Salisbury steaks

Was "Salisbury steaks" just a fancy word for thin, flat hamburgers in your house?  My association comes mostly from the very rare TV dinners that my brother and I had when Mom and Dad were going out.  They were kind of yucky.

Well, I've learned new appreciation for the humble Salisbury steak by making them myself.  Not that I had any intention of buying them pre-made, but it had just never occurred to me before to serve them for dinner.  This very basic recipe can be fancied up as much as you'd like.  Instead of plain rice, I used some leftover pilaf, which included some bell peppers.  Experiment with the ingredients, just keeping the basic balance of ingredients.

Salisbury Steaks

1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1 c onion, chopped
1/2 c rice or other grain, cooked
Egg
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

2 c mushrooms, sliced

2 T Worcestershire sauce
15 oz beef broth
1 T cornstarch

Mix the ground beef through the salt and pepper together in a bowl and divide into 6 large flattened patties.  Cook at low-medium heat in an electric skillet or large skillet in olive oil, 5 minutes per side.  Remove the patties.  Raise the heat to medium and saute the mushrooms for a few minutes.  Add the liquids and bring to a boil.  Add the cornstarch and mix in well.  Place the patties back in the sauce and heat thoroughly, reducing the sauce a bit. 

Lemon and rosemary pilaf

Pilaf is traditionally a dish in which the grain is first browned in oil and then cooked in a seasoned broth.  That means that cracked wheat, rice, quinoa, or other grains can be used almost interchangeably.  I found a small package of cracked bulgar wheat that was pre-browned and ready to just soak up the broth, and that became the basis of this dish.  You can feel free to substitute another grain, and saute it in oil for a few minutes before steaming.  This makes the basis of a great vegetarian meal.

Lemon and Rosemary Pilaf

1 c grain
Olive oil

Enough water or vegetable broth for steamer cooking

Lemon
4-5 scallions, sliced thin
Red bell pepper, chopped
Green bell pepper, chopped
Clove of garlic, minced
Salt
1-2 T fresh rosemary
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 c sliced almonds

Saute the grain in olive oil for a few minutes to brown.  Add to steamer along with water and cook.  When the grain is ready, fluff it and grate some lemon zest into it (to taste).

Saute the vegetables in olive oil until tender.  Add the salt, rosemary, and chickpeas, heating thoroughly.  Add the grains, half the almonds, and the juice from the lemon.  Garnish with remaining almonds when serving.    

Dip for dinner

On Nate, Lizzie, and Katherine's last day with us, Lizzie mentioned how much she liked the Artichoke and Spinach Dip that I had made for them two years ago when Katherine was first born.  I wish she'd said something earlier...I didn't know how much she liked it.

Turns out Katherine likes it too!

We had some good wheat crackers and a Strawberry Salad to go with it.  

Curried butter corn

This has been an excellent year for corn, so we've been having a lot of it over the course of the summer.  We don't ever really get tired of it, especially since the season is pretty short when you think about it.  Local corn is going to start to toughen up soon, so we're happy to just glut on plain old corn on the cob as long as we've got the chance.

Just for a bit of variety though, I did Curried Butter corn on the cob the other night.  We slathered each ear with the butter, using a barbecue brush, and wrapped them in foil.  About 25 minutes on the grill (trying to maintain around 400 degrees) and they were toasty delicious.

Curried Butter

Melt a few T of butter in the microwave. 
Add about half the amount of curry paste as butter and stir well.

Pico de gallo

My wonderful daughter-in-law Lizzie made this salsa for us for our anniversary.  She used the following ingredients, but I don't have exact amounts for them.  I think it's a bit different each time.  It's like a party for your mouth, but also for your eyes!

Fresh tomatoes
Onion
Fresh cilantro
Jalapeño peppers
Garlic
Lime juice

Salmon and rice salad

Based upon the delicious Chicken and Wild Rice Salad that I've made before, I recently put together this version that featured salmon.  Same salad ingredients and dressing, but I did substitute a medium grain brown rice for the wild rice, and I cooked them up in our rice steamer instead of in a crock pot.  The meal comes together really fast (well under Thirty Minutes) when you use the steamer.   

Rosemary roasted sweet potatoes

Here's another delicious sidedish that my mother spoiled us with when we went to visit this summer!   We had the sweet potatoes with Chili-Chicken Salad and fresh bread. 

Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1-1/2 lbs (about 3) sweet potatoes
Cooking spray
1/4 c olive oil
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1/2 t coriander
1 t salt
Lime

Leave the skin on the potatoes, but cut off the very tips.  If the sweet potatoes are long, cut them in half, crosswise.  Cut each half in half lengthwise.  Lay them cut side down and make 1/4 inch lengthwise slices.

Mix the olive oil through the salt together.  Lay the potato slices flat on a sprayed roasting pan or sheet.  Use a basting brush to coat the tops with the oil mixture.  Bake them at 375 for 45 minutes.  Serve with wedge of lime to drizzle on slices.