How you doin”? The longer the pandemic continues the more we crave “comfort foods.” This is a recipe that restaurants serve to use up “ends and pieces” or the trimmings of the beef that was cut in-house. Since many restaurants no longer cut their own meat, beef dishes like this have all but disappeared from many menus.
 
When you pressure cook in an Instant Pot the beef tips will be very tender and quite delicious. The braising and pressure cooking create a wonderful, unctuous (in a good way), rich gravy. Personally, I prefer to serve this amazing beef dish over mashed potatoes—that’s what mashed potatoes were invented for. The gravy even makes instant mashed potatoes taste great. But if you prefer, you can also serve them over rice or wide egg noodles.
 
Prep time:  25 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Natural pressure release time:  10 minutes
Yield:  4 servings 
 
Ingredients 
For the dredge seasoning
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons steak seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
 
For browning the beef
2 pounds beef filets tips, cut in 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
 
For the gravy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup red wine 
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
 
Directions
To make the dredge seasoning

1. In a gallon sized bag, mix together the seasoning ingredients. Set aside.

To brown the meat

1. Turn on the pot's SAUTÉ setting (high temperature).
2. Cut the meat into 2-inch cubes and put them into the bag with the seasoning mixture. Close and shake the bag to coat the meat with the seasoning.
3. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Then add half of the steak cubes in one layer. Brown both sides, but don't cook through. Remove to a plate.
4. Repeat with the second half of the meat and remove to a plate.

To make the gravy

1. Still on the SAUTÉ setting, add the butter and onion to the pot. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot, loosening up all of the browned bits.
2. Add the garlic, stir and sauté about 30 seconds.
3. Add the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and thyme. Cook well to blossom the spices.
5. Cancel the SAUTÉ setting.

To cook the beef

1. Add the browned beef cubes back to the pot. Seal the lid and the release the valve.
2. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 25 MINUTES.
3. When the cook time finishes, let the Instant Pot NATURALLY RELEASE for 10 MINUTES.
4. After ten minutes, release the valve to vent to release the remaining pressure.
5. Stir, taste the gravy and adjust with salt and pepper, if necessary.
6. Serve over mashed potatoes, wide egg noodles or rice.

Chefs Secret:  Not quite thick enough for your taste? Whisk together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved.  Turn on SAUTÉ function again and stir in the amount of cornstarch mixture until thickened to your taste.
 
Quip of the Day: “God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #InstantPot #BeefTips #MashedPotatoes #Beef #BeefFilets #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

ow you doin’?  We’re coming down to the Dog Days of Summer and Labor Day is just about a week away. It’s been very hot in Los Angeles this year and I wanted to bring you something a little different, completely refreshing and a unique way to celebrate the end of summer. In some places in the United States the leaves are already falling from the trees. In California it’s just still hot.
 
Jimmy Buffet was a client of Perspectives. We had the pleasure of developing the menu for the Las Vegas Margaritaville restaurant. I apologize in advance to some of our many clients, but Jimmy was the most fun and easy to be around. It started with backstage passes to several of his concerts and the fact that he is just a great person to work with. He made few demands and gave us carte blanche to develop the menu as long as we didn’t change his mom’s meatloaf recipe. 
 
We were looking for a thirst-quenching change-up on the margarita. Now when you’re Jimmy Buffet and you own your own tequila brand it’s kind of hard to come up with something that hasn’t already been done. I don’t know if this was Jimmy’s idea or John’s or Chef Spencer’s, but together we dreamed up Margarita Pops—talk about hard liquor… this cocktail is truly frozen. It debuted at the Hilton on the Strip at one of the free, pre-opening Buffett concerts. They sold like Popsicles. This is the first time I’ve seen this recipe in several years and I can honestly tell you, they are as good as the first time we debuted them.
 
Start making these a day before you plan to serve them. This is an adult frozen treat—keep it away from the kiddies. 
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Freeze time:  6 hours or better yet, overnight
Yield:  4 pops
 
Ingredients
5-1/2 ounces granulated sugar
6 ounces fresh lime juice
4 ounces cold filtered or bottled water
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce fresh orange juice
1 ounce Margaritaville Tequila
1 ounce Grand Marnier
 
Directions

1. Put the sugar, lime juice, water, lemon juice and orange juice into a saucepan.
2. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring periodically, until sugar fully dissolves.
3. Remove the pan from heat.
4. Transfer the mixture to bowl and allow to cool.
5. Put the cooled mixture into blender and add the Tequila and Grand Marnier.
6. Blend until smooth.
7. Pour into serving cups and cover with foil or pour into popsicle molds.
8. Place a popsicle stick in center of each cup, piercing through foil.
9. Place the cups into freezer until frozen, preferably overnight.

 
ChefSecret:  Always drink responsibly!

Quip of the Day: “I had decided to turn my gun over the government, but I ran a background check first but found that none of them were mentally stable.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

​How you doin’? There is something truly special about Italian cookies. They’re great for holidays, birthdays in, fact just about any day and they’re perfect for people of any age. Need a little energy? They’re a wonderful quick snack or dessert. They are smooth, chewy, and delicious cookies. This is a recipe from Zallie’s Shoprite supermarkets on the east coast. George Zallie used to bring Italian bakers over to the U.S. once a year to help his bakers create new recipes. Hopefully, you’ll love them as much as I do!
 
