Starting the New Year Clean and Bright.

Recently I discovered there are various superstitions regarding what you should, or should not, do on New Year’s Day.  I have no idea where I must have been when these superstitions came about, but have not ever heard of them before.

Supposedly you should not shower or bathe, clean anything, or any room of the home, and not do any laundry as it will “wash away” all the good luck of the new year.  I, on the other hand, showered, did two loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen.  I wanted any residue of lousy 2024 to be washed away, and start off 2025 with a poltergeist moment of, “This house is clean!”.   By the way, did you know that the color of your underwear, on New Year’s Day, brings a desired wish?  The color I was wearing?  Whoa there, TMI.

Depending upon which state you reside in, in the USA, a certain food or grouping of foods, eaten will bring good luck throughout the new year; same for many countries as well.  It was always lasagna when I lived in New York; and pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes in Pennsylvania.  For Utah, it is…nothing special; that is correct, there is no traditional food to be eaten for New Year’s Day.  So, each year, Roy and I do our own “tradition” of, “What are you in the mood for?”

2025 called for something easy, pleasing, and full of bright colors to warm every sense.  A stir-fry of shrimp, various vegetables and angel hair pasta; oh, not a traditional Asian stir fry, but one using Mediterranean influences.  Those influences are olive oil, garlic, parsley and Feta cheese; lemon juice does not have to be used for every recipe of this cuisine.  With Feta cheese being used as a topping, using lemon juice would make this dish too tart and tangy, and overwhelm all the other flavors.

Stir-frying is a cooking technique that originated in China about 1500 years ago during the Zhou period (771-256 BCE). Ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok.  A wok is a deep bowl-shaped pan with sloping sides which traps, and evenly distributes, heat for fast and complete cooking of all ingredients. There are many wok sets available for sale with varying prices dependent on “name brand”, metal used, and accessories that come with the set.  Otherwise, a deep, 12-inch wide, skillet will do the trick just as well, just make sure to keep the ingredients moving so as to not burn, or have semi-cooked items.

For my dish, the protein used was shrimp, but chicken, pork, beef or tofu will work; all depends on what you enjoy.  A mixture of brightly colored vegetables included broccoli, green and red bell peppers, sugar snap peas and carrots.  Do you have to use a protein?  Only if you want to, this dish can become purely vegetarian or vegan.  Instead of ramen or udon noodles, or rice, angel hair pasta was the main carbohydrate. Worried about gluten?  There are many varieties of gluten-free pasta products, and carb consumption, in general, is like anything else, ruled by moderation.

While this could be classified as one-pan cooking, sometimes there are stages when cooking with a wok, or a skillet.  Many ingredients might need to cook at different temperatures, or need a longer or shorter cooking time.  At the end though, after all stages have been completed, the result in the one-pan displays a masterpiece of colors, textures, scents and tastes.

 

Mediterranean Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz.) bags stir-fry mix (broccoli, carrots, red and green bell peppers, sugar snap peas)

2 lbs. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked and kept warm

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

1 (5 oz.) container crumbled Feta cheese

 

Preparation:

In a wok or large skillet, heat 4 Tbsp. olive oil, medium-high heat.  Add in vegetable mix, garlic, parsley, black pepper and salt; mix thoroughly.  Cook for 3 minutes, stir to keep from sticking or burning as this will keep vegetables crisp and colorful.  Remove to bowl.

 

Increase heat to high, add 4 Tbsp. olive oil; add in shrimp.  Cook for 5 minutes, but keep them moving so they can turn pink, and get a slight sear.  Remove to bowl.

 

Reduce heat to medium-high, mix 4 Tbsp. into pasta and then place into wok or skillet.  Leave pasta alone for one minute; sizzling sound will be heard. 

 

 

Add back vegetables and shrimp, combine well and let cook for 3 minutes, mix together once every minute.  Remove from heat.

 

Place serving into large soup/salad bowl; sprinkle crumbed Feta cheese on top.

Makes 8 servings.

No matter how your new year started, try to make the year bright, colorful, and clean of negativity.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

Love Me Some Country Fried Steak.

