Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

I mean to try this, but have not yet.

Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo 

Ingredients:
For the Steak:

1 lb sirloin steak, cut into strips
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Alfredo Sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Pasta:

8 oz fettuccine or pasta of your choice
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Directions:
Cook the Steak: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak strips with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Add steak to the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked to your desired doneness. Remove steak from the skillet and set aside.

Prepare the Alfredo Sauce: In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in Parmesan cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, and Italian seasoning. Continue to cook and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the Pasta: While preparing the sauce, cook the fettuccine according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Combine and Serve: Add the cooked pasta to the Alfredo sauce, tossing to coat. Add the cooked steak strips and mix until well combined. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Potato Chowder in the Instant pot

 I decided to make potato soup for Ash Wednesday and I added more veggies than I normally do and it turned out so good that I've decided to write what I did here so I can duplicate it.

3 Tbsp butter

2 white onions, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves of garlic (possibly a LOT more)

1 large carrot, chopped

1 bag of radishes, chopped

1 can of corn, drained

8 cups of chopped potatoes (half yukon gold and half russet because that is what I had)

48 ounces of chicken or veggie stock

salt and pepper

16 ounces of heavy whipping cream (or whole milk)

corn starch

1 block of cream cheese

On saute, melt butter and soften the onions, celery stalk, and red bell pepper.  Add garlic for 1 minute.  add carrot, radishes, corn, potatoes, and stock.  Add pepper and salt to taste (or 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp or so of pepper).  Steam or Manual for 10 minutes and quick release.  Turn off the instant pot.  Mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch into 1/4 cup of the cream until thickened.  Stir in all the cream and the cream cheese into hot soup. Set to saute and bring to a boil while stirring (until cream cheese is melted and dissolved.  

My Chili Recipe

 I normally throw my chili together willi nilli, but we all felt today's was especially good so I'm writing down what went into it.  

2 very large yellow onions, chopped

2 bell peppers (red and yellow), diced

3 pounds of ground beef

3 tablespoons minced garlic (probably more)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cumin

1/2 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon oregano

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons of masa or corn meal mix

I cook the onions until translucent.  Throw in the bell pepper and cook until soft.  Add the ground beef until almost browned and then I throw in everything else but the masa.  I bring it all to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  After the simmer, I added the masa slowly while mixing thoroughly, though most of the time, I do the dissolve in warm water and then add it.

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti with Spicy Sauce

 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups packed spinach

8 oz cream cheese, cottage cheese, or ricotta (I used cream cheese because I had it on hand)

cloves of garlic

1 jar HEB Roasted Poblano Pasta sauce (Could us an alfredo sauce for no spice)

1 jar Tomato Basil Sauce (Classico or I make my own)

12 oz box of manicotti

8 oz mozzarella

parmesan cheese and/or pecorino romano

Boil chicken and cut into bite size pieces.  Place chicken and spinach into large frying pan and cook on medium heat until spinach is just wilted.  Add cream cheese until melted and garlic and either parmesan or pecorino romano to taste (I used 1Tbsp and 4 oz mixed).  Add jar of poblano sauce and stir until well mixed.

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook manicotti and drain.  Stuff manicotti with chicken and spinach mixture and place in 9 x 13 inch baking dish. I spread any chicken and spinach mixture left on top of the manicotti.  Cover with jar of tomato basil sauce.  Sprinkle mozzarella on top and bake for 20 minutes or slightly longer.

Mexican Rice with Quinoa in the Instant Pot

 So I'm only half Mexican so if you don't feel this rice is authentic, you can call it half-Mexican Rice.  I've had a hard time making my engineer happy with my rice at home and this one made her really happy so I'm recording what I did so I can repeat it since normally, I just throw it together.

Saute in the pot until soft.

    2 Tablespoons of olive oil

    1 small red onion chopped 

    1 small poblano chopped

Add 1 Tbsp garlic and turn off the heat.  Stir for a minute or so.

Add 2 cups of long grain white rice and stir for a few minutes (while the pot is still hot).

Add

    1 cup of quinoa

    4 cups of chicken stock

    1 Tbsp of cilantro lime seasoning

    1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with liquid

    1 Tbsp of tomato paste

Steam for 7 minutes.  Quick release the pressure.  

 

More of Ottobre 1/2021-30

 Neither my husband nor I are much into plaid, but for some reason the nerdlet completely loves it.  I bought 3 different plaid knits from califabrics.com this week and they sent it out right away.  Two of them were double brushed knit but the 3rd was a cotton jersey knit without near the softness or stretch.  The nerdlet wasn't sure of those and I decided to use that one first so that I didn't decide not to use it at all.  I am not even sure if my reasoning made sense. This is the fabric.  I actually bought the last of their inventory.

                                

I used the pattern Ottobre 1/2021 - 30 in size 140 that I used for her school uniform pants last year.  She wears those pants all the time, for school and home.  I turned the pattern into long shorts.  I actually aligned the pants where I thought the straight of her leg would lie and it was a mistake.  The next pair, which I will post after I get a picture of her in, I aligned the horizontal along the bottom of the leg so the hem was straight around.  Here is the pair I finished before she went to bed.  She says they are super comfortable and loves them, but because they are tight like leggings, I made the next pair an inch wider, which I think still might be too snug for acceptable school clothes, but I will see when she tries them on tomorrow.  I also ended up cutting off half of her uniform pants into capris like these since she doesn't have to wear a uniform for high school (I don't think anyway).  

                                

I am considering making her a raglan top with the sleeves with the same plaid, but matching is really not the nerdlet's style so if she wears such a top, it is highly unlikely she would wear it with these capris.

The next pair which I just finished is from this double brushed knit.  I actually bought 2 yards of this and so I have a fair bit left over.  I'm thinking of making a super simple shirred dress for the grandbaby with what I have left over, but I haven't decided yet.

                        

This is the last fabric I bought in this batch, and I'm waiting to see how the extra inch fits the nerdlet before I cut out another pair.  But she will be getting capris out of this also.  If she would wear a skort, I'd make a skort from it and I might anyway since the bear cub can wear the same size, even though she is much shorter, but I haven't quite decided yet.

Another Bra

 I went ahead and made one for my engineer, too.  She is shaped very differently from the nerdlet but this is the same pattern, but not finished with the elastic on the bottom (which if I added at the nerdlet's size would not possible fit the engineer.  You can see by the wrinkles on the front that it is too small there, but she says it is much more comfortable like this than any of her others.  I also like that though I did not intend it, when I added the straps that I made it good for boatneck tops.  I will have to draft a different one with the straps close to the neck.

As an added note, I got permission from the engineer to post these.