Italian biscuits or cookies are said to have been invented by Antonio Mattei in the mid-1850s in Prato, just north of Florence. The cookies were instant hits at international fairs in Florence, Paris and London. Biscotto (for 'cooked twice') are also known as cantucci. Look forward to our biscotti recipe in a future blog.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  10 minutes
Additional time:  30 minutes
Yield:  48 cookies
 
Ingredients
1 stick butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (for coating)
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Spray sheet pan with non-stick spray.
3. Beat together the butter and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
4. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and combine into the butter mixture until just incorporated.
6. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared sheet pan spaced about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until firm, about 10 minutes.
8. Cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Spread the 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar on a plate; roll the cooled cookies in the confectioners' sugar to coat.

 
ChefSecrets:  This is one of those recipes when you need be careful not to over mix the batter when adding the flour.

Quip of the Day: “A little gray hair is a minor price to pay for all this wisdom.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #ItalianButterCookies #Zallies #Snacks #Sweets #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                                ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? More and more nutritionists are suggesting that we eat at least one non-meat meal per week. That may sound scary to some of my carnivorous friends, but vegetarian recipes don’t have to be tasteless or boring.
 
This recipe for easy-to-make Meatless Sloppy Joes brought me right back to my high school days when I looked forward to Sloppy Joe Wednesdays. We used to call it Mystery Meat Sloppy Joes owing to the fact that they were probably made with textured soy protein. In my recipe I still have all the protein you need in the form of lentils and black beans; I don’t suggest using a canned sauce or spice package. I’ve tried to make this recipe a little more health forward than the “good old days.”
 
My recipe is as delicious as it is healthy, even though it’s vegetarian-friendly and the wonderful, tomatoey Sloppy Joe sauce is made from scratch. This Meatless Sloppy Joes recipe offers all the flavors from the recipe that Mrs. Kurtz (cafeteria manager) used to make, minus the meat and preservatives.
 
It shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone who uses ingredients like bell pepper, lentils and black beans in place of beef or turkey that these replacements cuts down on fat. And, while you might think the amount of protein would suffer, each serving of these Sloppy Joes provides a whopping 17 grams! Additionally, by using lentils and black beans, these Sloppy Joes will give you a healthy dose of fiber, as well!
 
Even though this is a “from scratch” recipe my super simple stove-top version will be ready to enjoy in about 30 minutes. If you’re not used to cooking without meat, this recipe is a delicious way to try your hand at a meatless meal! Add a little bit of a healthful side by making a batch of air fried French fries or grilled corn on the cob.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Yield:  Makes 6 servings
 
Ingredients
For the Sloppy Joe filling
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons garlic minced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper, red, green or orange
2 cups red lentils cooked (1 cup dried)—follow the directions on package
15 ounce canned black beans drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 cup chopped green onions finely chopped, tops and bottoms
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
 
For the Sloppy Joe sauce
15 ounce canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup chili sauce
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
 
Directions
To make the Sloppy Joe filling

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.
2. Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Sauté until softened for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the cooked lentils, black beans and chili powder and sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes.

To make the Sloppy Joe sauce

1. In a separate bowl, combine the Sloppy Joe Sauce ingredients.
2. Add the sauce to the pot and mix well.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
4. Mix in green onions.
5. Spoon evenly onto toasted buns and serve hot with plenty of napkins or paper towels.

ChefSecret:  Some people have a minor sensitivity to lentils and black beans which might cause some gastrointestinal distress. Eater beware!

Quip of the Day: “The husband asked his wife, why do you keep buying all these house plants? All you do is kill them.  She replied, just to remind you what I’m capable of doing.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Entrees #Sandwich #SloppyJoes #Vegetarian #MeatlessSloppyJoes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

ow you doin’?  Can you believe it? We’re almost at the end of August? Peaches are coming close to the end of their peak, sweet season. A frozen cocktail is a great place for older peaches that may have gotten a little too ripe, past their prime and somewhat squishy.

Try using Blanco tequila and Suze (a French apéritif) both of which have an earthy flavor profile that makes them an excellent foil for the peaches. Try pre-batching and chilling the cocktail mixture the night before you serve it to give you a cold base to start with, requiring less ice in the blender and less dilution in the drink. Or better yet start with peaches that have been frozen and forget the ice.
 
Ingredients 
6 ounces Blanco tequila
2 ripe peaches, pitted, frozen and cubed
1/2 cup fresh-frozen pineapple chunks
2 ounces fresh pineapple juice
1-1/2 ounces Suze
8 mint leaves
1 cup ice (optional if starting with frozen fruit)
Garnish with mint leaves and extra pineapple chunks
  
Directions

1. Combine the tequila, peaches, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, Suze and mint in a blender jar and add 1 cup of ice.
2. Blend at high speed until well mixed and thick, about 45 seconds.
3. Divide between 4 coupe glasses and garnish with a pineapple chunk and mint leaves.

 
ChefSecret:  Plan ahead by freezing the fruit —peaches and pineapple—a day ahead before making the cocktail. For added sweetness, rim the glass with sugar by dipping it in fruit juice and then sugar.
 
Quip of the Day: “You know you’re getting up in years when you’re going to bed at the same time you used to get ready to go out.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Cocktail #FrozenPeaches #Peaches #Tequila #Suze #SummerCocktail #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021