Just a reminder not to wait for Jasmine and me tomorrow since we will probably be late.  I will be in a class in Rockville until 4 and then will have to go home to get Jasmine and then head to Applewoods.

Sweet and Smoky Dry Rub  

(Adapted from Southern Living June 2013)

I modified a recipe from the June 2013 Southern Living magazine and created this Sweet and Smoky dry rub.  It's great on pork ribs or a roast. By hand, stir the below ingredients and store in a sealed container for up to one month.

1/4 Cup brown sugar tightly packed (dark brown if you have it)

2 Tablespoons SMOKED paprika 

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons dehydrated onions

2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon red pepper 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Rub it on your roast or ribs and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Flank Steak

Flank Steak Marinade



I’m so glad grilling season is upon us again! After a stressful day at work, I enjoy being outside and cooking on the grill. This is an easy week day recipe and is good for a beginner cook.

Flank steak is a lean cut of beef that is delicious when marinated and grilled. Since it’s a lean cut of beef it’s better for you than a fattier rib eye steak, but it requires tenderizing. Flank steak used to be fairly inexpensive, but not so much any longer. Wait for it to go on sale at your local grocer. It’s usually sold in sizes that range between one and a half to two pounds. A 1 ½ lb flank steak easily serves two people for two meals. I like to serve it the second day for a delicious steak salad.



In the morning mix the marinade (or the night before if you’re organized). You can vary the ingredients to your taste.
• 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil (or 2 T of olive oil and 1 T of sesame oil)
• 2 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar (or 2 T of balsamic vinegar or 2 T of red wine)
• 3 Cloves of garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper ( you can use regular pepper if you prefer, but you may want to decrease the amount to ¼ teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon of kosher or coarsely ground salt. Don’t use too much salt since soy sauce is also salty.



Place the flank steak in a large plastic zip bag or a long flat plastic container with a tight fitting lid, pour the marinade over the meat and turn a few times to fully coat the meat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or all day while you’re at work.

When you come home from work remove the meat from the refrigerator and turn the meat over to get more marinade. Let the meat sit outside the refrigerator while you prepare for dinner. Beef grills better if you can let it sit until it reaches room temperature, but during the week you won’t have that much time. Take the meat out of the plastic bag or container and sit on a cutting board. Blot the meat with paper towels to dry. You want to grill the meat, not steam it!

When the grill is hot turn down the flame, put the beef directly on the grates and shut the lid. Grill for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Don’t turn the meat before 4 minutes pass, otherwise it may stick to the grates. While the meat is cooking pull up a chair and relax. Do not leave the meat unattended. Flare ups happen easily, and sugar and fat will cause a flare up and you’ll return to a charcoaled flank steak. Make sure you have long tongs and a mitt nearby so you can quickly move the beef if a flare up does occur. Flank steak is best cooked medium rare.

Let the meat sit on the cutting board for 5 minutes. During this time the beef will continue to cook and “set”. If you cut immediately, the juices will run out and you want to retain the juices within the meat.

Slice the beef with a very sharp knife. Slice across the grain, and slice very thin. Serve with a salad, green vegetable and a starch. Enjoy.

Thai Cucumber with Peanuts

This is an easy dish to take to a cookout. I like to keep it in the refrigerator during the hot summer months. Very refreshing and low in calories.

Thai Cucumbers with Peanuts

1 1/2 pounds cucumber (4 cups when sliced)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Peel the cucumbers. Halve lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Slice thinly. Place the cucumber slices in a colander; sprinkle with salt. Toss well. Drain in 1 hour. Place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down on the towel occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Stir in onion. Combine cucumbers and vinegar reduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Capitol Chicken

Capitol Chicken

This is taken from an old Perdue Chicken recipe. It's fancy enough for company, but easy enough for a weeknight if you use boned chicken. I like it best when using chicken breasts with the rib bone.

1 pieces of chicken
2 t ground ginger
1/2 t oregano
2 T brown sugar
1 T flour
2 cloves slices garlic
1/2 C sherry (not creamed) or red wine
1/2 C soy sauce
1/4 C oil
1/4 C water.

Mix sauce by mixing dry ingredients and then adding liquids. Place chicken in a single layer, skin side up in shallow dish. Pur sacue over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour (probably 30 minutes if using boneless chicken). Baste as needed. Serves 6

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs are easy to cook, but also very easy to ruin. There are two key elements, beating them to the right consistency and cooking them at the right temperature.

Whisk the eggs in a rolling motion that brings the eggs from the bottom to the top of the bowl and not in a circular stirring motion. Whisk for about a minute or until they are nice and frothy. The air bubbles alter the egg protein and will create fluffy scrambled eggs.

The temperature of the frying pan should be no higher than medium, and slightly below medium is perfect. Cooking the eggs at a temperature slightly below medium will result in soft fluffy scrambled eggs, preferred by most people.
Cooking the eggs at too high a temperature will result in dry and tough eggs.

Scrambled Eggs for 2

6 large eggs
6 teaspoons of 1 or 2% milk
3 dashes of salt
1 dash of pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
Vegetable or Canola Oil Cooking Spray

Heat a large(12") non-stick frying pan or cast iron skillet using a medium flame or setting.

In large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper in a rolling motion. Beat vigorously for 1 or 2 minutes.

Spray edges of pan with a cooking spray. Add the butter to the frying pan and when melted add the egg mixture. Lower the flame if necessary. When the eggs begin to set tilt the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to push the eggs toward center of the pan. As they cook break the pieces into smaller ones. When the eggs are close to done, flip them over and cook for about 15 or 20 seconds longer. Immediately, remove them from the pan. Eggs continue to cook after removing them from heat, and leaving them in a hot pan will overcook them.