Had a bad day? Then make this Korean-inspired skirt steak. You see, you get to take out your aggression on the steak by pounding it with a meat mallet. I call that Kitchen Therapy! The quickly marinated and seared steak is tender, flavorful and super easy to make…perfect for a weeknight meal! Serve with steamed jasmine rice and Sesame Green Bean Salad or Stir-fried Snow Peas with Shiitakes and Ginger. Yum!

Korean-Style Marinated Skirt Steak
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

The steak can also be grilled; just be sure to oil the grill first so the meat doesn’t stick. Serves 4.
 
2 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. soy sauce  
2 tsp. sake (optional)
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 scallions (white part only), minced
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 lb. skirt steak, trimmed and cut into four portions
2 tsp. vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the sugar, soy sauce, sake, garlic, scallions, ginger, and sesame oil in a medium-size flat dish or a zip-top bag, stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Cover the steaks with plastic wrap and gently pound them 1/4 inch thick with the flat side of a meat mallet. Add them to the marinade and let them sit for 20 minutes, covered, turning them once after 10 minutes. Coat a large skillet with the vegetable oil and set it over high heat until the oil is just barely smoking. Sprinkle both sides of the meat with salt and pepper, add the meat to the pan, lower the heat slightly, and sear the steaks (in batches if necessary) for 2 to 3 minutes. on each side for medium rare. The steaks should be very rosy pink. Transfer them to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 3 minutes. Cut the steaks into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve.

When I first saw this recipe for Arroz Verde, I thought the use of milk in the dish sounded a little wierd but let me tell you right now…THIS RECIPE ROCKS! This incredibly flavorful rice dish is easy to make and a great side to any Mexi-themed meal. My 10-year-old son called it (and I quote) “The Best Rice Ever”. ‘Nuf said.

Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
- recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine 

Fresh cilantro and spinach lend all their virtues — bright flavors, aromas, and color — to this Mexican rice pilaf. Milk and chicken broth add a subtle richness. Serves six to eight.

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)
1 cup tightly packed fresh stemmed spinach leaves (about 1-1/2 oz.)
1-1/4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced

Put the cilantro, spinach, and broth in a blender and blend until the vegetables are puréed. Add the milk and salt and blend a bit more until well combined.

In a medium (3-qt.) heavy-based saucepan (with a good lid) over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the rice and sauté, stirring about every 30 seconds, until it just begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the contents of the blender, stir well, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to very low, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir the rice carefully to avoid crushing it, cover, and cook another 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the rice steam in the covered pot for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Breakfast burritos are easy to make and a great way to start the day! This recipe features fresh Mexican chorizo which is uncooked — not Spanish chorizo, a smoked sausage. Scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, cilantro and avocado complete the burrito. Yum! Want to make a vegetarian version? Soyrizo (or soy chorizo) would be a good substitute. Enjoy!

P.S. breakfast burritos are great outdoor food…I like to make them when we’re camping.

Breakfast Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Yield: Makes 4

12 ounces good quality fresh Mexican chorizo sausages, casings removed
4 chopped green onions
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 9- to 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas
2/3 cup (or more) grated Mexican four-cheese blend (3 to 4 ounces)
1/2 cup (or more) chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup purchased tomatillo salsa
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced

Sauté chorizo in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up, 5 to 6 minutes. Add onions; sauté 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl; cover to keep warm. Wipe out skillet. Whisk eggs in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add oil to same skillet; heat over medium heat. Add eggs; cook until softly scrambled. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

Warm tortillas in another skillet until pliable, 20 seconds per side. Divide chorizo among tortillas. Top with cheese, eggs, cilantro, salsa, and avocado. Fold short sides in and bottom flap up; roll up tortillas.

The recipe makes a boat load of streusel — I used most but not all of it. Spoon a generous amount of streusel on top of and around each muffin…really pile that streusel on there. Bake and enjoy!

