PLT (Pastrami, Lettuce, Tomato) with Potato Salad

PLT (Pastrami, Lettuce, Tomato) with Potato Salad

I saw this sandwich on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and I wanted to make my own at home. It's pretty much a BLT, but replace the bacon with some fried pastrami. It was definitely a fun way to change things up. I made the bread homemade, but you can just use store bought bread too.

ingredients:

your choice of bread
pastrami from the deli, shaved
tomatoes
lettuce
mayo

red skinned potatoes
eggs
frozen peas
salt
pepper
mayo
vinegar

directions:

1. Grab a handful of shaved pastrami. About 100 grams per sandwich maybe. And fry in a frying pan over medium heat. If you have any of metal dishes or container you could put it on top to keep the pastrami flat.

2. Slice some tomato, break off some chunks of lettuce, and slice up or grab two slices of your favourite bread. Put a little mayonnaise on each slice of the bread. Layer the pastrami on to the bread, then the tomato, maybe crack some pepper on the tomato, add lettuce, and then finish off the sandwich with the last piece of bread.

3. Eat with a side of potato salad! Cook some frozen peas and add to make the potato salad a little fun and different.

Strip Loin Steak and Potatoes

Strip Loin Steak and Potatoes

With green beans and an iceberg wedge covered in blue cheese dressing. The steak was done in a cast iron pan with lots of pepper, bit of salt, bit of butter. Wonderful!

ingredients:

striploin steaks
salt
pepper
butter

handful fingerling potatoes, or small potatoes
handful of green beans
iceberg lettuce
blue cheese
mayo
vinegar

canola oil

salt
pepper
butter

directions:

Steak:

1. Take your steaks at room temperature, and generously sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. This seasoning is gonna help to form a crust on the steak. Fry the steak in a hot cast iron pan to get a good sear. After you flip the steak you can put some butter on top of the steak. This will help it from sticking to the pan, and help it cook, and give it more flavour.

2. Use a meat thermometer, or touch the steak. When you start to feel less give when you press down into the steak it means it's a little cooked through. I would recommend medium rare myself. If you want it well done (which some crazy people do), if you push down and find little give its cooked through.

Potatoes:

1. Roast potatoes in the oven with salt, pepper, and a little oil for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Beans:

1. Steam some green beans and blanch them in ice water to stop the cooking process. This will keep them from getting overcooked and keep their bright green colour. Then toss them in some melted butter.

Lettuce:

1. Cut a wedge of iceberg lettuce. About 1/4 of a head of lettuce. Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, crumbled blue cheese, salt, and pepper together for a dressing. Drizzle on top of the wedge.

Homemade Bread

My first attempt at ever making bread, and not even with a machine. Just my hand, an oven, and some simple ingredients.

Mint Lamb Chops and Potato Latkes

Okay, the latkes weren't the best... but the lamb chops were unbelievable!!!

Guacamole and Salsa Fresca

Guacamole and Salsa Fresca

Guacamole has got to be the ultimate dip. Even better than hummus. Who doesn't like the creamy buttery texture of an avocado? Though, the best part of an avocado is the texture and not the taste. So make sure you mix some wonderful flavours into it.

ingredients:

3-4 avocados

1 tomato
1/2 red onion
1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic

1 tomato
1/2 white onion
handful of cilantro

1/2 jalapeno

salt
pepper

directions:

1. Mash avocados with a hand masher, or a fork if you don't have one. Or any blunt object would do. Mix in chopped tomatoes, red onion, and crushed garlic. Sprinkle with salt, and squeeze in some lemon juice. You can also use lime juice, I just find lemon isn't as bitter and is a little more sweet. Stir the works altogether.

2. Chop tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, and jalapeno (chop it really tiny). The jalapeno is optional for some heat. Mix in a bowl. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. If you want, you could add some oil and vinegar too it. But I think this way is much more fresh tasting.

Mountain Dew Pancakes

Mountain Dew Pancakes

Once upon a time I received some free mountain dew at an event, and I wanted to cook something fun for it. So I searched online, and the best idea I could come up with what mountain dew pancakes. I pretty much substituted mountain dew instead of water with an instant pancake mix. The results were interesting!

ingredients:

1 cup mountain dew
2 cups bisquick pancake mix

2 eggs
butter

maple syrup

whipped cream
sugar
mint

directions:

1. Mix bisquick, mountain dew, and 2 eggs into a bowl. If you want, you can replace the eggs with bananas if you want to make them vegan.

