Beef Stroganoff

June 2, 2015June 4, 2015

Have you ever wondered what you can do with left over steak from your fabulous weekend of grilling? I know I don’t care for plain reheated steak, because as good as steak is right off the grill, to me, it has a funny taste in the microwave or even in the oven. So, I came up with some creative ways to reuse it, not least of which is this amazing comfort food. And with the steak already pre-made, you actually take half the work out of the meal! It’s a win win. Now I find myself making and saving a bit of extra steak to add into this creamy hearty meal.

The steak I use in this recipe is my Grilled Montreal Steak (about 8-10 oz) cooked to medium. So, the steak is not only cooked, but seasoned. Additional ingredients you will need are some sliced mushrooms which you can slice yourself as I did or buy pre-sliced (same price in the store, so save yourself the work!), some fresh herbs, onions, white wine, beef stock and sour cream. And then I always like to ladle my stroganoff over some lovely buttered egg noodles, yum.

Before you get started, take your steak out of the fridge so it isn’t so cold when you need it. Then grab yourself a nice big skillet, I am using a big 14″, but a 12″ will be fine too. Then get your water salted and heated for to drop your noodles because this recipe doesn’t take long at all once you are prepped.

Here is my left over steak.

If you don’t have left over steak, of course you can still make this recipe, just grill up a steak and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Slice up the steak and set aside.

Start by dicing some onions and get them goin on the skillet over medium heat with some butter and olive oil.

Dice some onions and get them going on the skillet over medium heat with some butter and olive oil.

Prepare your mushrooms if you bought them whole like I did. Brush off any residue from the growing and just cut nice even slices. (But, like I said above, you can save yourself this step by buying them pre-sliced)

Now add your mushrooms in with your onions in the skillet. Saute the two for a couple minutes (don’t add salt at this point)

Now crush one clove of garlic. You can either just peel it an throw it in at this stage (then fish it out later) or you can mince it and leave it in... depends how much you like garlic, I mince it.

Now crush one clove of garlic. You can either just peel it and throw it in at this stage (then fish it out later) or you can mince it and leave it in… depends how much you like garlic, I mince it.

Chop up some thyme after removing from the stem and toss in the pan. That’s the last chopping you will need to do.

Grab some flour. About two heaping soup spoons should do it.

Spread the flour over the contents in your skillet and add a pinch of salt at this point. Mix in to cook the flour for about a minute.

Add in about a cup of dry white wine. Cook for a minute until it starts to come to a boil.

Now, add in one small can of beef stock. If you have homemade beef stock, great! Add in about a cup and a half… but, I didn’t have any on hand, so I took some help from my pantry. Again, cook this stirring pretty frequently until it comes to a boil. Then turn your burner down and let thicken up a bit (4-5 mins).

Add in your beef at this point. Remember your beef is already cooked, so you are really just reheating in your gravy.

Add in a few dollops of sour cream and stir. Turn off your burner as soon as you have mixed in. Crack about 4-5 cracks of fresh cracked black pepper. Taste for salt and you’re done.

Serve over egg noodles, sprinkle with some fresh ripped parsley, an extra dollop of sour cream and enjoy with a nice glass of wine!

Recipe for Beef Stroganoff:

(Serves 4)

1 8-10 oz. grilled steak, sliced

1 cup sliced Baby Bella mushrooms (or white is fine too)

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove of garlic (either crushed or minced)

1 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1 cup dry white wine

1 small can of beef stock or 1 1/2 cups home-made beef stock

1 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. olive oil

3 Tbs. flour

5 Tbs. sour cream

4-5 cracks of fresh cracked black pepper

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh ripped parsley over top

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt in butter and add oil. To this add onions, saute for a minute. Add in mushrooms, saute for a few minutes. Add in garlic, saute for one more minute. Add in thyme. Add in a pinch of salt and flour. Stir and cook for an additional minute.

Next, add in wine, bring to a boil. Add in beef stock, bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add in steak and sour cream. Cook just long enough to heat steak through. Shut off burner. Taste for salt, add if needed. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over warm buttered egg noodles with a dollop of sour cream in each plate and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

May 29, 2015

“It’s yummy!” This is what I got from my husband when I asked him what to write about Buffalo Chicken Salad. And quite plainly put, it is just that, yummy. It’s also very low in carbs and pretty darn healthy. So, when I am looking for a quick lunch that I can pull together in under 15 minutes, I take a little help from my pantry and my freezer!

