Favorite recipes of 2013 and 2 cookbooks

Usually around this time of year, I post on my favorite cookbook find of the year.  I wasn’t planning on doing this post this year, as I find most of my best new recipes on Pinterest these days.  However, I have received quite a few emails from readers who have enjoyed my cookbook recommendations from the past, and have asked if I have any new recommendations for this year.

When I was visiting my sister in Washington, DC this summer, I spent some time looking through her large cookbook collection, and there were two cookbooks that really appealed to me – Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent cookbooks My Father’s Daughter, and It’s All Good.  I was taking so many pictures of the recipes with my iphone that it got to be ridiculous, so I went ahead and ordered both cookbooks.

I must say, I really love both of these cookbooks.  They reflect the way I like to cook now – with fresh, healthy ingredients, and dishes that are simply prepared but are very flavorful. My Father’s Daughter has more of the family friendly recipes that work well when cooking for my kids and husband.  This book also contains many great recipes for soups, which are a staple of my winter meals, and great salad dressing recipes, which are a staple of my summer meals.  I have tried some of the main course dishes with great success, and next on my list is the ten-hour chicken (which pretty much roasts in an oven set at 200 for 10 hours) – this dish receives rave reviews online.   Perhaps my favorite recipes from this book are the side dishes.  There is a recipe for carmelized brussels sprouts that is so good, I make it once a week now, and my kids have become big brussels sprouts fans due to this one recipe! 

I pulled out this cookbook when writing this post (I keep it easily accessible in my kitchen – it can be seen here on my antique Swedish sideboard, along with Colorado Classique, another great cookbook), and have earmarked a dozen recipes that I would like to try when the schedule relaxes over Christmas break.

It’s All Good is the newest Paltrow book, and the food is much more focused on healthy, clean eating.  Most (if not all) of the recipes are gluten free and dairy free.  This might not be the kind of cookbook for everyone, but it the kind of cookbook I was looking for, as I had gained quite a bit of weight in 2012 due to issues with my achilles tendon, and not being able to walk or exercise (and, to be honest, that glass or two of wine every night wasn’t helping!).  I suspected that the extra weight was making my achilles tendonitis and my knee issues worse, so 2013 has been a year of making big changes to our family meals.  It’s All Good has been a tremendous help in inspiring healthy, flavorful recipes that are made with fresh ingredients. For the most part, the preparation of the recipes is quite straightforward – especially when you have access to grocery stores like Whole Foods that have a wide range of fresh vegetables, fish, and poultry.  I have mainly focused on the fish recipes and salad recipes in this cookbook.  My 15 year old daughter uses this cookbook when she makes dinner for the family (which happens every once in a while), and she loves the smoothie and juice recipe chapter. 

As a side note, with a combination of restructuring the way that I eat, and this DVD and this DVD from Ballet Beautiful (which I swear by for their low impact but challenging approach to strengthening  the muscles), I am back to my normal weight and feel great, with no achilles tendonitis issues or knee pain – 2013 has been a good year for healthy living for me.

The cookbook I recommended last year in this post - Slow Cooker Revolution – is still a staple for meals.  As far as online recipes, this recipe for kale salad with pinenuts and parmesan (the key is lacinato kale, which is also called Tuscan kale or dino kale – it’s different than curly kale) is my favorite recipe find of the year that I found online, as is this marinated salmon, which I bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes instead of grilling.  This is the only way I have been able to get 2 of my kids and my husband to eat salmon!

For all of the great recipes I have found on Pinterest, I have also made some that were not very good.  If you have any online recipes  (or cookbooks) you could recommend, please post the link in the comments!  Email subscribers, click here to comment.

◊

As a reminder, if you would like to order one of the new Melissa Payne Baker paintings, please place your order by 10 am on Wednesday, December 18th in order to get delivery by Christmas!  Click here to see all paintings available.

6”x12” petite landscape, $325, click here to see in store.

◊

Favorite art and design books of 2013: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/12/books-from-2013.html
2013 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/11/books-for-my-christmas-list-2013.html
2012 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2012/11/books-for-my-christmas-list.html
2011 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2011/12/my-book-list-christmas-2011.html


To see my latest blog post, click here.
To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.
To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.
Twitter: @TTIBlog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ttiblog
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ttiblog/
Visit my online store, Quatrefoil Design: www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com

To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store.

Favorite recipes: Grilled flank steak

For full blog post, including printable recipe, please visit
http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/08/flank-steak-rub.html

I have some recipes that are such staples in my rotation that I have them printed and posted on my bulletin board. Occasionally, they will become victim to the ingredients and/or process of the recipe, so I will re-print them every so often and put them right back on the bulletin board.

However, I have found that I much prefer the convenience and experience of using my iPad as a portable recipe.  In order to facilitate the transition to getting my recipes online, I am going to occasionally post recipes both to share them (on my pinterest page,  the food board always gets a lot of activity, so I am hoping that some of you appreciate recommended recipes too) as well as provide an online library of my favorites.

Years ago, we went to dinner at a friend’s house and flank steak was on the menu. I am not a big red meat eater, and had never had flank steak, so I wasn’t too excited about the meal. But, as a polite guest, I tried it – and was I surprised. The flank steak was delicious and flavorful, with just the right combination of flavors.  I asked for the recipe, and it has been one of my family’s favorites ever since. In fact, my youngest daughter asks for this flank steak every year for her birthday dinner.

Here is the recipe for the rub:

Flank steak rub

1.5 lb flank steak (I trim the obvious fatty parts)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix the dry ingredients together, then rub into both sides of the flank steak. Steak is then ready to grill.

Serves 4 (usually with a small amount of leftovers).

Note: I always double the rub recipe. I think that this is not enough rub for a 1.5 lb flank steak, although doubling it is a bit too much. I double the recipe, put on enough rub to give both sides a good coating, then discard the remaining rub.

(Printable recipe here)

For special occasions, I make chimichurri sauce, which tastes great with the steak.

I mix the rub ingredients in a bowl (as noted above, I always double the original recipe). I use enough to generously rub on both sides, and discard the extra – you don’t want to over do it and make a thick crust, or it will be too salty.

We always grill our flank steak. Every grill is different, so refer to your grill manual for recommendations.  For our Weber gas grill, which gets very hot and heats up very fast, we turn on all of the burners on high and get the grill hot, to about 600 degrees.  We put the flank steak on, close the lid, sear it for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, open the lid and turn off the middle burner, turn the side burners to medium-low, and flip the steak.  We set the timer to 8 minutes, then we bleed the heat off to about 425 and close the lid.  After the 8 minutes, we flip the steak one more time and cook 6 minutes.  We like our steak more on the medium side, so adjust the time more or less to get to your liking.  After the steak is taken off the grill, let it rest for a few minutes, then cut it against the grain.

So basically our perfect formula for our grill is 16 minutes – 2 searing/8 cooking one side/6 cooking the other side. However, my husband notes that on our old grill, we did the 8/6 part on medium indirect heat, and our new grill is more on the low side indirect heat because it is a very hot grill, so use your own judgment.

Here is the dinner we had last Sunday. A butter lettuce salad with a simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper mixed with one crushed garlic clove, tossed with a bit of feta cheese, an avocado, and grape tomatoes; fresh butter beans from Lucy’s Market (boiled for 12 minutes or so); and flank steak. A perfect summer dinner.

Click here for printable flank steak rub recipe.

To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.
To follow my blog on Facebook, click here.
Twitter: @TTIBlog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ttiblog
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ttiblog/
Visit my online store, Quatrefoil Design: www.quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com
To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store.