One of the greatest things about July 4th weekend is that ALL THE MEAT IS ON SALE!!! Beautifully marbled Angus ribeye steaks for $5.99 a pound. By the way that I cooked tonight, you would have thought we were celebrating the holiday early!

I have a dilemma. I have about 42 posts that are sitting in the “Drafts” folder. They must have hired someone over at WordPress to do nothing but wait for the moment that I log in. I get a pop-up message that nobody else that I know gets: “ALERT! Steamy Kitchen! You have 42 drafts waiting. Most of them full with incoherent thoughts and incomplete sentences. Are you planning on finishing them?”

I swear, my husband must have said something to WordPress….he’s always complaining that I’m a good starter, but a lousy finisher. Especially when it comes to painting a room. About once every 3 months, I get bored of a room’s color and shop for a new palette. I start eye-level and methodically paint a perfect 3 foot x 3 foot area on each wall. Because any higher or lower than than would require straining, reaching and grunting. And that’s just not lady-like (because….cough….telling the world about my Pocket Rocket is).

Well, good thing husband is a great finisher, and he is so patient too!

Back to the whole subject of 42 drafts….I have A LOT of recipes to share with you. All of them have gorgeous photos ready and waiting. Most of them have the recipes already written out in short-hand that only mutt wearing a pink tutu would understand. They are all realllllly goooood eating and recipes that are either family secrets taught by my Mom or ones that I have been refining over the years. But every time that I want to finish a draft….a shiny, new recipe (usually found on one of your blogs!) comes along and distracts my attention. Off to go experiment and cook something new! Dang….the life of a Flogger is really tough.

As previously mentioned in my post titled How to Top a Steak Just Like Fancy Restaurants, I am not allowed to go anywhere near the BBQ grill outside. Its just not my area of expertise and my husband is such a pro at grilling that I have given up even trying. Me messing with his grill is like husband coming into my kitchen and messing up my knife drawer. Grounds for divorce. So, in the spirit of a happy, peaceful marriage, I learned to kick-ass in marinating steaks and making steak sauces. The aroma of rosemary, garlic and steak-on-sale grilling outside just makes me giddy warm and happy inside (I’m just not a giddy kind of gal…is that ok?)

Grilled Garlic & Rosemary Ribeye Steak

Your favorite steaks Rosemary sprigs + any other fresh herb (I used Parsley) Lemon slices Garlic cloves, chopped, smashed or use garlic press Glug of olive oil Salt & Pepper 1. Season each steak, both sides with salt and pepper. I usually use 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per side on a large steak. I love salt. 2. In a bag, add all ingredients. Smish and smush a bit.

Get all the air out of the bag so that the herbs are hugging the steak.

Marinate. 1 hour on the countertop worked beautifully, but the longer you marinate, the more flavor you infuse.

Ideally, 4 hours (3 hrs in the refrig, 1 hr on countertop).

Make sure you bring steak to room temperature before you grill. 3. When grill is super-duper hot, Husband usually just takes the steaks out, lets the olive oil drip off and throws the steak on grill with the herbs, lemon and garlic still clinging to it.

Grill.

Serve with the herb/lemon/garlic cling-ons.

***

Here’s the rest of our dinner….sitting in Draft mode: two down, 40 to go

Honey Ginger Carrots with Citrus Salt

Garlic Truffle Fries

After a title like that, does this dish need any other introduction at all?!? Just trust me. These will be the best fries you’ll ever have. Look how light and crisp these are! Garlic, parsley and hints of truffles adorn these fries.

No shaved truffles…I’m not that rich! But I did a double-whammy and finished the fries with Truffle Olive Oil and Truffle Salt. The Truffle Olive Oil is a brand from Trader Joe’s….less than $10 for a bottle that should last you for many months and many different dishes. The Truffle Salt that I bought isn’t the greatest….I’m sure there are better brands out there, but it certainly worked well at its price of $7 a jar. It even comes with a built-in grinder.

The secret to these fries are:

1) Use a mandoline. While my favorite mandoline is this one , its only flaw is that it doesn’t do super-thin julienne. Which is why I also have the Oxo Mandoline which makes perfect shoe-string fries.

2) Rinse Rinse Rinse. After slicing, soak the fries in cold water for 1 hour. This helps get rid of a lot of the starch. If you don’t have 1 hour, just fill big bowl with cold water, add fries, swish good with your hand, dump water and repeat at least 5 times until water runs clear. If you don’t do this step, your fries will be soggy and mushy.

