From the Kitchen

We got mom & dad into their new place last week. Kitties were dropped off in a safe place for a few days, the packers were there on Wed. and my hubby, brother & nephew moved them on Thurs. Kitties went to their new home on Fri after the phones & cable were turned on. Busy week. Still much to do. Now comes the unpacking and finding a place for everything. Then they still have to clean the mobile home and get it ready to sell. I think once everything is finally all out, they will just hire someone to come in and clean. Much simpler.
We celebrated Phil's sister's birthday this weekend. Phil's mom used to make a wonderful Korean Steak on the bbq. When she died, so did the recipe. But we found one that was very close. Phil's mom used to make this for E's birthday dinner. So we've picked that up. It's very easy to make. It marinates for 2-3 hours, or even overnight, so you can make it up the day before you cook it.

Korean Steak
this makes 4 servings

1 lb flank steak
6 cloves garlic,
1/2 pear, peeled, cored
2 green onions
4T soy sauce
2T granulated sugar
1T sesame oil
1T rice wine (sake)
1T sesame seeds
1tsp minced fresh ginger
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Very thinly slice (as thin as you can possibly cut it, a very sharp knife helps) flank steak across the grain into strips. Put into large resealable baggie.
In a food processor, mince pear, garlic, ginger, and the blend soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sake, and black pepper. Pour over meat. Add green onions and sesame seeds. Mix well to cover all the meat. Refrig. at least 2-3 hours. I like to do this a day ahead.
To cook in oven: Broil about 4 min per side on a broiler pan that has been sprayed with a nonstick spray.
To cook on the BBQ: gently lay across the grate and watch carefully. Cook on medium heat. It will only take a few min to cook.

I served this with her favorite veggies: green beans and sweet potatoes. I dressed up the green beans with a sprinkling of feta cheese. Then instead of a birthday cake, we had marionberry pie. It was very good- not to sweet.

Another good recipe that I came up with this weekend is a spinach salad. I was looking for something different for lunch. This is what I came up with:

1/2 cup baby spinach
3 oz chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cinnamon pear (canned)
1T feta cheese
Layer in order. The juice from the pear will act as the dressing. Mandrin oranges would be good on this for a change instead of pears too. (This makes 1 serving)

Let me know what you think of the recipes. If you have some to share, I would love to hear them. I am always in search of new recipes.
hugs,
Cheryl