Steak topper to top all Steaks

I love steak. I love all kinds of steak. I really love a really good steak. If you think a steak is a steak, stop reading and go elsewhere. If you want a fantastic steak.... visit  http://www.stokkesmeats.com/. This place unfortunately does not ship steaks. But if you are anywhere near Duluth, MN for what ever reason, bring a cooler and stock up on what ever fits your fancy. Damn tasty steaks and other meat products. It is more than worth the making up an excuse to travel to the Duluth area. 

If you are buying good/great meat, you don't really need to add a bunch of flavorings to make it enjoyable.  If you always buy good/great meat... this is just a way to change things up. If you can't always get good/great meat... this is a way to make things a little better.

Things you will need
1 Can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce
Steaks (as many as you need for the night)
Salt and Pepper as you would usually season a steak
Garlic (dried, fresh, or from a jar)
1 Stick of Butter
Lime Zest and or Lime Juice

I usually buy this brand
but you can buy what ever brand you can find. 

The steaks are a little different story. Good meat = Good Meals. Make sure you find a meat monger that you trust and provides top quality morsels. 

Let the butter sit at room temp and become soft. When you get the butter to room temp you can mix that with a chipotle pepper cut up in to small pieces. I like to add some diced garlic, lime zest from half a lime, and lime juice from that half of a lime. When you have everything mixed in that you want for your butter... place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and form it into what ever form you would like. I usually make it back into a butter stick, but another popular form is more of a round disc form. Place this in the fridge to let it form up.

If you are cooking more than a couple steaks or want more of a bold flavor... play with the amounts of each ingredient. Anything that you see on this blog, should be a suggestion or used in an advisory role, Some people like stronger flavors... others more subtle seasonings. Any way you do this one... it will be great! (As long as you know how to cook a steak!)

Cook the steaks to the temps that you would like and when you remove the steaks for their rest period, place a couple of slabs of the compound butter on the steaks and cover. Let them rest for 5 minutes and the butter will melt. Makes okay steaks yummy, makes great steaks super tasty! Enjoy this one with who ever is worth the current price of steaks!

Pantry Cleaner

Chicken, Rice, & Whatever you can find
This one was something I found when I had looked in the freezer and the pantry and needed to clear some things out. You can sub a few different items in this one and add or subtract as you choose. 

Things you will need:
1 Cup White Rice                                     1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Mushroom                       1 can Cream of Chicken
2 Tbl Butter Melted                                  1 tea paprika
Other Seasonings as seen Fit                    Chicken

I usually use bone in chicken for this one, but you can use boneless chicken breasts too. The timing will change if you use boneless chicken. The original recipe calls for water, but i like it better with chicken broth. I also usually double this up to get more rice and flavor in the mix. The amount of chicken is limited on how much can fit in the pan.

Turn on your oven to 350 and spray a 13 X 9 baking pan.

In a large bowl stir together the rice, soups, and chicken broth. This is where you can add in different seasonings as you adjust it to your individual tastes. I usually peek in the cupboard and see what is available. Once you have everything mixed together you can transfer this to the baking dish.

Place the chicken in the pan making sure to keep the top side exposed. You can then drizzle the melted butter over the exposed chicken pieces and then finish off with the dusting of paprika. I like the smoked paprika right now.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes.  If you use boneless chicken breasts, reduce your cooking time to 45 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. Always make sure to check your temperatures on your chicken.