I often speak of taking risks in the kitchen. Taking a chance in the kitchen is like taking a chance in life. How often do you try something new or unique, a new recipe or style of cooking? I have decided to eat my own words and pick up a new segment on this blog. Once a week I will try and make something I have never made before, something from a different cuisine to a different style of cooking. What has inspired me to take such a leap? I was recently introduced to Jason Bahamundi from the blog <a href=”http://cooktraineatrace.com/”>CookTrainEatRace</a>. Jason’s blog and my blog could not be more different if you tried. Where I cook mainly somewhat unhealthy, meaty, and fun dishes, made from things I find in the pantry, Jason’s approach is healthy, amazing-looking, well-planned, vegetarian dishes. We both write about the things we love and our passions. His running in marathons and training and my goals and achievement and getting what you want in life. Although our food choices differ, we are united by our desire to tell a story centered around good meals.

His blog has inspired me to do more and set higher goals on my cooking. If you read his <a href=”http://cooktraineatrace.com/about/”>About Page</a>, you can see how is life has unfolded and the risks he has taken. That is exactly what you have to do get what you want out of life. Do what you have to do to follow your passions and desires. Make the sacrifices you need to make to accomplish your goals. Jason chose a vegetarian lifestyle to help get better at something he loves to do. What are you willing to give or take on that would help you get were you want to go?

Inspired by Jason’s passion, I have decide to up my game on this blog. Each week I will roll out a different cuisine or dish style. I will push myself to make dishes that take me further outside my comfort zone. Here is a list of styles I will work on. Please add more styles to help me out.

1. Vegetarian
2. Vegan
3. Gluten Free
4. Raw
5. Kosher
6. Organic
7. Ethnic (Italian, Polish, German, Chinese…etc)

This is a short list but I am sure there are styles of cooking (or not cooking) I don’t know about. Please let me know. Also, with many of these styles of cooking, I am going to have to do a lot of research so if you have recipes or links to recipes for any of these styles, I will take that, too.

Jason and I talked via Twitter (@cooktraineatrace and @manlyhousewife) about taking one of each other dishes and doing it in “our” style, which for me was a huge challenge. I took his recipe for Buffalo Tempeh and Black Bean, Zucchini and Olive Tacos and did The Manly Housewife way. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Round Steak Tacos & The Manly Housewife Hot Wings

Serves 2

Ingredients: Tacos

4 Corn Tortillas

2 4-Ounce Eye of Round Steak

1 Avocado

1/8 Cup Onion, chopped

1/4 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 Green Onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon Cilantro, chopped

Shredded Cheese

Couple of Black Olives, chopped (optional)

Lime Juice

Taco Seasoning (for the Manly Housewife version click here)

Olive Oil

Ingredients: Hot Wings

6 Hot Wing Drum Sticks

1/4 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup Hot Sauce (Cholula or Franks)

1 Tablespoon Honey

Season Salt

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sprinkle frozen hot wings with season salt and cook for 45 minutes. Finish, by turning heat up to 425 for another 15 minutes.
3. To make wing sauce, mix together butter, hot sauce, and honey and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, add hot wings; cook and addition 5 minutes and ready to  serve.
4. For the tacos, season both sides of the meat with taco seasoning.
5. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
6. Place steak  in pan and cook 2 minutes each side; remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, then dice.
7. Warm tortillas in oven or microwave; then layer steak, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, olives, lime juice, and cheese.
8. Garnish plate with avocados.
9. Enjoy!

12477 Timberland Boulevard

Keller, Texas 76244

817-337-6999

Its been awhile since I did an Out ‘n About segment here on the Manly Housewife. Let me start this one and sum up our experience in one word, WOW! We went to a local Italian eatery in Keller, Texas, that we had heard good things about. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint. From the atmosphere to the food, this is truly a marvelous dining experience. With a slight wait, we chose to sit at the bar top, and I’m glad we did. There we met our bartender/server for the evening; he introduced himself as Justin. He politely walked us through the menu and wine selections, explaining the different courses and the different wines. Immediately, we all felt like we had made a friend. Through what seemed his expertise in wine, we selected a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon and some calamari, and our night began. Through the conversation we learned that Justin and his wife, Cynthia, own the restaurant and that they had a great, heartwarming story to tell. The details of the heartwarming story are theirs to tell, but you can read about the restaurant life here. Cynthia came by and joined in the conversation but quickly went back to greeting guests and ensuring proper service throughout the restaurant.

