Spicy beef in lettuce wraps

There's been way too much baking on this blog recently, so let's get back to some real food! This recipe is great if you have just emptied the dishwasher and have plenty of clean serving bowls. I think we ended up using at least 5 or 6 for all of the components. The lettuce wraps are a nice departure from the usual tortillas or taco shells and the spicy beef marinade/sauce is balanced by the addition of the mild sliced vegetables.

The meat is thinly sliced, then marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and rice vinegar. The steak is then broiled while the marinade is allowed to boil for a few minutes and used as a sauce.

Many accoutrements would work well inside the lettuce wraps, including carrots and onions. We chose bean sprouts and thinly sliced red peppers and scallions. For some added spice I topped each wrap with some Sriracha.

Spicy Beef in Lettuce Rolls
From the Family Circle cookbook
Serves 6

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes
1.5 lbs top round steak
1 bunch scallions
1.5 cups bean sprouts
2 red peppers, thinly sliced
1 head Boston lettuce

Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, sesame oil and pepper flakes. Slice beef into 2-inch wide strips and add to marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut scallions into 2-inch lengths, then cut each piece again lengthwise. Place scallions, bean sprouts and red peppers into separate serving bowls. Separate lettuce leaves and place in a separate serving bowl.

Heat oven to broil. Transfer beef to broiler pan rack and pour marinade into small saucepan. Broil beef for 5-6 minutes, turning over halfway though. Bring marinade to boil for 3 minutes, then pour into a small serving bowl. Assemble wraps and eat!

Oatmeal Craisin chocolate chip cookies

Craisins are apparently my new favorite food. They are basically dried cranberries coated with sugar, with a raisin-like consistency. You can eat them directly out of the bag, but they are great on salads, trail mix or baked into cookies. We had a ton left over from Passover and I've been snacking on them pretty much every day.

On Sunday afternoon, as my wife and I were on the porch relaxing after a day of yard work, I happened to notice a recipe on the back of the Craisins bag. Realizing that we had all of the necessary ingredients (well, almost) we whipped these together for an evening snack. I say "almost" because the original recipe calls for 2/3 cup white chocolate chunks. We had less than 1/3 cup of regular chocolate chips, but I don't think the cookies really need the extra chocolate. They are sweet enough, especially when you get a Craisin-filled bite! Here's how to make them . . .

Beat the brown sugar and softened butter together until the mixture is light and fluffy.

After adding the egg and the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and oats) the Craisins and chocolate chips are folded in.

The dough is dosed out by teaspoonfuls, leaving about an inch or two between each cookie.

After about 10 minutes in the oven the cookies are allowed to cool on a rack.

Oatmeal Craisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Modified from the back of the Craisins bag
Makes about 30 cookies

2/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 ounces Craisins
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the butter mixture in 3-4 additions, mixing well between additions. Add Craisins and chocolate chips, then drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.