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Why this recipe works: We thought it would be easy to find a great blueberry muffin recipe, but most baked up dry or spongy, with an ugly color and weak blueberry flavor. We wanted our Blueberry Streusel Muffins to be tender and cakey, bursting with berries and crowned with chewy nuggets of streusel. Replacing the usual sour cream with buttermilk in the test kitchen’s favorite blueberry muffin recipe created muffins with a sturdy-but-light texture that was able to support the weight of our streusel. Juicy fresh blueberries made our muffins soggy, so we opted for frozen berries. Keeping the blueberries frozen until the last second prevented the muffins from turning an unappealing blue. Tossing the blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter kept the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin tin. Note: To prevent a streaky batter, leave the blueberries in the freezer until the last possible moment. Wyman’s brand frozen wild blueberries are our first choice, but an equal amount of fresh blueberries may be substituted.

Makes 12

Streusel:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
Pinch salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for preparing muffin tin
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for preparing muffin tin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

For the streusel: Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout.

For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Whisk egg in medium bowl until pale and evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Add vanilla, sugar, and zest and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter; add buttermilk and whisk until combined.

Reserve 1 tablespoon flour. Whisk remaining flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Fold in egg mixture until nearly combined. Toss blueberries with reserved flour and fold into batter until just combined.

Divide batter in muffin tin and top with streusel. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with few dry crumbs attached, 23 to 27 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 20 minutes, then carefully transfer muffins to rack to cool completely. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.)

When Good Muffins Go Bad:
There are plenty of things that can go wrong with blueberry muffin recipes. Here are two of the worst problems we encountered.

GREEN WITH ENVY: Baking soda may have its merits for lift and browning, but it reacts with blueberries to create an unappealing green hue.
 
SOGGY BOTTOM: Think more blueberries make better muffins? Think again. When more than 1 1/2 cups of berries are used, the extra moisture creates muffins with fruit-soaked bottoms.

I’m linked to: Ultimate Recipe Swap, Show Off Your Stuff Party, Link Party Thursday at Somewhat Simple, Taste This Thursday, Delicious Dishes.

Recently, I bought a bottle of Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce (Aardvark for short), a local Portland-made product. The spicy concoction is a blend of roasted tomatoes, habanero peppers, onions, carrots and other stuff. Its consistency is similar to thin ketchup, and is less vinegary than a Tabasco-style sauce (which I also love). The bottle states that it is “a unique Caribbean/Tex-Mex hybrid” … “Dump on Everything”.

Aardvark is currently my favorite hot sauce and is different from any other I’ve tried. Some sauces are all burn and no flavor. Aardvark, however, has loads of flavor. Yes, it lights my mouth on fire but that’s the point. In fact, I can still feel the slight afterburn of a liberal dousing of Aardvark on my eggs and toast this morning. It’s a beautiful thing…

Are you intrigued? The fiery condiment is sold throughout the Pacific Northwest and one market in New York City. Or you can order it online. Buy some and make yourself happy!

P.S. I’m not being paid to write this — I just really love this product.

Today was the grand opening of the Lake Grove Zupan’s Market, a locally-owned store that caters to food lovers. What’s the big whoop, you ask? Well, several years ago my beloved Wizer’s Market (the store that occupied the same location) closed it’s doors. I had been shopping at the quaint gourmet market for nearly 20 years, so it was a sad day when I found out that they weren’t renewing their lease. Once closed, the space stayed vacant for a little over a year until last year when demolition/construction on the new Zupan’s started. I’ve been anxiously awaiting today’s grand opening so I invited a friend to join me for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new store is stunning! Beautiful floral arrangements greet you as you approach the store (kudos to the floral department). Once inside, I made a beeline to the produce department where top-quality fruits and veggies are artfully displayed. I was a little nervous to remove one of the cauliflowers for fear of starting a veggie avalanche (thankfully that didn’t happen).

Zupan’s features lots of local products and gourmet ingredients, as well as national brands and basic items. Although I won’t be doing all my shopping there, it will be my first stop for specialized ingredients and local products — just like Wizer’s was.

One thing I’ll be returning for soon is the Harris Ranch Beef Tomahawk Rib Steak for Husband. Basically, it’s a ginormous rib-eye with the bone exposed (frenched). I guarantee Husband will light up like a Christmas tree when he sees it…just like I did when I first walked into the new Zupan’s store!