Some of the great things we loved out this restaurant:

• The Atmosphere – Elegant, yet not uninviting, warm and comfortable
• The Prices – Not over the top (unless you have as many bottle of wine as we had); most meals range from $10 to $16 and no wine bottle is over $20
• The Food – Wonderfully prepared and the flavors blend well together
• The Wines – Each wine handpicked by Justin himself, and, let me tell you, these were some of the best selections we have come across
• The Owners- Dedicated to their craft, Justin and Cynthia put their heart and soul into their restaurant. You can taste it with each bite, feel it with each drink, and see it when you walk through the door.

The pictures on the rest of this post were taken from cellphone if the quality does not due the justice.

We started the dinner with wine. There of us chose Oliva’s house salad with their house vinaigrette, except my wife, who chose the Caesar. Although not disappointed with her choice of a Caesar salad after tasting the vinaigrette wished she had ordered that (she ate a lot of mine).

The Main Courses

My Sister-in-law had the Manicotti ricotta and herbs rolled in pasta topped with marinara & mozzarella. The flavors were wonderful, the seasonings blended well with the sauce, and the taste was not overpowering.

My brother enjoyed Rib Eye Steak 12 oz,  rosemary-mushroom and onion butter,  fresh vegetables (the Manly Housewife pick of the menu). The flavors and tenderness of this steak was divine.  My brother and I had serious reservations about ordering a steak in an Italian restaurant but, let me tell you, it was well worth it.

My wife had Chicken Marsala: mushrooms, Marsala wine sauce. These succulent chicken breasts were smothered in a rich Marsala sauce and the mushrooms had its own distinctive complex aroma that tantalized the tastebuds.

I enjoyed the Veal Genovez: portobello mushrooms, with creamy cognac  sauce. What a flavorful dish! You could not ask for more flavor with each bite, a perfect combination on a bed of pasta.

After several (and a few) bottles of wine, we decide we were going all in on the desserts. With four of us at the bar top and five desserts, we each decided get something different, so as to try as many as we could. Typically, most people do not save room for dessert when they eat out; however, here I would not suggest that. Just jump right in and eat as much as you can.

The Desserts

Tiramisu

Cannoli

Creme Brulee

Cyn-sational Chocolate Custard

Oliva’s has become a staple in our family. Their top notch flavors and attention to detail are second to none. They get the Manly Housewife stamp of approval. Go see them and tell them The Manly Housewife sent ya.

 

Follow them on Facebook

Life’s a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don’t worry about what you don’t know
Life’s a dance you learn as you go

The longer I live, the more I believe
You do have to give if you wanna receive
There’s a time to listen, a time to talk
And you might have to crawl even after you walk
Had sure things blow up in my face
Seen the long-shot win the race
Been knocked down by the slamming door
Picked myself up and came back for more

Life’s a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don’t worry about what you don’t know
Life’s a dance you learn as you go

I love these lyrics from John Michael Montgomery song life’s a dance. Every time I learn something new or face a new challenge, this song pops in my head. Growing up on trucking music (old-style country), I love the songs that tell a story. Since I have been married, I have expanded my music tastes and listen to everything from Broadway to Metal. But it’s the songs that tell a story in any genre that really get to me. Songs can invoke feeling of joy, hate, love, passion, grief, guilt, and pure empowerment. Ever been in a situation where the right song comes on and you begin to sway and get a vibe-like feeling? You get ramped up and feel like you can take on the world, songs like “Eye of The Tiger” from the Rocky movies. If that song doesn’t get moving, please check your pulse!

The cool things about songs is they can evoke so much emotion that they can be a key to accomplishing your goals. Have an important meeting coming up? Try listening to “Eye of the Tiger” or Eminem’s song “Lose Your Self.” Have a morning where you can’t get moving?  Listen to “You Gotta Want I,” Roberta Gold, from Fame.  Have a day when you just want to throw in the towel and sulk? Go listen to “300 Violin Orchestra,” Jorge Quntero. The trick is finding that music that can inspire you. Like the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” look for the Team Hoyt video on Youtube.

When you need that boost, find your best song and jam in car or with an mp3 player. In a matter of a few minutes you can have a completely different experience than you were having.

