The 2 Spoons

I love these easy Szechuan Beef Lettuce Wraps

March 1, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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These Szechuan-style Beef Lettuce Wraps are delightful to prepare and enjoyable to devour! Butter Lettuce was my choice, but feel free to opt for romaine or any other leaf lettuce.

This is a dish I start to crave and I have to make it! The beef is spicy from red pepper flakes, and there is a marinade for the beef of soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and salt. The stir fry is with ginger and garlic, a beautiful flavor combination. I always have to have mine with Huy Fong Sriracha http://www.huyfong.com or their Sambal Oelek. Yum.

What you need for these simple lettuce wraps!

soy sauce
sugar
dry sherry, cooking sherry, white wine or Shaoxing wine cornstarch
salt (optional if you aren’t using low sodium soy sauce, they will be a little salty)
ground beef
Vegetable oil
red pepper flakes
fresh ginger chopped garlic red pepper flakes
chopped green onion
asian sesame oil
letuce leaves, such as bibb, butter, romaine, boston, iceberg, leaf lettuce

Quick & Easy - Szechuan Beef Lettuce Wraps

You could actually add this meat from this recipe to my breakfast stir-fry! Delicious, Easy Shrimp Fried Rice.

Here’s an additional lettuce wrap recipe! Love these for Game Day! Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Quick & Easy – Szechuan Beef Lettuce Wraps

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Marinate the beef 15

Total Time 20

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Appetizer, dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry, cooking sherry, white wine or Shaoxing wine
2 tsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 lb ground beef
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp asian sesame oil
letuce leaves, such as bibb, butter, romaine, boston, iceberg, leaf lettuce

Method

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, sugar, and salt, and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch and combine everything into a smooth sauce.
Place the ground beef in a medium bowl, and use a spoon to separate it into five or six big clumps. Add about half the soy sauce mixture, and gently mix the seasonings into the ground beef, using your hands or a large spoon. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
To cook, heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the vegetable oil, swirl to coat the pan, and then toss in the ginger and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, tossing once, until fragrant but, not browned.
Crumble in the seasoned ground beef, and use your spatula or a git, slotted spoon to break it up and spread the meat out over the hot pan to help it cook evenly. Let it cook until it changes color on one side, 1 to 2 minutes.
Toss the meat just enough to turn the uncooked side onto the hot pan, and let it cook another minute undisturbed. Then toss well, using your spatula to break up any large chunks. When the meat is cooked, ad the red pepper flakes and the green onion and toss well. Add the sesame oil and remove from the heat, tossing once more to mix everything well.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Arrange lettuce cups on a serving platter and fill each one with a spoonful or two of the cooked beef.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole, 1970’s Style

February 27, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole is a casserole I’ve made since the 1970’s. It is one of those ultimate comfort foods that everyone loves.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole - 1970's Style — Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole – 1970’s Style

I can’t remember where this Chicken and Wild Rice recipe came from. Maybe some of you know. Did it come from a cookbook? or a recipe passed along? I’m not sure but it is definitely a keeper and to this day a favorite recipe for those that try it.

1970's Style - Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole — 1970’s Style – Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

1970’s Style Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I cook for my 90 years old Mother and she wanted this casserole the other day. Instead of the half and half or heavy cream this recipe calls for, I used Fairlife Milk which is lactose-free, has 50% more protein and 50% less sugar. https://fairlife.com Fairlife. This is not a recommendation for that brand, there are so many other brands of milk, but for those of you who need lactose free, I wanted you to know this worked perfectly. There may have been a little richness lost, but honestly, because of rich chicken stock, the substituted lactose-free milk was equally delicious.

Crunchy from the slivered almonds, flavorful wild rice, sautéed mushrooms, onions and celery, fresh parsley and thyme….this casserole is beyond yummy!

A dinner roll is nice with this luscious casserole! Here’s the link to mine if you are up to homemade: https://the2spoons.com/my-best-dinner-rolls-yet/

Chicken and Wild Rice, 1970’s Style

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Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 lb chicken tenders, cooked and cubed or 1 lb mixed dark and white about 3 cups cooked chicken
4 oz button mushrooms or baby bella
2 4.3 oz packages wild rice
1 small onion or 1/2 large, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 green onions
4 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp oil for sauteing
2 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth, more if needed
1 cup half & half or heavy cream I have tried with a lactose free milk and it worrks well
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh parsley plus a little for garnish
1/2 cups toasted sliced almonds
olive oil for browning the chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Method

I cooked the chicken tenders by lightly salting and peppering, and browned them on both sides with a little olive oil. I then added about 1/4 cup water, put a lid on, reduced the heat to simmer and cooked them a few minutes until cooked through. You can also use a chicken you have boiled or even a rotisserie chicken leftover. I then diced the chicken and set aside. This will be about 3 cups of cooked chicken.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to package directions
Meanwhile, saute the onions, celery and green onions in the butter and oil. After the onions have become tender and translucent, add the flour and cook for about a minute or so. Add the chicken broth and the half and half or heavy cream, whisking to ensure no lumps. Add the thyme, parsley and salt and pepper. Since you are using chicken stock, and you salted and peppered your chicken check to see if the sauce needs a little salt. You will want to add a little pepper; however, if you want to wait to salt after the casserole is put together, this would ensure you would not over salt. If you need more chicken stock because your sauce seems too thick, add a little at a time to adjust.
In a dry skillet, toast your almond slices until lightly browned.
In a buttered casserole, add your cooked ingredients and top with the toasted almonds Cook for about 20 minutes until bubbling around the edges and it is golden brown on the top!

