Top Sirloin Filet with Loaded Mashed Potatoes

I decided to make dinner for Nick last night and went with top sirloin filet and I took a shot at loaded mashed potatoes. It was pretty yummy :)

Sirloin:
I just covered the filets with Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Steak seasoning, on both sides. I let it marinade for about 30 minutes. I used my cast iron skillet. Preheat oven to 500 (put cast iron in oven while it preheats). Once preheated, take out the cast iron and place over high heat on the stove, with the filets. I usually cook them a few minutes per side and then put them back in the oven a few minutes per side. I usually finish cooking them on the stove. These were pretty thick cuts of sirloin.

Smashed Potatoes:
I boiled about two handfuls of petite small potatoes in salt water. I used these potatoes because it is what I had on hand. Once tender, I drained and added about 3 tablespoons of butter and mashed with masher. I then added approximately 3/4 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of ranch dip that I had made Friday night. I then added salt and pepper. Once mixed together, I topped the potatoes with shredded cheddar, bacon and green onions. I eyeballed all of this, so take that for what it's worth!

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

Friday night, a group of us went out since Scott T was in town from Germany. I decided to have a pregame here with some food of course :) This was my first attempt at steamed shrimp dumplings/potstickers...but they turned out well!

Dumplings:

1/2 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined works best)

1/2 cup drained canned water chestnuts


2 scallions


1 large egg white


1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot


3 tablespoons soy sauce


14 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen (I found them in the produce section, refrigerated)


1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a food processor purée 3 shrimp. Rinse and drain water chestnuts. Finely chop water chestnuts and remaining shrimp. Finely chop scallion greens, reserving white parts for another use. Lightly beat egg white and put 1 tablespoon in a bowl. Stir in puréed and chopped shrimp, water chestnuts, about two thirds each of scallion greens and gingerroot, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Put 7 won ton wrappers on a dry surface, keeping remaining wrappers in package, and lightly brush edges with water. Mound about 1 tablespoon filling in center of each wrapper. Fold each wrapper over filling to form a triangle. Press down around filling to force out excess air and seal edges well. Make additional dumplings with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner.  I used a bamboo steamer, which I just placed over a pot of boiling water. It took about 5 minutes for each batch of dumplings. Serve with dipping sauce (recipe below).

Dipping Sauce:
In a small bowl stir together sugar and remaining scallion greens, gingerroot, and soy sauce to make dipping sauce.

BBQ Chicken with Salad and Vegetables

I had been craving this, so when Rebecca said she was coming over for dinner, I decided it would be a good opportunity. The chicken worked well on my stand-alone grill that I have.

BBQ Chicken (I used drumsticks):
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill and cook about 10 minutes per side (you may need to turn the heat down a little). Brush with BBQ sauce on both sides and continue to cook 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size of the chicken and your grill. I just watched them carefully. I also brushed more sauce on the chicken after a few minutes of cooking to keep them moist. This go around, I used bottled BBQ sauce.

Squash, Zucchini and Onion Mix:
Slice a squash, zucchini, and half of a yellow onion.  Season with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place in a skillet and cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. Top with italian breadcrumbs and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Cover and cook for approximately 5 more minutes.

Salad:
Cut romaine lettuce and top with feta cheese and Caesar dressing (or dressing of your choice).

Beer Can Chicken

Tim, in case you're reading this -- relax, I didn't make this tonight. This picture is actually from when I made beer can chicken earlier this Spring. I made two because it was a dinner party, and yes, we dominated both birds. I just stumbled across the photo and thought I'd share. It is a crowd favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 (12-ounce) can beer -- I usually use Dale's Pale Ale
• 1/2 pound bacon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry. Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Rub 1/2 of the ingredients on inside cavity of chicken. Gently peel skin away from chicken and rub mixture into meat of chicken. Open beer can pour out about 1/2 cup. Drop the garlic cloves into the beer can. Place chicken, open end down, over the beer can to insert the beer into the cavity. Place chicken, standing up, in large saute pan. Place 1/3 of the bacon in the top cavity of the chicken and drape the remaining 2/3 of the bacon down the outside of the chicken. Pierce the bacon to the chicken with toothpicks. Place chicken in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for another 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Note: I've made this with and without the bacon -- both are delicious! Enjoy!

Pesto Salmon with Shrimp and Wilted Spinach

I must give credit to my boyfriend Nick for this idea. This is something he made for me a while back and it was amazing. This go around, I just added some shrimp and spinach!

Salmon:
Season salmon filet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat a few minutes per side. Once the salmon is almost done, brush the top side with a generous portion of basil pesto (homemade or store bought). Cook an additional few minutes. I like my salmon medium-well to well done, personally.

Shrimp:
Peeled shrimp works best for this. Saute 1/2 pound shrimp with approximately a few tb of butter, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 clove of garlic. I also seasoned them with some salt and pepper. Once cooked through, top the salmon. In the future, these would also be good tossed in the pesto as well!

Spinach:
Saute spinach with garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Adjust ingredients depending on your taste. The spinach will wilt down tremendously, so start out with a generous portion!

Special requests, anyone?

I had an idea this morning. While I have a massive backlog of things I want to cook, I am also open to requests! I like to try new things, and I love the challenge. If there is anything particular you are interested in, let me know and I will add it to the list! I'm sure my boyfriend will also be appreciative, as he is my guinea pig and taste tester :) I am off to a wedding this weekend, but will get cooking once I return Sunday! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Jean Marie

Dinner for Kaiser - Chicken Francese

Appetizer: Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. 

Entree: Chicken Francese with Wild Rice (thanks to Tyler Florence). This was my first attempt and it turned out extremely well. The link to the recipe can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-francese-recipe/index.html.

Dessert: Wine (thanks to Kaiser)

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to Plated Perfection! I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and finally took the time to do so. The purpose of this blog is to share the delicious meals that I make. I usually cook off of recipes gathered from various places, but I sometimes add my own variations. I also love to cook family recipes that I learned or had growing up. I tend to not bake, mainly because everything has to be measured! I also happen to have many close friends who bake, so I usually just take advantage of their baked goods :) I work full-time, but my goal is to start a personal chef/small scale catering business on the side because I really enjoy cooking for others. Once that is up and running, I will be sure to post details! Thank you and hope you enjoy!