This is a simple and quick lunch that is filling and super easy!. I keep my freezer stocked with organic individually wrapped chicken breasts. These are great because all I have to do is toss the sealed packages in a bowl of warm tap water and they are defrosted in under 10 minutes. Then I am not having to work with an entire package of chicken every time I want to whip something up!

Two other pretty important pantry staples in this recipe are my buffalo wings sauce. Now, anybody can make buffalo sauce. All it is is hot sauce and melted butter. That being said, I buy the bottle because sometimes I just feel like skipping that step. Also, blue cheese dressing. This recipe is a bit more complicated and honestly, when you’re trying to put a meal on the table in under 15 minutes, a well made dressing is the way to go. Plus, you can skip having to buy blue cheese and constantly wondering if its supposed to be blue or if new blue has developed!

OK… so those are my tricks for this recipe, let me take you through it:

Slice up your chicken breasts… I use one breast for my husband and I to both eat a good hearty salad. If you like two, then use two.

I brown both sides of the sliced chicken getting some good caramelization on both sides. This takes about 4-5 minutes per side.

While the chicken is browning, I like to wash and run my mixed greens through a salad spinner.

Dice up one stalk of celery.

Wash and dry some grape tomatoes.

Toss the celery, tomatoes and mixed greens together. (All of it should be dry at this point)

This is the buffalo sauce I like to use.

Once the chicken is completely cooked through and nicely browned on both sides. Add in sauce. I do this right in the pan. You can transfer to a bowl if you are worried about scratching your pan. (I like less dishes)

Once the chicken is dredged in the sauce, take two forks and shred the chicken right in that sauce. This will allow all the cooked chicken to get coated in sauce.

And with that, the star of this meal is ready! This is what you will be left with after shredding.

Here is my favorite blue cheese dressing… I like the chunky kind so that I don’t need to deal with blue cheese as I mentioned.

Now build your salad. Your greens are already mixed with your celery and tomatoes (If you like, you can add in carrots here too) drizzle with dressing, and then top with chicken. (if you are not trying to keep it low carb, some croutons would be nice here as well)

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Buffalo Chicken Salad:

(serves 2)

1 large chicken breast, sliced

2 Tbl. olive oil

1/2 c. Buffalo Wing Sauce

4 cups mixed greens, washed and spun dry

2 stalks of celery, chopped

10 grape tomatoes, washed and dried

1/2 c. blue cheese dressing

kosher salt

Directions:A quick 15 minute, low-carb, gluten-free meal!

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Place sliced chicken in skillet and sprinkle lightly with salt. Brown on both sides, about 4- 5 mins. cooking through.

Turn off heat. Add in buffalo sauce. Shred chicken.

Mix greens together with celery and tomatoes. Assemble salad with dressing and top with chicken.

Enjoy!

Portuguese Lemon Chicken Soup (Canja)

May 27, 2015November 4, 2015

There is something about chicken soup that seems to make it a comfort food no matter what your nationality. The Thai add coconut to their chicken soup, the Italians add beans and Orzo, the Moroccans add couscous and butternut squash. I personally love a good American Chicken Noodle soup and that recipe will come, but there is nothing quite like what your grandmother made you as a little girl (or boy), to bring comfort to your meal.

So, if you are looking for a Portuguese comfort food, you have come to the right place! Canja is the quintessential comfort food. Portuguese Canja is made with simple ingredients, used in a way that you may never have thought to combine them before. Canja has chicken, lemon and is thickened with egg yolks all combined to form a lovely delicate creamy soup that I am sure you have never quite experienced in any other dish. My Vavó would make this soup any time she had some extra chicken or one of us was sick or just because.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe my good friend Lisa gave me to help remind me of just how my Vavó would make her soup. Throughout the recipe I will note the differences and you can really make it your own.

Dice up onions.

Chop up a couple of carrots. Some people also like to add in celery at this stage, I nor Lisa, nor was my Vavó a fan of celery in this particular soup, so I will be leaving it out, if you are partial to celery, by all means, add it in.

Chop up some garlic or put through a press. (Lisa runs hers through a press)

Saute onions and carrots until tender. Then add in garlic and a pinch of salt and saute another minute or so.

Add in about 10 cups of chicken stock. If you don't have homemade chicken stock, you can use boxed or canned... Or add in water and 2-3 bullion cubes.

