Birthday in Grinnell, Iowa

A new post from Rex in Grinnell, Iowa!

What did you make?
We grilled some Iowa top round sirloin on a coal fire outside in 30 degree weather. Alongside the steaks are bacon-wrapped asparagus and vegetable kebabs (potatoes, eggplant, red and green bell peppers, onions)

How long did it take?
The steaks were pretty large and took a couple of hours to grill (we bought a total of 10). Prep time was roughly half an hour for all of them, brushing them with a rub of worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic powder, and a bunch of other random spices found in the cabinet. The vegetables took about 15-20 minutes to cook on a dying fire.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?
Tasted pretty good of course, everyone likes grilled meats! Steaks were very tender, but a little tough because of the cut (ribeyes have more fat and might be better for grilling). Vegetables were a little burnt at the edges, but otherwise good. Was a bit of an expensive meal that consumed a lot of time, so it would only be made again for special occasions.

Italian Lentil Soup (from Germany)

Our first post from outside the States! Nina from Germany made this Italian Lentil Soup!



What did you make?

It's called Minestra di lenticchie, lentil soup. You wash brown lentils (250 grams) in a sieve and put them into lots of water so they can soak over night (which makes preparation time a bit longer...). you cut an onion into rings, and a celery (from a bush/shrub) into half. Then you boil the lentils in the water that they soaked in, together with the onion and the celery-half and let it simmer for about 2 hours. Then you chop garlic, parsley and some speck (bacon) and also some onion and the other half of the celery into pieces. Peel and chop tomatoes (about 4). Fry the chopped up vegetables with olive oil, spices, salt, pepper, then put the tomatoes into that mix and let it stew. Put that mix into the water with lentils, maybe add some water and salt/pepper. When lentils are done, take the half of the celery out of the soup and put some small soup-pasta into it, if you want. Some pecorino cheese on top adds a nice flavour!

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I love it, and give it a 8-9, depending on how well the flavour turned out (it always depends on the spices and changes from cooking to cooking). I can always eat this, it's a winter-comfort-soup, delicious and healthy!

BlueberryLemonLimeade

What is this?

Sorry about the unrotated photos but I'm eager to just post my super post-workout drink. I add frozen blueberries, a slice of lime, a slice of lemon, and then water and juice. You can choose what proportions you enjoy but I love the color of this drink and you could also you sparkling water. I have added a little honey to this as well and I am considering adding a little bit of cinnamon next time. Let me know if you try it.

How long does it take?

It takes 2 minutes or less depending on how fast you slice the lemon and lime.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give it an 8. I could have added more juice to make it a just a bit sweeter but I make this maybe once a week as a treat after a workout.

13 minutes!

What did you make?

This was my lunch. I started by sauteeing some green onions and then throwing in some frozen corn, peas, spinach, edaname, and string beans. Meanwhile I also microwaved some chicken tenders. When the vegetables warmed up I tossed in an egg and then finally rice and soy sauce and black pepper. I cut up the chicken tenders and added this to my completed dish. I let it cool on a plate before packing it up for lunch. I was pressed for time so I saw that I started at 8:03am and was done by 8:16am.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give it an 8. I like how there are a lot of vegetables but the egg and chicken add some oomph to the combination. I would make it again. I enjoy adding eggs to vegetables.

All Purpose Tofu

What did you make?




This was the first version of my lunch. There is a Chinese dish that is usually eaten during summer months that uses black preserved egg , tofu, scallions, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I modified it with hot sauce and some leftover canned tuna. Sadly, no preserved eggs this time.




I added the salad below ! Yes, an apple was part of my lunch too.

How long did it take?

I made it before work so it was a very very quick dish. I think it took 5 minutes. I sliced the tofu, added tuna , hot sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil and pepper.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would give this a 8. It was a very lovely flavor combination for me and it was satisfying to eat something that was soft and still tasty when chilled. I will probably use this as a backup lunch recipe.

Cooking dinner isn't eggactly a science

What did you make?

I was starving and made myself a speedy dinner using eggs! My friend Erin would be surprised by my scrambled egg on salad combination for brunch but it tastes really good and it is a convenient dinner. I sauteed some spinach and mushrooms before adding eggs , hot sauce, pepper, and some cheese. I used tomato sauce for a bit of dressing on the salad.

How long did it take?

The mushrooms were presliced. The sauce was from a can. The salad was from a bag. The spinach was from a bag. All I had to do was combine, stir fry and put all the ingredients back into the fridge. Probably 15 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

It tasted great because I was hungry. I would give it an 8. Simple but very satisfying. I admit it is a bit tricky to eat this without using some napkins :) I have made this again and just skipped the salad by adding more vegetables into the egg scramble.

Tofu Supreme

What did you make?

Lately, I've been searching for the quickest meals possible and tofu is a great protein without having to cook meat and it absorbs any flavor. This dish is my usual one dish meal for lunch. I still enjoy using frozen spinach and grated carrots for color and taste. Tuna in oil tastes much better than tuna packed in water and some of the oil can be used for the stir fry. I also added some hot sauce to this dish.

How long did it take?

Not more than 30 minutes.

How did it taste? Would you make it again?

I would rate it a 7.5. This meal was filling but not the most memorable. I like how if you use tuna, you dont need to add salt to your dish. At least I dont :) Grated carrots are easy to eat and you can taste the sweetness better. I admit if you look closely at the photo I didn't grate all the carrots.