Surf N Turf

When I was at the grocery store last I made an impulse purchase of crab ravioli. When I got them home I realized I didn't know what I was going to do with them. Crap. So I consulted google for the best sauce to use with crab filled ravioli. The consensus seemed to be a light creamy wine sauce. Awesome, that sounds delicious and I know how to make it! You do too, because I shared how to make it back in 2011. However, I will share that I have since learned that it is called a Béchamel sauce, one of the mother sauces of French cooking. What I had been calling a creamy Alfredo was actually a variation of Béchamel sauce called a Mornay sauce, which is Béchamel with cheese. Yay French cooking terms lesson!

Okay so far on the menu I had crab ravioli with a light creamy wine sauce. What to serve with it? Obviously the answer is steak. Top sirloin! I love a nice lean steak, seared and cooked medium. But we can't eat only meat and pasta, though my husband probably wouldn't mind, so I needed to add some veggies to this meal. So a simple salad and pan fried broccoli.

This was super simple to prepare and so delicious when it was done. Boil the ravioli and drain while searing the steak. A little salt and pepper is all I use on steak, these were small sized since we also had ravioli so just about 3 minutes per side and they were done. Always remember to remove steak from the heat source and allow them to rest before cutting. This ensures they stay juicy - no one likes dried up steak. So out of the pan come the steaks and into the pan goes the broccoli with a little butter. Stir so it doesn't burn and cook until crisp tender.

Everything is ready except the sauce! Prepared a roux and when it was ready I added 1/2 cup white wine, 1/4 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup milk and a couple chopped green onions. Once that was all mixed up I added 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Add ravioli and gently stir to coat so they don't break open.

The salad was super simple, chopped romaine with cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced carrots with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan. He had ranch and I had French dressing.

So there you have it, a well rounded surf and turf meal. Crab ravioli, steak, broccoli and a simple salad. Everything garnished with fresh snipped chives from the garden.

Smoky Mac 'N Cheese

I wanted to make mac 'n cheese, but I didn't feel like baking (baked mac 'n cheese is super yummy!) and I didn't want a regular alfredo sauce. So I thought I'd come up with something new. I started with boiling 2 cups of shells and dicing a chicken breast to saute. I seasoned the chicken with ground mustard and plenty of paprika (this is the main source of the smoky flavor).

For the cheese sauce I started with a basic kitchen glue recipe (2 T ea flour and butter + 1 cup milk + 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese) then I added 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 T of hickory bbq sauce. Then of course I mixed the chicken, shells and sauce.

I dished up a couple bowls for Shane and I and we sat down to eat. Shane proclaimed it delicious and then added cayenne hot sauce, and I did the same. The hot sauce really set off the smoky flavor.

This recipe was super fast and easy, especially if you've already mastered a basic Alfredo sauce. And you all know I love my whisk, so that's another reason I like this type of recipe, I get to whisk!

Alfredo Sauce or Kitchen Glue

I'm not saying that Alfredo sauce tastes like glue or has other unwanted glue properties, rather that Alfredo sauce can hold a dish together and you can stick anything in it. We LOVE Alfredo sauce, so I make it regularly. Right about now you are imagining either a jar of white sauce or a sauce pan full of scratch sauce. If you are thinking of jar sauce, stop it! That stuff is terrible! Read on and learn how to make the most basic sauce that you can easily customize. Wow your friends with this easiest of all recipes. Or if chicken noodle soup isn't working, this is a great comfort food when served with pasta.

Of course, like with many popular recipes, there are hundreds of variations. I have tried MANY of them, and I'm going to share the one that is successful every time. Some recipes are just not that good. This is a quick recipe, and with it you should be able to serve dinner in 30 minutes or less. (Provided you know how to cook more than one thing at a time. If you can't boil pasta, grill chicken and steam broccoli all at the same time you made need help with the sauce whisking.)

So to start, gather your ingredients! For a simple sauce (that will turn out and be tasty) you need only flour, butter, milk and Parmesan cheese. We can add many things to this, but that's for later. You will also need a medium sauce pan (I use a non-stick sauce pan), a silicone coated whisk (or regular for pans without coating) and a couple measuring cups and measuring spoons.

In your medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat (med-low is better than med-high). When the butter foams, whisk in an equal amount of flour (2T butter and 2T flour works quite well). I use a non-stick medium sauce pan so I use a silicone coated whisk. I strongly recommend whisking, though it will turn out using spoon stirring, whisking is just easier, and shouldn't cooking be easy? Heat the butter and flour for at least 3 minutes, with an occasional whisk to prevent sticking or burning, or a continual whisk if you're nervous about scorching. The butter and flour (which is now a "roux") may darken a little in color, and this is fine. We cook the roux to prevent a starchy flavor from dominating the sauce.

To the roux you will add 2 cups of milk, in increments, whisking to combine completely. Again, you can use a spoon to stir, but it will take a little longer. Add 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (depending on taste and desired thickness of the sauce) and whisk to combine. Simmer (not boil) for 4-6 minutes, and it will start to thicken (the longer it cooks the thicker it will be).

Serve with pasta, chicken, broccoli, bruschetta, pico de gallo, mushrooms, green onions, asparagus... the options are vast, because this is yummy! If you have leftover veggies or meat in your refrigerator, this is a good recipe to put them in. This may be technically a cream sauce more than an Alfredo sauce, but I always just call it creamy Alfredo sauce.

Now for variations! When you originally melt the butter you can add a clove or two of pressed garlic, chives and other herbs to taste or even diced onions.

Instead of 2 cups of milk you can add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of chicken broth or 1 cup of white wine or even 1 cup of tomato juice (sauce is a little too thick). You can even skip the milk altogether and add any combination of those things! (I have never tried it with just tomato juice though, I've always used milk and tomato juice together.)

And in addition to the Parmesan cheese you can add whatever kind of cheese you like - mozzarella, provolone and cream cheese work very well. I have heard of blending cottage cheese in a food processor and adding it!