 

Breakfast Rolls (Breakfast Sushi)

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 10 Inch Flour Tortillas

1 Cup Creamy Peanut butter

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (1/2 Cup Sugar plus 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon)

4 tablespoons of Syrup (we like the butter flavor)

 

Directions

1. Warm tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave or in a skillet over medium high heat (if using a skillet 30 seconds both side)
2. Spread 1/2 cup peanut butter on each tortilla
3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cinnamon sugar on each peanut butter topped tortillas
4. Roll it up like a sushi roll and cut into bite size pieces
5. Put 2 tablespoons worth of syrup in a little cup or drizzle over the top
6. Enjoy!

My sister-in-law sent this to me yesterday. Her family, which includes my brother and their three daughters, has recently been stationed with the United States Marines Corps in Okinawa, Japan. It has been an exciting experience for the family, in-general. My sister-in-law has been very influential on the lives of many little girls, with her various troops in girl scouts. I was excited to hear that they would be able to continue Girl Scouts while they were in Okinawa. It has been proven that children who are a part of Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts become more successful in life. And, I can tell ya from first-hand experience that their cookies are incredible! Please read on, and maybe you can lend a helping hand. The Manly Housewife will be sending over a donation to help with this project, and I hope you can see it in your heart to help, too. Watch this video: Japan Earthquake Tsunami 2011 Tribute, “Still Waters,” by End of Ever.

As our hearts and prayers go over to Japan, we were discussing with the girls and parents about what we could do to help.  As a whole committee, Kinser Girl Scouts along with most the other committees on the island have decided to get hygiene kits together to send over to Japan. One of our Sister Troop leader’s, Chizuko’s, family was greatly impacted by this earthquake, and her family (who are all fine physically) have lost everything. Our troop 442 wants to do everything possible to help our GS sisters in need, as well as anyone else we can.

We have decided to make hand towels into holders tied with a shoestring, and we are going to fill these towels with travel-size hygiene items. The cost is going to be $10 each. So we are asking for monetary donations to help with the cost. We also thought that each girl scout can write (or draw) a personal message to put inside each kit. So I ask that you tell everyone you know about this, use Facebook or any other resource that you have at your disposal. If people need to use this as a tax write off, I am including our tax id # and the address where anyone can send the funds. Let’s raise some money and show these girls what it truly means to give back to our community!

If nothing else, let’s just make sure we are sending our prayers. Thank you for your help!

Tax ID # 13-1624016

Send funds to:

USAGS Overseas-Courtney

Attn: Earthquake Fund

Unit 35046Box 227

FPO AP 96377

Please make checks to: USAGS Overseas-Courtney (they set up the checking acct for us all)

Lets see if we can send enough donation to make 10 bags. That’s only 10 people donating $10 each. That’s not much to ask for helping these people in a time of need.

10 1 from The Manly Housewife

9 8 Left to go

Please post a comment if you are willing to donate $10. If you can’t send $10 please post to help me let them know your praying for them.

 

Thank you for the help,

The Manly Housewife

 

I have always enjoyed cooking; however, other than for my parents and occasional family, I never really cooked for someone regularly until after I got married. I had tons of ideas in my head that I wanted to create and try. Each one a twist of  ideas and flavor blends that could tempt many palates. The problem I have had to overcome is that I have forgotten more ideas than I have created. I can watch a show and see something that  sounds and looks delicious and I think, man, that would be fun to make. I can mentally see the dish and run through ingredients in my head, planning on a wonderful dinner. Then life happens. You know what I mean. We would have to run to the store to get something for the dogs, mow the grass, or buy my wife another set of scrubs. If we were going shopping, then we have to hit all the stores (cause you can’t hit just one). Then we hit the home-improvement store, looking for more things to bring into our home. We then eat lunch out, whatever sounded tempting. We can do all these activities and a lot of times finish our day out at the grocery store. By this time, all the thoughts I have about making dinner are long gone. I’m so tired I have forgotten what show I was watching that inspired the dinner idea I HAD in my head. Heck, sometimes I forgot I even watched a particular show. We  inevitably do our typical, standard grocery shopping for the essentials. Now, all these ingredients can make some pretty fun meals, but the original meal that I had been inspired to make is long gone.

It became frustrating at times and, although I could pull of some pretty cool dinners, there are more I would have loved to try. So how did I fix it? Simple. I write it down. That’s it. Its just as soon as a thought about dinner occurs, I write it down. Why does this work? It makes me actually take an action. See, if I don’t right it down my mind thinks it not very important there for files it in the ever famous file 13. However when I write down what I want then the mind kicks it up a notch and says hey I should remember this. I put the paper in my pocket; then, when I hit the grocery store later, it’s right there what I wanted it. Pretty cool, huh?