Notes

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled!

Crazy Good BBQ Chicken & Grilled Vegetables

February 27, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Bbq Chicken is probably one of the most popular foods for the grill. It is that one meat that almost everyone loves and can eat! I think it epitomizes summer grilling!

This bbq chicken really is crazy good! It also makes a beautiful presentation for those you’re serving!

I spatchcocked the chicken so it would cook more evenly which actually cut down on the cooking time. Here’s a link that shows how to spatchcock a chicken. https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/01/the-food-lab-how-to-roast-a-butterflied-spatchcocked-chicken.html

I cooked the bbq chicken on the gas grill. After heating the grill to 350 degrees I placed the chicken on the top rack and turned off the burners directly below and I left the burners on the opposite side burning, basically I cooked with indirect heat. I also did not add bbq sauce until the last few minutes.

The day before I cooked the bbq chicken I rubbed it with olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides and I stored in the refrigerator uncovered overnight. Leaving the chicken uncovered will allow the skin to crisp even more!

Crazy Good BBQ Chicken & Grilled Vegetables

I’d serve the bbq chicken and grilled vegetables with a nice salad. My garlic green beans would be a great side dish. https://the2spoons.com/perfect-browned-butter-and-garlic-green-beans/

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Crazy Good BBQ Chicken & Grilled Vegetables

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Prep Time 10

Course: BBQ, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, bbq

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1 – 3 or 4 Lb Whole chicken, spatchcocked See above link for spatchcock chicken
olive oil for rubbing the chicken
salt and pepper
barbecue sauce of your choice

For the Grilled Vegetables

2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
enough red potatoes for your your number of servings
Salsa verde to drizzle on the potatoes if you like, and a lemon to drizzle on the vegetables

Method

For the Chicken

The day before grilling the chicken, spatchcock your chicken, rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator one hour before grilling to allow to come to room temperature. I used my gas grill, but you can use a charcoal grill. I heated my gas grill to 350 degrees. I placed the chicken on the top rack, turned the burner off directly below and left the burners low to medium on the opposite side. Maintaining the 350 degrees, cook until your chicken registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees. After about 45 minutes start brushing your chicken with barbecue sauce. It will take an additional 30 minutes to 45 minutes to reach the desired temperature. Brush again in about 15minutes and again if you like.
When done, remove from the grill and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes.

For the Grilled Vegetables

Slice the red potatoes in half and boil in water seasoned with salt and a little oil until they are tender. Gently remove from the heat to not tear the skin to tear. If you are not placing the potatoes immediately on the grill, cover with saran wrap.
Slice the two squashes. Brush the potatoes and squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill. Allow the vegetables to cook until you have nice grill marks. Turn, and do the same on the other side. It’s not really necessary to get grill marks on the other side of your potatoes. When done, remove to a serving platter. I drizzled a salsa verde on the potatoes and some lemon juice on the vegetables.

amazing texas smoked brisket beans.

February 25, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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These Texas smoked brisket beans are amazing! A little spicy from the seasoning mixture and a lot smoky from the smoked brisket! They are delicious and a great side for any BBQ meat and burgers.

I got this recipe from Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue! His recipe is in his book “Franklin Barbecue – A Meat-Smoking Manifesto”. Here’s the link for his book if you don’t already have you need it, especially if you want to learn his technique for smoking meats. https://amzn.to/2Sfm6A1

amazing texas smoked brisket beans.

I love these pinto beans! Sometimes I make them along side a smoked brisket, but usually I make them as a meal with cornbread.

Always a Favorite - Texas Smoked Brisket — Always a Favorite – Texas Smoked Brisket

I freeze the leftover brisket if there is any and just add it to these beans while they’re cooking. The brisket is so tender and adds so much flavor to the beans.

If you don’t smoke brisket and want to make these anyway, just stop at your local bbq joint and get some burnt ends or a half pound or so of brisket pieces. Chunks are better because you don’t want them breaking up in the beans. The lean end is usually what I use because it is less fatty which means the pieces will stay together, yet they have just enough fat to make these beans really good. Here’s the link for my Texas Smoked Brisket if you want to try it. https://the2spoons.com/always-a-favorite-texas-smoked-brisket/

Here’s the recipe for these delicious beans! Enjoy!

