If there is one thing that prevents me from becoming a vegetarian, it's the idea of a delicious steak dinner  . . .  okay bacon does it too, but today's recipe is all about steak.   I do love a nice steak, but it can sometimes be a bit on the expensive side.   Today's recipe shows you how to make a delicious steak dinner, using one of the cheaper cuts.

Minute, or "Cube" steaks  as I believe they are called in North America are from a tougher cut of beef, usually the round or rump or so called frying steaks  . . .  but they have been tenderized by the butcher running them through a tenderizing machine, which dimples them and makes little cuts in them all over.  You can do the same thing by pounding them to within an inch of their lives.



This is a fabulous way of turning a relatively cheap cut of meat into something which tastes anything but cheap.  All it takes is a bit of effort on your part and proper cooking.



The pounding helps, but so does the method of cooking.   The way to ruin any steak, even the most expensive cuts . . .  is to over cook them.  By cooking these quickly and for a minimum time at a relatively high temperature you preserve the flavour of the meat . . .  searing in all of the tasty juices.  Of course when you mingle those juices with a few pats of a delicious garlic and parsley butter . . . well the result is sublime.


Delicious flavours which belie their inexpensive price tag.   I paid less than £2.50 for two and they were gorgeous.  Cheap eats that feel like a treat.  I love it when that happens!

We like to have mashed potatoes and a green vegetable with this.  Delicious!

One of our favourite suppers when I was growing up was my mother's homemade baked beans.  Oh my but they were absolutely gorgeous.   She would start the night before by soaking the dried beans overnight and then early the next morning, often even before anyone else was up, she began her magic with them . . . putting everything together and into her bean crock and into the oven, so that by the time we woke up we could already smell the deliciousness that was waiting for us later in the day!

Salmon and Broccoli have to be one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings!  I'm not sure why they work so well together.  You wouldn't think they would because both salmon and broccoli have somewhat strong flavours all on their own . . .  but somehow it just works and works well!

In my later years I have developed a much more interesting palate and there are things I would cook and try now that I wouldn't have even thought of trying when I was younger.   We also have such beautiful produce, eggs, etc. here in the UK,  and such a wide variety . . . that I just enjoy  cooking and eating with gusto!  (And it shows blah . . . )

This may not be the most beautiful cake in the world . . .  but it sure is one of the most delicious cakes!  It's extremely moist and somewhat dense . . .  a cake you can really get yourself stuck into.   It's sturdy and picnick-able.  (Is that a word?)   What I mean is its quite portable and not so fragile that it will fall apart  which makes it perfect for picnics!

We eat a lot of chicken in my house.  We really like chicken.  It is incredibly versatile, and most of the time it is pretty affordable. 

It was a little cool today and so Todd wanted me to make him some soup for lunch. I didn't do anything special, just opened a couple of tins of Bean and Bacon Soup. He loves that kind.

I wanted to tell you about this fabulously fascinating cookbook that I received recently.  More than just a cookbook, it's also a gardening book.   The One-Pot Gourmet Gardener , Delicious container recipes to grow together and cook together authored by Cinead McTernan lifts cooking into the realms of actually growing what you eat, and even further into the realms of container gardening with the idea in mind that you would actually grow all of the produce/herbs/etc in one pot pertaining to a specific recipe.


GROW ME - COOK ME - EAT ME:
You can grow all the ingredients you need for a single dish in a single pot.  In all there are 25 carefully devised container recipes grouped into Soups and Salads, Main Courses, Picnic food, Quick Suppers and Drinks and Puddings., Smoothies, Sauces and Tarts.

Each one-pot recipe provides every step from sowing to serving.   There's an introductory masterclass on how to grow crops in pots, giving you the confidence and skills to devise your own one-pot recipes.



There are six chapters in the book . . .  with tips on how to use the book and getting started,  picnic dishes that you could eat al fresco and on the road, soups and salads, quick suppers, accompaniements such as salsa's and pickles and of course tasty drinks! This book covers a wide variety of subjects . . .



There are fabulous tips on getting started, how to plant, when to plant, what to plant, etc.   Even the novice gardener would find it quite easy to do.    This would be the perfect book to use in order to inspire your children to eat healthier or different foods.   What child doesn't want to eat what they grow themselves.   Imagine planting a pot with all of the fresh ingredients to make Gazpacho Soup with the children, and then watching them grow together as you baby and help the plants along, right on up to being able to harvest what you have grown to make the soup!    It's a fabulous concept.

 

The photography is beautifully executed by photographer Jason Ingram.  There are lots of photographs to help you every step of the way from preparing the soil, to planting, to the correct time for  harvesting.   It's all there, every inch of the way.

This is the ideal book for people with small gardens or balconies, who have the desire to grow their own food but are lacking in space as the ingredients for each recipe can be simply grown in a container.

I love the concept and I love the book.  I have a container planted,  to make my own Salsa Verde, but . . .  these things take time and so I won't be able to show you my results until a bit later in the year, but I am really excited about what I am going to end up with!

Cinead McTernan is a horticulturally trained writer and  the gardening editor of The Simple Things magazine. (She was previously editor of The Edible Garden magazine and worked on The English Garden and BBC Gardeners’ World magazines.) 

Available in hardback and priced at £16.99 One-Pot Gourmet Gardener is published by Frances Lincoln

ISBN 978-0-7112-3590-8
Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers
UK £16.99
US $26.99
Canada $28.99

Each one-pot recipe provides every step from sowing to serving.   And after being guided throuh an introductory masterclass on how to grow crops in pots, readers will have the confidece and skills to devise their own one-pot recipes!