Add in about 10 cups of chicken stock. If you don’t have homemade chicken stock, you can use boxed or canned… Or like Lisa, add in water and 2-3 bullion cubes.

While the soup is coming to a boil, separate 3 eggs and reserve the yolks.

Beat a few times with a fork until smooth.

Now, cut a lemon in half and place in a press. If you don't have a press, just use a reem or a fork to juice the lemon.

Now, cut a lemon in half and place in a press. If you don’t have a press, just use a ream or a fork to juice the lemon.

Add lemon juice to egg yolks and beat until combined.

Before adding the egg yolk to the soup, you will want to temper with some hot liquid from the soup. This process allows for the egg yolks to come a bit closer to the temperature of the soup so they won’t scramble upon adding them in. The point of the yolks is to thicken the soup, not to have breakfast with your dinner 🙂

Add in yolk mixture slowly and stir rapidly.

This is what you should have when all stirred in. It will become an opaque creamy looking soup. At this point taste for salt, add in a pinch if needed.

Cooked chicken breast… If you don’t have cooked, you can do the same with raw. I happen to have cooked from making my chicken stock. I use all white meat in my soup as it is my preference, but if you like dark meat in your soup, have at it 😉

Chop the chicken (and even shred it a bit) and add to the soup.

Next add in your pasta or rice. My Vavó always used stars, I am using Pastini which are a teeny tiny version of that. A lot of people use par boiled rice (like an Uncle Ben's). It's a matter of preference.

Next add in your pasta or rice. My Vavó always used stars, I am using Pastini which are a teeny tiny version of that. Lisa uses par boiled rice (like an Uncle Ben’s). It’s a matter of preference.

Lastly, chop up some flat leaf parsley and add in to soup.

Finally, allow to come to a boil long enough to cook your pasta or rice, 20 mins tops and turn off your burner. Taste for salt. And this is what you have left.

Serve… Enjoy!

Portuguese Lemon Chicken Soup (Canja)

(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

8-10 cups chicken stock

1 chicken breast, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium onion, diced small

2 cloves of garlic, diced (or run through a press)

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 lemon, juiced

2 Tbs. flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/3 cup Pastini pasta, stars or par boiled rice

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add in a pinch of salt. Add in garlic, saute another minute. Add in chicken stock. Bring to a boil.

In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and the juice of one lemon together. Add in about a quarter cup of hot stock from the soup pot to temper the yolks… Add hot liquid in slowly, but beat quickly to incorporate.

Add egg yolk mixture into the hot soup slowly while stirring rapidly. Once incorporated, taste for salt. Add in a pinch of salt if needed. Add in chicken and pasta (or rice). Cook for 10-20 minutes until pasta or rice is cooked fully. Add in parsley.

Enjoy!

Vavó’s Cake

May 25, 2015May 26, 2015

My Vavó (grandmother) was not a big baker, at all. But, she baked one dessert on a regular basis, this cake. I think this cake is the only reason she even owned an electric mixer, as I never saw her use it for anything else. On any given day, I could walk into her dining room and in a similar cake plate as you see here, there would be her cake. Any time I make this cake, it brings me right back there with my Vavó, enjoying a cup of tea and this deliciously simple dessert.

Memorial Day in my family was always about remembering those who have passed. We have always been thankful for those service members who have given their lives to bring us the freedoms this country has afforded us all. And in addition to that, we would always go to the cemetery to place flowers to remember family members and friends no longer with us. This was a yearly tradition for my grandmother. I show my love and remembrance in other ways… So, this post is in dedication to her – para alma da minha Vavó.

If you are looking for a moist decadent cake, this is not the one. This simple sponge cake is meant to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. It is a very basic, no frills cake with the exception of that crusty top that crunches in your mouth. It is meant to be dry and dense and have a slightly sweet taste.

Start by separating your eggs.

Keep your yolks seperate and place your whites in a bowl of an electric mixer.

Keep your yolks separate and place your whites in a bowl of an electric mixer.

Beat egg whites until stiff and remove and place in a seperate bowl.

Beat egg whites until stiff and remove and place in a separate bowl.

Then place your egg yolks in the same bowl you originally had your whites in and beat until they combine.

Add in one cup of sugar, beat until combined.

Then add in the other cup of sugar and beat until combined again.

This is what your yolks and sugar should look like… uniform and creamy.

