Goat Cheese & Fig Pinwheels

These were fairly simple to make, don't take a lot of time, and don't need weird ingredients. It's also a nice vegetarian recipe. They work great for appetizers or a little party treat.

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup fig jam or preserves
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 egg, beaten

Thaw puff pastry in the refrigerator for several hours or at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until pliable but still cool. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to remove creases and thin it slightly. Aim for a rectangle approximately 10x12 inches.

Using a spatula, spread an even layer of goat cheese over the puff pastry, leaving a 1/2 inch border on the long sides. Go all the way to the edges on the short sides. Spread the fig jam evenly over the goat cheese layer. Drizzle honey over fig layer and sprinkle thyme leaves. Add chopped nuts.

Roll the puff pastry tightly from one long side to the other, forming a log. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into approximately 20 evenly sized pinwheels.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the pinwheels on the prepared baking sheet and brush each with the beaten egg for a golden finish. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and flaky. All pinwheels to cool slightly before serving. 

Serves 10

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe from ourbalancedbowl.com

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Roasted Bell Peppers

I think steak and I think juicy, flavorful and fancy. Yeah, not this. It had zero flavor at all. We will not be making this one again. In fact, we fed the leftovers to Mal (one of our dogs). 

• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbsp fresh juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• 1 (10-oz) rib eye steaks, about 1-inch thick

Preheat grill to high (450-500 degrees). Coat bell peppers with 1 Tbsp of oil. Place peppers on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until charred all over, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; set aside and let steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together oregano, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/3 cup oil in a medium bowl.

Uncover bell peppers; remove and discard stems, seeds, and charred skins. Slice into 1-inch strips, and toss with oregano mixture until coated. Set aside, and let marinate while preparing steaks.

Place wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Pat steaks dry with paper towels; sprinkle both sides with remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Place steaks on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers between 130-135 degrees (medium-rare), about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to baking sheet; let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak against the grain, and serve with bell peppers and remaining oregano sauce.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes 

Recipe from People magazine

Copycat Steak Gorgonzola

This is Doug's favorite dish at Olive Garden. We don't go very often, less so since they got rid of the steak gorgonzola on their menu a while back. Doug lamented about it so I found this copycat recipe...and then Olive Garden brought it back! Doug said this was a pretty good homemade version though and he was very happy.

For those of you unfamiliar with gorgonzola cheese, it's in the bleu cheese family. So if you don't like bleu cheese, you won't like the topping. However, I ate this without the gorgonzola and it was pretty good just plain.

• 1 lb steak medallions
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lb fettuccine
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 6 oz gorgonzola crumbles, divided
• 4 Tbsp balsamic glaze
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper both sides of the steak. Place the steaks in a zip top bag and add the balsamic vinegar. Seal and let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the steak medallions. Cook until you reach your desired doneness. The time this takes will vary with how thick the steak pieces are. They will continue to cook as they are resting so stop just shy of how done you'd like them. Place steak on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest as you cook the remaining elements.

Start the water for the fettuccine pasta. Cook as per package directions until just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid in case the sauce is too thick.

While pasta is cooking, combine the butter and cream in a large saucepan or wide skillet with tall edges. Heat over medium until the butter is melted into the cream. Turn the heat to medium low. Add the nutmeg and spinach to the cream and butter mixture. Cook until the spinach is wilted, approximately 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavors. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce. If too thin, let it cook a little longer.

Take the pasta off the heat. Add 4 oz gorgonzola cheese and toss to combine. Separate the pasta into bowls or plates. Top each with the steak medallions, balsamic glaze, sun-dried tomatoes, and additional gorgonzola for garnish.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe from www.threeolivesbranch.com

Savory French Toast

A friend of mine posted about trying a savory French toast at a restaurant and it looked really good. Doug and I attempted to recreate it as best we could without a recipe. Not sure we were super successful as it was a lot of work that didn't taste super amazing. Suggestions definitely welcome because this is something I would love to refine and try again. Maybe garlic powder in the batter along with some melted butter?

• 4 slices thick bread, such as Texas toast
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• hollandaise sauce mix, or from scratch
• parsley for garnish

Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and Parmesan in a shallow dish. Heat a skillet until water dripped on it immediately balls up and dissipates. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides.

Cook the bread in the skillet until it is heated through and lightly browned on both sides. Remove to a plate, drizzle with hollandaise and garnish with parsley. Serve warm with bacon. 

Serves 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

Easy Two-Ingredient Banana Muffins with Cake Mix

I mean, the name says it all. This was super easy and doesn't call for much. The key is that you have very ripe bananas, that will make it sweeter. You can always customize this and add some nuts or chocolate chips if you wanted to. 

• 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl and stir in cake mix until well-blended.

Grease a muffin tin or use muffin liners and scoop batter equally into 12 cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool and then remove from muffin tray.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe from www.meatloafandmelodrama.com

Cacio e Pepe Caesar Salad

I'm a fan of Caesar salads but I have rarely made one from scratch. I've gotten into a few recipes recently and most have been pretty good. Doug has really been on a black pepper kick with things so this was a great variation. The dressing was a nice, bright flavor and I didn't need to add a lot of pepper to get good flavor. 

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic (from 2 medium garlic cloves)
• 1 Tbsp chopped anchovy fillets (from 1 2-oz can)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced yellow onion
• 2 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
• 2 oz pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus a handful of shavings to serve
• 3 romaine lettuce hearts (1 1/2 lbs total), trimmed and leaves separated
• 1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons
• lemon wedges for serving

Whisk together egg yolks, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped garlic, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, onion, black pepper, dry mustard, and 1/2 cup of the oil in a large bowl until creamy.

Whisk together water and remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl; whisk in butter until creamy and smooth. Whisk butter mixture and cheese into mayonnaise mixture until combined. Season dressing with additional pepper to taste. 

Place romaine leaves in a very large bowl. Add croutons and 1 cup dressing; toss until leaves are evenly coated. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and shaved cheese. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6

Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from People magazine

Grilled Steak Kebabs

When you have other kebab recipes to compare it to, this one just doesn't hold a candle to the Hawaiian BBQ Huli Huli Chicken or the Grilled Asian Garlic Steak kebabs we have made in the past. It was too tomato-y and just didn't do it for me. The recipe description did say it was based on Congolese food, so maybe my tastebuds just aren't used to it? 

• 2 lb boneless steak, cubed (such as beef tenderloin or flank steak)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Maggi Seasoning sauce
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Stir together steak, oil, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, toss well to evenly coat steak; cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat grill to medium high (400-450 degrees) and soak wooden skewers in water. Thread steak and onion pieces alternately onto 8 10-inch skewers, packing them tightly. Brush with additional oil.

Place skewers on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, turning as needed, until well charred and browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes for medium or until desired degree on doneness. Transfer skewers to a platter; squeeze lemon over top before serving.

NOTE: Make sure, whenever you're making some sort of kebab with cubed meat, to put similar sized meat on one skewer. That way, if you had some random smaller pieces and then other larger pieces, you can easily cook them to the right degree of doneness. Smaller pieces mixed in with large tend to get overcooked.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe from People Magazine