perfect steak salad with grilled onions

sometimes the best weekday meal is a perfectly cooked steak, grilled onions and cherry tomatoes over a bed of mixed greens.  it's hearty and flavorful but nice and light, and it's great because rob loves it too!  as you can imagine, it's very simple to make...it literally takes about 10 minutes to put together!  plus, you can save the dressing in the fridge for a couple days.  this recipe is for two.  enjoy!

ingredients:

- bag of mixed greens

- ribeye steak (a pound or so), 1 inch thick

- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices

- handful of cherry tomatoes

- s&p

dressing:

- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced

- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 1 teaspoon brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

- 1/2 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger, optional

directions:

- heat a frying pan over high heat with some olive oil

- season the steak with generous amounts of s&p

- cook the steak on the frying pan for 4 minutes on each side for medium to medium rare

- meanwhile, mix all the dressing ingredients with a whisk; set aside

- remove the steak from the pan and let it rest; add onions to the same pan and cook until softened

- add cherry tomatoes to the pan to warm through

- slice the steak; add on top of mixed greens with onions and tomatoes

- finish with a drizzle of the dressing and some freshly cracked pepper

xoxo,

kara

japanese sukiyaki

for those of you who don't know what sukiyaki is (other than that 90s song), it's one of my favorite japanese dishes.  sukiyaki is a delicious one pot meal that is usually cooked at the table (like shabu shabu), and the flavors from the beef and vegetables mixed with soy sauce and mirin are out-of-this-world delicious.  and the best part is the leftovers!  i love piling the leftovers on top of a warm bowl of rice...yummy!!

ingredients:

- 1.5 pounds thinly sliced beef, cut into large bite-size pieces

- 1 package shirataki noodles, washed and drained

- 10 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed then halved

- 1 package enoki mushroom, bottom trimmed

- 3 stalks green onion, washed and sliced into 2 inch pieces

- 1/2 napa cabbage, washed and cut into 2 inch wide pieces

- 1 package of grilled tofu or firm tofu, drained then cut into 1 inch pieces

for sukiyaki sauce:

- 1/2 cup mirin

- 1/2 cup sake

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 5 tablespoons brown sugar

- 3/4 cup water or chicken stock

directions:

- mix mirin, sake, soy sauce, brown sugar and chicken stock in a bowl

- heat a japanese style hot pot or a le creuset type of casserole over medium-high heat (or on a table-top stove)

- add a tablespoon of oil

- add half of the beef slices and saute for a few minutes until browned

- add the sukiyaki sauce mixture to pot

- move the beef over to one side of the pot, then add the vegetables, tofu and noodles in neat sectons

- let the broth come to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes

- reduce heat to a simmer; once all the ingredients are softened, it's ready!

- serve with rice (if you want to be super traditional, also dip ingredients into a bowl of raw beaten eggs).  enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

dry aged prime rib

my family loves prime rib, so i always make it during the holidays.  it's super delicious, juicy, tasty and pretty much amazing (better than lawry's!).  last holiday, i gifted some of my friends a jar of "kkp's amazing dry seasoning rub" for this recipe...and now i have listed the ingredients of my special rub mix here for you.  please enjoy!

ingredients:
- 6 rib beef roast, bone in, approximately 10 to 12 pounds
- 1 package cheesecloth, cut in half (approximately 1 yard)
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 roasting rack AND a roasting pan
- kkp's amazing dry seasoning rub (ingredients below)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 carrots, washed, ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

"kkp's amazing dry seasoning rub" ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoon freshly cracked tri-color pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon coriander, toasted and cracked
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

directions:
- remove roast from packaging, rinse well
- pat completely dry, wrap with 3 layers of cheesecloth. place roast on a rack on a sheet pan in the back of a refrigerator, fat side up
- after 24 hours, remove, unwrape, discard cheesecloth and wrap with a fresh piece.  place back in refrigerator for 6 to 9 days undisturbed (trust me, it's worth it!)
- remove roast from refrigerator. remove cheesecloth, cut away the fat and trum the ends and any discolored parts of the roast
- preheat oven to 500 degrees
- place roast on a rack in a large, heavy roasting pan
- drizzle roast with olive oil, then rub with kkp's amazing dry seasoning rub. let rest for 20 to 30 minutes
- prepare vegetables. make a bed in the roasting pan with the vegetables and pour in the water
- (be sure to check the liquid level in the pan occassionally and add additional water, if necessary)
- place roast on top of vegetables and place in hot oven
- roast at 450 degrees for 40 minutes (and try not to open the oven!)
- after 40 minutes, reduce heat to 275 degrees and continue to roast for approximately 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches at least 130 degrees (see chart below). stay away from the bone while checking
- remove from oven, remove from roasting pan, loosely tent and allow to rest for 15 minutes while making the au jus

au jus directions:
- strain dripping from roasting pan, skim fat from drippings.  try to collect about 1 1/2 cups of the drippings
- place roasting pan over 2 burners, heat on medium high and add in drippings, stir to deglaze, add in wine and stock, reduce by 1/3, about 5 minutes on a steady boil, stirring occasionally
- turn off heat, add in butter.  season with s&p
- serve with the amazing dry aged prime rib. enjoy!!!!!

xoxo,
kara