Next, measure out your flour.

Then measure your baking powder.

Add in your baking powder to your flour.

Wisk together to sift.

Then fold in your whites with your yolks.

Then add in your dry ingredients.

Mix in with the paddle attachment of your mixer… Then scrape down the sides and bottom. and mix again.

You will quickly come to a consistency like this.

My grandmother always used an angel food cake pan for this cake… I don’t know what it would look like in any other pan, so this is what I use.

Spray your pan with baking spray, the kind with flour in it… although my grandmother would always use butter. Spray is just easier and gets the job done.

Pour

Drop the pan once or twice to release any big air bubbles from the pouring.

Place in the oven for around 35 – 45 mins at 350°F or until a butter knife comes out clean (or a toothpick, but my Vavó always used a butter knife)

And there you have it.

Para alma da minha Vavó

Ingredients for Vavó’s Cake:

(serves 8 -10)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

8 eggs, separated

1 tsp. baking powder

Directions:

Beat egg whites until stiff, set aside. Beat egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Fold whites into yolks. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients into wet. Mix to combine, scraping the sides. Place in a greased and floured angel food cake pan. Bake 35 – 45 minutes at 350°F until a butter knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Grilled Montreal Steak

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015

Grilled Montreal Steak has to be one of my husband’s favorite meals. I am always sure to make enough for that night’s dinner and then some left over for the next day. Not being a big fan of just re-heating steak, we use it to pop into Quesadillas, top a nice salad, or make some yummy Beef Stroganoff.

I used to use a pre-made Montreal seasoning mix, until one day, I ran out. But, we still wanted Montreal Steak, therefore, I came up with my own blend… and I have to say, we like it even better! You can make up a batch as you need it, or multiply the recipe and fill up a mason jar to keep it at the ready.

This steak would be perfect paired with Stacy’s Best Potato Salad and Low-carb Grilled Veggies!

Let’s start with mixing up the seasoning rub:

Start with making your own Montreal spice rub… You’ll need some kosher salt, dried crushed pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, ginger and smoked paprika.

Add altogether and mix.

This is what you will end up with.

Now onto preparing the steak:

This is our favorite cut of meat. My butcher calls it “Beef Loin Flap” It’s got lots of connective tissue making it flavorful and juicy.

Although this is called a rub. we aren’t going to actually rub the meat just yet. Sprinkle on the steak on all sides pretty liberally.

After a few minutes, the spices start seeping in. You want to do this at least a few hours before cooking if possible. The salt really changes the meat.

Cover and place in the fridge up to 24 hrs before cook time… But, be sure to take the meat out about an hour before you are ready to cook it to allow it to come to room temperature.

This steak is delicious grilled outside on your gas or charcoal grill or inside on a grill pan. Just a warning though, if you are doing this inside, be sure you have good ventilation, you will need your burner on high for a properly seared steak.

Set your grill to high to get a good sear. Grill for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. If you wish to have less pink in the middle, now is the time to turn the burner down to medium and continue cooking — 6 minutes for medium and 8 minutes for well done. The meat is safe to eat once the internal temperature reaches 145°F with a meat thermometer.

Serve with some potato salad and enjoy!

Let rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Recipe for Grilled Montreal Steak:

(serves 6)

3 lbs. steak (here we use beef loin)

8-10 Tbs. Montreal Steak Seasoning

For Seasoning Mix:

6 Tbs. kosher salt

3 Tbs. dry crushed red pepper

3 Tbs. fresh cracked black pepper

3 Tbs. garlic powder

2 Tbs. smoked paprika

1 Tbs. ginger

Directions:

Mix together all seasoning ingredients. Sprinkle seasoning onto meat, place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, store in fridge for 3-24 hrs until 1 hr before cook time.

Let meat sit at room temperature for one hour. Grill on high to preferred level of doneness. Meat should have an internal temperature of 145°F. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free recipe.

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato)

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015

One of the best parts of living in New England is the vast variety of cold water sea food we have available. Interestingly enough, it actually mirrors that which is available in St. Michael, Azores. How lucky am I?

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce is a quintessential Portuguese starter. 9 times out of 10 when we sit down to dinner at a Portuguese restaurant with friends, this is the first thing we order. It’s a two-part experience really. First you get to eat the clams that are cooked in a garlic wine broth and then again drenched in garlic, white wine and olive oil. But then, some may argue the best part of the dish is next… it’s the part when you get to sop up that delectable garlic wine sauce with a crusty piece of Portuguese bread… OMG, so good!

