Portabella Mushroom Side Dish

This little rant I am about to go on has absolutely nothing to do with food, by the way. But the beauty of a blog: I can talk about whatever the heck I want. I have decided to boycott voting this year because I am so utterly annoyed with the amount of election campaign commercials I have to see. And they are all just so ridiculous. No one talks about what good they can do, they all just point the finger at someone else's mistakes. And I am really supposed to believe that all this crap is true. Or that it was recent, more importantly?? UGH! So frustrating. To think about the amount of money they spend on commercials literally makes me angry. I think I would vote for the candidate that before the campaign season began, took all their campaign money, and donated it to the local city, county or state government (who in California are all in a world of hurt). They create a free page on facebook and told everyone about themselves. That's it. Done. I would happily vote for them. So stupid.

Ok, I'm done venting. :) Now back to important things, like food. And cheese.

It's no secret I love mushrooms. Not as much as cheese, don't be silly. But I do love them. I don't cook with Portabella mushrooms nearly as often as I would like, as they are a little expensive, and to be honest, a lot of the time, I don't know what to do with them.

There is an amazing Italian restaurant in Ann Arbor called Palio. It's probably my favorite restaurant of all time. And they have this dish where they take a portabella mushroom, top it with goat cheese, a slice of tomato, and then a grilled fillet, all surrounded by pearl onions and potatoes! It's amazing! So last night we had some steaks and inspired by this dish, I made a little side dish using portabellas.

I happen to LOVE goat cheese. It's one of my favorites, even though I don't eat it all that often. It has such a distinct flavor and I always love cooking recipes that call for goat cheese and I obviously get overly excited when I see them! Don't judge. I know I have a problem. I embrace my cheese obsession.

Cheese Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 7
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 3
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 2

Layered Portabella Mushrooms
4 portabella mushrooms
8 slices of tomato
Goat cheese
Dried Basil
Butter
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt/Pepper

Add 1-2 Tbl butter to large frying pan over medium heat. Remove stems from mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute mushrooms, whole, in pan. When soft, turn off heat on stove, and flip all mushrooms bottom side up in pan. Add spoonful of goat cheese to each mushroom. Once softened from heat of mushroom, spread cheese to make even layer over mushroom. Add 2 slices, side by side, of tomato on top of cheese. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar to top of tomato and then sprinkle with a little dried basil. Serve immediately.

These are suuuuuper simple. And very rich, delicious, flavor. For vegetarians, it's the closest thing to a steak you can get. In my opinion. And don't be stingy with the goat cheese: it's what gives this dish the overall rich, creamy flavor.

YUM!

Random: Palio restaurant is owned by a group called Main Street Ventures, who has multiple amazing restaurants (Palio, Real Seafood, Chophouse, Gratzi, etc.). They have a cookbook that has recipes from all their restaurants that is pretty impressive and I highly recommend it: http://www.msventures.com/cookbook.html

Best. Burgers. Ever.

The Filipin-laws (my new extended family of in-laws), came over yesterday for "lunch". Lunch, meaning 5-6 hours of hanging out. It was suuuuper fun. The little kids don't go to the beach very often so we had a big lunch, and then some people played poker, and the rest of us walked down the street with the kids to the beach.

The weather was not all that great yesterday, so the kids didn't have their swimsuits. The water was fairly warm and the kids were excited so they would run up to the water line until a wave started to come in, and then scream hysterically and let the wave hit their feet and giggle and carry on. Super cute. Until the big waves sneak in there. And then next thing you know, all the kids are drenched from head to toe, in their clothes, having the best time ever. It was so funny. They didn't care at all.

Anyway, what do you make for 25 family members coming over for lunch? Burgers and brats of course. And cheesy potatoes. Of which I am eating the leftovers as we speak. Three types of burgers, three types of sausages with bell peppers and onions, cheesy potatoes, rice, fruit salad, and chips. Success.

I have been looking for a good burger recipe for a while. I feel like I always have fantastic burgers when they are someone else's. Like there is this amazing secret burger recipe that everyone knows except me. So, I went out on a limb with three different recipes. Yes, 3, because I had to buy 6 lbs of ground beef.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 unless you are me, then 5

Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2

Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 1

Juicy Burgers
2 lbs. ground beef
1 package of powdered ranch dressing mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 onion, finely chopped (optional)

Preheat grill or pan to high heat. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Form into patties. Cook on grill about 5 minutes per side. Add cheese (optional).


Juicy Burgers II
2 lbs. ground beef
1 package of french onion soup mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Preheat grill or pan to high heat. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Form into patties. Cook on grill about 5 minutes per side. Add cheese (optional).


Teriyaki Burgers
2 lbs. ground beef
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 small can (3 oz) French-fried onions
    
Preheat grill or pan to high heat. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Form into patties. Cook on grill about 5 minutes per side. Add cheese (optional). 


There you have it. Three dang-good burger recipes. All easy as pie. Easier than pie, actually.  

20 Minute Breakfast

We went to see Jack Johnson last night at Verizon in Irvine. Pretty sweet concert, I must say. Obviously, I had about 45 glasses of wine, forgetting I had to wake up early early today, so I definitely needed a pick-me-up breakfast this morning and a hefty shot of coffee with 45 packets of sugar. No, not really.

I forgot how much I love breakfast. I am one of those freaks who eats a giant breakfast a couple of times a week, and, annoyingly, is always telling people "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". But it is! I really believe this. Especially as a person on the road all day long, sometimes I am too busy to eat lunch. Then breakfast is REALLY the most important meal of the day, because it just became the only meal of the day. No, not really. Calm down, it's just until dinner. I'm not starving myself, I promise....So the bigger the breakfast, the better.

I also find when I eat a huge breakfast, accompanied by at least 2 diet cokes I might add, I eat less crap during the day then I would otherwise. No unnecessary snacks or fast food or whatever. And I have lots of energy. Unless I miss lunch, and then I crash about 4pm. Whoops.

Anyway, I have come to master the 20 minute breakfast of champions: breakfast potatoes and eggs. Sounds simple when you think about it. But then again, you probably don't think about making breakfast until the weekend. and this is intended for during the week. Now you think it's too time consuming. But it's not! Ok, so maybe the 1st or 2nd time you make this, it might take 25 minutes. But I have it down to a science now, and it takes me like 15 minutes to make, 5 minutes to eat.


Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 or 5
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 2


20 Minute Breakfast
1 red skin potato, cubed or diced
2 eggs (1 egg, 1 egg white)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Olive oil/butter/spices

In a small 7-8" saute pan, heat 1/2 TBL olive oil over low heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. While potatoes are cooking, whisk 1 egg and 1 egg white together (if want scrambled eggs or omelette) in bowl. After potatoes have cooked for about 10 minutes, heat additional small pan on low-medium heat. Scramble eggs in pan, adding some shredded cheese if desired.

Zip. Bang. Boom. Breakfast.

So, this is the super easy version. I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve I add to mine:
- Add some minced jalapenos from the jar in the fridge to eggs
- Eat the eggs with salsa and sour cream
- Season potatoes with Dean Jacob's Parmesan Blend Bread Dipping Seasoning
          * Yes, I realize this seasoning is random. I saw this little can in the store one day and it's a seasoning you add to olive oil to dip bread in. I figured, what the heck?! I like to dip bread in olive oil. I like seasonings. Why not try it out?! I very much enjoyed it, but it's lasted me about 3 years. Randomly, one day, I decided to try seasoning potatoes with it, and I've never looked back. So yummy. You can use it for it's intended purpose also, of course! But I pretty much use it for potatoes now.

You can cook the eggs however you like. But scrambled seems to be the easiest for most people. I think. What the heck do I know. I make an omelette every morning. But my good friend Rob Linn makes the best scrambled cheese eggs EVER, and he taught me one thing I will always remember: scrambled eggs should look wet, not be wet.

(Random thought: did you know that 1 egg yolk is pretty much your recommended cholesterol content for the whole day?? I just figured this out after eating like 2 egg yolks almost every day for about 5 years. Oops. Needless to say, we have moved on to egg whites or a combo of eggs and egg whites.)

Fix It and Forget It Pot Roast: 3 meals in 1

This is fairly long-winded. But it all comes together in the end so sack up and read it.

My good friend Gina had a tragic turn of events this week when her 50 year old mom died in her sleep, out of the blue. I can not even come close to imagining what she is going through, but it hits close to home, as James lost his mom a few years ago as well. I want to do something for Gina and Craig (her boyfriend and one of James's best friends), if nothing else than to make her life easier right now and have been racking my brain on what to do. I think, next week, after things have calmed down, I will take her some pre-made or pre-prepped food that can last a couple of meals with just warming up or whatever, so she doesn't have to think about anything but her family.

While thinking about what I wanted to make for Gina and crew, I instantly realized I haven't even been cooking for myself recently. I am not sure why I thought when we got back from the honeymoon and wedding and weekend travels that life would calm down a little. Silly, Abby. There is always so much going on. And it seems like our friends are the same way! In addition to Gina's trials, my best friend, Jessica, is just a few short weeks away from having her first baby AND has 3 events coming up for work AND just moved into a new house. And even though her hormones want to get the best of her, she still manages to seem cool, calm, and collected at all times. It baffles me.

Between Jessica and baby and Gina and family, I got motivated, and got out the slow-cooker recipe box. Inspired by my friends who actually are too busy to cook, I dedicate this 3 in 1 meal to them.....I don't want people to forget to eat. Or just eat to sustain (even worse). A good, healthy, tasty meal is only a few short minutes away.

I have to say, one of my favorite things about pot roast is what you can do with the leftovers! This recipe is fantastic, especially because it makes 2-3 different meals, all at once! The full recipe, listed below, is for 12 "servings"......riiiiiight. 12 servings for mini-people. About 8 servings for regular people, I've found. So, if you want to take advantage of the 3 meals in 1, make the whole recipe (and don't worry, chuck roast is cheap, so you won't be breaking the bank).

For the other two meals you can make with leftovers: fajitas and BBQ sandwiches!


Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 for pot roast, 1 or 5 for fajitas, 1 or 5 for sandwiches
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 7 for initial slow-cooking, 1 for everything else


Slow-cooker Pot Roast
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 and 1/4 cup water
5.5 lbs pot roast (chuck roast)

In slow cooker, mix soup cans, onion mix, and water. Place pot roast in slow-cooker and coat with soup mix. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Seriously, it's that easy. I also like to season the meat, and sear it before placing it in slow-cooker. But if you are trying to keep it super simple, just follow the above recipe. I would serve it with some sort of potatoes, as the soup mix turns into a gravy while it cooks with the meat juices! It's genius! Boiling some redskins is probably the easiest, as you don't have to peel them, or mash them, or do anything but boil water and you have an awesome side that will go great with the pot roast and gravy.



Fajitas
Tortillas
Fajita toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.)
Green Bell Pepper
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow or Sweet Onion 
1 TBL butter
Leftover pot roast meat, shredded

Slice the green pepper, red pepper, and onion thinly. Heat butter in saute pan over medium heat, saute peppers and onions until desired tenderness. Add shredded meat to pan to heat through. Serve with warm tortillas and toppings as fajitas.

If you want to get super fancy on this, I suggest serving with some sort of rice and beans. I, personally, love the ones in the grocery store that come in that little black bag. I forget the brand, but it's like $2.50, and they have other flavors (mexican, spanish, yellow, etc.) but I think the black beans and rice mix is suuuuper good and goes great with this.


BBQ Beef Sandwiches
4 Buns
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 slices gouda or cheddar cheese (optional)
Leftover pot roast meat, shredded

In small saute pan or pot, heat pot roast meat and BBQ sauce (as much sauce as you like), continually stirring, and continually adding sauce. If desired, heat buns in oven, or under broiler for a few minutes so a little toasty. Place 1 slice of cheese on half of bun, add BBQ meat, then top with other half of bun. 

Yes, I really just explained to you how to make a sandwich. You never know with people sometimes. Maybe they think the cheese slice will melt itself so I felt the need to explain the meat would melt it. It's been a long morning.


Disclaimers for my picky friends:
* For those of you who don't eat cheese, just don't add the cheese. It's not that difficult to figure out. Commies.

*** For those of you who want a lower-fat version, use fat-free cream of mushroom soup for pot roast.
**** For those of you who don't eat potatoes, I'm done talking to you.


I now feel better about myself. I have been slacking on cooking, blogging, and thanks to this overly long blog post, slacking on working this morning....I just made 3 meals in 1, blogged about it, and hopefully gave inspiration to those who think they are "too busy" to cook.

EK's Breakfast Potatoes

Sometimes I miss Michigan fall weather. Sometimes. Mostly during football season. I loved going to Michigan games on a fall day with leaves falling, sunshine, 50 degrees, jeans and sweatshirt....love it. Obviously, that type of Michigan fall weather happens once every 10 years. In actuality, it's 45 degrees and raining. But I miss the thought. Ha! I also miss those 45 and rainy days too. On a Sunday. When I can sit on the couch all day and pull closed the curtains and do nothing without feeling guilty. Here, it's sunny all the time and I feel like a giant waste of space if I sit in a cave all day.

I hadn't really experienced a "summer" football game until this past weekend. We went to the UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, and although 85 and sunny sounds like a great day to be outside, it was not. 85 degrees in the Rose Bowl feels like 1 billion degrees. It's like sitting in a concrete oven. I made it approximately one quarter of the game and had to leave. Plus, they were playing Washington State, so I wasn't exactly emotionally attached to the game.

The one quarter was fun, but the tailgate was super fun! Despite getting up at 6am to get there, the Keller's put together a Class A tailgate, complete with a full breakfast and a beer bong. What more could a girl ask for??? Eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit....and potatoes! All of which was done on a grill, which I was also impressed with. I think I had at least 3 helpings of potatoes. I even took a picture of them:

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1- although you could always add it at the end!
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 3
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3


Erin Keller Breakfast Potatoes
4 Redskin Potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup chopped yellow or sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
Olive oil
Salt/pepper

Heat oil in skillet (enough to keep potatoes from sticking). Add onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Saute until soft and yellow onions translucent.  Add potatoes and toss to coat in olive oil mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until soft, stirring often. Add salt/pepper to taste (or olive oil as needed to keep from sticking). 


These don't sound super fancy, but they are really good. I had never put mushrooms in my breakfast potatoes before but I will from here on out. It made all the difference in the world! I also recommend topping with a little shredded cheese at the end. But that's just me. Of course. I also recommend serving with some scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs with cheese. Of course.