanation & recipe conveys how easy & quick it is for a really delicious meal !! If it appeals to you, I hope you'll try it!

Something like Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata - the capers, + a creamier sauce & mushrooms

I love a nice lemony chicken piccata with capers, but none of the boys in my house like capers, and I knew they would enjoy a little bit thicker sauce more than a traditional chicken piccata.

With a few variations on the traditional recipe, here is what we had for dinner:
Step 1. Butterfly 2 chicken breasts (slice down the middle,but don't cut all the way through, and flip open - they'll cook quickly this way, and be less pieces to deal with).
2. Dredge the chicken in flour (I seasoned the flour very lightly with oregano powder & ground pepper).
3. Melt 2 Tblsp butter with 2 Tblsp olive oil in a large skillet.
4. When the butter/oil is sizzling, add the chicken. Salt & Pepper chicken. Cook for approx 4 minutes until browned before flipping.
5. A minute or two after flipping the chicken, add sliced mushrooms (as many as you like, or skip if you don't like mushrooms, but remember, "don't crowd the mushrooms" - name that movie!)
6. When chicken is browned, remove to a plate.
7. To the skillet add approx. 1/4 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken broth, juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil, scraping up all the yummy bits from the pan.
Now, here's where I really went away from the traditional recipe:
8. For a nice creamy sauce, add about 1/2 can of cream of chicken soup (I removed any pieces of chicken). Whisk together with lemon/wine/broth sauce.
9. When bubbling, add chicken back into skillet.
10. Add 1 - 2 Tblsp of Parsley (dried was fine), let it bubble all together for about a minute.

Serve over rice. It was a hit with the boys & pretty quick to make from start to finish!

6 Years

In honor of Cooper's 6th birthday, I'm taking a stroll down memory lane. What wonderful years these have been!

always a precious, easy baby

first swim

taking time to smell the flowers

enjoying the snow

one of my all time favorite pictures



as a new big brother

4th birthday

snuggling Brady when he was sick

in from the cold

making mud pies

Soccer & School days

Cooper, we've loved every moment with you! Happy 6th birthday!

Snow Play

(Click picture for a larger view)

Only around 9 degrees here today, but we bundled up to play outside for a while. It was a beautiful, sunny day!

Jones Reunion

Here are a few pictures from our Jones Family reunion in Mitchell, Indiana.

Rob with his parents and siblings.

We're missing one nephew & a great niece in this photo, but otherwise this is our whole (immediate) family. Lots of other Jones were there, too!

Brady got a little attention from his sweet girl cousins (just a little).

There is not much better than cousins!

A Halloween Memory

Halloween makes me think of Sally. These are a few of my favorite pictures of us in costume together (we were a big hit with the residents that year - 1998).

I'm so thankful for the times we shared. I'm making this post in memory of Sally as a reminder to myself to find the fun in every day little things, to allow myself times to be as silly as I want, and to treasure my friends always making the most of the time we have together.

Chicken Sausage White Bean Soup

I made a white bean soup this weekend that turned out pretty yummy. It got all thumbs up from the 3 boys in the house plus me, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Here's the cast of characters (+ chicken broth & parmesan cheese not pictured):

• Chicken Sausage (Spicy Jalapeno - I stumbled on this brand after Grandpa sent me a coupon - a good find for sure). I sliced 3 of them & browned them in the pot first.
• 1 medium sized chopped onion
• approx. 1 1/2 cups of chopped zucchini (seeded if using a larger one) (I would've used a carrot instead...... if I hadn't run out of carrots, and it probably would've made it prettier, but I love zucchini in soups & I have a few hanging around.... so zucchini it is)
• 1 small, finely chopped clove of garlic
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 cans of white beans drained (I used butter beans & cannellini)
• Black pepper
• Parmesan cheese or sour cream, as desired

After browning the sausage, move the sausage to the side and add the onion & zucchini. I put the lid on to let it steam & soften a little before adding the garlic. Add the garlic and saute all for another minute or two. Drain the beans. Mix all together in the pot. Add the chicken broth, and fresh ground black pepper. Simmer on low heat .......for as long as you like (I did for about an hour). I thought it was good with parmesan cheese on top, but Cooper liked it with a little sour cream (to cut some of the spicy).

I can't say it is the most photogenic soup, but the spicy jalapeno sausage gives it a really nice flavor. It was easy and it really hit the spot!
Bon appetit !!