My first introduction to Country Fried Steak, also called Chicken Fried Steak, was back in the 1980's. A new restaurant had opened up in Farmingdale, New York which served "Southern" food; after all these years, I don't remember the name of it.  It was a thin piece of steak which had been beaten into tenderized submission; deep fried with bread coating, served with white gravy, mashed potatoes and corn.  Personally, I thought the white gravy was pretty bland, so when I started to experiment with making this dish on my own, you know I was intent on jazzing it up.

Now when I first visited Utah in 2006, that's when I learned about black pepper gravy; still the white gravy, but packed with pieces of cracked, black peppercorns.  This was considered the traditional Southwestern version of Country Fried Steak.  My hubby Roy loved it this way which was understandable, since he grew up in the Southwest, but I wasn't too much of a fan of all those peppercorns.

Then there was another way I learned watching one of Paula Deen's many shows on Food Network; prepare the meat the same way, but finish cooking it off in rich, brown gravy packed with onions.  I love variety in preparing food, so knowing there were different types of Country Fried Steak was a boon for me.  Oh, the term "Chicken Fried Steak" just refers to the method of cooking the thin steak the same way you would a chicken cutlet.

Now what exactly is "cubed" steak?  The term "cubed" refers to the indentations left in the meat after the tenderizing process.  Originally the meat used was top sirloin and served in finer restaurants; however, the need to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat made the term "cubed" more generalized.  Nowadays you'll find cubed steak in the local supermarket and it can be made from chuck, round or flank steaks.  The steaks are cut thin, about a half inch, then pounded out to a quarter of an inch thickness; be prepared to pay for the privilege of having it prepped for you.  Same on cost by buying a roast on sale, place in the freezer for a half hour to firm it up (makes cutting much easier), cut up the roast into 1/2 inch slices.  These slices can be placed in freezer bags for later use, or start on them with the meat mallet for that night's dinner.

There is a variety of ways to prep the cubed steaks for frying: flour, dried bread crumbs, egg wash, milk wash, seasoning the meat, seasoning the flour or bread crumbs.  It is up to the cook how to prepare the dish overall, whether their own methods or following the old family recipe. For me, it depends on my mood; what you see in the one photo is the cubed steaks preseasoned on both sides(one tablespoon each of salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder, plus a half teaspoon of cayenne powder).  I lightly coat with flour, dip in an eggwash and then coat with the flour once again.  If I use dried bread crumbs, I will use preseasoned as it doesn't lose its flavoring during the frying process like seasoned flour typically does. My described flour method ensures that the seasoning stays on the meat rather than be leeched out into the oil during frying.

I love using peanut oil for frying. Yes, it tends to be more expensive than canola, vegetable or corn oils, but whatever is fried in it is extremely less greasy and the taste is clean; you taste the food, not the oil.  I use a deep 12 inch skillet for frying, fill it about 1 and 1/2 inches with oil and use medium-high heat.  You'll know the oil is ready when you drip a couple of drops of cold water into the oil; it will sizzle.  If it's popping and splattering already, you let it heat up too long, so turn down the heat to medium and let it come down to the sizzle stage.  Turn the heat back up to medium-high and put your first two steaks in.  The dredged cube steaks will be large, so only frying two at a time will prevent crowding, and allow even browning. If you let the oil remain at that "too hot" stage, the meat would have browned very quickly, but be still raw inside.  Once browned, remove the steaks to a plate covered with paper towels to let them drain any excess oil.

Lets talk gravy. Now while the typical gravy you might see in restaurants or even make yourself is the white gravy, or the pepper gravy; I jazz it up with some browned, ground sausage.  A mildly seasoned, loose breakfast sausage works great.

Black Pepper Sausage Gravy

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mildly seasoned ground sausage
1/2 cup flour
4 cups half n' half
2 Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
pinch of salt

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, brown the sausage making sure to break up the meat into tiny pieces. Stir in the flour thoroughly and cook until golden brown. Gradually stir in the half n' half, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in cracked peppercorns and pinch of salt. Pour over steaks and serve.

This will make enough to cover six Country Fried Steaks, and with excess to spoon over mashed potatoes if desired.

The next gravy is called  "Onion Red Gravy"; I use regular white or yellow onions, but instead of a brown only gravy, I make it sing with a little tomato sauce.

Onion Red Gravy

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp oil (oil from the skillet the steaks were browned in)
1 large onion cut into 1/4 inch slivers
3 Tbsp flour
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic

Preparation:

In a deep, 12 inch skillet, heat the oil on medium-high and saute' the onions until they just begin to soften. Stir in the flour thoroughly before adding the tomato sauce, beef broth, black pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil and immerse the steaks into the liquid. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes before serving.