2. Heat a frying pan or griddle, add some butter, and cook the pancakes on it. Turn the pancake when it starts to form bubbles and its a golden brown on the one side.

3. Top with maple syrup. Whipped cream from a can, or make it fresh. (cream + sugar + hand mixer or stand mixer)

Pear, Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, Walnuts, Mozzarella Cheese Pizza with Arugula Salad

Pear, Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, Walnuts, Mozzarella Cheese Pizza 
with Arugula Salad

This is possibly the best pizza I have ever had. Pear is one of the most underrated fruits, and tastes amazing on pizza. If you have never tried it before, you should! And this pizza recipe is your chance.

ingredients:

dough
blue cheese
caramelized onion
prosciutto
walnuts
mozzarella
pear
olive oil
pepper
cornmeal
arugula

directions:

pizza dough:

1. Fill a mixing bowl with 1-1 and 1/4 cups of warm water in a bowl.

2. Add 1 tbsp of active dry yeast. Add 1 tbsp of brown sugar, or white sugar if you feel the yeast is old. It will help activate the yeast and give it something to "eat". Let stand for about 10 minutes until white frothy bubbles are on top. Add in 1 tbsp of oil (though probably optional) and 1/2-1 tsp of salt.

3. Mix in 3 cups of flour. You can add more flour if its too sticky. Kneed dough on a flat surface covered with flour. Add more flour to the surface as needed. Maybe kneed for at least 10-15 minutes. Until the dough no longer sticks together on your hand.

4. Form the dough into a ball and coat with olive oil. Put in a covered container in a warm place. Warm is key. I sometimes run the oven for a little while, and then turn the oven off and put it in a pot. Let it sit for at least one hour. Two hours works too. The Longer the better. The dough should double in size.

5. Punch the dough, and cut in half. This pizza recipe will make two pizzas.

6. Oil a pizza pan with butter or margarine. And dust it with cornmeal. The cornmeal will adhere to the grease. And then spread out the dough on the pan.

7. Top pizza with olive oil, pepper, mozzarella cheese, sliced pear, prosciutto, walnuts, caramelized onions, and crumbled blue cheese. Cook in an oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. Or until the top gets golden brown.

8. Eat with a arugula salad, or top the pizza with arugula after it comes out of the oven.

Crusted Tilapia, Bed of Coleslaw, Roasted Beets and Potatoes

Crusted Tilapia, Bed of Coleslaw, Roasted Beets and Potatoes

The crust is only on the top. I hate when fish gets soggy on the bottom. There is also a sauce under the crust of yogurt, lemon, cayenne, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper

ingredients:

tilapia
bread crumbs
eggs
salt
pepper
flour
cabbage
mayo
vinegar
beets

Butter Chicken with Cucumber, Mint and Pineapple Salad

Butter Chicken with Cucumber. Mint and Pineapple Salad

Butter chicken has to be the most famous Indian dishes outside of India. But from what I've heard it's not actually called Butter Chicken there... or at least parts of India, but either way it's a yummy dish and I don't care. Butter Chicken is probably best with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you could also use chicken breast if you want to be healthier.

ingredients:

1 - 1/2 pound chicken thighs
1/4-1/2 cup cream
tomato paste or 1 can diced tomatoes

1 onion
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 cup butter

1/4-1/2 cup yogurt

1 cucumber
handful of fresh mint
1/2 a pineapple

directions:

1. Mix yogurt with cayenne, cumin, salt, pepper. Cover this yogurt mixture on to the chicken thighs. Then bake chicken thighs in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

2. Chop up onions, and sautee them in a frying pan until they start to get caramelized. Then toss in your cayenne, cumin, curry powder, coriander into the onions and cook for a few minutes to reinvigorate your spices. Toss in some tomato paste, or canned tomatoes, and cook down until tomatoes seem cook. Transfer mixture to a food processor, or blender, or use a hand blender, and blend til smooth.

3. Mix in some cream and butter until the mixture to help make it creamy and velvety. Then put in your cooked chicken thighs and let them cook out a little more in the sauce.

4. Serve butter chicken over rice. And a great salad to accompany it would be some chopped pineapple, cucumber and mint. Dress is with a little vinaigrette or keep it plain.

Hungarian Chicken Meatballs with Raw Zucchini Salad

I think the only that makes these meatballs Hungarian is there is paprika in the sauce. Zucchini salad was amazing! So fresh and crisp.