  Reader Offer Discount:
To order One-Pot Gourmet Gardener at the discounted price of £12.99 including p&p* (RRP: £16.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG311
*UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

Many thanks to Frances Lincoln for sending me this copy for review.   All opinions are my own.

I am always up for chicken. Its not something I ever get tired of. I could eat it every night of the week. I'm not fussy about which part I eat either . . . I love the thighs, I love the breasts, I love the wings. I adore roasted chicken, fried, baked, simmered . . . I just love chicken in any way shape or form!

With it being a Bank Holiday over here in the UK and of course Memorial Day over in America, people will be firing up their grills today and treating themselves to a barbeque . . .  at least if the weather co-operates.   Here in the UK a Bank Holiday usually signals the rain clouds to roll in, but sometimes we get lucky! I have my fingers crossed!

What do you bake when it's not quite the fruity season, but you are craving something fruity???  When you are wanting something almost cake-like . . .  but are feeling too lazy to go through all of the faff that is involved in baking a decent cake???

I normally like to pull out the stops at the weekend and cook us something special for breakfast.  Normally during the week we have only toast and/or cereal, saving anything larger for Saturday or Sunday.   This is a bank Holiday here in the UK this weekend and so I decided that I would make us some French Toast for our Saturday breakfast . . . and not just any French Toast . . .  but  . . . Cinnamon French Toast Batons.

One thing my Todd has always wanted to do is to go to a diner to eat. You know . . . just like the ones on the telly that you see in all those American movies.

All chrome and formica . . . and juke boxes, waitresses named Sally, and a coffee cup that has no bottom.

Club sandwiches, gravy fries and mile high pies.





I thought I would try to recreate a Diner meal for him here at home tonight, but in as low fat as possible. One of my favourites back home use to be the Hot Hamburger Sandwich Platter.



A big oval platter, loaded up with hot fries, a huge hamburger pattie on a toasted bun, with oodles of gravy slathered over top and a small bucket of coleslaw on the side. Washed down with an ice cold soda pop. It can't be beat!



It might not be much to look at, but what it lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in flavour. I used extra lean ground steak, which I flavoured with onion powder, garlic, seasoning salt and black pepper . . . lots of onion and garlic. I then divided the meat into four equal shapes and then flattened them as thin as I could into a huge flat irregular sized burgers, so they had lots of little nooks and crannies on the edges.


Because they were really thin, they cooked in quick time and all the moisture stayed inside the burger, so they were moist as well as flavourful, with a nice sear on the outside. The chips . . . why oven baked of course, and cut so thin that they also turned out nicely browned with crisp golden edges.



You can make your own pan gravy if you wish. (I tell you how) or you can just open a tin of beef gravy. Me, I opted for Bisto, coz there is not much fat in it., and it's as easy as boiling the kettle.



Even the coleslaw, my own homemade, was low in fat . . . as I used a fat free mayo and low fat creme fraiche. The only thing I didn't do was to put on a short dress and ask him to "kiss ma grits!" (I also didn't ask for a tip!) Oh, and there was no pie . . . sigh . . .




*Hot Hamburger Platter Dinner*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe 



It's diner food for the UK! A delicious well flavoured hot hamburger patty on a toasted bun half, topped with gravy and served with crispy fries and coleslaw!



1 pound extra lean minced steak
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS onion powder
1 tsp seasoned salt
5 TBS flour
1 litre of beef broth
4 large baking potatoes
oil
seasonings for the fries (I like the smoked paprika, sweet red pepper and thyme mix from M&S)
salt and black pepper
Toasted Bun halves
Coleslaw, your own or purchased (See my recipe below)



Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a large baking sheet.


Wash the potatoes and dry well. Cut into thin chips. Toss them onto the baking sheet. Pour about 1 TBS of oil over top along with some of your chosen seasoning and some salt and black pepper. Toss together with your hands. Place into the heated oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.



Mix together the minced steak, garlic, onion powder, seasoned salt and a bit of salt and lots of black pepper to taste. (You can pinch off a little bit and fry it in a pan to see if you have the seasoning correct if you wish.) Shape into large flat irregular shaped patties.



Place a large skillet over mediium high heat. Add a bit of oil and fry the patties until well browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Reserve any drippings in the pan. There probably won't be much. You will need about 4 TBS. You can add some butter to the pan drippings to make this up. Once the fat is melted and hot, stir in the flour, whisking it in well. Slowly whisk in the broth a bit at a time, whisking until the gravy thickens. Simmer for several minutes then taste and adjust seasoning as required.



Divide the fries between 4 heated plates. Place a toasted bun half on each and top with a burger. Spoon over some of the gravy, making sure it covers the burger and some of the chips. Serve with coleslaw on the side. Enjoy!


This isn't the greatest photograph, but it is a coleslaw recipe that I use often.  This is how my mom always made it.



*Creamy Coleslaw*
Serves 8 to 10
Printable Recipe



A delciously cream coleslaw that has just the right amount of crunch and flavour!  There is no sogginess here!!



10 ounces of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and very thinly cut
(about 1/2 of a medium cabbage)
5 ounces of carrots, peeled, trimmed and julienned
(1 medium carrot)
4 inches of an English Cucumber, trimmed, seeded and cut into small dice
(Do not peel)
2 - 3 large dessertspoons of good quality mayonnaise
1 TBS of Dijon mustard
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder



Place the vegetables into a large bowl.  Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, celery salt, black pepper and onion powder.  Mix well.  Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.


Note - the amount of mayonnaise you use depends on the cabbage, some cabbages take more mayonnaise than others.  It also depends on how creamy you like your coleslaw!