This will be enough to simmer 6 Country Fried Steaks in.

Mary Cokenour

SemiHomemade Spanish Chicken and Rice.

Dedicated readers of my food blog know already that I really enjoy using Knorr Rice and Pasta Sides.  They help make meals quicker and easier, especially when time is not cooperating with your life.  So came a day when I had defrosted a package of 8 chicken thighs and a package of 8 chicken legs; removing skin and fat of course.  Having bags of frozen green bell peppers strips and diced onion (yes, I did this myself to have available when necessary), plus an assortment of canned diced tomatoes helped create a delicious meal in very little time.

 

Spanish Chicken and Rice

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. paprika
8 each of chicken thighs and legs; skin and fat removed.
2 cups diced onion
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and julienned
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 (15.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 (5.5 oz.) packages Knorr Spanish Rice Sides
4 cups water

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, heat olive oil; season chicken with a mixture made with the salt, ground pepper and paprika.  Sear the chicken, only cooking partway; remove to plate.

In same skillet add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cooking for 10 minutes until softened.  Mix in tomatoes, cook another 5 minutes before adding contents of Rice Sides packages and water. 

Bring to a boil, add back chicken; cover, turn heat down to low and continue to cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, uncover and allow any remaining water to be absorbed.  Chicken will have finished cooking and absorbed flavors from the seasonings in the rice packages.

Makes 8 to 16 servings depending on whether 1 or 2 pieces of chicken are eaten in one serving.

Note: instructions on the Rice Sides say to include oil; no need to since that is what the chicken and vegetables were prepared in.

Mary Cokenour

Escaping Persecution Creates a Melting Pot of Foods.

Heads up, this will not be about the Mormons and their travels to Utah in 1847.  No, I am going ahead in time to 1914 with the establishment of “Russian Settlement”.  It is not known if the settlers there had another name of this now ghost town in the Park Valley area of Box Elder County.  By 1917, the residents had moved to either California, or towards Salt Lake City; continual crop failures, children sent to outside schools, supplies not shipped in as promised broke them.  The only remnant that the town ever existed is a little white fence built around two gravesites, Anna Kalpakoff, who was accidentally shot by her husband, and her sister-in-law, Mary Kalpakoff, who died during childbirth. 

These settlers were Molokans, a Russian Protestant-like Christian sect; this particular group belonging to a sub-sect called the “Jumpers and Leapers”.  These believed they were visited by a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, held revivals with intense zeal, reporting miracles that rivaled the stories from Christ's apostles.  Molokans were also pacifists; they refused to bear arms, or join with any of Russia’s military forces.  Life in Russia became exceptionally difficult, for any religious sect, after the publishing of Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” (1848); with Lenin finally overthrowing the Emperor and his court in 1918.

As with any other persecuted religious groups (Amish, Mennonite, Puritans, Quakers, Mormons), moving elsewhere to find freedom was a very good idea.  As with any immigrants that came to the United States, they brought with them culinary goods they could carry and recipe books.  America is called “The Melting Pot”, a gigantic living, breathing, working version of the child’s book, Stone Soup.  Picture this, the country is the cooking pot being filled with ingredients from every ethnic, religious, racial populace that has settled its lands.  Our language which we call English, is a variation of Olde English, Spanish, French, German, Latin and a few others thrown in as seasonings.  While we are all American, sometimes we tend to forget where our ancestors truly came from; we have forgotten, or not bothered to learn ancestral histories.  We also tend to forget that our ancestors were not that welcomed by residents already well-established here; they had to fight for their, and your, rights.

There is your mental meal to chew upon, now something to prepare for dinner to make your stomachs happy.  Since I have brought up Russia, a popular meal prepared with either beef cubes, strips or ground is “Beef Stroganoff”.  The history behind this dish is vague: #1 – 1850s created by a chef for Count Grigory Stroganov who had rotten teeth and needed the meat to be very soft.  #2 – 1891 created by French Chef Briere for Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov; using shallots.  #3 – 1871 Elena Molokhovets writes a cookbook for young housewives; her recipe uses mushrooms, onions, bouillon, allspice and mustard.  None of the recipes include the use of egg noodles, rice or ground beef; those are strictly American inclusions along with the invention of cream of mushroom soup and crock pots.