This dish is best served hot and brought right to the table. A couple of things you will want to have ready before you start is a good loaf of Portuguese bread, some hot sauce and a bowl to throw the emptied shells into (as you need to not crowd your plate with that so that you can get to the sauce with that bread!)

There are sooo many varieties of clams available in the world. These are called Little Necks, they are actually the second to smallest size clam that is legally harvestable in the U.S. Some people call these Northern Quohogs and some call them round clams or chowder clams. What makes these clams special is that, as it’s name indicates, they have an itty bitty neck, unlike it’s cousin the Steamer clam with it’s long neck that sticks out of it’s shell. Also, unlike the Steamer clam, Little Necks don’t have much to speak of in their bellies. It’s really mostly flesh, yum!

The first step, as with ANY clam you use, is to wash it inside and out. This may sound odd, but clams are generally sold with some sand and salt residue still remaining on the outside and there is nothing worst than biting into a clam and crunching on sand. Although, a sandy inside is not usually a huge issue with Little Necks, I still like to err on the side of caution. So, clams are zipped up pretty tightly… how do you get the inside clean you ask? Well, its simple, you need to provide them with an environment in which they might feel comfortable opening up their shells to take in some water. I do this with cold cold cold tap water and salt. And it works every time. Sometimes I throw some black pepper in there to make them sneeze, mostly I just do that with Steamer clams though.

Here are the main ingredients you will need.

While the washing is taking place, it’s a good time to prep your ingredients. Chop an onion into thin quartered slices.

Saute in olive oil over medium heat. Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Next, you will need quite a bit of garlic for this recipe. Chop up about 6-8 cloves of garlic.

Add in to the onions once the onions have softened a bit.

Now add in the juice of half a lemon, the lemon half itself, some chopped flat leaf parsley and about 1 cup of dry white wine.

Simmer the ingredients together bringing to a boil over high heat.

Drain your cleaning water from the clams and add the clams to your pot.

Cover. Keep your burner on high and do not remove your lid. The cooking process is a steam.

This is the pot 8 minutes into cooking. Do not remove lid!

This is the pot 10 minutes into cooking… If you look at the clams, some are starting to open, but not all. Do not remove the lid! But, start watching the pot, you don’t want to over cook shellfish, it will get tough. Little Necks are tough to start off with, they don’t need any more help getting there.

Ah, 12 minutes in and finally! All the clams have opened up. Now, turn off your burner. Still, do not remove the lid! Give it about two minutes in the steam. Then they are ready!

Add in some lemon slices and more chopped parsley, and don’t forget the broth!

Recipe for Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato):

(serves 10 – 12)

4 lbs. Little Neck Clams

4 Tbs. olive oil

1 c. dry white wine

1 lemon, 1/2 reserved and sliced for garnish

6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced

6 Tbs. parsley, chopped, 1/2 reserved for garnish

Kosher salt

Directions:

Wash clams with cold water and a good amount of kosher salt (1-2 Tbs.). Let sit in salted water for about 15 mins.

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat, add in a pinch of salt. Add in garlic, continue to saute. When softened add in the juice of half a lemon plus the lemon shell itself, parsley and about a cup of dry white wine. Bring to a boil.

Drain clams from their cleaning salt water. Add clams to boiling liquid. Cover immediately. Check on them every few minutes until they are all open. This is best done with a clear lid. If you don’t have a clear lid, don’t bother checking until 10 minutes into the cooking time. After about 12 minutes all the clams should be opened. Keep lid on the pot and turn off the burner.

Serve and enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free dish.

It is nice to have either a separate pot at a party with sauce… But, I like to build my own… Here is what I do.

I like to put some olive oil in my plate.

Then I add in some of the cooked onions, garlic and parsley.

I personally like to add in some hot sauce. If you are doing this in a bowl for people to add themselves, I would leave the hot sauce on the side. Mix this together a bit.

Add some lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Add some broth, lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Stacy’s Best Potato Salad

May 18, 2015May 19, 2015

My Dad LOVES potato salad. I don’t ever remember a time when there would be a family gathering or a cook out without it. So, years and years ago, I set out to make the very best potato salad there could ever be. I must preface this by first stating that I was never a huge fan of potato salad to start off with. This made my task a bit daunting, but I was up for the challenge!