I was at Whole Foods Market the other day and noticed a grape variety on display in the produce department that I’d never seen before: Pink Muscat Grapes ($3.99/lb.). Their pinkish-yellow color intrigued me. Thankfully, they had some samples out so I could try one (okay three). Their flavor is sweet, delicate and floral — much more complex than the typical red or green grocery store grape varieties. The Pink Muscats would be excellent in a fruit salad or fruit plate, or served with cheese and wine. These grapes truly are nature’s candy!

Welcome to Inspired2cook…my name is Andrea! I live in Oregon, and I’m a stay-at-home mom who LOVES cooking, entertaining and blessing people with soul-satisfying food! To learn more about me and my mission with this site, read the About Me page.

Most of the recipes on Inspired2cook are easy enough for a beginning cook yet fresh enough for someone more “seasoned” in the kitchen. The recipes come from my favorite cookbooks, magazines and cooking sites with my two cents thrown in for good measure. I make everything before I post it so I can give you (the reader) a realistic run-down of the recipe. I hope you’ll peruse the site and find some new things to cook or bake. You can also sign up to receive email updates when I post new recipes and food-related tidbits.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the UBP 2012 festivities and have an awesome weekend!  Blessings, Andrea

P.S. Check out Ultimate Blog Party 2012 to find other great blogs!

Now that we’re shedding our winter coats and embracing a new season, a longing for lighter, brighter, fresher foods also emerges. This delicious salmon risotto, spiked with fresh herbs and lemon, is a perfect Springtime meal! As with any risotto, it requires attentive stirring while adding broth in small increments. Other than that, though, it’s easy to prepare.

The recipe calls for ricotta salata, a firm cheese similar to feta but not as tangy or salty. DO NOT buy regular creamy ricotta cheese. If you can’t find ricotta salata, substitute feta or Parmesan cheese. Also, the dish calls for Arborio rice, a starchy, short-grained rice that gives risotto its creamy texture. 

Enjoy!

Risotto with Salmon, Lemon, Fresh Herbs, and Ricotta Salata
-recipe from Salmon: A Cookbook by Diane Morgan

Fresh herbs, a touch of lemon, and a sprinkling of ricotta salata cheese enhance the delicate flavor of salmon, making this dish outstanding and colorful. Serve this as a main course with simple accompaniments such as steamed or roasted asparagus, or a salad of field greens with radicchio, along with a crusty baguette.

Cook’s Note: Ricotta salata is a pure white, firm, rindless cheese that originated in Sicily but is made in the United States as well. Made from lightly salted sheep’s milk, it is aged for a minimum of three months. It has a nutty, sweet milky flavor and is ideal for grating, slicing, or crumbling. Use it in salads, on pizzas, and especially in pasta and risotto dishes.

Serves 4 as a main course.

5 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
1 salmon fillet (12 ounces), skin* and pin bones removed**, cut into bite-sized pieces
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled (or substitute feta or parmesan cheese)

In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with oil, about 1 minute. Add the wine, let it come to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until most of the wine evaporates.

Add ½ cup of the stock or broth to the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has almost completely absorbed the liquid. Adjust the heat so the risotto is kept at a slow simmer. Repeat, adding ½ cup of the liquid at a time, stirring until it is almost fully absorbed before adding more. Reserve ¼ cup of the liquid for adding at the end. After about 18 minutes, the rice will be plump, creamy, and cooked through but still slightly chewy. Stir in the salmon and the remaining ¼ cup of the stock or broth. Stir gently until the salmon is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the risotto into warmed shallow bowls. Garnish each serving with some of the cheese and serve immediately.

*Skinning a salmon fillet: Lay the salmon fillet skin side down with the tail facing you. Grip the tail with a piece of paper towel, or you can put a little coarse salt on your fingertips to create traction. Using a sharp, flexible boning knife, angle the blade towards the skin and, while you are gripping the tail skin with one hand, cut along the skin as smoothly as you can. Cut all the way from the tail to the head end, keeping the skin taut. Discard the skin.

**Removing pin bones: Run your fingertips along the flesh side of the fillet until you feel the pin bones. Using either clean needle-nose pliers or fish tweezers, grasp the end of each bone and pull it straight out and away from the flesh to remove it. If you try to pull them upwards or backwards it tends to tear the flesh.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 15:13