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

Oreo Dirt Pie

I love Oreos and I love when things come together well with Oreos: ice cream, cookies, cakes, etc. The only thing that didn't work for me on this recipe was the poke cake portion of it. Typically all the stuff would flow into the holes and fill the cake, but mine was still too thick. Tasted fine, but not as it should have been. Maybe I didn't heat the fudge long enough? 

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix, including eggs, oil, and water requested on the box
• 14.3 oz Oreos
• 12.8 oz hot fudge
• 2 packages 3.4 oz dark chocolate instant pudding mix, divided
• 3 1/2  cup milk, divided
• 8 oz cool whip
• gummy worms for topping, optional

Combine cake mix and its required ingredients according to the instructions on the box. Follow the instructions on baking temperature and time as directed on the box for a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.

After cake has cooled a little but is still warm, use the end of a wooden spoon or dowel to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Heat the jar of hot fudge in the microwave until you can stir it and thin it out, reserving a little for topping later. Pour fudge over the top of the cake and allow it to absorb until the cake as cooked.

Once the cake has completely cooled, prepare one pack of pudding with 1 3/4 cup milk. Before the pudding sets, pour it over the top of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge to let it set, about 15 minutes.

Mix the second box of pudding with the remaining milk. Refrigerate until the pudding has set. While the pudding is setting, place 3/4 of the Oreos in a large zip top bag and crush them using a rolling pin. 

Once the pudding is set, stir in the cool whip until well blended. Mix in crushed Oreos and spread over the top of the cake. Top with remaining hot fudge, Oreos, and worms. Serve cold. Keep leftovers in fridge.

NOTES: Doug and I like dirt and worms shakes so we decided to make the cake a little more colorful with gummy worms on the top. Make it your own!

Serves 12

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe from www.thefrugalnavywife.com

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Muffins

There was a sale on cake mixes a while ago and I don't actually have a lot of cake-baking occasions. I am on the rotation to bring stuff to the coffeehouse at church and figured there had to be some breakfast-y cake mix recipes. And I was right! Super simple, gets rid of something in my pantry, and I always have the other ingredients on hand. 

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 15 oz box yellow cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• granulated sugar for topping, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs, milk, and melted butter until combined. Add the cake mix and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the chocolate chips and reserve some for topping.

Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups. Distribute the muffin batter evenly into the cups and top with additional chocolate chips and optional granulated sugar. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from buildyourbite.com