Most potato salad you encounter consists of some bland boiled potatoes tossed with some cold mayo and if you’re lucky there will be some salt and pepper thrown in. Well, get that image out of your mind… this is not that.

Once my quest to develop the “best” potato salad was complete, it was a regular request from friends, family and co-workers! Everywhere I went, requests for this potato salad would follow. (So, be careful… because once you make it, it may be all people ask you to bring too! But, it’s so easy, that might be just fine with you.) I often get the comment, “I don’t even like Potato Salad, but I love Stacy’s Potato Salad, it’s the only one I will eat.” And quite honestly, it’s the only one I will eat too, as I mentioned, I am not a big fan of Potato Salad in general.

I think what makes it different is a combination of both ingredients and method. If you follow along, you will get perfect results every time. In the end, you will find this is a hybrid of potato salad and egg salad (the egg adds not only flavor, but an extra special creaminess.) The sauce itself lends some tartness from the mustard and crunch from the relish and an ever so slight backdrop of heat from the hot sauce and black pepper.

Let’s get started.

I start with red bliss potatoes. For this recipe I am using about 3 lbs. of potatoes, which is enough for a regular night. If you are looking to bring this to a party or a cookout, you are going to want to double or even triple the recipe. This recipe doubles and triples very well.

Fill a pot with COLD water. Don’t turn the burner on until after you have placed your potatoes in.

Dice to about the size of a quarter or slightly larger. Place in COLD salted water. This is necessary. If you place the potatoes in boiling water, you will change the consistency of the potato. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until fork tender.

Once you get the potatoes going. Get your eggs started. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with COLD water. Bring the water to a boil and shut off the burner. Immediately cover the pot and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain water and cover with cold water to chill. Perfect hard-boiled egg every time!

A perfect hard-boiled egg. (Sometimes I make an extra one and reserve for a sliced garnish, not today though)

Chop and set aside.

Start the sauce off with mayo. Your favorite jarred will be fine. But, be sure it is REAL mayonnaise, not dressing.

To the real mayonnaise add mustard (just plain yellow), relish (i use dill) a pinch of salt, a couple swigs of your favorite hot sauce and lots and lots of fresh cracked black pepper. My Dad loves black pepper, so I put in close to a full teaspoon of it. You can adjust this to your taste.

Now, add in the chopped egg.

Stir together to combine.

When the potatoes are done cooking and you find that they are fork tender, drain the water, but do not run cold water over to cool. You want the potatoes to be warm, even hot for this next step. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the pot you cooked them in (this way you aren’t messing up another bowl.)

This is what you end up with. Sprinkle with paprika and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Once chilled, you are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe for Stacy’s Best Potato Salad:

(serves 6)

3 lbs. red bliss potatoes, diced.

6 qts. cold salted water

3/4 cup real mayonnaise

2 Tbs. yellow mustard

2 Tbs. dill relish

1 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

pinch of kosher salt to taste

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

dash of paprika

Directions:
Prepare potatoes by placing diced potatoes in cold salted water. Bring water to a boil and watch for potatoes to become fork tender.

In the meantime, prepare sauce for salad. Mix together the real mayonnaise, mustard, relish, hot sauce, black pepper and salt. Add in the chopped eggs. Mix to combine.

Drain the potatoes and keep drained potatoes in the cooking pot. Add in the mayo mixture. Stir to combine. The potatoes and egg yolks will meld together. Top with a sprinkle of paprika. Let come to room temperature and chill for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

note: this recipe is gluten-free.

note: if you don’t like the taste of one of the ingredients, add a little less, but try not to eliminate it. For example, my sister is not a big fan of mustard at all, so I add a little less when she is coming over, but I don’t eliminate it as each ingredient has a chemical reason for being in the recipe. (and she loves it)

Starting a Charcoal Grill – no added chemicals

May 16, 2015May 19, 20151 Comment

There are a few types of grilling. You can grill with gas, with charcoal or over an open fire, at least these are the most common ways. Grilling over a campfire definitely has it’s fun side (when you are camping) and although I love the convenience of my gas grill, when I have the time, there is nothing like the flavor a hot charcoal grill. That is, a chemical-free charcoal grill… so not a fan of lighter fluid chemicals seeping into my food.

