Scalloping

Here are some easy side dishes that I made to go along with steaks this week. Very easy although a little time-consuming on the prep.

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

1 Tbsp salted butter
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 c milk
5 c sliced and peeled potatoes

Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour and salt. Add milk and stir constantly until mixture boils. Add potatoes and stir occasionally until potatoes are tender. Pour into a greased 13" x 9" baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes.

What I liked about this recipe: There were no weird ingredients and it is a very straightforward recipe.
What I disliked about this recipe: It takes a long time to prepare before you even put it in the oven. I could never get the potatoes to quite tender before putting it in the baking dish. It still came out fine but was a little more time-consuming than I thought it would be.
Cool kitchen gadgets: My peeler works great for potatoes.
Tastiness factor: Very, very good, although a little too much work considering that baked potatoes would have tasted just as good.

Escalloped Apples

10 c tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 c sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and sliced

Place apples in a 2.5 quart microwave-safe bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnmamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add to apples and toss to coat. Dot with butter. Cover and microwave on high for 15 minutes, stopping to stir mixture every five minutes.

What I liked about this recipe: It wasn't too sweet. I was a little apprehensive to make it, thinking it would be more like a dessert than a side dish.
What I disliked about this recipe: The 2.5 quart dish is not big enough to properly toss the apples. I added the apples to the dish and then had to transfer them to a bigger mixing bowl to properly toss the apples to coat them. Not a huge deal but a little annoying because I then got apple juice all over the sides of the casserole dish.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: My peeler works great on apples too.
Tastiness factor: This is a good fruit side dish. Not too sweet, not too syrupy, just right. Very similar to the apples at Chili's except a little lighter. I have had it since dinner for a mid-afternoon snack and with breakfast this morning. It would be great over pancakes, waffles or ice cream.

Spicy Steak Marinade

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk to combine. Brush steaks with marinade and add to bowl. Sprinkle coarsley ground black pepper on both sides of steak. Let steak sit for 5-10 minutes to marinate and then broil or grill to desired temperature.

What I like about this marinade: It is very easy and everything to make it is in the cupboard. It also does not require overnight marination which makes it ideal for a steak dinner on the fly.
What I dislike about this marinade: The quantity given above is not quite enough for filets or strips. It's perfect for a London broil but for filets or strips, I double it.
Cool kitchen gadgets used: I love my silicone pastry brush. It has far outlasted its nylon predecessors and it is ideal for dishwasher cleaning.
Tastiness factor: This is a great basic marinade and is not too spicy at all. The Tabasco does not make it as spicy as you think and the vinegar really make the steak tender. I would recommend letting the steaks warm to room temperature for about 20-25 minutes before marinating and then leaving steaks on counter while marinating. The steaks will cook much better.

That's all I have for today. Have a great weekend!