This works in life as well as in the kitchen. Think about it. You have things you want to get done at work. . . write it down. You have lots of projects to complete around the house or in the office. . . write them all down, and cross them off as you complete them. Make it a game to write down everything you want; then cross it off as you complete each one. You can do the small things and the big things. Want a better job, a new car, to pass a test, or get to sleep by 8 o’clock? Whatever it is, make a habit of writing it down. You will be amazed how easy it is to accomplish things once you adopt this method.

Carne Picada with Strawberry Mango Salsa

Serves 2

 

Ingredients

1/2 Pound Carne Picada (Which means ground beef but looks like stringy strips of beef)

2 10″ Flour Tortillas

3 Tablespoons Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

 

Ingredients For Salsa

1 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 Cup Mango

1/4 Cup Strawberries

1/4 Cup  Onions

1/2 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

 

Directions

1. Heat saucepan and a skillet to medium-high heat.
2. In the saucepan, add water, sugar, and vanilla and bring to a boil; then simmer for 5 minutes, making a simple syrup.
3. Dice mango, strawberry, and onion, place in a small bowl, sprinkle on oregano and mix well.
4. Cover salsa with simple syrup; stir well and refrigerate  for 20 minutes to an hour (the longer it sits the better the flavor).
5. Mix Carne Picada with jerk seasoning.
6. Add olive oil to skillet; once oils begins to smoke, add seasoned Carne Picada.
7. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until meat is cooked through.
8. Warm Tortillas (we usually place them 30 seconds in the microwave).
9. On each tortilla, scoop the cooked Carne Picada; top with salsa, roll, and serve.
10. Enjoy!

 

 

Foodbuzz selected me to do 4 tastemaker posts along side the Texas Beef Council. I thought this presented a wonderful opportunity and was fitting, due to my recipes being mainly, well, meat. Texas Beef Council provided a stipend of $250 to create these 4 unique recipes and I hope you enjoy this one.

The Manly Housewife Sloppy Joes

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic minced

hamburger buns, split

1/2 Cup Water

Toppings (Sour-cram, Guacamole, Tomatoes, Onions, lettuce, Cheese, Salsa)

The Manly Housewife Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

½ Teaspoon Paprika

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook beef, onions and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and drain.

2. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

3. Serve about 1/2 cup meat mixture on each bun.

4. Top with all the ingredients

5. Enjoy!

Foodbuzz selected me to do 4 tastemaker posts along side the Texas Beef Council. I thought this presented a wonderful opportunity and was fitting, due to my recipes being mainly, well,  meat. Texas Beef Council provided a stipend of $250 to create these 4 unique recipes and I hope you enjoy this one.

 

Manly Tacos

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Pound Ground Beef

1/2 Tomato Chopped

1/2 Onion Chopped

Lettuce & Accompaniments (Sour-cream, Guacamole & Salsa)

1/2 Cup Water

 

The Manly Housewife Taco Seasoning Ingredients (Per 1 Pound Ground Beef)

Ingredients

½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

½ Teaspoon Paprika

½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder

½ Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Salt & Pepper, to taste

 

Directions

1. Heat skillet to medium high heat
2. Add meat and cook until brown (about 10 minutes)
3. Mix all The Manly Housewife Taco seasoning together
4. Once meat is cooked Drain grease and add seasoning and water and simmer for 10 minutes
5. Warm some hard or soft taco shells
6. Top with all the ingredients
7. Enjoy!

About 7 or 8 months ago, our group was sitting around talking about vacations we would like to go on and places we would like to see. This couple mentioned that they had talked to his mom and brother about going to spring training for the Texas Rangers in New Mexico. See, these guys are huge Rangers fans; I mean his brother can tell you just about everything you want to know about the Rangers (…and maybe even some stuff you don’t want to know). So why do I tell you this story? I don’t think they understood at the time but they were solidifying a goal of theirs. They had talked about this goal with his family, and there it may have been more like a wish or a desire, something they wanted to do but hadn’t really yet formulated a plan. But now, they had brought it out into the open with the group, which meant they were turning this wish into a GOAL. I am pretty sure that shortly after that night they went to work setting money aside and developing a financial plan to make this goal possible. This is the key to goals: deciding what you want and making a plan to achieve it. Just telling someone or yourself that you want to achieve something isn’t enough to achieve it. That’s like cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time and with no recipe for the turkey. It’s a great thought, but without temperatures and times you will not get the desired result. You might get lucky and have a halfway decent turkey, but you have a stronger chance of making people sick. By telling the group, this was their plan to do later this year and going home to figure out how they could accomplish it set in motion gears of the world. Their minds became more focused on achieving the goal, and they could begin to see themselves enjoy the fruits of their labors. What’s the result? I received a text from them earlier this week with a this picture that said “View we’re having with lunch today.”

