| Fort Bend Foodie |
| Jay Neal |
Fort Bend Foodies unite! What’s a Fort Bend Foodie, you ask? It’s someone who lives in Fort Bend County, enjoys great food and wine and loves spending time in the kitchen. But the most important point of distinction between us and other foodies is that we have very little time for such activities.
If you spend a full day at work, then drive kids to soccer practice, dance practice and any other form of practice, and then pick up dinner at the drive-through window and go home and watch the Food Network, asking yourself, “When does anyone have time to cook like that?” then you’re a Fort Bend Foodie.
Now that we have revealed your true identity, let me reveal mine. I’m Jay Neal and I’ve lived in Sugar Land for 11 years with my wife and four children. I am a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. First and foremost, I LOVE food!
Now let’s talk more about being a Fort Bend Foodie and what this column in FortBendNow can do for you. My goal is to help you come up with menu ideas, paired with good wine, that will be delicious and time efficient.
I hate reading recipes in the newspaper and thinking ‘Wow, that sounds good but what would I serve with it?” I’ll take care of that for you. Weekly, I will give you quick, simple menus including all of the recipes, grocery lists, ways to include the kids and a great wine to go with it.
Since the kiddos go back to school next week (thank goodness!) I thought it would be good to have one last family back yard barbecue.
As for the wine, I love it, but I’m no expert. I’ve asked my good friend Kevin Simon for his recommendations. Kevin is a bona fide Fort Bend Foodie if there ever was one. Check out his column to your right.
This Week’s Menu:
Wedge salad
Garlic steak with mushrooms
Onion roasted potatoes
Turtle cheese cake
Meal time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
Cooking sequence:
Preheat oven; prepare steak – 10 minutes
Prepare potatoes and begin to bake – 10 minutes
Begin to cook steak; prepare salad (using clean knife and cutting board) and serve – 20 minutes
Wedge Salad
Ingredients
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 yellow bell pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chunky blue cheese salad dressing
Steps:
1. Rinse all vegetables; remove outer lettuce leaves and trim core. Place lettuce on cutting board with core end up. Cut in half through core, then slice each half again (makes 4 wedges); arrange on serving platter.
2. Dice pepper into bite-size pieces, or if you are really short on time, buy them already cut. Arrange vegetables around wedges; serve with dressing.
ONLY IF YOU HAVE TIME…
Blue Cheese Dressing:
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, plus additional to taste
2 tablespoons water
Steps:
1. In a blender or small food processor, blend together garlic, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
2. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream and blend until mixture is combined.
3. Add the sour cream, 3/4 cup blue cheese, and water, or enough to obtain desired consistency. Blend dressing until it is combined well; transfer to a bowl. Stir in the additional blue cheese.
Makes about 1 1/3 cups.
Garlic Steak With Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
2 pounds strip steak
1/3 cup butter
1 (8-ounce) container whole baby portabella mushrooms (rinsed)
Steps
1. Cut steak into four portions and place in a zip lock bag; add the Italian Salad Dressing and coat completely. Wash hands. Let sit 10 minutes; however, the more time the better.
2. If using a gas grill, preheat. If using wood or charcoal, give yourself about 15-20 minutes. Place steaks on grill; cook 5 minutes without turning. Turn steaks and cook 6–8 more minutes until internal temperature is 145°F (medium-rare). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. Adjust time as needed.
3. Once the steaks are done, melt the butter in a sauté pan and add steaks to coat. Remove steaks and cover to keep warm. Add mushrooms to pan; cover and cook 5–7 minutes until tender. Serve with steaks.
Onion-Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:
Aluminum foil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated red potato wedges
1 (1-ounce) packet onion soup mix
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup).
2. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl; spread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes.
If you want the kids to help with the potatoes, have them put all of the ingredients into a zip lock bag and shake until the seasoning coats the potatoes evenly. (Tip: Kids are more likely to try new items if they help prepare them.)
3. Turn potatoes; bake 10 more minutes. Serve.
For the Kids…
No, I didn’t forget the dessert, and the kids can help with this one, too.
Turtle Cheese Cake
Ingredients:
Frozen cheese cake
1 cup pecan pieces
Chocolate syrup
Caramel syrup
Steps
1. Defrost cheese cake.
2. Have kids sprinkle pecan pieces to cover the entire top of the cheese cake.
3. Drizzle as much chocolate syrup on top as possible without drowning it.
4. Drizzle as much caramel syrup on top as you like.
Shopping List:
Dairy:
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated red potato wedges
butter
Dry Grocery:
1 (1-ounce) packet onion soup mix
1 small container chocolate syrup
1 small container caramel syrup
1 (8-ounce) packet of pecan pieces
1 bottle chunky blue cheese dressing
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
Extra virgin olive oil
Aluminum foil
Meat:
2 pounds strip steak
Produce:
1 (8-ounce) container whole baby portabella mushrooms
1 cucumber
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper
Frozen foods:
1 frozen plain cheese cake
Wine:
Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
or Sterling Vintners Collection Merlot
Suggested extras:
1 package of yeast rolls
Neal is a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston.
If you spend a full day at work, then drive kids to soccer practice, dance practice and any other form of practice, and then pick up dinner at the drive-through window and go home and watch the Food Network, asking yourself, “When does anyone have time to cook like that?” then you’re a Fort Bend Foodie.
Now that we have revealed your true identity, let me reveal mine. I’m Jay Neal and I’ve lived in Sugar Land for 11 years with my wife and four children. I am a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. First and foremost, I LOVE food!
Now let’s talk more about being a Fort Bend Foodie and what this column in FortBendNow can do for you. My goal is to help you come up with menu ideas, paired with good wine, that will be delicious and time efficient.
 |
| Kevin Simon |
I hate reading recipes in the newspaper and thinking ‘Wow, that sounds good but what would I serve with it?” I’ll take care of that for you. Weekly, I will give you quick, simple menus including all of the recipes, grocery lists, ways to include the kids and a great wine to go with it.
Since the kiddos go back to school next week (thank goodness!) I thought it would be good to have one last family back yard barbecue.
As for the wine, I love it, but I’m no expert. I’ve asked my good friend Kevin Simon for his recommendations. Kevin is a bona fide Fort Bend Foodie if there ever was one.
