recipe

Dinner Menu: Grilled Steak with Coffee Rub and Blueberry Coffeecake

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Blueberry Coffee Cake

More of my most requested grilling recipes.

From August 2013

A friend of mine spent a few months one summer experimenting with coffee rubs. This was one of my favorites. If you need something fun to do with your next grilled steak, this is a recipe to try. And with my love of blueberries, can’t go wrong with a blueberry coffeecake.  Yum.

On the board tonight:

  1. Steak with Coffee Rub
  2. Green Beans w/Bacon & Onion
  3. Baked Potatoes
  4. Blueberry CoffeeCake

Steak with Coffee Rub

  • 3 tbsp chili powder (pure ancho or a blend)
  • 3 tbsp finely ground coffee (espresso works best)
  • 1 ½ tbsp paprika (use a good one)
  • 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 to 1-1/2 lb of steak (rib-eye, sirloin, NY strip, etc) in 4 thick pieces

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Grilling Menu: Stuffed Jalapeno-Cheddar Burgers and Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

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Stuffed Burger Uncut Snap

I make these all the time because they really are easy and a great way to have a cheeseburger without losing half the cheese to the grill. And the sweet potato cajun fries are the perfect sweet, spicy combo.  Grill some peaches, pears or plums and dinner is done. Enjoy.

On the board tonight:

  1. Jalapeno-Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
  2. Kaiser Rolls
  3. Cajun Sweet Potato Fries
  4. Grilled Sweet Corn  (pull husks back, clean off silk, wash, pull husks up & grill-yum!)
  5. Plums

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Instant Pot: Egg Cups

/ TaMara

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet. I make them all the time.  You do need silicone molds, that you can also use for brownie bites, mini-muffins or mini-pancake bites, or a recipe I’ll be trying and will post, mini-cheesecakes.  The molds come with a rack to raise and lower them from the pressure cooker, which is important because they are unstable when filled.

You can mix up just about anything you like with your eggs – diced tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, shredded potato, ham, bacon…you see the list is endless. Continue reading →

Food In Fiction: Underway Recipes

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One of my favorite things is recipes in fiction novels. I’ve featured quite a few of them here. 

So when I began to write my own fiction, I wanted to include my recipes. Run Aground (Book 1 in the TJ Wilde Trilogy – for sale here) featured Smashed Potatoes and Lemon Piccata Chicken

My newest book, Underway (Book 2 in the TJ Wilde Trilogy) features two recipes.  Tahini Walnut Rolls (recipe here) and Sausage and Grapes below.

Underway is on sale now, here. You can read Chapters 1 and 2 here.

From 2015:

…I decided to experiment with flavors I would have never thought of on my own. Facebook and blog friend Michael F, shared a recipe on Facebook from Italy, in Italian no less, and the photo intrigued me. I let google translate the recipe (which was a hoot) and went about putting my touches into it.

It was so unusual, my most reliable recipe testers politely declined my dinner invite. Totally understandable. But I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out. If you like pork and apples, this has a similar flavor palate. It was also quick and easy to prepare. I’m glad I decided to experiment.

All right, if you’re up for something new and different, here you go, tonight’s featured recipe.

Sausage and Grapes

  • 8 links Italian sausage (I used spicy, but you could use any style sausage you favor)
  • 1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 cup green seedless grapes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise
  • 1 cup red seedless grapes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise
  • salt and pepper to taste (I used none, didn’t need it)
  • angel hair pasta
  • freshly grated Parmesan

skillet

Slice sausage links into four pieces each, add to skillet and fry on medium high for about 10 minutes. Add onion and fennel seeds, cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add grapes, stir until well mixed, cover and let simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes while pasta cooks.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.

You can toss with the sausage mixture, or serve separately. Serve with Parmesan.

The pasta was my addition. When I asked Michael what would be a good side, he suggested eggplant or roasted potatoes. Roasted zucchini spears would probably work well, too.

Underway: A TJ Wilde Mystery

 

Flour Tortillas, Tortilla Bowls and A Simple Egg Dish

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During our stay-at-home and safer-at-home time, I’ve been trying a few recipes that I might not otherwise have time to do. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at tortillas. I knew they were very simple, but I thought too time-consuming without a tortilla press.

I was wrong, by the time I made my second one, I had a nice assembly line going. Roll out, add to pan, roll out another one, flip the one in the pan, continue to roll the one on the mat. Remove cooked one, add rolled one, rinse and repeat. I whipped out 8 in about 30 minutes – that includes mixing and cooking. Continue reading →

Locked Down Cooking: Grilled Onions

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With the stay-at-home orders ongoing, once work wound down, I had more time to cook some “slow foods” – foods that take a bit more time and I haven’t had time for recently.

First up, grilled onions. I got a good deal on a bag of sweet yellow onions, so my drawer is full and I decided I needed to use up some. I love grilled onions, but to do them correctly takes time. About twenty minutes or more. Continue reading →