Tonight was the first meal made from my many magazine recipes!  I will be cooking quite often now (at least every six months) so please put your reservation in for a meal.  I do not want to eat alone.

The maiden voyage meal was ingested by none other than the Funky Four followed by a robust game of pinochle… although we could only muster up the gumption to play two games.  The general consensus was that everything was delicious.  There was a rotisserie chicken waiting in the wings just in case.

The menu was Beef and Bean Stir-Fry, Oven Roasted Root Vegetables, and Chocolate Pudding Bunny Cake with Strawberries.

Beef and Bean Stir-Fry Recipe:  2 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 lb. boneless beef top loin steak, trimmed of fat and cut in thin strips; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger;

2 carrots, thinly diagonally sliced; 3 1/2 c. broccoli florets; 6 green onions, cut in long thin strips; 1/4 c. orange juice concentrate, thawed, or orange juice; 2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce; 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper; 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans.  I had to improvise; just knew I had some things and didn’t.  No crushed red pepper=course ground pepper.  No soy sauce=Tiger sauce.   I was craving beans, so I added two instead of one.  Also, no green onions so I had to leave that out.

In 12-in skillet with flared sides or a large wok heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.  Coook and stir beef, garlic, and ginger until beef is browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from skillet.  Heat remaining oil.  Add carrots and broccoli, cook and stir 3 minutes.  Add green onions, cook 1 minute more.

Add orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper; toss to coat.  Add cooked beef and beans; cook until heated through.

The Oven Roasted Root Vegetables can be whatever you like.  Be sure to try new ones though.  You might be very pleasantly surprised.  Tonight I roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, and white potatoes.  Cut them in wedges or long slices, lay them in a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil over the veggies, add salt, take your hands and turn them over and over to coat with the oil and salt.  Some recipes call for roasting at 375, but I like to roast at 430 to 440 for 20 minutes or so, until fork tender.

The Chocolate Pudding Bunny Cake was just made from a box mix with a small box of chocolate pudding added as well as some extra water.  The glaze is 2 c. confectioner’s sugar, a couple teaspoons of vanilla, and water.  Whisk together and pour over bunny; add a little decoration for his ears, etc.  I bought the bunny mold last year on sale.

We drank the old wine that was in the refrigerator to make room for groceries.  Not too bad.

The end product looked like this:

Bon Appetit!!