Birthday Dinner Part Two

Cajun Flank Steak With A Kick
pg.218

Who doesn't love steak?  For my birthday dinner, my friends Jill and Stephen made me Paula's Cajun Flank Steak with a Kick.  This steak combines two of my favorite things, steak and spicy.  This was a perfect selection for my birthday meal.  I can say my friends know me very well and usually nail what I like on the head.  I know a lot of people who, even though they love steak, cannot grill a steak to save their lives, but my friends cooked this steak to perfection!  It was medium rare to medium, tender and juicy.  With all the spice and the perfectly cooked meat, you won't need steak sauce for this bad boy.  Since I live in a condo in downtown Wilmington NC, we didn't have access to a grill so, to do this, my friends used our grill pan and it still turned out wonderfully.  If you love steak, you gotta try this one!  

Season the steak with some salt, then combine remaining ingredients and rub this mixture into the steak and all sides and let marinate overnight.

Grill over medium high heat and cook until your desired temperature.  Paula recommends 4-5 minutes for medium rare.  Once you remove this from the grill, make sure you let this rest for about 10 minutes before you cut into it.

 

1 1/2 pounds flank steak                         4 tsp. Cajun seasoning

salt                                                           1/2 tsp. hot sauce

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil                          Pinch of cayenne pepper

 

*****Could not find a link for this recipe

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
pg. 252

Everyone knows steak and potatoes go great together.  My friends paired this meal with Paula's Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary.  Paula uses a mixture of red potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes for this dish.  The mixture of rosemary and garlic are perfect compliment and give the potatoes awesome flavor.  We made this as per Paula, and she takes her potatoes out when they are tender, but I prefer my roasted potatoes a little on the crunchy side, so, if you do too, you may want to let them cook for a little longer than she recommends. 

Combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper together.  Toss with the potatoes and pour out on a baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and tender about 30 minutes.

http://books.google.com/books?id=SEa1NJxPngAC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=Roasted+Potatoes+with+Rosemary+paula+deen+southern+cooking+bible&source=bl&ots=am-iED4Fp-&sig=yQoD9GIGopRlN9Ly4yVEtO5tMUg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pSUzUpvbKY6I9AS98IGIBQ&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Roasted%20Potatoes%20with%20Rosemary%20paula%20deen%20southern%20cooking%20bible&f=false



Maque Choux
pg. 261

My friends also decided to make Maque Choux, which, to be honest, I have never heard of and I am now sorry I have never tried this before.  Paula says this is an authentic Louisiana recipe and the ingredients definitely demonstrate that.  This side dish is filled with summer vegetables: corn, bell pepper, celery, scallions, onion, and tomatoes.  So, if your looking for a dish to make sure your eating your vegetables, this may be the one.  After she cooks these vegetables for a bit, she then adds a little bit of heavy cream and then reduces.  So far, this may be my favorite side dish I have tried in the Southern Cooking Bible!

Over medium high heat add onion, pepper and celery and cook in the butter until soft. Add your corn and scallions and reduce your heat to a medium  and cover, cook for around 5 minutes.

Add the tomato, thyme and cayenne pepper (I would add more than just a pinch, but I love spicy) and cook until the tomatoes are soft. 

Pour in the heavy cream and cook this for a few minutes until the cream has reduced slightly.  Season salt and pepper to taste.

3 tablespoons butter                                        1 large chopped tomato
1 medium yellow onion chopped                    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped                           pinch of cayenne
1 celery stalk, chopped                                   1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups corn kernels                                         1/2 teaspoon salt
3 scallions chopped, tops for garnish             1/4 teaspoon pepper

****Could not find a link for this recipe