Another Ro*tel dish

I made this up, so you can only blame me if it doesn't work out for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can Ro*tel or Hatch Original Chiles and Tomatoes
• sea salt
• black pepper
• cumin
• chili powder
• green onions

Directions:

1. Brown one pound ground beef. Add one can of Ro*tel Original chiles and tomatoes. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add sliced green onions.
2. Prepare your choice of a pasta. I use egg noodles, 3 cups. Cook per instructions.
3. Mix preparations well and serve with refried beans.

On the second night, I warmed the mixture in the oven with a cover of shredded 4-Cheese Mexican blend

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Adjust this recipe to fit your needs. For just the two of us, I only use one large organic sweet potato, cut into 1 inch wedges.

Ingredients:

• organic sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. bourbon
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes into a glass baking dish. 
2. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons bourbon. 
3. Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss to coat all of the potato wedges. 
4. Bake on 400 until slightly tender and glazed - about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. 
5. Toss every 20-30 minutes to keep the bourbon and sugar coating even. 
6. If desired, you can stir in 2-3 tablespoons of room temperature butter when serving.

Grouper - or most any mild white fish

Ingredients:

• grouper, cod, tilapia, bass or whatever type of mild white fish you prefer
• 1 egg, beaten
• cornmeal
• flour
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• canola oil

Directions:

1. mix cornmeal and flour (enough to coat however many filets you are fixing) with the egg in a zip-lock baggie; 
2. add sea salt and black pepper; 
3. add the fish fillets no more than 2 at a time and toss about until the filets are totally coated; 
4. transfer to an electric skillet with pre-heated on medium high mixture of canola oil and olive oil; 
5. cook until golden brown

Hush Puppies

I mixed several recipes for this one and added some of my own ideas.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 coup cornmeal
• 1 quart oil (canola or peanut)
• diced jalapenos to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the eggs, sugar, jalapenos and onion, then blend in the flour and cornmeal.
3. If you don't have self-rising flour or self-rising cornmeal, add 2 tsp. baking powder.
4. Drop the batter into the fryer by rounded tablespoons (I like them larger than most - use a teaspoon if you want them smaller) after the oil reaches its full temperature. Do not crowd the fryer - cook only as many at a time as will float freely to the top without touching each other. 
5. Fry until golden brown (you may need to turn some over if they are cooking unevenly). 
6. Drain on paper towels and serve while hot.

These went great with grouper, but any other fish can accompany them.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Ingredients:

• 1 head cabbage, cut into 1 inch slices
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
3. Lay cabbage in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Brush each slice of cabbage with olive oil, add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Add other seasonings to your taste.
6. Roast about 35-40 minutes until cabbage is still slightly crispy (more if you want it softer). Edges should be golden.

Creamed Spinach

Bechamel Sauce:
Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

1. In medium large pan, melt the butter then add the flour and stir until smooth.
2. Cook on medium for about 6-7 minutes. Mixture should turn light, golden sandy color.
3. Heat the milk in a separate pan until nearly boiling; add milk 1 cup at a time to the mixture and whisk constantly as it thickens. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes - constantly stirring. Add salt.

Spinach:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 lb. fresh baby spinach

Directions:

1. In large pot, bring water and salt to a boil
2. Add the spinach, cover and cook on low about 3 minutes. (The spinach is good to eat already as is). 
3. Drain spinach in a colander and press out as much liquid as possible.
4. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the Bechamel sauce over the spinach and mix well until every leaf is coated.
5. Reserve remaining Bechamel sauce for other creamed dishes such as peas or potatoes.

Delicious Flat Iron Steak

Flat Iron Steak
from allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. flat iron steak
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon (I used Merlot)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)
• 3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder

Directions:

1. Place the steak inside a large resealable bag.
2. In a small bowl, stir together all the other ingredients. Pour over the steak in the bag. Press out as much air as you can and seal the bag.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. (I mixed it all together about 7:00 PM and left it in the refrigerator overnight and most of the next day.)
4. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the steak in the hot skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side (for rare), or to your desired degree of doneness.
5. Discard the marinade.

The steak was very tender and tasty. I'm sure the ingredients can be varied, but I would definitely keep the garlic, salt, pepper, chives and olive oil. I might suggest trying different types of red wines to vary the taste, too.