Personally I have made many versions of Beef Stroganoff using lean meat or ground beef; in a skillet or crock pot; sauce made of sour cream or cream of mushroom soup.  To avoid any disappointments, always make sure to drain any excess oil after browning the beef; who enjoys a slimy sauce really?  When using beef cubes or strips in a skillet, tenderize the meat overnight with a drizzle of red wine vinegar; breaks up the fibers and even Count Grigory’s teeth would   appreciate it.  Ground beef (90% or higher lean) is the quickest to brown in a skillet and this is the recipe I will now share.  Enjoy!

 

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

 

1 package (12 oz.) extra wide egg noodles.

1 lb. lean ground beef (90% or higher)

1 medium onion, diced

1 package (8 oz.) mushrooms, chopped

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. beef stock

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Prepare noodles according to package instructions; begin browning meat, medium-high heat, in 12 inch, deep skillet.  When meat is partially browned, add onions and continue to brown until no pink shows in meat; drain any excess oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, beef stock and Worcestershire; mix and let cook for 5 minutes.  Add cooked egg noodles and sour cream; mix thoroughly; remove from heat and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus Recipe:  Beef Stroganoff for Crock Pot

Ingredients:

3 ½ - 4 lbs. lean beef, cut into ½” cubes

½ cup flour

½ cup olive oil

1 bag (12 oz.) frozen, diced onions

1 can or jar (8 oz.) of sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground black pepper

3 beef seasoning packets or bouillon cubes

2 cups water

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ lbs cooked, broad egg noodles

 Preparation:

Mix beef cubes and flour together; heat oil in large skillet, medium-high heat, and brown all sides of cubes; drain excess oil

Set 6 quart crock pot on low, place in all ingredients, except sour cream and egg noodles. Cover, cook for 8 hours, stir in sour cream.   Let cook for 15 minutes; serve over egg noodles.

Makes 8 servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semi-Homemade with Knorr Rice Sides.

What can I say, I like the ease of preparation, taste, and variety of flavors using Knorr Products; whether Rice, Noodle, or Combo Sides.  Sometimes I can simply serve it as an actual side with whatever protein I've cooked up: pork, meat, poultry, seafood.  Then there are times I want to make it into a complete skillet meal which involves adding vegetables, maybe extra seasonings, sometimes a dairy product like cheese or sour cream.  It's my skillet and I'll cook in it if I want to!

For ground beef, beef strips or cubes; Knorr Beef Flavored, Asian BBQ or Teriyaki are three flavors we enjoy eating the best with meat.

One Skillet Beef and Sugar Snap Peas

 

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef (90% lean or more)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced onions
1 package (5.5 oz.) Knorr Rice Side, beef flavored
1 and 1/2 cups hot water
1 package (10 oz.) frozen sugar snap peas

Preparation:

Partially brown beef, medium-high heat, in a deep, 12 inch skillet; add mushrooms and onions, continue to brown beef till no pink shows. 

Add contents of Knorr package and water; bring to a boil.  Add sugar snap peas, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir contents of skillet together and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes:  Do not add the oil/butter recommended on Knorr package directions; oil from the browned beef will complete that requirement.  Instead of 2 cups of water, only 1 and 1/2 cups is needed, the remaining 1/2 cup will come from the frozen vegetable.

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious.

Mary Cokenour

 

 



Fajitas, an Authentic Mexican Dish?

The answer to that is sort of yes, and sort of no. The Spanish word “faja” means belt or girdle; and refers to the cut of meat known as “skirt steak”. The word “fajita” means a smaller version of the skirt steak itself, or the thin strips cut to create the fajita filling. Grilling meat was not a new style of cooking for the Mexican culture, nor for America; but Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) introduced their American counterparts to their style. Many parts of cattle were discarded, such as the skirt, or given to the ranch hands in lieu of monetary compensation for their work. The meat needed to be grilled to remove the membrane, or “silver skin”, from both sides; it helped keep juices in, but was still too tough to ingest.  Even today, many cuts of beef from the market retain the “silver skin” under that layer of fat left attached.  That price per pound you just paid for includes the section you’re going to throw away.  Marinating the meat all day, or night, guarantees tough beef will be tender and flavorful, but that came later on in culinary history.