3) Fry twice. I know. Frying is bad. BUT if you’re going to try sometime as divine as Garlic Truffle Fries, don’t try to de-fat, un-fry or dis-oil this dish. If you’re on a diet, just quietly close this window and gnaw on tree bark instead. Fry the first time at 325F for 1 1/2 minutes to cook the potato. Drain and let cool. The second frying is at 375F for another 1 1/2 minutes to crisp the potato.

4) Drain. Grab a baking sheet place a wire cooking rack on top. After frying each batch, place the fries on the rack to drain and cool. The rack allows the oil to drip through (and not just collect on a paper towel and soak right back into the potatoes) and lets the fries cool evenly. If you stack steaming hot fries on hot fries, you’ll end up with soggy fries.

5) Use the right potato. In my opinion, Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are the best for frying. They have the right starch content and make fries with a light, fluffy interiors.

Garlic Truffle Fries

The amount of garlic that you use is directly proportionate to how much after-dinner lovin’ you plan on participating in. If you aren’t a big garlic-lover, just skip it. Don’t try to use garlic powder on these fries. Thats like installing a $5,500 Bose home theater system and only using it to watch cartoons (ahem). If you don’t have a mandoline, just do your best to cut the fries evenly, but feel free to make them bigger than shoestring. You’ll need to cook the fries longer during both fryings if you are doing thicker fries

Russet potatoes (about 1 medium potato per person)
Garlic - smushed through garlic press or finely minced
Parlsey - chopped finely
Truffle Oil
Truffle Salt
Oil to fry
Equipment: Mandoline & oil thermometer

Optional: top with grated parmigiana or pecorino romano

1. Cut potatoes. Soak in cold water for 1 hour or rinse several times until water drains clear. Drain. Pat very very dry or use salad spinner. Combine garlic and parsley. Use a paper towel to pat the garlic/parsley mixture to soak up any moisture.

2. Heat oil to 325F. Fry the fries in batches, for 1-1/2 minutes until cooked but not browned. Remove and drain. They will be a soggy mess. Don’t worry. Let cool.

3. Heat oil to 375F. Fry them for a second time, in small batches for 1-1/2 minutes. You’ll see that the fries will crispy up nicely. Remove and drain.

4. Sprinkle with Truffle Salt while the fries are hot. Just before serving, toss with the garlic/parsley mixture and just a lightest drizzle of Truffle Oil.

A great use for Citrus Finishing Salt is to pair them with carrots!

Honey Ginger Carrots with Citrus Salt

serves 4, adapted from Cooks Illustrated

6 medium carrots, sliced diagonally 1/4″ thick
1/2 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger (use microplane grater)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or parsley, mint)
1/2 teaspoon Citrus Salt (or to taste)

In a 12″ nonstick skillet, bring carrots, stock, ginger and honey to boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Uncover, poke a carrot with a paring knife. The knife should go through, but you should feel resistance, especially when you try to pull the knife out. Keep uncovered and increase heat to high and allow some of the liquid to boil off for 1 minute. Add butter, thyme leaves and stir to melt butter. Finish with Citrus Salt to taste.

Note: I didn’t use the butter in this dish. Figured I had enough fat in the Grilled Garlic Rosemary Steak and Garlic Truffle Fries that I could leave out the butter in this dish.

Another note: Sometimes I use 1/4 cup stock + 1/4 cup orange juice. If you use small carrots or slice them thin, then check the carrots after 3 -4 minutes. I like my carrots with a little bite, so I tend to undercook them.

What’s better than Asian Flavored Salts? A recipe using a flavored salt + a nice little gift from me to a randomly chosen lucky ducky winner (keep reading!) I am notorious for seeing something on TV, wanting coveting, and then coming up with 101 reasons fo Why I Must Have This Kitchen Gadget. Of course, after explaining to husband reason #79 for the fifth time in a row, he usually gives in….not because he thinks I Must Have This Kitchen Gadget, but because I’ve nagged him to death. Poor man. He’s since banned me from late night television. Something about child-locking any channel above 13 after 1 a.m. Prior to censoring late-night infomercials, I purchased multiple dehydrators, juicers, shark-vacs, chopper-boppers, swirly-twirlies, sucker-puckers, pasta-prestos and the Pocket-Rocket.

