Coriander-Dusted Roast Beef

From Food & Wine magazine, this recipe is absolutely great for all types of families, be it 2 people or a family of 6. Yes, surprisingly I receive this magazine, and I don't know how I started receiving. I'm not paying for it, so I'm not concerned.

As the magazine suggests, this roast can definitely be used for leftovers. The ideas it suggests are beef stroganoff, ginger-beef salad, or fajitas. It provides directions on ways to prepare those leftovers as well. My taste tester/sous chef just decided to make sandwiches out of those left overs.

Prep: 15 minutes

8 to 10 servings

One 3.75 lb. beef eye of round roast

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, coarsely ground

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Kosher Sat and freshly ground pepper

1.5 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups beef stock, preferably homemade

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub the roast with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the ground coriander seeds and paprika with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Rub the spice blend all over the roast.

In a medium roasting pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the roast and brown it well on all sides over moderate heat, turning with tongs, about 5 minutes. Turn the roast fat side up. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the meat for 35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thinner end registers 120 degrees for medium-rare meat. Transfer roast to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes.

Set the roasting pan on the stove over high heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the stock and boil, whisking, until the gravy has thickened, 2 minutes, Season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast 1/4 inch thick and serve with the gravy.

As you can probably tell, I forgot to grind my coriander seeds, so there are little seeds all over our roast. Yea, those things went all over the kitchen, but I chased them down. Regardless, this was still an amazing roast. The gravy tastes really well with it, too. The picture at the top of this post shows the sliced roast with a small serving of gravy on top. This was also another great way for me to use my cast-iron skillet! We highly suggest making this roast. It was very easy to make and great as leftovers.

Jumbo Shrimp with Basil and Mint Pesto

Maybe you are like me and never thought that mint could be part of pesto. I definitely always thought it was basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Well, apparently you can use other things and it can still taste great! This recipe was a tad more expensive than any other night, but to be able to have seafood with your family for probably under $15 is really cool!

I had purchased WAY too much basil at the store and was desperate to find a recipe that used a good amount of basil. Pesto is usually very good about using up a good portion of basil!

Sorry, no pictures of this recipe since I had left my camera in the car and was to lazy to go get it. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was really yummy! I also cooked a half box of rigatoni to accompany the shrimp. Enjoy!

Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake

This is definitely one of the easier recipes that I've provided as it even uses no-boil lasagna noodles! I honestly didn't even know that existed. This recipe is fairly easy in regards to it's ingredients...except for the green chard. I actually was never able to find this produce ingredient, so I just substituted more spinach.

Now, when you purchase the ingredients for this recipe, it might seem a little crazy when you go to get 2 lbs. of spinach, but I can assure you that really do need that much spinach. Don't doubt yourself.

If you are cooking this as a meal for two, I would highly suggest halving the recipe. This really creates A LOT of food. We had this for leftovers, and it's one of those recipes that tastes fantastic as leftovers.

This recipe makes great use of your cast-iron skillet. There's not a lot of mess with this recipe, and easy cleanup. Eat up and enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I've tried to make garlic mashed potatoes from several different recipes, but I'm never successful with those recipes...UNTIL THIS ONE! This is the best recipe for garlic mashed potatoes, in my opinion.

Don't worry, those are green onion slices on the potatoes as a garnish.

I think this recipe is super easy as well because it only requires, potatoes, half-and-half, garlic cloves, salt, and Parmesan cheese.

Add these ingredients to your list and make this side soon :) You will love it!

Greek Beef Tenderloin in Togas with Mediterranean Orzo

Alright, I know it's been a REALLY long time since I provided a recipe and a good one at that. However, I think...eer, I hope...this will make up for my slackerness. It has definitely been a busy time at work with so many bridal shows going on. I'm hoping to get back into my cooking groove.
I have again ventured into Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book, and this recipe is very fun to make and eat. It's like steak all wrapped up in a present! You can find the recipe on Rachel Ray's website as she made it on her daytime show on April 11, 2008. I honestly didn't even know that; I just saw this recipe in the cookbook and decided to make it. Now, if you decide to make this (and you definitely should!) I must warn you that you will have some trouble searching for some of the things in the grocery store. I'm here to help though! :) You don't have to go at this alone. First of all, it calls for beef tenderloin medallions. Um, I don't know about you, but I don't find that next to the ground beef and chuck steak in my grocery store (I love you HEB!). So...Henry and I decided to buy the big T-bones! No, not those teeny flimsy ones; we bought the big thick ones that are over 1" thick. Now, I'm not a meat educated person like my Dad, but here's how I'll explain how to work with this T-bone.

Cut off the small part from the bone and freeze the big part.

How does that work for ya? Haha! Anyway, you also may struggle to find the phyllo dough. It's in the frozen section, I promise. However, it's going to be pretty hard to find. We found it in our grocery store all the way at the end of the aisle and at the bottom of the case. Additionally, we did not make the Greek Salad portion of this recipe. I am not a fan of cucumbers, and Henry doesn't prefer kalamata olives. That said, I know a lot of people that love this Greek Salad combination, so I would make it if you like those ingredients. It would add great flavor to the orzo. Last thing you should know before this post is concluded is that this recipe is yet another one that made use of my ever so terrific Magic Bullet. People always ask me if this thing really works or is worth it, and I can assure you that it is! I used it for this recipe to create the cheese sauce that goes on the tenderloin.

Ok, so, get your list ready, and head to the grocery store. You will definitely have fun making this one, and it's really fun to eat, too!