In today’s tutorial, I will take you through my favorite method for lighting my charcoal grill. There is a simple tool out there that I purchase about every other year for about $15 at my local hardware store, it’s called a Chimney Charcoal Starter. There are a few different varieties, but the concept is the same with all of them. Fill a canister with your brickets, pop in some newspaper underneath, light and wait… that’s it! It’s that simple.

Let me show you:

This is a Chimney Charcoal Starter.

Start by stuffing some crumpled news paper in the bottom… Now, you don’t want to over stuff, you need air to circulate here.

This is what you will see when you turn it right side up.

Now fill it up with some charcoal brickets, whichever kind you like… but, I try and stay away from the light a bag kind, it’s more expensive and not needed. Just plain run of the mill charcoal will do fine.

It’s best to over fill a bit because as they begin to light, they will shrink down.

You’ll want to make sure your chimney is on the bottom rack of your grill. Then, take one of these handy stick lighters and light the newspaper.

Pretty immediately, this is what you will see.

Then the smoke clears up a bit once all the paper is burned off and this is what you see.

As you can see they are starting to shrink down… These brickets are just about ready to turn out. I used to let them all turn white, but I found that I was losing too much of the charcoal to ash before I could start using it.

Be sure to use two pot holders at this point as this can be hot. With a pot holder you can use that stabilizing arm you see here. (That’s the thick metal bar thing.) One more tip for this part is to not stand down wind… this is very important as there will be cinders, lots and lots of cinders. I learned this the hard way when I got a cinder stuck in my shoe! Not fun.

And there you have it. Since I did not wait until everything was white, I give this another 5-10 minutes before I cook on it. But, at this point I do add the top grill grate on to start heating it up.

And there you have it. You will want to be sure your brickets are more toward one side of the grill to create some temperature fluxuation… What you want to create is a “hot” side of the grill and a “cool” side. This will aid in cooking. Since I did not wait until everything was white, I give this another 5-10 minutes before I cook on it (otherwise your food will get ashy). But, at this point I do add the top grill grate on to start heating it up.

This whole process takes some time, about 45 minutes or so, but definitely the best way to light a charcoal grill I have found thus far. Then you are ready to grill up some great recipes like my Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken or my Low-carb Grilled Veggies! Give this simple way of lighting a grill without lighter fluid a try. Let me know how you do!

Low-Carb Grilled Veggies

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

Summer time is a great time for vegetables and grilling! I love taking advantage of all that summer has to offer, the fresh air, the sunshine and the fresh produce! Low-carb veggies are a delicious way to replace the old winter stand-by of canned corn or peas. I would so much rather have a healthy ear of corn which has 15-net carbs next my protein and fill the rest of my plate with delicious freshly grilled veggies and I especially love it when my veggies are being grilled over charcoal!

Today’s tutorial is super simple and you can tailor it to your families tastes and preferences like with most recipes. If you love summer squash, but hate zucchini, then swap it. If you love onions, but don’t care for tomatoes, then by all means add more onions! If you want to get your kids to eat more veggies, then take them to the store and let them pick which they like and add that! This recipe is more about being a guide on the method of cooking your vegetables.

I have a bunch of low-carb veggies on hand these days and am always trying new things with them to keep things interesting… This, however, is an old stand-by. The weather has been so beautiful lately that I have decided to do all my cooking outside today, including prep, it’s a great way to let the kids play while getting dinner on the table.

Start with placing some grape tomatoes in a medium sized metal bowl. I like grape tomatoes because they are small, so no cutting required, and they are sweet.

Cut one medium onion into 1/8 chuncks. The goal here will be to cut things about the same size. You don’t want tiny onions and big giant peppers etc.

Cut your bell pepper in half, remove the seeds. I like the orange, yellow and red as I find them to be sweeter than the green. If you prefer green or that’s all you have on hand, use the green.

Cut it up to about the same size as your onions. (I am keeping my zucchini in sliced discs, so the zucchini is really driving how large to cut all the other veggies)

Slice up a zucchini. Since this is being grilled, you will want to cut them pretty thickly as you don’t want the fire to break them down too much. You want them to hold their body.

Mix all your cut veggies together in your bowl.

Add a couple tsp. of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

I got this little pan at the dollar store of all places. So, I thought I would give it a try, and I love it!

Spray your pan with cooking spray before placing in veggies.

Pour your veggies in the pan.

Place pan on over medium heat. You want the vegetables to char up a bit, but you don’t want to burn. You will want to tend to them every few minutes.