Oh wait…that wasn’t a kitchen gadget :::blush:::

ANYWAYSSSS…..I would buy these gadgets, rave and rave about them. We’d have fresh fruit juices every single morning for 2 weeks straight. Banana chips and beef jerky for breakfast, snack and lunch for 2 weeks straight. Random items in the household were vacuum sealed. Pureed pea porridge for 2 weeks straight. Verrrrry happy mornings if you know what I mean…2 weeks straight. But after the 2 week honeymoon, I’d bore of the Gadget and it would be moved from Prime Real-Estate on kitchen countertop to Skid Row in the garage.

Well, the other night, I lugged out my Flavorwave Oven Deluxe to make Sichuan or Szechuan Peppercorn Roasted Chicken. OH MY….I suddenly remembered reason #38 - luscious, moist, roasted chicken. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this chicken tastes. This has become my favorite roast chicken recipe (sorry, Joanne Weir ) and the tingly dipping salt that accompanies the chicken is quite addictive.

If you are tired of your same ‘ol chicken dinners, then you simply must try this. Once you cook the Sichuan Peppercorn Salt with the bird, it really does infuse the entire bird with all of its earthy aroma and flavors. Even my little kids loved this chicken and liked having a dipping salt. When you get your package of SZP (either from the store or from winning the contest below) - take a couple pods and chew. The tip of your tongue goes numb!! The peppercorn is not hot-spicy at all. Cooking with the SZP tames the pepperyness.

I almost always buy organic chicken now. Its healthier and the prices have gone way down on organic meats. Usually, I visit my small local butcher, The Chop Shop, where they have birds for $2.19 per pound that are antibiotic and hormone free. If you don’t have a local butcher that carries good, healthy chicken, and you are lucky enough to have a Super Target nearby, check out their antibiotic and hormone free chickens - $3.89 for a entire 3.25-lb bird. If you are penny-pinching, you really can’t beat that - its cheaper than a chemical-laden chicken! But please support small, local businesses like the butcher if you can.

I stuffed my bird with ginger, scallions and orange. Of course, feel free to substitute….use a few star-anise, cinammon sticks, garlic, lemon, parsley, onion half….basically whatever you have on hand.

My gift to you: In the comments, link to your most favorite recipe on your blog. At the end of the week, I’ll draw a random name and the lucky ducky winner will get a HUGE bag of Szechuan Peppercorns sent from me…enough to spice the world and beyond. Go forth and spread the love and joy of Szechuan Peppercorns! Yup. Thats how much I love you.

Sichuan or Szechuan Peppercorn Roasted Chicken

Of course not all of you have the Flavorwave Oven Deluxe, which really is just a convection oven in a plastic dome.

1 chicken, organic (I like using a small 3 1/2 pound bird)
1/2 orange
2-3 stalks of scallions, cut into 3″ sections
4 long, thin slices of ginger
2 tablespoons Sichuan Peppercorn Salt + more to serve as dipping salt
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 400F set for convection.

1. Wash chicken and pat very dry. Tie legs together with kitchen twine, tuck wings in. Generously season chicken inside and out with the Szechuan Peppercorn Flavored Salt. If you look at my photo, I use quite a bit of seasoning, which I think is one of the secrets to delicious tasting roast chicken. The roasting mellows out the salt - so don’t be afraid to have a heavy-hand in seasoning. Stuff bird with ginger, scallions and orange. Place bird breast-side down in roasting pan. Brush 1 tablespoon oil all over the top of the bird (which is the thigh side).

2. Roast chicken breast-side down for 30 minutes. Turn breast side up. Brush breast side with oil. Continue roasting until thickest part of thigh reaches temperature of 175F and breast is 160F. Generally, this will take another 20 minutes for a 3 1/2 lb bird. If using larger bird, add 7 more minutes for every add’l pound.

3. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Carve and serve with more Sichuan Peppercorn Salt on side for dipping.

One of the easiest ways to elevate your cooking to another level is to use flavored salts, or finishing salts. No recipe needed, really. Flavor + Salt = Flavored Salt. REALLY!!! I know you just had a V-8 moment just now (wow. that sure dates me. does anyone know what i’m talking about?!) My latest crush, Eric Gower the Breakaway Cook, writes extensively about finishing salts on his website and even gives you several flavors to try. I like to use these salts in place of regular salt - the flavor I use is dependent on either the type of dish I’m cooking, the ethnic cuisine or a flavor I would like to infuse in the dish. I call these Finishing Salts because most of the time, its exactly what I use them for.