Texas Smoked Brisket Beans

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Course: BBQ, easy side dish, vegetable, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Beans

1 lb dreid pinto peans, picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup bean seasoning (recipe following)
8 cups water, plus more if needed
1 cup chopped brisket bark and 1 inch meat chunks

For the Bean Seasoning

1 cup chile powder
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup coarse black pepper
2 tbsp onion powder 2
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin

Method

For the Bean Seasoning

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container

For the Beans

Combine the beans, onion, bean seasoning, and water in a large pot and let soak for 4 to 6 hours or for up to overnight, which is actually what I do.
Add the brisket bark and the meat to the soaked beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 hours until the beans are tender.

Quick & Comforting – Beef Ragu with Pasta

February 24, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Quick & Comforting - Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine — Quick & Comforting – Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

What screams comfort food more than a bowl of pasta, smothered in a beef ragu, topped with shavings of fresh parmesan?

This beef ragu is simple and most of the ingredients are common pantry items. Garlic, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, red pepper flakes, ground beef are a few of the ingredients. I do like to use Italian tomatoes like San Marzano. If you aren’t familiar with San Marzano, here is a link that explains why they are such a good tomato to buy for a recipe like this: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/best-canned-tomatoes-san…

While this recipe calls for anchovies, you can omit them, but honestly, they make this beef ragu. You may think you don’t like them but anchovies just dissolve into the sauce, you don’t even know they are there!

I used fettucini with this beef ragu because it is wider than regular spaghetti and I wanted a thicker pasta with this sauce. Pappardelle pasta would be beautiful with this ragu, but you really can use any noodle you desire or that is your favorite.

Quick & Comforting – Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

Serve this delicious beef ragu with pasta with an Italian Salad or the salad of your choice, and garlic bread. If you’d like a vegetable side dish my garlicky sauteed spinach would be the perfect addition to the meal:https://the2spoons.com/garlicky-sauteed-spinach-red-pepper-flakes/

Quick & Comforting – Spicy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 Medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 Anchovy filets (optional) Anchovies add so much! You won’t know they’re in the ragu
2 Tbsp Tomato paste
1 Ib Ground beef, pork or lamb
1 28oz Crushed tomatoes I use Italian San Marzano
12 Oz Cooked fettuccine or other pasta
Parmigiana Reggiana Cheese shavings, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano grated
Fresh thyme parsley for serving

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a pinch of red-pepper flakes and anchovies, if using, and cook for a minute or two, just to toast the spices and melt the anchovies.
Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring occasionally so it has a chance to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize a bit, 2 or 3 minutes.
Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir beef until the fat starts to soften and the meat begins to break down. Continue to cook, stirring rather frequently until the beef begins to brown and sizzle in its own fat, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and swirl around to get all the remaining tomato, then add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper if needed and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until sauce is thickened and insanely flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve sauce mixed into and over pasta with plenty of parmigiana reggiana shavings or Parmesan cheese Or Pecorino Romano for grating over the top, scattered with a handful of crushed parsley.

Notes

Perfectly Peachy – Peach Cobbler

February 24, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Buttery, perfectly risen crust, loaded with peaches, this peach cobbler is the perfect dessert any time of the year!

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Perfectly Peachy - Peach Cobbler — Perfectly Peachy – Peach Cobbler

For years I would make peach cobbler with a pie crust on the bottom and a lattice top. There was no way I was going to change!

Well, one day, actually not that long ago, I decided to try this version of peach cobbler crust and it was quick to become a favorite especially with guest! Because it is such a favorite I always double the recipe when we have company for dinner or Sunday lunch.

Keeping it real southern I always serve this peach cobbler with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or my own homemade ice cream.

This peach cobbler literally takes 10 minutes to throw together! You want to make sure you have self rising flour, butter, canned sliced peaches, sugar, milk on hand and as an option I add vanilla and lemon zest.

My southern mother and grandmother would make peach cobbler with fresh peaches, sugar, a little flour as a thickener, allowing the juices to make its own sauce and would use a pie crust for the top and bottom. I still love that style peach cobbler, but if peaches aren’t in season and time is an issue, this peach cobbler is easy and a perfect substitute.

Speaking of keeping it Southern, Peach Cobbler has deep roots in the South. Here’s a little history of the cobbler: http://cowboyandchuckwagoncooking.blogspot.com/2012/04/history-of-cobblers-grunts-slumps-dumps.html

This peach cobbler is the perfect dessert to have with my southern fried chicken. https://the2spoons.com/finger-licking-southern-fried-chicken/

Perfectly Peachy – Peach Cobbler

Perfectly Peachy – Peachy Cobbler

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 28 oz Cans sliced peaches
1/2 Cup (1stick butter)
1 1/2 Cup Self rising flour
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
Zest of one lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain 1 can of peaches; reserve the syrup from the other. Place the butter in a 9- by 12-inch ovenproof baking dish. Heat the butter on the stove or in the oven until it’s melted. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Stir in the milk and the reserved syrup. Add the vanilla and lemon zest. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish. Arrange the peaches over the batter. Bake for 1 hour. The cobbler is done when the batter rises around the peaches and the crust is thick and golden brown. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.