 

They did it. They thought about what they wanted. They formulated a plan and the steps to achieve it. Now they are enjoying it. Goals can really be that simple…

Spinach Chicken & Cheese

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 tablespoon Flour

1 Cup Milk

1/2 (10-oz) Package of Frozen Spinach

1/8 each (a few strips) Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell Peppers

1/2 Cup Grated Cheese

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/4 Cup Chopped Onions

1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

1/2 cup Flour

1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

 

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees (175 degree c).
2. Pound chicken breasts flat until they evenly 3/4″ thick.
3. Fill 3 separate shallow dishes: 1 flour, 1 beaten egg, and 1 bread crumbs.
4. Add garlic salt to flour and mix thoroughly.
5. Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then egg, and finally in the Panko breadcrumbs.
6. Add oil to skillet and heat to medium-high; once pan is to temp, gently place in chicken breasts (watch for splattering).
7. Cook 3 mins both sides.
8. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan saute onions and peppers in butter until onion begin to turn opaque.
9. Rinse and completely drain spinach and add to onion mixture; cook until spinach is warmed through.
10. Add milk and flour; bring to a boil, then and cheese and cook until cheese is thoroughly melted.
11. Place chicken in an oven-safe dish and cover with spinach mixture.
12. Bake for 20 minutes; remove from oven and serve.
13. Enjoy!

One of our favorite meals here is smothered pork chops. I know that I sometimes feature rather less-than-healthy meals that (more…)

Well, hello, everyone! I am getting back in the swing of things. What caused me pop to back in and post more? Foodbuzz, of course! They selected me to do 4 tastemaker posts along side the Texas Beef Council. I thought this presented a wonderful opportunity and was fitting, due to my recipes being mainly, well,  meat. Texas Beef Council provided a stipend of $250 to create these 4 unique recipes and I hope you enjoy this one. Texas Beef Council also provided a nutritional sheet I thought I would pass onto you with the list of 29 Cuts of beef we could use for this project.

 

I have been recently reading more and more books trying to discover who I am and where I am going. Each new book brings new insight  into what life could be or is about. It is continuing to be a fun adventure. I had the recent pleasure of sharing some of the books I have been reading with some family members. One cousin really enjoyed my first recommendation, so I thought I would share it with you. The first book is titled Tuesdays with Morrie. I first heard about this book through one of the many MP3s I listen to in my car (Thanks, Babe, for the MP3 player). It is a true story of a man who is dying and wants to share his insight into death, love, and everything to do with life. The book is happy and it’s also sad. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry (well, I cried). The story had such an impact on my own life that I had to tell people about it. To my surprise, about every third person I spoke to had heard of or read the book. I was a little frustrated to know that books like this were out there but no one had shared this book with me before.  So I am spreading the word. Go get this book. I bought it at Half Price bookstore for around $3.50. That’s less than the cost of a drink at the bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Sirloin with Steak Topper

Serves 2

Ingredients

2  10-oz Top Sirloin Steaks

1 Roma Tomato

3 Garlic Cloves

1/4 Cup Feta Cheese, crumbled

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil Leaves

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

 

Directions

Two hours before dinner prepare steak topper.

Steak Topper

1. Dice tomatoes.
2. Finely chop garlic (I use a mini food processor for this).
3. Crumble Feta.
4. Add these ingredients to mixing bowl.
5. Sprinkle basil and olive oil over the mixture.
6. Salt and pepper to taste and place in fridge until ready to serve.

Steak

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on steaks, lightly cover and set aside.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (the temperature is right when you can hold your hand for no longer that 2 seconds 2 inches of the grates).
3. Add steaks to the grill and grill 7 minutes each side (3/4-  to 1-inch steaks) for medium rare.
4. Place steaks on plates allowing them to rest a few minutes so juices will redistribute throughout the meat.
5. Top with steak topper.
6. Enjoy!