Sometimes a dish just needs a little color after plating and a finishing salt is the perfect compliment flavor-wise and eye-candy-deliciousness-wise. Learn from professional cooks - who often serve food on white dinnerware - and sprinkle a little of your Finishing Salt directly on the food AND the plate. The vibrant colors are shown off against the white and your dinner guests can dab as much as or as little of the salt as they wish. You can make a batch for less than $1….or you could go to a gourmet shop and spend $12 for an itty bitty jar.

Szechuan Peppercorn Salt

Dry-roasted Szechuan or Sichuan Peppercorn + food processor to grind the peppercorn + sea salt. It’s spelled Sichuan nowadays, but for some reason I’ve always spelled it Szechuan. Anyways, spell how you like.

>>Edit: more detailed instructions: I roasted SZP in a hot, dry skillet until smoking but not burnt. Let that cool a little bit. Dump in food processor to grind to same size as your salt. Then you add your salt and pulse a just couple of times to fully incorporate the flavors together. I like my S&P a little chunky and not like a fine powder. I used equal amts of SZP and sea salt. You can adjust based on your tastes. If you are using a very fine sea salt or just regular table salt, decrease the amt of salt.

Szechuan Peppercorn is really not a peppercorn at all - its a berry from a bush that will make your tongue and lips tingle and numb when you eat them. Yes, its legal. No, you can’t snort it. When you dry-roast the peppercorns, your entire house will smell heavenly…woodsy, citrusy, earthy…so incredibly aromatic that Chef Kylie Kwong perfumes her restaurant daily with a hot, smoking, dry wok of roasted peppercorns. Add to any dish that needs a little kick in the pants. Cooking Chinese? Sprinkle some Szechuan Peppercorn Salt to finish any dish. I also love seasoning my steaks with this instead of the standard salt & pepper prior to grilling. This can also serve as a dipping salt for fried shrimp.

Fushia Dunlop even recommends using this combination on potato chips! Make them yourself (its very simple with a mandoline) and flavor with SZP Salt while they are hot. Or, dump a bag of your favorite plain chips onto a baking sheet + 375 F for 5 minutes, remove and sprinkle with SZP Salt. Ohhh…how about french fries with SZP Salt at your next dinner party? Nothing like watching the reaction of your guests as their lips tingle and they discover a new taste. You can buy Szechuan peppercorn at your local Chinese market or at Whole Spice, iGourmet, GetSpice (UK), Spice Barn and Spicehouse

When you get your SZP, take a couple of pods and chew - the tip of your tongue will go tingly! Cooking the SZP tames the pepperyness and the numbing quality.

Citrus Salt

Grated orange peel + grated lemon peel + let the citrus peels dry a little bit on a paper towel + sea salt Think bright, cheery and light. Finish your shrimp skewers, any vegetables, grilled chicken breasts, grilled salmon with Citrus Salt. Lighten your risotto or steamed rice with Citrus Salt. I’ll be posting soon on a recipe I created, Panko-Crusted Grouper Cheeks with Japanese-Style Risotto and Citrus Salt. Long, fancy name for fish ‘n rice, I know. I need to shorten the name…just sounds too restaurant-y.

Matcha Salt

Matcha is Japanese green tea powder made from the highest quality of green tea leaves. Its a stunning and lovely mossy color which makes such a pretty finishing salt, especially if you use a white plate and also sprinkle some directly on the plate. Matcha powder + sea salt + couple pulses in food processor if you are using course sea salt You know what is so totally divine? Your favorite chocolate truffle or chocolate bar + dip in Matcha Salt. So very different! Eric Gower pairs it with eggs and tofu. Use with dishes that are light in texture and flavor, since this salt’s flavor is more delicate and subtle. It gives a beautiful floral, grassy, sweet and soothing aroma. You can buy Matcha powder at your local Asian market. Sometimes coffee/tea shops will carry as well. This is not the same as green tea leaves. Ask specifically for Matcha powder. Its a little expensive. I paid $7.50 for 1.4 oz jar at a Japanese market in Los Angeles (which will last me a long time as I only used about� 1 teaspoon in my mixture). Don’t get the super-premium stuff, it would be a waste to use the expensive powder for the salts. Buy online at Amazon (this is the brand I got). Use your leftover powder to make green tea ice cream. I have all three sitting patiently waiting for my next cooking adventure….you guys have any ideas for other flavors? What would you do with Chocolate Salt?