Grilled Teriyaki Steaks with Peppers and Mushrooms

It's funny where you get inspiration from, or what may trigger and old memory.

The other day MGG and I were driving around enjoying the nice weather and the pretty scenery.  We often like to drive along the coastline from Santa Monica up to Malibu, have a little coffee or a snack, maybe dinner, and then head home.

On this day there happened to be a LOT of "traffic" on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).  I mean we were stopped and not moving.  Okay a little exaggeration, we were moving...slowly.  Not enough to catch the wind in your hair!  So I happened to look over and saw the Chart House restaurant.  A beautiful restaurant, all dark and moody inside, right above the water.  Very romantic.

Well, it brought back so many memories.  I used to celebrate my birthday there each year with my parents when I was in my teens.  I used to always get Teriyaki Steak and a virgin Pina Colada.  YUM!  I was in paradise, my own private Hawaii!  Later this restaurant became a go to place for special occasions.  We don't tend to go much any more.  I think MGG and I have only gone there once or twice.  (Note to self:  go to dinner at the Chart House!)

So I started longing for Teriyaki Steak and decided to pick up some NY strips steaks at the store and make my version of their wonderful dish at home.

I took a short cut by using a low sodium bottled Teriyaki sauce from Kikkoman's line. (Sorry, I do have a good homemade recipe but sometimes time is a consideration!)  It's nice and thick.  The one thing with Teriyaki sauce is you have to be careful and baste it on the steaks toward the end.  The high sugar content will have a tendency to burn on your food quickly.  If you do use it as a marinade, choose thin cuts of meat that don't require long cooking times.

I added red bell peppers and mushrooms as a topping to our dish.  MGG loves the veggies and it's a great way to get more in your diet.  This can be whipped up in under 30 minutes.  It's a great family dinner, special occasion, company's coming or weeknight treat.

So I must say, my steaks were fabulous!  I'm just a home cook, but they were darn good!  One bite and I was right back at the Chart House, 18 years old, having dinner.  Only thing missing was the Pina Colada!

Enjoy!

Grilled Teriyaki Steaks with Peppers and Mushrooms

serves 4

4 boneless New York strip steaks (1 inch thick)
Canola oil
3/4 cup low sodium teriyaki marinade and sauce (Such as Kikkoman)
2 tablespoons butter
10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips　

Allow steaks to come to room temperature. Heat grill or grill pan to medium high.

Oil your grate or the indoor grill pan with canola oil. Allow to heat up. Cook steaks, turning once, about 15 minutes for medium doneness, or until your preferred temperature. Baste with teriyaki sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking to avoid burning. Place steaks on a cutting board tented with foil to rest.

Meanwhile in a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add peppers and cook another 5 minutes until crisp tender. Add remaining teriyaki sauce to the skillet and stir to combine, cook 1 minute until sauce is heated through.  Plate steaks and spoon mushrooms and peppers with sauce over the steaks.

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula

Simple sides...

That's what this post is about.  Need a new side dish?  Stuck on the usual ones?  Well, everyone loves potatoes so why not serve them in a new way.

This potato side is simple to make.  The oven does all the work, and with the addition of arugula you get some added greens.  Plus it tastes fabulous!

The nice little dressing give it a little zip, so make sure not to skip that part.  

One try of these potatoes and they may become your new "go-to" dish!

Roasted Baby Gold Potatoes with Arugula 


serves 4

1 lb baby gold potatoes, halved
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 - 1 1/2 c arugula, loosely packed
1 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl toss potatoes with oil, garlic, salt & pepper.  Spread out in a flat layer on the cookie sheet making sure they are cut side down.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place back in the large bowl.  Immediately stir in the arugula and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to steam 5 minutes to wilt the arugula.  Whisk together the lemon juice and the olive oil and toss with the potatoes.  Serve. 

Old Fashioned Biscuits

I'm on the quest for the perfect biscuit!

Biscuits bring to mind farmhouses, pioneers, kitchens full of flour, big breakfasts, lots of family gathering around, and hot melted butter.  They also remind me of my mom's biscuits and gravy and my mom's Aunt Grace's kitchen back in Oklahoma.  Everyone trying to help with cooking, a kitchen crowded with people, and my Great Uncle Howard riding up on his horse to come to breakfast.  Such memories of country life for a child that grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

So on my quest for the perfect biscuit I steal, (I'm mean write down) every old recipe my mom has every time I go visit her.  Not nearly done...cause she has sooo many!  This one I found tucked in a drawer paper clipped to a stack of special recipes.  She can't remember which relative these came from but knew they had been made many many times.

So I decided to make these today.  The key to these is baking powder.  A small amount of butter in these.    They are very easy to whip up and I had them in the oven in no time.  They were not the most moist biscuit, but they certainly would do in a pinch.  All in all a good standard biscuit.  I'm still on my quest.  One of my favorite's so far are these. 

Try some this weekend and give a taste test to these biscuits.  Old timer's swear by them (or at least my family tree did!)

Old Fashioned Biscuits

Makes 6 biscuits

1 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
½  t salt
1 ½ t baking powder
½ t sugar   
3 T butter
½ c milk

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

Mix together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut in the butter until you have pea sized bits.  Add the liquid, mixing quickly and gently for about 20-30 seconds until you have a soft dough. 

On a lightly floured board, pat dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch in thickness.  Cut into squares using a knife or bench scraper. 

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.