Cumin Beef and Green Bean Stir-Fry

Ingredients

2 tsp cumin seeds
¾ pound steak, such as sirloin, boneless short rib, New York strip or rib eye, cut against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices (see Tip)
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 (1-inch piece) fresh ginger, finely grated (or ground ginger)
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 2ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
Kosher salt
Rice, for serving

Preparation

Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine steak, cumin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Toss to evenly coat the steak. Set aside. (Steak can be marinated, refrigerated, up to 3 hours in advance)

Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon cornstarch with the garlic, ginger, sriracha, sugar and vinegar. Stir well to combine.

Step 3
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high. Once warmed through, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add steak and cook, undisturbed, until charred on the underside and still pink on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and toss briefly, then transfer the steak to a plate.

Step 4
Add ½ cup water to the pan to deglaze it, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Add green beans, season with salt and stir-fry until the green beans are crisp-tender and about 1 tablespoon of liquid remains, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 5
Return the beef to the pan and pour in the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring frequently until warmed through and thickened, about 1 minute. Serve immediately over rice.

Tip: to make the steak easier to slice, chill it in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes

(from cooking.nytimes.com)

Creamy Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot), casings removed
8 ounces sliced or whole button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 small onion (any kind), diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), divided
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 cups chicken broth
6-10 lasagna noodles, broken into small to medium pieces 
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1 ½ cups baby spinach
1 lemon, zested then cut into wedges, for serving

Preparation

Step 1
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.

Step 2
Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook undisturbed for a few minutes, then continue cooking, stirring and scraping occasionally, until deeply browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 3
Stir in the onion, garlic and sage. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and the red pepper. Cook until the onion softens and the mixture is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Step 4
Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the broken lasagna noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Step 5
Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Return the cooked sausage to the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to warm through. Reduce the heat to low. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Step 6
To serve, ladle into bowls. Finish each with a little lemon zest, a couple squeezes of lemon juice and more Parmesan.

(from cooking.nytimes.com)

One-Pot Tortellini with Prosciutto and Peas

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more if needed
4 slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
1 shallot, finely chopped
16 to 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cups (10 ounces) frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Salt and black pepper
Zest and juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ teaspoons zest plus 1½ tablespoons juice)

Preparation

Step 1
In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium. Add the prosciutto in a single layer and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Press occasionally with a spatula to ensure even crisping and reducing the heat as necessary if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the prosciutto to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.

Step 2
To the skillet, add the shallot and cook over medium until softened, 2 to 4 minutes, adding about ½ tablespoon butter if the pan is dry. Add the tortellini, peas, chicken broth, heavy cream and nutmeg (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and peas are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.) Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the prosciutto on top.

(from cooking.nytimes.com)

Grandma's Savory Oyster Crackers

Ingredients

1 pkg oyster crackers (14-16 oz)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1pkg ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Place crackers in a plastic storage bag with the vegetable oil. Shake to coat he crackers.


Add dressing mix and seasonings. Shake to coat.


Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 15-20 minutes at 300 degrees. St


Store in an air tight container.

Jam Cake

Ingredients

For the Topping

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Cake

¾ cup whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup thick berry jam (such as blackberry, blueberry, raspberry or four fruit)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using some of the melted butter for the topping to generously brush the inside and sides of a Bundt pan.

Make the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Use about a third of the cinnamon sugar to generously coat the inside of the buttered pan, reserving the rest of the melted butter and cinnamon sugar for finishing the cake.

Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the whole milk, melted and cooled butter, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Whisk in sugar, baking powder, fine sea salt and nutmeg until smooth. Finally, whisk in the flour until just combined.

Use a spatula to scoop half of the batter into the buttered and sugared pan. Use a spoon to create an indent or hollow in the middle of the ring of batter. Spoon the jam into the hollow (there should be batter on both sides of the jam), making sure none of the jam touches the sides of the pan. (The cake may stick otherwise.) Spoon the remaining batter on top to cover the jam.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed. A cake tester should come out without any wet batter clinging to it. (There may be crumbs and jam adhering to the tester, and that’s fine.) Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Use a knife or offset spatula to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully flip upside down on a rack.

Brush the warm cake with the remaining melted butter and generously dust with more of the cinnamon sugar. Let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

(from ny times)

Crispy Baked Tomato-Oregano Chicken

Ingredients

2 tablespoons full-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
2 pounds chicken cutlets
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup grated Parmesan
¾ cup panko bread crumbs

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, tomato paste, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon oregano. Add the chicken; season lightly with salt and toss to coat.

Step 2
Add the halved tomatoes to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, season with salt and the olive oil, and spread out into an even layer. Nestle the chicken on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the Parmesan and remaining 1 teaspoon oregano over everything. Cover with a layer of panko.

Step 3
Bake in the oven until the top crisps and the tomatoes collapse and get saucy, 20 to 25.

(from ny times cooking)

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

2 tsp smoked paprika
1½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp kosher salt 
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and mix with one of the measuring spoons.

Step 3
Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel and place them in a large bowl. Drizzle the drumsticks with the olive oil and toss to coat, then sprinkle with the spice mixture and toss again until well-coated.

Step 4
Arrange the drumsticks, evenly spaced, on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, until the drumsticks are browned and cooked through. (An internal thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of a drumstick should register at least 165 degrees, and preferably closer to 175 degrees.)

Step 5
Serve hot or warm. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees, loosely wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes, until heated through. To recrisp the skin, adjust heat to 425 degrees, unwrap the foil and cook for 5 minutes more.

(from nytimes cooking)