See the char they are getting? That’s nice. Let it cook another 5-10 minutes once the reach this point.

Serve with your favorite low-carb dish. Here they are accompanying my Portuguese Grilled Chicken and an ear of corn.

Recipe for Low-carb Grilled Veggies:

(serves 4)

8-10 grape tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped into 1/8 th chucks

1 orange bell pepper, chopped into similar sized chuncks as the onion

1 zucchini, thickly sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. In an outdoor grill veggie pan, add in the veggies coated in oil. Tend to the veggies every few minutes as they cook so they may cook evenly.

Enjoy!

note: this recipe is gluten-free

Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken (Frango Grelhado)

May 13, 2015May 19, 20154 Comments

Summer time is here and the grill is my main source of cooking all summer long! Throughout the summer in Southcoastal MA as well as, I’m sure, in many other Portuguese dense communities across the country, it is feast season. Feasts encompass so much of Portuguese culture not minimally the food. It seems whenever we head to St. Michael, there is one feast or another going on and undoubtably there as well as in feasts across my region here in Massachusetts you will find men grilling chicken over an open pit filled with charcoal.

“Portuguese Style” Chicken depends largely on it’s marinade, but it also is greatly enhanced by it’s method of cooking. This can of course be done with a gas grill, but if you have the time, charcoal is the best way to enjoy it. This chicken does not need an sauce helping it to keep it’s low-carb status.

In this recipe tutorial I will take you through the marinade and show you how I place my coals, but a more extensive tutorial on working with a charcoal grill will come soon. So, keep an eye out!

This marinade is best done 6-8 hours or better yet 24 hours ahead. It’s an intense brine more than just a marinade really. Take a look.

Start by placing a gallon sized zip bag into a large bowl.

Pour a can of beer into the bag.

To that, add two heaping soup spoons worth of ground red pepper. If you don’t have ground red pepper available, finely dice a medium heat pepper such as a red Pablano pepper and add in.

To this add in about 4 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced.

Now, add two large soup spoons full of kosher salt.

Add in about 1/4 of a soup spoon (or 1 teaspoon) of Portuguese Allspice.

This is what your consentrated marinade should look like.

Add your chicken into your concentrated marinade.

Add enough luke warm water into the bag so that most of your chicken is covered in liquid.

Now, a trick to this is to try to remove as much air from your bag as you can. The less air in the bag, the more contact your chicken has with the spices.

Close up your bag and place in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Be sure your coals are hot and white and you burn off any actual fire as shown here. Also, be sure you have a “hot” side of your grill and a “not so hot” side. To achieve this just place your coals with the majority to one side.

Now, keep your chicken on your medium to not so hot side of your grill and don’t walk away. Chicken cooked over coals needs to be tended to. This doesn’t mean constantly fuss with it, just watch that it doesn’t burn.

Some of your chicken skin will blacken and char… this is part of the flavor, it’s ok. Just be sure that when this starts to happen you move it to the not so hot side of the grill… you want the chicken to cook too… if it chars too quickly you may think it is ready before it really is. This process should take a good 45 minutes, but if you have concerns, just get a meat thermometer and when the fleshy part of your chicken registers 160°F, it is all set to be taken off the grill.

For a delicious low-carb meal, plate with some yummy grilled vegis and a grilled ear of corn.

For a delicious low-carb meal, plate with some yummy grilled veggies and a grilled ear of corn.

Recipe for Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken (Frango Grelhado):

(serves 4)

4 chicken leg quarters

For marinade:

1 8 oz. can beer

4 Tbls. ground red pepper

4 Tbls. kosher salt

1 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

4 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced

1 cup luke warm water.

Directions:

Place a zipper bag in a large bowl and combine all marinade ingredients. Add chicken. Marinate (brine) over night if possible, but at least 6-8 hrs.

Grill over charcoal if possible for about 45 minutes while tending. If using a gas grill, grill on low for about 45 minutes. Meat should register 160°F on a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

note: to make this recipe gluten-free, just use a gluten-free beer, I would not suggest wine. You could also use chicken stock, but add in 1 tsp of white vinegar if doing so.

the portuguese american mom

stay awhile… have a cup of tea, let's get creative!

Category: Recipes

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Starting a Charcoal Grill – no added chemicals

Low-Carb Grilled Veggies

Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken (Frango Grelhado)