A historical piece called “Fajitas, South Texas Style”, done at Texas A&M University by Mary K. Sweeten and Homer Recio, established that this could be traced as far back as the 1930’s in Texas; hence the beginning of what is called “Tex-Mex” cuisine.  (Go to: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/147901/Bull1500a.pdf?sequence=9&isAllowed=y for the full story.)

While the fajita originally contained beef, nowadays it can contain chicken, pork, seafood, or a combination of these items. Other typical ingredients served with the fajita are onions, shredded lettuce, bell and/or hot peppers, Spanish rice, refried beans, cheese and condiments such as sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Wrapped in warm tortillas, the fajita becomes the perfect little type of sandwich; packed with food and flavors.  Personally, I’m a minimalist, I want to taste the grilled meat, chicken or seafood, and vegetables; so I typically add a little cheese and sour cream.  However some fajitas I’ve seen have been so packed with extras, the tortilla could barely have the ends meet.  Hmm, does that make it a “taco” now, instead of a fajita?

While delving into the history of cuisines might be a bore to most, I see it as knowledge gained.  With all the stories I write, about San Juan County, in my travel blog; many residents have outright stated that I’ve become a bit of a historian in my own right.  Basically, I’m keeping the knowledge of history, whether food or geographically related, alive; and we all know that knowledge is power.

 

Fajitas

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sirloin or round steak, cut into 2” x ¼” strips

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2” x ¼ “strips
2 large onions, cut into ¼” strips
1 large each red, yellow and green bell peppers, cut into ¼” strips
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 dozen 8” tortillas (corn or flour)

Marinade:

½ cup canola oil

½ cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 ½ Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper

Garnish:

Salsa

Refried Beans
Sour Cream
Shredded Mexican Blend or Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Put steak and chicken strips in two separate sealable plastic bags. Prepare marinade by placing all ingredients listed under Marinade into small bowl and whisking together. Divide marinade between the two bags; seal and refrigerate overnight. In a third plastic bag, place the onion and pepper strips, black pepper, garlic powder, 2 Tbsp. oil inside; gently shake to mix together and also refrigerate overnight with steak and chicken.

 

When ready to make fajitas, separately cook steak, chicken and vegetables in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Cook steak and chicken until no pink is showing; cook vegetables until tender. For the tortillas, heat a 10” skillet or stove top griddle on medium-high heat; warm tortillas for 30 seconds on each side.

Serve steak, chicken, vegetables and tortillas with items listed under Garnish, so each serving can be made as desired.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 

Chef Rana Meets My Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

As much as I love to cook up Italian dishes, I am still "pasta making challenged".  Therefore, whenever I find a pasta product we can enjoy, I will match it up with one of my homemade sauces.  Have to keep it homemade, even if only semi, somehow.

The "Chef Rana" line includes a Mushroom Ravioli which has a creamier, less earthy tasting/smelling filling than others which have just a lot of chopped up mushrooms.  Someone disliking mushrooms will, more than likely, find this product more pleasing to their palette.  A typical sauce paired with mushrooms, and mushroom ravioli, is a browned butter sauce; but I'm not one for the typical.

While I try to keep half n' half in the fridge, sometimes there is just enough left to add to scrambling eggs, or use as a coffee creamer.  Thankfully, when I reached inside for the grated cheese (not that sits on the shelf in a green can stuff!), I noticed the almost empty half n' half container.  The light bulb shines brightly...why not make a homemade Alfredo sauce, but add the pasta to the pan to coat, instead of spooning over???  Sure, why not!?!

 

Mushroom Ravioli with Homemade Alfredo Sauce

 

 

Ingredients:

 



1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 package (18 oz.) Chef Rana Mushroom Ravioli
2 Tbsp. grated cheese
1 cup half n' half
parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a deep, 12 inch skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, black pepper and nutmeg in butter.  At the same time, cook ravioli according to package directions; it will be ready when needed to add to the sauce.

Increase skillet temperature to medium-high; sprinkle cheese over onions; add half n' half, stir and bring to a boil for three minutes.  Add the cooked ravioli, toss gently to coat; remove from heat and serve with a garnish of sprinkled parsley.

Chef Rana Ravioli - soft pillows of pasta stuffed with filling

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour