The Best Carne Asada

We're officially never ordering Carne Asada at Tex Mex restaurants ever again. This is by far the best homemade Carne Asada that we've ever had and both Dr. Sweetpea and I agree that this beats whatever we've had a restaurants so far. Definitely a keeper for us!!!

Carne Asada

(Source: Damn Delicious)

1 1/2 to 2 lbs flank steak

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 limes, juiced

4 cloves garlic, minced

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine all ingredients. Add the flank steak and marinate for at least 6 hours (overnight would be ideal). Preheat grill to medium-high. Remove the beef from the marinade and grill until charred and cooked to medium-rare doneness or until desired doneness. Remove from grill and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken

Dr. Sweetpea loves Balsamic Vinegar so when I saw this marinade using Balsamic Vinegar as an ingredient, I had to try it! It's so simple to make and the end result is so delicious! I served the chicken with homemade pita bread. I'll post the recipe for that in a few days.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken

(Source: Damn Delicious)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, garlic, thyme, oregano and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve 1/4 cup and set aside. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine balsamic vinegar mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 1 hour to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Add chicken to grill and cook, flipping once and basting with reserved 1/4 cup marinade until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Beef Pot Pie

Dr. Sweetpea and I are huge fans of this Beef Pot Pie. Super tender pieces of meat in a very flavorful sauce. I couldn't stop eating the filling after it was done cooking because it was so flavorful. Definitely a keeper for us! 

Beef Pot Pie

(Source; Cooks Country)

1 (2 1/4­pound) boneless beef chuck­eye roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4 ­inch pieces

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

1 onion, chopped fine

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2­ inch pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry red wine

3 tablespoons all-­purpose flour

1 3/4 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 (9 ­inch) store­ bought pie dough round

Adjust oven rack to lower­-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-­high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef and cook until well browned all over, 7 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl with remaining uncooked beef.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to now­ empty pot and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms, onion, and carrots and cook until vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour until vegetables are well coated and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and bay leaf until combined. Add beef and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 1 1/4 hours. (Instead of cooking the meat in the oven, I cooked it on the stove over medium-low heat)

Remove filling from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Transfer filling to 9 ­inch deep ­dish pie plate; discard bay leaf. Let filling cool, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in peas and 1 teaspoon chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brush rim and interior lip of pie plate with egg. Top filling with pie dough so dough overhangs edges of pie plate slightly. Fold overhanging pie dough inward so folded edge is flush with inner edge of pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of pie using your fingers.

Using paring knife, cut 1/2­inch hole in center of pie. Cut six 1/2­ inch slits around hole, halfway between center and edge of pie. Brush dough with remaining egg, then season with salt, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme. Transfer pie to rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer pie to cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve.

Pumpkin Bread

It's officially Fall but still extremely hot in Houston. I don't think I'll ever get used to the heat and humidity here. I really miss cool crisp air and fall foliage that is common in the Midwest during this time of year. I'm positive this is why I'm having a hard time adjusting to the weather in the south. Anyhow, to get in the Fall spirit, I baked up a big batch of Pumpkin Bread and it was absolutely divine. I brought half to work and Dr. Sweetpea ate the other half. I've tried a ton of Pumpkin Bread recipes in the past, but I think this is our favorite. 

Pumpkin Bread

(Source: Cooks Illustrated)

Topping

5 tablespoons packed (2 ¼ ounces) light brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

Bread

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened

pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces

4 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

FOR THE TOPPING: Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand; set aside.

FOR THE BREAD: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl.

Combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1½ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat; stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous.

Whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold walnuts into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of each loaf. Bake until skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let breads cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove breads from pans and let cool for at least 1½ hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.