Sometimes I like a good stir fry. We made a delicious Orange Beef and Broccoli recipe the other night and it came out great so I thought I would share. We very loosely based our recipe on what I have below, but also added water chestnuts for a crispy bite and served over brown rice.

Orange Beef and Broccoli Recipe
adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com

1 head of broccoli, steamed for 5 minutes
1/3 C fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/3 C low-sugar orange marmalade
2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 Tsp salt
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices
Olive oil

Combine broth, marmalade, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside. Place cornstarch in a shallow dish. Dredge steak in cornstarch. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add broth mixture; cook 1 minute or until thick. Stir in broccoli (and 1 can of drained water chestnuts). Serve immediately (over brown rice).

Enjoy!

My husband and I love mussels. It’s our go-to appetizer whenever we’re out to dinner. When we honeymooned in France, one of our favorite meals was at a “Moules-Frites” restaurant where we dined on mussels and french fries while sitting outside on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

When we’re not a restaurant (or in France for that matter) we use the recipe below to make mussels at home. It’s so easy and tastes gourmet. Of course, I recommend eating with grilled bread to sop up the delicious broth.

Spicy Mussels in White Wine
adapted from epicurious.com

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1/3 C olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tsp fennel seeds
1 Tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 Tsp salt
1 C dry white wine
2 1/4-inch-thick lemon slices

1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed, debearded

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt; saute until onion is light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine, lemon slices and 1/4 C parsley; bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any that do not open. Using slotted spoon, transfer mussels to large shallow bowl. Boil broth in pot until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes; season to taste with pepper. Pour broth over mussels.

Enjoy!

PS. Did you know this is how Parisians eat mussels? They use one empty shell to squeeze and take the next one out of it’s shell. Tres chic…

With the summer weather this past week, we got back into grilling already. One particularly warm night last week we were looking for a light grilled meal and just simply marinated shrimp, red peppers, zucchini, and onions in a lemon pepper marinade, grilled, and served with ciabatta bread.

Delicious – can’t wait til summer and we can grill full time!

When my husband and I were first “officially” living together, we found this recipe one Sunday morning in the Boston Globe food section, tore it out, and have made these numerous times since. I thought it was about time I share with you! They are so yummy, especially with the sweet glaze on top, perfect for a lazy, chilly, weekend morning with a hot cup of coffee!
Cinnamon-raisin Biscuits
from the Boston Globe, March, 2005

2C Flour
2 3/4 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg
5 Tbs sugar
6 Tbs cold, unsalted butter cut into tablespoon pieces
2/3 C raisins
2 eggs
1/2 C heavy cream (we substitute half & half)
1 Tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Have a heavy baking sheet on hand.

In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Add the butter, and using two blunt table knives or a pastry blender, cut the fat into the flour until it forms pearl-sized pieces. Crumble the mixture between your fingertips for half a minute to break down the fat until the mixture looks somewhat coarse. Stir in raisins.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, cream, and vanilla. Pour the cream mixture into the flour mixture. Use a blunt knife to stir gently until the mixture forms a dough. Lightly knead the dough in the bowl for 30 seconds, then turn out onto a floured surface.

Shape the dough into a thick disc about 6 to 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Using a chef’s knife, cut the disc into 6 even triangles (we just form them into rounds, but do what you want). Arrange them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the rise and set. Glaze when warm.

For the Glaze
1C (about) confectioner’s sugar
4 Tsp(about) milk

Mix until desired consistency is reached

Enjoy!